Chicago Man in Japan

The new site is up

2006-03-14T16:32:00.000+09:00

Not everything is finished, but I have a new site up with a couple of blog entries. Email me if anything doesn't work.

The new Chicago Man in Japan: web.mac.com/benjaminstock

A brief update at last

2006-03-02T13:38:00.000+09:00

I know it has been quite a while since the last entry. There is no special reason or good excuse, so I won't make one. I will briefly lay out the future for the Chicago Man in Japan and the blog by the same name.

The third semester is almost over. Japan is divided into three semesters, and I arrived before semester two had begun. This means my third year students (9th graders by American standards) are going to graduate next week and go off to high school in April. It also means most of the teachers will switch what grade they are teaching, some teachers will be transferred to another school or get a new job, and our school will also receive new teachers. A lot may change.

I am also counting down the days until the Apple Store in Osaka receives the new MacBook Pro from Apple. Once I am able to purchase my new machine, I am planning to design a new page from Apple iWeb, and host it on .Mac. This means I will have a new website address. It will be posted when it becomes available.

I should finally get the Internet this month. I know I have been saying that since August, but it should be a sure thing now. The story is too long and frustrating to explain, except I'll say that NTT (Japan's national phone company) has admitted they were at fault for making me wait for so long, and they are in the process of fixing their mistake. Once I am online at home, I will attempt to do the small daily blog entries, which I had planned to do before I came, with monthly or bi-monthly larger entries. With the Internet, I will finally be able to make cheap Skype calls. I owe a few of you an international call.

Mom and Dad are visiting in the end of March during my spring vacation. We will see all of the local sites, many of which I have not yet seen, and that will probably be my first major blog entry on the new page.

In May, I am going to Southern India to "build houses" with Habitat for Humanity. All those years of home-building labor finally pay off! I'll be able to use all of their skills I learned there for the team. This means I will probably be the least productive member of the team. Nevertheless, this should be an amazing trip followed by a massive blog entry.

In late July, the brothers will be coming to Japan. After the brothers have finished seeing my little corner of Japan, I will visit the great U.S. of America in August. The first week will be with the older brother in L.A., and then I will be in sweet home Chicago for about two more weeks after that. Of course, since this is a visit, that means I will be staying another year in Harima-cho as an ALT. At this exact moment I feel like two years will be a good amount of time in Japan, but only God knows the future.

Battling the flames of Harima-cho

2006-01-31T17:08:00.000+09:00

After school today we had an all teachers meeting. I was able to avoid part of it to go to an elementary school meeting. After the big meeting ended, the seventh grade teachers were explaining how we are going to have a seventh grade teachers over-nighter in March. I was a little excited, but starting to cringe at the idea of another expensive teacher's party. Just as we were getting into the translation, the school got a phone call. A nearby house of one of our students was on fire!

Panic in the teachers' room: I hadn't seen this much excitement since it snowed four inches a while back (check the archives). Teachers were making calls and running to the window. The homeroom teacher of the student in question was off and running to his bicycle. After a little deliberation, I too pursued the fire by bike along with the English teacher Yoshida-sensei.

It was a second story fire. There were three or four trucks and lots of firemen. There wasn't much to do except watch with all the other neighbors. I had some sort of strange power standing their wearing my teachers' badge and whistle. I felt I had the authority to blow that whistle and charge the flames, but I resisted temptation. In the end, we could do nothing but watch. We returned to the school never having seen the homeroom teacher. Hopefully everyone is OK. It will certainly be on the news tonight.

On returning I found out my teachers trip is an over-night trip to nearby Universal Studios Japan in Osaka. That sounded great, but not finding out it will cost about $300! Another tough decision to make in Japan.

After many years I'm back on the slopes

2006-01-27T17:00:00.000+09:00

This week I had the chance to go on the seventh and eight grade ski trip. Every year they go skiing in Tajima, the Northern region of Hyogo-ken. In the summer the ninth graders go to Tokyo Disneyland. My predecessor went there last June. Perhaps I will have a chance to go also. It often depends on which table you sit at in the teachers’ room. Since I sit at the seventh grade table I was invited to go on the seventh grade ski trip.

The timing was wonderful for this trip, following a string of fun days. Last Thursday and Friday, I went to Kobe for the JET mid-year conference. Almost all the JETs in Hyogo-ken, about 250, met in Kobe, each accompanied by one of their Japanese Teachers of English. I think there were about 461 people in total. I went with Yoshida-sensei, the only male English teacher at my school. The conference consisted of several lectures and three seminars where we did group work and exchanged ideas about team-teaching. Many JETs complain about this conference, but I had a good time. In truth, I didn’t take that much away from it, but I enjoyed being out of school for the two days. I also enjoyed seeing all the JETs I haven’t seen since Yashiro and meeting a handful of new JETs.

On Saturday morning, I finally went to Kyoto for the first time. We went for a monthly flea market at one of the large shrines. It happens every 21st, but the 21st only falls on a weekend every few months. It wasn’t so different from a flee market at home, except it seemed there were more trinkets and less large furniture. Of course many of the items for sale were uniquely Japanese, so it was a great time. I had daifuku for the first time. Daifuku is a style of rice cake (mochi), which has a filling made of red bean paste (anko) and something else. I had a strawberry and melon one. They were one of the best tasting things I have had in Japan. I spied a few cool antiques, but I was in no shape to buy. I also looked longingly at the bonsai trees. The starter trees were around $30 or $40, but the 20-year old trees cost as much as $500. I think I might check if our fabled Hyogo JET library has any English books on bonsai. I need to know my stuff before I invest any money. I killed my first houseplant in September without even trying. I have not yet acquired a second one.

After the busy weekend, having had just a taste of Kyoto, I got up early on Monday for the school ski trip. It should have been a three-hour bus ride up to Tajima, but heavy snow kept us from taking the main highway. It was about four-hours on the smaller roads, and I did my best to make small talk with the non-English speaking teacher I was with. I was really surprised by how much katakana eigo, or English with Japanese pronunciation, I could get away with using. More and more Japanese is slowly being replaced by English words, because of the Internet and the influence of Western pop-culture. Japanese only has five vowel sounds and English has 16 vowel sounds, and the Japanese have trouble distinguishing some of our consonants. So the imported English words often sound as much like Japanese as any other Japanese words.

We arrived around noon, had a quick lunch and then headed for the slopes. It was quite an effort to get four hundred junior high school students equipped to ski, but of course it was carried out with carefully organized Japanese proficiency. All the different classes had their own ski instructor from the lodge, except for one eighth-grade class who had Okuno-sensei, the gym teacher, as their instructor.

