Recapitulation I

It has been for about a month making arrangements to go back to Japan since the end of this month. Now, it had become to the last stage. I was busy and did not feel relax for the reason why I did not know. It was because of Japanese speech contest and Japanese movie festival, the last experience in Mandalay, held in the middle of this month. It could be said that all went well generally as expected. But there were many problems behind the curtain. The result was the regret that it would be better if we didn't do it. It was like the saying "A good beginning for a successful end." It could be said it was done as a remembrance while in Myanmar. It was purposely done as a rare experience. It was very meaningful if it was taken like that. The day to leave Mandalay has become closer. I would write about things collectively.

The first thing was concerned with clothing. They put on "longgyi" without distinguishing male or female. They put on slippers. Their outer look is like Japanese rubber footwear. They are made of various kinds of materials but upper layer is the main thing. Wooden slippers and slippers were used in daily life in Japan in the past but they made feet dirty. But, people do not mind here although the slippers make their feet a little dirty. For example, before you enter a pagoda, a monastery and a religious building, you have to take off your foot wears. Such places are wide and there are wooden floors or roads made of rock in precincts. They walk past on them without wearing slippers and put on them at the entrance in a manner that they don't mind doing so. You can compare tourists' using socks to protect their feet from dirt with their manner. Moreover, in some schools, students have to take off their foot wears although teachers put on slippers. To sum up, taking off or wearing slippers is just an important matter in their daily routine. If they care their feet being dirty, it will be impossible for them to make a living. Monks go about for alms round barefoot and laypersons who donate offertories are also barefooted.

Another thing is food. Staple food for Myanmar people is rice. They eat various kinds of noodles made of rice. Myanmar food is very oily. They cook curries using chili, garlic and fish. But foreigners can eat them because they are not especially spicy. After eating the curries for about three or four times, I kept thinking about oiliness of the curries. They have meals spoon in the right hand and fork in the left hand when they are with foreigners at the table. But they seem to have meals with fingers at home. It is a little difficult to have meals with fingers. If the meal is Japanese rice it is not suitable to do so because it is a bit sticky. Although there is no Japanese restaurants in Mandalay there are many Chinese, Indian and Thai restaurants according to geographical conditions. It is so not only in Mandalay but also in the whole country. Foods are plenty. Moreover, a significant thing is that, as I wrote in previous articles, seasonal fruits like mangoes, papayas and etc are very cheap and delicious in Mandalay.

Let me conclude this page here. I will write about other things in the next article.