A. Squiddity

Welcome to Hakodate!

Here is what you need to know about Hakodate, the nearest major city to Nanae:

1. It is a port city.

2. Its major industry is, and has always been, squid fishing.

3. People in Hakdoate love their Squid.  I mean, LOVE their Squid.  Beyond any Western comprehension.

Can't you see how loveable this squid looks?

Even bear is squid today!

This love culminates in the Ika (squid) festival, where once a year the entire city screeches to a halt and everyone comes out in the streets to celebrate all aspects of everyone's favorite cephalopod. The Ika Odori (squid dance) has been a staple of every single visit in the sister-school exchange, on either continent...without fail, at some point, we all gather and dance the Ika Odori.  

You can get an in-depth tutorial, as well as the full length song, in this jointly-created promotional video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVasTBFaxwM

In short, though, it involves a series of jumps and gyrations designed to emulate squid-ness, all while chanting Japanese lyrics that describe all the varioous ways you can prepare tasty squid, culminating in a feverish chant of "squid! squid! squid! squid! squid dance!" etc.

My daughter has watched this video, and has danced this dance with our Japanese guests, so many times that she could probably give you the tutorial herself. 

But even after a decade of dancing squid-style, I still could only dream of making the Squid Haj to the festival itself.

Until this week. 

Hakodate basically shut its streets down at around 4pm, with onlookers and street vendors lined up along the sidewalks for miles. Then we heard a hum of engines and a series of humvees and other military vehicles, DECORATED WITH GIANT CARDBOARD CUTOUTS OF SQUID, came rumbling down the street, followed by masses of uniformed senior citizens performing elabotare synchronized dances as loudspeakers blared, "Come to Hakodate - we're a nice place."  Ah, Japan.)

This was, of course, only the pre-game show.  After these community organizations passed, the Squid Trucks began to appear. One after another, a truck painted with Squid images would roll by, loudspeakers out the back thundering out the Ika Odori while various teams danced behind them.  Each team got their own truck: high school teams, college teams, office workplace teams, you name it - one after the other, over and over again.  For HOURS.  We started to wonder whether the same people were making a loop or something, just changing clothes and banners for each new pass.  But no...there were just THAT many people who were gaga about squid in Hakodate.

Well, time to join in!  

Already, there were more people IN the parade than watching it, and apparently there came a point where "disorganized masses" could jump into the fray.  People wearing Power Ranger cosutmes, people dressed in drag, people with kendo swords..whenever you thought it couldn't get weirder, it did. En masse, we cheered slogans about Hakodate, Squid, and (I think?) shouts of support for the victims of the Tohoku tsunami.  Announcers led us in several city-block-length iterations of the "wave,"  giant squid robots (I am NOT making this up!  I have pictures!) rolled by on flatbed trucks...

...it was mass hysteria, and it was all about Squid.  This is probably the closest I will ever come to being in an alternate dimension.  Of Squid.  I can categorically say that this is one of the Top Ten Weridest Experiences I Have Ever Had, and you know full well that there is a ferocious amount of competition in my life for a slot here.

You are welcome to check out my 8 min video compilation of the event:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAJ7FtciOXU

Good friends, good fun, GREAT squid...and, what do you know, the Hokkaido Shinbun printed our picture!

To end on the most surreal note possible...here is a T-shirt comic book depicting the adventures of a Bear-man superhero who fights squid...for us all!

- D