A couple of the teachers invited me to go up the lift with them, so I obliged. My previous skiing experience consisted of a sixth-grade trip when I went up the lift twice before I decided I didn’t like skiing and a day trip in tenth grade when I may or may not have skied at all. It wasn’t very memorable. I remember not really trying, because I had already decided skiing wasn’t for me. I wasn’t going to make the same mistake this time.

Once we reached the top, a few of the teachers skied down a gentle slope and waited there for me to catch up. As I approached an English teacher told me to stop. I was skiing just fine, and I figured it would be safer for me to just keep going than to figure out how to stop. There was one point on the way down where I took a dive because I was afraid I was going too fast, but that was the only fall for the whole trip.

I found skiing to be more fun and easier than I remembered, but it wasn’t the most fun I’ve ever had. I thought it was sort of like going on a really slow roller coaster without being strapped in. If you actually achieve enough speed to make it as fun as a roller coaster, then you risk dying, which makes it less fun.

On my fourth trip up the lift on the first day I went with one of the more experienced teachers. I didn’t realize we were going to go down the fast hill, and before I knew it I was achieving incredible speed. I considered laying down by choice to avoid a bad fall, but then decided I would probably die if I fell whether it was by choice or not. With a little effort and a lot of adrenaline I made it down without falling. If someone asked me how I skied without any practice and no instruction for ten years, I would tell them I just skied like people ski in the movies. In the end, most questions can be answered by the movies.

I skied some more on the second day and had a good time. During lunch, I was looking longingly at the hills of trees around the mountain. I decided I would do some snow hiking and see what I could see. I had purposely packed my gaiters (knee-high nylon snow guards) for just such a venture.

I walked halfway to the base of the mountain where I found what was probably a hiking path in the summer. There was an almost buried trail sign where I thought the path started. Next to that was a sign that said to be careful. Maybe it said ‘no hiking’ but careful was all I understood. The snow was a couple of feet deep, but the fresh snow was only about calf-deep. Usually that was where my feet stopped, but sometimes I would dip down thigh deep in soft spots. If anyone has ever hiked in deep snow, they will tell you it can be exhausting. Every step into calf-deep snow means you have to lift your feet up higher and harder than usually. It’s like climbing stairs or running in deep water. Doing ten steps or ten feet is easy, but the longer you climb stairs or run in water the harder it gets.

The further I went the longer my return trip was going to be. I finally came to a point in the hike where it felt like I might be rounding the mountain, and maybe I would be able to circumnavigate it. I hoped that would be the case, because having to return the exact same way sometimes takes the fun out of hiking.

I didn’t see another person for a solid 45 minutes. That is indeed a rarity in Japan. I was really struck by the stillness of that trail, of those woods. I often feel withdrawal from nature in Japan. Japan has plenty of nature but you have to travel to get there, and it is often difficult to get there by public transportation. I hope, on returning to The States, I won’t take the plentiful and easily accessible forest preserves for granted. It’s the best place to be alone: just you, the animals and God above.

When I finally broke free from the woods, I found myself on a ski slope but a different one from where my kids were skiing. I was doubly surprised to see a group of camouflage-clad skiers surrounding a small ski mogul. I approached the closest man and found out they were Japanese Self-Defense Force from a base near Kyoto. The young man I spoke with, Osamu Yamamatsu, was eager to talk to me. He tried to throw in a few English words, but I did quite well in Japanese. I started taking pictures of JSDF men who were practicing jumping off the mogul, and they became a little self-conscious. Twice as many fell while I was photographing them then when before I started. Osamu and I finally thanked each other for the brief dialogue and parted ways.

For most of the rest of my hike I was crossing ski hills on foot. Although it was a little hazardous, I knew it was easier than going to the base of the large slopes. I saw quite a few more SDJF on the way back. I also found one ski track that had a rail and several ramps for snow boarders. I lied down as close to this track as I could and tried to take a few pictures of the boarders. Most of them saw me crouched beside their trail. I’m sure I affected their performance as well.

It was about a 90-minute hike in total, and one of the best 90-minute blocks I have had in Japan. Mount Shousha in Himeji and Mount Rokko in Kobe are probably the only local places to do any real hiking, and they tend to be fairly public. I haven’t yet hiked Rokko, but maybe I should start planning that for the future.

The rest of the ski trip was great. I had lots of good food, and I got to talk more with several teachers who I don’t often speak with. I didn’t go to either of the teacher’s late-night parties though. The first one I didn’t know about, and I was too tired the second night to leave my warm room. I’m sure the teachers had fun without me. That was another great thing about the trip. It was tiring for the teachers, but they all seemed to have so much fun. Half the day the students were with ski instructors, and the teachers were off doing their own thing. It was great to see the teachers enjoying life instead of working themselves to death at school.

The students also seemed to have a good time. Virtually all of them skied the entire time they were able to. At a ski trip at home, many kids wouldn’t have wanted to ski, or they would have given up after a few tries and went to the lodge. Thanks to the sometimes-positive Japanese groupthink, every student was doing his/her best to ski the entire time. I know thre had to be some students who would rather have played games in the lodge, but this wasn’t really an option. I told one of my co-teachers how weird I thought it was that all of the students were still skiing on the third day. She thought it would be weird if they weren’t skiing. I guess it does make more sense to ski on a ski trip.

I didn’t have any amazing, bonding experiences with the kids, but I talked to a lot of them in small bursts. Much of the time I was speaking Japanese, to the surprise of many of my students, but I made sure to teach some English when I found the chance. There were many students who approached me more than they had in class, and then there were those who always try to talk to me who were happy to have more time to do so. On my bike ride home, after we got back to Harima-cho, I ran into some students. They were asking me all sorts of basic questions about myself that they probably always wanted to in class. Hopefully, the little bit of bonding I did will help create openness and interest in English in the classroom.

My Seishun Juuhachi Kippu Adventure

2006-01-06T17:04:00.000+09:00

The following blog entry is a detailed account of my winter vacation trip. If the details start bogging you down, just skip ahead a bit. I know my mother is eager to know everything, so I was thorough for her sake (what a great excuse for being long-winded).

December 27 (day one):

My trip started at Harima-cho station. I saw one of my students from English club there. Since there are only four students in English club (when I came there were seven, but three have since quit), I tend to know these students better than any. There are three eighth-grade boys and one seventh-grade girl. The boys have little interest in English. None of them are even very interested in visiting English-speaking countries. The boys like video games, j-pop and the Internet. They claim to like sports but not enough to want to be a part of any team. Still they feel they have to be a part of a club, and English club has the lowest commitment.

The seventh grade girl is a bookworm. She has told me she wants to be a novelist. It’s very exciting to see a Japanese student as young as her who already has ambitions for life. Most of her peers just look forward to watching TV and going to sleep. Since she only just started English in April, her ability isn’t that high yet, but I think she has a sincere interest in English.

It was her I saw at the station. Her mother looked pleasantly surprised to see me, but my student cringed in shock/fear/embarrassment/self-consciousness: one of these or all of these. I approached her and asked, “Where are you going?” She certainly should have understood that question. Instead of answering she sort of whimpered and took a few steps back. I then repeated the question in Japanese, and she hid behind her mother. Her mother finally interceded for her and explained they were going to Sannomiya (downtown Kobe). She asked me where I was going but in a way I couldn’t understand. She then simplified it, and I told her Nagoya. She asked if I was taking the shinkansen (bullet train), and I explained in brief my seishun juhachi kippu adventure.

The train arrived, and I made sure not to get in the same car as my student. I had already put her through enough. At last my adventure had started and I was on my way.

I got on the train at 10:20 a.m. I traveled to Akashi station via the private Sanyo line. I changed to the JR station, and board the 10:40 traveling east. Thus began day one of my seishun 18 kippu. This is the name of the train ticket I used during most of my trip. It costs 11,500 yen (about $100) and affords the purchaser five days of unlimited travel on JR express trains. Not five consecutive days but five separate 24-hour periods of train travel. It is offered three times a year: during winter vacation, spring vacation, and summer vacation. The only catch is the express trains only. You can’t use it for any journey that requires a reserved seat, and you certainly can’t use it for the shinkansen. If you are lucky you will catch a rapid or special rapid train, but in many cases you are stuck riding local trains that make numerous stops.

What this boils down to is this: the 3.5-hour shinkansen ride from Akashi to Tokyo becomes a 10-hour ride on express trains. The long trip also requires numerous line changes and countless stops. Of course the main advantage is the cost. The shinkansen ticket costs about $150 each way. For far less I could go round trip and have some side trips, just for a little discomfort.

The first line change stop was Kyoto. The platform at the station was freezing- colder than any day I could remember in Japan. I’ve been told Kyoto is always cold in the winter, because it is in a valley. It was also snowing on the platform, but it wasn’t long until I was on a warm train again.

The next line change was Maibara. During the hour-long journey from Kyoto to Maibara the snow started piling up. The combination of deep snow and industrial factories around Maibara made it look more like an old Soviet town than one in Japan. I got out and waited on the platform. There were a few other gaijin (foreigners) there who seemed to also be juuhachi kippu travelers like I. I experienced the classic “do I talk to the other foreigners?” struggle within me, but I refrained.

A few minutes before the train arrived, one of the other passengers on the platform started making a commotion. I couldn’t really tell what was going on, but it seemed she was out of it. A JR conductor arrived and started officiating. I knew it was serious when he forced her to sit down on the bench right behind me. She almost toppled over as he guided her toward me. I jumped up. not sure if I should help her to the bench, but they made it all right. I understood little of what she said, except she was obviously crazy. I could see the demons in her eyes. As the train arrived it was clear the conductor didn’t think it best to let her board. She started yelling she had a juuhatchi kippu and there was no reason to take her to the hospital.

I got up to board the train and the woman clawed at my arm as I passed. The conductor pulled her back, and I rushed onto the train. I would like to think a crazy woman wouldn’t bother me so much, but in the heat of the moment it was quite unnerving. As more conductors came to help investigate, the woman broke free and boarded the train. She gripped the puffy sleeve of a random passenger, and he just looked away from her, completely bewildered. It was much the same reaction that Japanese have to hugging when they are not used to it. After the first conductor explained the woman to the reinforcements, they both came on and yanked her off the train. The larger of the two end up bear-hugging her down to the bench as the other left, apparently to call for an ambulance. That will always be my memory of Maibara.

Nagoya Station: Christmas Lights
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I arrived at Nagoya at around 2:30 p.m. I had a 3 p.m. check-in at my hotel so I got on the local subway and made for the station nearest my hotel. I chose to stay at Capsule Inn Nagoya. It was the cheapest thing I could find on the Internet, and the only thing I could find in the hostel price range. It was 2800 yen for the night. I paid 3700 yen, which included use of the bathhouse and breakfast.

#7168: My tiny home for one night
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It actually took me a little bit of time to find the hotel itself. I had a map that clearly explained it, but when I got to where I thought it should be, I couldn’t find it. After walking around the block for 20 minutes, I finally figured out the problem. It was clear the building I had been circling was a game center with slot machines and pachinko. What wasn’t clear was the first three floors were the game center, and the rest of the building was the capsule hotel. I still got to the door a couple of minutes before they opened up at 3 p.m.

To keep out the yakuza
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I didn’t have anything planned for Nagoya, so I just left the hotel, went to the main station, and walked around town. In Tokyo, Osaka, or Kobe this strategy would run you right into all sorts of interesting places and stores, but this was not the case in Nagoya. I hardly found any interesting stores and I struggled to find any interesting restaurants. I finally found a place that looked affordable and cool. I went in and promptly found out the restaurant was reserved for 500 people.

I went back toward where my hotel was. I was finally giving up all hope on finding an affordable and nice restaurant, when I noticed Saint Marc Café. I knew the name from a restaurant review in the Hyogo Times (the Hyogo Times is a local JET publication that I design and write for). I went in and found it had delightful pastries and delicious drinks. A couple of flakey treats, a hot coco coffee, and some Sigur Rós, and my spirits were raised again.

December 28 (day two):

I didn’t sleep great in my capsule. I woke at 2 a.m. and it was too hot to go back to sleep. There were no visible heat controls, so after mustering the courage, I got up to complain. Someone promptly ran off, and I returned to find cold air in my capsule. After a while, I fell back asleep and woke up again at 6:30 a.m. when all of my neighbor’s alarms went off. When my alarm finally went off at 7:30 a.m. the inevitable happened: I tried to jump out of bed, and I hit my head on the capsule. Breakfast was more than depressing, but at least there was an egg. Next time I’ll pay less and go back to Saint Marc in the morning.

Old Men and Pet Bottles in Hamamatsu
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I left Nagoya station at 8:35 a.m. and arrived in Tokyo around 4 p.m. I had a long stop in Hamamatsu about halfway to Tokyo. I walked around for a little while and took a few pictures. Hamamatsu struck me as a “nice, quiet city”. As I got closer to Tokyo the stations kept getting bigger and bigger. It felt like the opening scene from Jim Jarmucsh’s “Dead Man”, except of course I was getting more urban instead of less remote.

Millenario walkway
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About 30 minutes later, I met Yuko Kato at the station. Yuko was my Japanese teaching assistant at Northern Illinois University, and I stay with her and her family while in Tokyo. We had some Italian for dinner, and then proceeded to Tokyo’s lighted walkway “Millenario”. A few weeks before, I experienced Kobe’s lighted walkway “Luminaria”. Yuko explained that the two walkways are sister projects. The lights were pretty, and it was a good time, but the highlight was getting hot wine on the street. They were selling it in front of a fancy wine shop, and it was as good as in Germany.

December 29 (day three):

This was my big shopping day. I walked through the trendiest neighborhoods of Tokyo all day. I bought myself several “Christmas presents”: a few things that can only be purchased in Tokyo, or at least in Japan they can only be purchased in Tokyo. I left Yuko’s relatively early and got home relatively late. I was hoping to buy some new gloves and a scarf at my favorite t-shirt shop Design Store Graniph, but all the stores I visited were sold out. I ended up going to three different, one of which was way out of the way, but I was already there by the time I figured it out.

+-0
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The other main disappointment was the closure of a store I desperately wanted to see called +-0 (plus or minus zero). When I arrived in Tokyo in July, I went out on my birthday to find the store, but after two sweaty hours in my black suit I returned to my hotel having not found it. This time I had printed out all the necessary maps and directions, but when I arrived it was closed for the holidays. The national New Year’s holiday is from Dec. 29 through Jan 3. A few years back, everything was closed during the New Year but now this is only the case on Jan. 1. Not only was +-0 closed for the holiday- they were closed until Jan. 5! I could order a few things from their website, but I think I will just wait until my next trip to Tokyo. +-0 will be an ongoing quest in Japan.

Not so happy for me
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December 30 (day four):

Yuko and I went and met her friend Allison for lunch. Allison is an exchange student from Australia finishing up a postgraduate year after high school. After Lunch, I opted out of seeing Chicken Little and instead went back downtown. I visited another Graniph store in Ikebukuro. They had one pair of ladies gloves and no more. I also walked and gawked through the big department store Parco.

I decided to go back to Shibuya, possibly to do some writing and net surfing if I could have found a wireless café. As soon as I arrived I saw a movie theatre playing Lord of War. Lord of War was a film by Andrew Niccol who wrote and directed one of my favorite films Gattaca. He also wrote the Truman Show, and wrote and directed the incredible failure S1m0ne. Lord of War starred Nicolas Cage and Ethan Hawke, and was about the life and career of the biggest arms dealer the world has ever seen. It was good, but the ending had some preachy closing narration, which is never great.

I did some more walking and window-shopping and bought a little gift for one of my friends. For dinner I grabbed some fish and chips and a Strongbow Cider. That was good. Then I went to a hip dessert café and ate a piece of cake while I did some screen writing. I think I finally got back into a script that I started in June. Hopefully I’ll keep writing it.

December 31 (day five):

We got up early with plans to go to Edo Wonderland. It is a theme park that recreates the Edo period, or days of the Samurai and ninja, and who doesn’t want to see some ninjas?

The park was a few hours North, so we got up early and left the house before 8 a.m. Because of the parks remote location, we had to transfer trains at least a half-dozen times to get there. After many such transfers, we finally made a mistake and ended up almost two hours behind schedule. We didn’t get to the park until around 1:30 p.m., and it was only open until 4 p.m. We paid the pricy admission and ran to the first attraction. It was a live-action show about a group of ninjas. Yuko translated just a bit about the ninjas being mad that their leader had become power hungry, and I could figure out the rest without understanding the Japanese. They confronted him; he got mad; they fought; their master was stronger than them; in the end the humble ninjas defeated their evil master. It was much more about the ninja moves than the story line.

It was almost 2 p.m., so we finally got some lunch. I had shrimp rice and miso soup, which both tasted good. The Kato siblings decided that the food had to be good at this park. Where most theme parks could make up for bad food by having massive roller coasters, this park could do no such thing.

After lunch, we went to an area where they film jidai-geki, or Edo period dramas. The filming site looked a little drab and unused, and it was clearly shut down for the winter.

Beware!
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Next, we went to the Mysterious Ninja Residence, where ninjas practice their balance and eyesight. It was a fun house where the floors were all jagged and hard to walk around. After pretending it was fun for a moment it really became quite fun, and we ran around with the little kids who were doing likewise.

Ninja fun house
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After that, we visited the ninja maze. The maze didn’t look very complicated and I scoffed at the challenge. After a few minutes, we realized we were going in circles and were coming now closer to the flag that lay at the end. Since we were low on time we decided to skip finding the end, but after we exited, we couldn’t help but walk around the backside to see where the end really was. The flag was there in plain sight, and the maze had simply beaten us. Of course, we staged a victory photo.

Victory! (does this look staged?)
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Finally, we went to the Edo museum where there were various Edo period scenes setup with audio tracks explaining them. Yuko gave me the explanations in English as we rushed through the building. I knew a few of the stories from my meager knowledge of Japanese history. I was most struck by the story of the Christian samurai who fought to the death to defend persecuted Christians in Nagasaki. Christianity was outlawed in Japan in 1614 when the rulers thought it undermined the authority of the emperor and allowed the foreigners an inroad to Japan. There was one story Yuko and her brother didn’t know. I told them not to worry, because the three hundred year Edo period was longer that the whole of American history.

Defender of Nagasaki
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I, Ninja
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Samurai farewell
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Who needs Mickey Mouse?
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We made the long train journey home, and arrived there at around 8 p.m. For dinner we had suki yaki. It is a dish where you cook beef and various veggies in a pot over a flame on the table. We also ate some sashimi. It was all quite delicious.

After dinner, we watched a singing competition for a while on TV. When that got less interesting we switched to kickboxing. The big fight that night was going to be between Akebono, the retired Sumo wrestler originally from Hawaii, and a Nigerian comedian who is popular in Japan. At one time, Akebono was the yokozuna, or top ranked samurai in all of Japan. After he retired, he blew all his money, and was forced to go into kickboxing to make a living. This brought incredible dishonor to him, and he lost all of his sumo titles, but the guy had to eat. To make matters worse he is a terrible kick boxer. I think going into the fight he was 1-7. The main attack in sumo is pushing, and that doesn’t get you very far in kickboxing. We cheered him on, but to our disappointment, he was defeated. I’m sure he gets paid the same whether he wins or loses.

We all reconvened in the dinning room to eat some cold soba, a traditional New Year’s dish. The countdown finally arrived, and before I knew it, it was 2006. After chanting lots of “Omedeto gozaimasu!” everyone peacefully drifted off to bed. No, there were no wild New Year’s parties, but I had a wonderful time nevertheless.

January 1 and 2 (days six and seven):

On New Year’s Day I was roused by my alarm clock at 6:45. I had planned to sleep in late, but forgot to turn off my alarm from the day before. This unfortunate alarm had awoken me from a rather interesting dream. All I can remember is we were trying to kidnap a kid from a hospital, in order to save him, but the confused do-gooder police were trying to foil our plans. I think these do-gooder police were inspired by Ethan Hawke’s character in “Lord of War.”

I went back to sleep and the next thing I knew someone was pounding on my door. It was Yuko, and she informed me it was breakfast and 11 a.m. I quickly got ready to go downstairs, but not before reflecting on my second major dream. I had met and made some sort of partnership with Tom Cruise. We were trying to start a company or something, but there were all kinds of roadblocks. At one point we were working on the project at my house, which was very reminiscent of a Wheaton Academy float-building project. And like a WA float-building project, all of the people helping out were goofing around instead of working. At some point they started throwing bottles at passing cars. One passerby just happened to be another celebrity who was somehow connected to our project, and the whole thing was thrown into chaos. Tom and I were not happy.

Anyway, back to Japan. The morning meal was Osechi Ryori. This literally translates as “New Year cooking.” The basic premise is that nothing is opened on New Year’s Day, and you are not supposed to work, so you make various dishes the days before. Some people eat Osechi Ryori from Jan. 1 to Jan. 3, but Yuko said now that stores are opened on the second and third, it is becoming more common to only eat it for a day.

All of the dishes are puns. The names of the dishes also have the same pronunciations as things relevant to having a good new year. I think Yuko’s father was happy to be able to explain the puns to someone who hadn’t been hearing the explanations his entire life.

The rest of my time in Tokyo was basically spent relaxing and hanging out at Yuko’s house. I almost finished my new Zelda game (that gave me for Christmas), which I was playing on my used Game Boy Advance SP (that Zach gave me for Christmas), and I really caught up on my sleep. I also had a lot of properly cooked food- not something that I always do at home. It was really nice just to be a guest in someone’s house.

January 3 (day eight)

The train ride home was about ten hours long. I left Tokyo station at 10:43 a.m. and arrived home around 9 p.m. When I changed trains in Akashi, I was thrown off for a second when I realized the escalators changed sides again. In my region, people stand on the right side of the escalators and walk up the left side. In the Tokyo area, they do the opposite. This makes more sense in England and France where the escalators reflect the sides of the road that cars drive on. Of course, in America we stand wherever we want on escalators.

As I boarded the private Sanyo line and began my final train home, I had the feeling that I was going “home”. Sometimes life can be frustrating here, and my apartment, with it’s golden sandpaper walls, is not always all I hope it could be. But I am comfortable to say the little industrial town called Harima-cho has definitely become my home, at least for a while.

Blogging Emergency! Snow!

2005-12-22T08:32:00.000+09:00

It's been a while since I posted. The winter semester has been wrapping up, and it finally ends today. Just at the moment, I was compelled to write because we are getting the first real snow in Harima-cho. Not only that: it looks like a blizzard!

I was told yesterday about a snow warning. One teacher said it would be a whole inch, and I scoffed at that. Another teacher said it might be four inches, which is a lot for this area. They said school might be canceled if that were the case, and I was looking forward to a snow day. Although school is usually never canceled for teachers. Even during a typhoon, they say you have to take a vacation day if you want to stay home.

I woke this morning to find no snow had fallen. Although it was bitter cold, and there were nasty, shrieking winds. The bike ride to school was a little rough but fine. About 20 minutes after I arrived, the snow started. I believe we call it whiteout conditions. I can bearly see the fence that surrounds the school at the end of the soccer field. Tge teacers are half-freaking out. I can't get a grin off my face. They frantically moved the end of the semester ceremony from 9:10 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. so the kids could get home right after school. I have a sneaking suspicion they won't keep us too long either, although we do have a terrible, extended teachers' meeting after the ceremony.

In any case, I am excited about the snow. I hope it lasts through Christmas.

Traditional Japan: November 25 through 27

2005-11-28T10:07:00.000+09:00

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A few months ago my friend Ross was told to check out the Okayama International Villas. He went online, checked them out, and immediately booked one for November. This past weekend, I was among the 13 friends who stayed at one of the villas.

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Okayama is the prefecture to the East of Hyogo-ken. Some years ago, a Japanese man did some traveling around the world, and on returning to Japan realized gaijin do not have a lot of opportunity to stay in and experience the beauty of traditional Japan. He decided he would build various villas around the prefecture so gaijin would have such an opportunity. We stayed at the Hattoji villa, which was originally built over 120 years ago and then rebuilt around twenty years ago. It is the most traditional of the various villas.

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Staying at Hattoji was nothing short of magical. The villa had four large tatami rooms for sleeping, a full-sized modern kitchen, a nice shower and traditional bath, and a large common room with a fire pit and a kotatsu (heated table). All the rooms were divided by fusuma (sliding doors).

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The villa was nestled in a small mountain village. The locals were scarce and at times it felt like a ghost town. There were several houses and temples that were clearly unoccupied. Aside from a few leafers out to see the fall colors on Sunday, the area was quiet and peaceful. It really looked like the “old Japan” I have read about in legends and folklore.

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Right beside the villa was a small mountain, which was really more of a large hill. At the base of the mountain were a number of large shrines, and small shrines were alongside the trail all the way up. At the peak of the mountain there were some amazing views of the valley below.

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In a small building next to the house were a variety of enlarged black and white photos. I quickly found out the villa was the location for the Japanese film “Black Rain” by Shohei Imamura (not to be confused with the American film of the same name set in Japan by Ridley Scott), which was based on the book “Black Rain” by Masuji Ibuse. I saw and read both of these works in my Japanese literature class last year. Across the rode from the villa was a little museum about the movie and behind it was a shrine to the various famous actors who were in the film. “Black Rain” is about the destruction and aftermath of the atomic bomb at Hiroshima and how the lives of various characters were affected by it. Both works were excellent, but the novel was much better and also more graphic.

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The weekend was far too short. We could have easily done another day or two there. We do have aspirations to visit some of the other villas in Okayama, but Hattoji is the biggest and the most traditional, so it is unlikely the experience will be the same anywhere else. There is one villa on an island Southwest of the prefecture. Perhaps that will be the next getaway.

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No turkey this year

2005-11-24T11:52:00.000+09:00

Yesterday was the Japanese national holiday Labor/Thanksgiving Day. Apparently they stole two American holidays to make one super-holiday. The Japanese are best at "borrowing" ideas from other countries and then improving on them.

So on this super-holiday, I went to a festival at Harima Agricultural High School in Kasai city. While I will openly describe much criticism for the Japanese education system, the agricultural school is one outstanding aspect. It has always been my understanding that the children of farmers in the United States usually go to a regular high school and learn most of what they know about farming from their parents. Throughout Japan there are various agricultural high schools where the students learn about farming, cows, etc., alongside all the normal subjects. Upon graduation they have all the necessary skills to be professional farmers. For some reason they are forced to learn English that they will probably never use. At the festival we were able to see Kabuki, a traditional form of theater in Japan, cows and plants, and buy plants, flowers and food. All in all, it was a good time.

Next week the students have final exams from Wednesday through Friday. That mean I only have two classes during those three days, and I will try to do a major blog update with pictures. For the rest of the month, until winter break starts on the Dec. 23, it's my understanding that the students have half-days and irregular classes. Hopefully it will mean more time for blogging.

It's cold here

2005-11-16T09:33:00.000+09:00

It's not really that cold yet. I have to remember I'm a Chicagoan. In the winter of '95 it was -75 F with wind chill. That was cold!

Everyone who has been here a year has told me to prepare for old man winter. I felt this was in complete contradiction to all the Japanese who said it barely gets cold enough to snow in my area. I'm finally starting to understand what the other JETs were talking about though. The main problem is the lack of central heating. Even though it gets much colder at home most of us go from warm houses to warm cars to warm offices or schools. Here in Japan, I wake up in a cold house, ride to work on a bicycle, and then go to a school without heat. The teacher's room has heat, but the classrooms and hallways don't. Everyone is the halls is muttering "samui" (cold) all the time.

I purchased long underwear on Monday. I've been told it will become my second skin in coming months. The students have to wear their school uniforms everyday so they just layer up underneath. One of my co-teachers said they look quite puffy in the dead of winter. I'm also told those hot gel packs are quite popular here. Apparently the students fill their pockets with them on the coldest days.

The weather turned Monday afternoon. I was sitting in my apartment watching a movie (I had the day off because I worked on Saturday), and it began growing colder. I was already wearing a sweater so I went and put on a puffy down vest. It kept getting cold so I got a blanket. My nose remained cold, so I finally had to pull out a heater. My predecessor left me with four portable heaters and I also have the wall unit (which is supposed to be really expensive). I have a heated blanket, a heated floor in half of my living room, and a kotatsu: a heated Japanese table that you put your legs under to stay warm. I'm clearly as good as I can be with heaters, but it still doesn't completely solve the heating problem. It isn't wise to leave a heater running all night so waking up cold is pretty unavoidable. Maybe my big expensive heater has a timer on it...

Now the point: Japan is known throughout the world as a pioneer of new technology and various innovations, and yet central heating in uncommon. Please do not think I'm complaining. I like camping: I can handle turning on heaters and waking up cold. It's just one more thing you wouldn't expect from one of the most "modern" countries in the world.

Have I overstepped the boundries of fashion?

2005-11-01T14:51:00.000+09:00

I always encouraged John Sieker to wear his rainbow-colored sweater. "Who cares what people think," was always my motto when it came to clothes. While I have been known to sport some loud colors from time to time, I guess this is the first time I wore a truly rainbow-colored sweater.

I bought the sweater a few weeks ago in the Modern Amusement store in Osaka. Although the tag says Modern Amusement I have a complicated theory that suggests otherwise, but that's another story. The sweater is a handsome sweater, but it is definitely a rainbow sweater. It is red, fuchsia, forest green, sea foam green, blue, orange and yellow in thick horizontal stripes. I didn't really think about it when I purchased it. It fit well and looked funky. I just thought like I have been thinking: "Great! I live in Japan, so I can wear this multi-colored dream-coat and no one will bother me about it."

Unfortunately, my school is not in Tokyo or Osaka and my students are not yet used to the liberated styles of fashion in Japan. Some of them just smiled and said my name when they saw me in my bold new sweater, which they always do when they see me. A couple of times I saw some of the younger boys pointing and whispering. I quickly approached them and made them understand I didn't need to comprehend all their words to understand they were talking about me.

I still felt really good about the sweater until a herd of 9th grade girls laughed as I walked past. I stopped and demanded an explanation from them. Apparently, I was wearing a very colorful sweater and that was somehow humorous. Leading the herd was Maki Kumamoto who is very vocal about her crush on me. One of the herd asked if it was from Uniqlo and I was outraged. Uniqlo can most easily be compared to Old Navy. It is a large store with clothes for the whole family set at affordable prices. The clothes are quite a bit nicer than Old Navy and they have really cool t-shirts in the summer time. Unfortunately, their affordable prices have established them as a brand for people who cannot afford better. I expressed my outrage and then Maki and another girl said that they liked the sweater.

So now I'm going to have to wear my new rainbow sweater regularly just to establish that I'm not afraid to do so. Next time I'll remember to wear a tie. Yoshida-sensei (an older English teacher) commented on my lack of one, partially because I was asking him last week why everyone was aloud to dress so casually. There were only four people wearing ties today. Kocho-sensei (Mr. Principal) was one of the four but he was wearing track pants and a track jacket over his shirt and tie. At least I had slacks on! I wear a tie almost every day and hardly any other teachers do. I don't feel bad about wearing my rainbow sweater with a collar and slacks once in a while.

I just found out some of the boys in ESS (English Speaking Society) club made a crack about it not being Halloween in reference to my sweater. On the one side, I give them props for coming up with such a timely cultural joke, but on the other side, I went out of my way to give them candy yesterday!

So why have I just wasted ten minutes of your time talking about rainbow sweaters in Japan? I'm trying to convince both you and myself that the rainbow sweater is here to stay. I'm not backing down on this one, people. I will march boldly in my rainbow sweater! Fortunately, the average Japanese doesn't think about the blatant cultural reference to rainbows that many people do in the West. That would make the whole situation a lot more difficult.

I've been spam blogged!

2005-10-26T12:28:00.000+09:00

What is the world coming to! While I was working on the new post below (check further down for a couple of Guam pictures also), a word verification box appeared at the bottom of my post. I became very annoyed when this word verification box was not allowing me to post photos from Buzznet, so I tried to figure out what it was. I found this at Blogger help: "Word verification on the posting form is meant to be a spam reduction mechanism for BlogSpot in general, and is applied to certain potential spam blogs by an automated system." At first, I thought my repetitious posting of photos triggered the anti-spamming technology. When I checked my Gmail, I found I had five new comments on my blog that were all spam. I cannot locate them all on my page, but there are two on the newest Aki Matsuri post. Have a look!

Aki Matsuri, 22 October 2005

2005-10-26T11:49:00.000+09:00

Saturday, Oct. 22 and Sunday, Oct. 23 was the local Aki Matsuri, or Autumn Festival, in the southern portion of Harima-cho. Autumn Festival is different all over Japan, but one of the most common types is where men from the local community transport a shrine through town. Traditionally, the shrine is pushed and pulled on wheels on Saturday and carried on Sunday. Considering the shrine weighs around two metric tons (about 4400 pounds), and that weight is carried by 40 people who are being issued commands in Japanese, Craig, Sean and I felt pushing for a full day on Saturday and bowing out on Sunday would be fare.

We showed up at our local community center at 8:30 a.m. sharp, and were promptly issued blue happi coats, and colored headbands. Everyone seemed excited to have the three gaijin around and we were quickly prompted to sit and enjoy some early morning sake. After we were sufficiently prepared, we set out for another community center further south of town. That is where the shrine resides. On the walk over there was one holy child with us, who was being carried atop the shoulders of one of the younger members of our expedition. Aside from the three gaijin, there were a half-dozen participants of university age, and everyone else spanned from middle-aged to old.

Walking to the shrine
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When we reached the shrine, the rest of the participants were there to greet us. There were various residents of four different local communities including a dozen or more Harima-cho firefighters. Apparently there are not any fires or other emergencies during Autumn Festival, because it looked like the whole gang was there. There were three more holy children all ready to take part. I am pretty certain that the holy children are only “holy” for the day, because a couple of them go to the elementary school I teach at.

Instructions to holy kids
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After various introductions and explanations of the day, which were lost on me, everyone finished suiting up so we could go. The four children climbed up into the shrine and brought with them pillows to sit on, so they were relatively comfortable while they chanted and banged drums all day. The four of them sat face to face so each of their headbands hung out the shrine over each of its four walls. Once everyone was set we pushed out.

Pushing the shrine
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While the shrines weight was amazing it was easy enough to push on wheels. The hard part was maneuvering it down some of the narrow Japanese side streets. There were a few moments where the roads got narrow enough where those pushing from the posts on the side of the cart had to move to the inside or they would get pinned between the shrine and the buildings. For a long stretch it was close quarters, and I had to do my best not to step on the heels of the man in front of me while mine were being stepped on from behind. It could not be helped. On some of the roads, both sides were an inch from running into a building or tearing out a bush.

The desolate park along the way
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Throughout the day we pushed, and chanted and took breaks from time to time. It was hard to make out the chants perfectly, but I did my best to say it right. I’m sure my chanting probably was not perfect but I just lowered my volume when I got to a part I was unsure about. The children chanted constantly. So much so that their voices started giving out around 3 p.m. Fortunately, the regular breaks kept giving them just enough energy to push on throughout the day.
While the kids chanted constantly most of us only chanted when the shrine made a stop along the rode. Throughout the day, one of our leaders was collecting envelopes filled with money from local homes and businesses. Since most Japanese do not attend religious ceremonies on a weekly basis, special events such as festivals are a time for them to give donations to their local temple.

Passing the long wall
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Believe it or not, there were times during the twelve-hour day when pushing the shrine grew tiresome. Some of the highlights were when we had to charge up a hill and when we ran with the shrine down the main highway through town. In the second case, our firemen took charge of traffic and we happily pushed our two-ton shrine down the road while all the cars waited at a green light. My only regret is that they did not trust us enough to run from the front of the shrine, and we were asked to push at the back.

Relecting on the day
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We had a free lunch at a local café, and later a free dinner provided by our local community center. Dinner was a rather fish-filled bento (boxed-lunch) that I had some minor issues with while eating. We also were provided with an endless supply of Japanese beer and some fine Japanese sake with gold flakes floating in it. The locals encouraged us to drink, but we could not keep up with the Japanese who are quite susceptible to just a little bit of alcohol.

After everyone had eaten and drank his fill, someone decided we should go out and push the shrine some more now that all of us had a second wind. So we walked ten minutes back to the other community center to retrieve the shrine. The plan was to walk from one center to the other and back. During the day, this ten-minute walk was a 30-minute push, but it took us almost 90 minutes to do it at night. Someone had decided we should stop and chant every time we had a spectator whether they paid or not. At one point we chanted seven times in a row. I had no idea why.

Shrine at night
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We passed by the second community center at about 8:30 p.m. and began making a loop back toward the first one. It had grown quite brisk; we were sick of pushing; we did not want to push for another 90 minutes; and we were right by our apartment, so we bailed to let the rest of the men push the shrine back to its home.

I never returned my borrowed happi and headband. It seems like quite a hassle to do so now. Perhaps I will just wait until next year. If I stay in Japan, I will definitely push the shrine at the next Autumn Festival.

I've been issued a whistle!

2005-10-24T15:43:00.000+09:00

Today my Kyoto-sensei (vice principal) approached me and presented me with a black, ACME, Original & Genuine, Thunderer, Offical Referee whistle, used in N.F.L., F.I.F.A., Olympics and many other world class leagues. I looked at the whistles that hung from the necks of my other teachers with envy during sports day practice. As much as I wanted one of those whistles, I had kept the feelings to myself and let them slowly eat away at me.

Today, without warning, I was handed my whistle, and Kyoto-sensei said, "In case there is an emergency, or some danger, you can blow this. But don't blow it too often." I was blown away (unintended). I was unsure how much my other teachers and bosses appreciated my work here at school, but now I know I am fully accepted.

Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Expect a bigger update with photos on Wednesday about my recent weekend activities.

Ah, those short weekends in Guam

2005-10-05T13:03:00.000+09:00

I recently went to the U.S. island of Guam from Oct. 1 through Oct. 3. Just saying that makes me sound like a high roller, especially here in Japan where Guam is one of the biggest tourist destinations for Japanese. I was actually blessed with a free flight. My Japanese friend Masa flew himself, his brother and parents and me to Guam on frequent flier miles. I believe it was his fourth trip to Guam, so he cashes in the miles quite often for brief island getaways.

Guam was, in a word, amazing. Before you all rush off to Guam I need to explain why it was so amazing for me. First off, Guam was America (technically). I have not struggled with culture shock or homesickness too much, but I have been very aware of many of the stark contrasts, the lack of my favorite candies, and the basic fact that almost EVERYTHING is different in Japan. Landing on an American island was a treat in that I didn't need to worry about speaking Japanese (except to Masa's family), I could read everything, the prices were what I am used to, and I could buy all those comfort foods.

The culture of the island of Guam was fascinating as well. The native inhabitants are Micronesian. At some point the island was controlled by Spain, so there is a smattering of Spanish in their language. I believe Japan was in control of Guam during the peak of their imperialism and the United States finally took control during W.W.II. While Guam is officially American, the Japanese are still very much in control there. Almost all of the signs are bilingual. A lot of the locals speak tourist Japanese. Most restaurants have Japanese menus. There are Japanese restaurants and karaoke all over the island. On top of all of these culture collisions, the setting is a beautiful tropical island.

During this brief trip I swam in the ocean and pool a couple of times. The beach near the hotel was a coral beach which is great for snorkeling but not as good for swimming as it never gets very deep. It also was dangerous without sandals and my big toe is paying the price. We also drove around the whole island (which only takes four or five hours), and saw some great views.

We did some shopping, and at an outlet mall I found a number of items that cost a fraction of what they would in Japan. We went to K-mart a few times and I stocked up on candy and vitamins. I have read it is the biggest K-mart in the world and it kind of resembled a Super Walmart.

The most important part of the trip was the eating. We went to Outback, T.G.I. Fridays, Burger King, Taco Bell, and one local BBQ place. I came to some conclusions. I'm definitely not missing fast food in Japan, and I wouldn't have gone if Masa hadn't been so excited (he lived in the States for a year). While the food at Outback and T.G.I. Fridays was delicious, the portions are absurd. I got a good burger at the local place but it was the worst service I received since France.

On the flight back, Masa booked me World Business Class, which was first class on the small 767. I received a drink with an umbrella when I sat down, a fabulous meal, and the amount of space I had was amazing. Too bad it wasn't a longer flight.

All in all a great trip but a little too short. Guam is definitely a place to relax and do nothing. Not a lot in the ways of culture and history unless you count the bizarre, native/Spanish/Japanese/American mishmash. I would definitely go back if I wanted a do-nothing vacation, but I think at this point it's adventure and culture for me, unless someone offers me another free ticket.

A short update

2005-09-27T15:37:00.000+09:00

I have been in Japan for a little over two months, and I have been teaching for about one month. I have taught my self-introduction lesson 23 times now, and I only have to do it three more times. I am extremely borred of my lesson, and I feel sorry for the teachers who have had to translate it multiple times and pretended to be impressed or surprised every time.

Last week we had national holidays on Monday and Friday, and I also had Tuesday off because our sports day was last Saturday (I will write and post photos about that eventually). I finally went to Osaka for the first time, which is a marvelous city indeed. This past weekend I went to two BBQ's and went shopping in Kobe twice (mostly window shopping).

Last Thursday, someone from the National phone company came to my house to check the wiring and everything went fine. I think that means I will get the internet in my house eventually. I purchased an iSight camera at the Apple Store in Osaka, so once I get the internet I can start video-chatting with people.

On Saturday, Oct. 1, I will be going to Guam and returning on Monay, Oct. 3. My friend, Masa, from church is taking me and his family there with frequent flyer miles. I believe it is his fourth trip to Guam. So I will get to have all of the American stuff that I have barely missed. Hopefully, we will get some sun and do some snorkeling too.

Just before writing this post, I broke up my first fight in Japan. I saw some rough-housing as I came down the stairs, but soon realized one of the group was getting bullied by the rest. I walked up and stepped inbetween them and exclaimed, "Nan de a ne?" which is a local phrase meaning something to the effect of "What's with that?" The boys laughed at my use of their dialect and soon began talking about my hair and beard and giving me high fives. I asked the kid who was picked on if he was alright, and he ran off before he would have cried. I didn't really no what to do as I don't know why they were fighting, I couldn't ask them why, I couldn't read their name tags, and I don't know their faces well enough to point them out again. I guess I'll ask the vice-principal about it sometime.

A few people have pointed out that comments are down. I think it's fixed, but you will not be able to comment on old posts. So comment on the new posts, and say a prayer that I will soon have internet so the prose and photos flow.

Arm-wrestling in Japan?

2005-09-21T08:29:00.000+09:00

Every day this month there has been time in the afternoon set aside as practice for the sports festival September 17. At first, teachers translated it as “sports day” and I thought of field day in Jr. High and High School back home. Translating it as “sports festival” makes much more sense. Saturday will be an all-day event. The girls have learned choreographed dances; the boys get in human pyramids, have mass games of “chicken” where they try to knock each other off each other’s shoulders; everyone is doing chants, and then there were all the regular group games typical of a field day.

The practices had been getting longer and longer everyday and there was actually one day last week set aside entirely for practice.

During sports festival practice Monday, a large crowd of boys gathered to try to learn some English, and I soon was speaking broken Japanese and learning and teaching new words. At some point in the hanging out, one of the boys said that another one was the strongest boy in school. One thing led to another and I found myself arm-wrestling one of my students. I am sure I am much stronger than he, but the Japanese are tricky at arm-wrestling. They throw (sometimes literally) their whole bodies into it. At first, I was going American style, by the book, but soon I had to imitate the body-leaning Japanese-style to beat him in not too much time.

After winning, I was faced with the second strongest kid. Then one of my English teachers went and found the third-strongest. He was a lefty but so am I, so it was no problem. Then they got the fattest kid which worried me for a moment, but he was the weakest of the four. I was totally exhausted at this point when my English teacher went and got one of the younger teachers for me to arm wrestle. He did the craziest full-body, angled-arm lean that beat me in 5 seconds. I asked to go again and lasted about 10 seconds the second time. I am sure he is a bit stronger than me, but it was all technique that allowed me to lose so quickly. I hope that was the last of arm-wrestling students. They were very impressed and said I was “very macho”. After I lost to the teacher, they said he was the strongest guy in school. I proposed I was the second strongest, but then they said Okuno-sensei was probably stronger (he is the omnipotent head gym teacher). I agreed and then asked if I was third strongest. We were sitting with the principal and they insisted he had to be in the top three, although I would never even think about arm-wrestling the principal. So I finally proposed I was the fourth strongest guy in school, and they laughed and seemed quite pleased at that.

Prior to Japan I have probably arm-wrestled only a few times in the past six years of my life. In the past six weeks I have already arm-wrestled eight people (five on Monday, two at a new JET party a few weeks ago, and one at karaoke two weekends ago). I am 7/8 which is a good start, although I was bigger than most of my opponents. I think I am going to get ripped at the gym and then become an arm-wrestling champion in Japan. The most important thing though is learning their crazy arm-twisting/body-leaning/ against-the-American-rules-technique.

Before I get any more frantic emails...

2005-09-05T11:08:00.000+09:00

Last Tuesday, I worked all morning to update my blog. I had several long entries from the past couple of weeks, and quite a few photos that I had preparred to upload. After working on uploading all of this new information for a while, I proceeded to attempt to change the settings on my blog. After doing so, I clicked what I thought was the "save settings" button but turned out to be the "delete this blog" button on the Japanese browser. I think there was a rather inconspicuous "do you want to permanently delete this blog" box that popped up, but since it was in Japanese also I unknowingly clicked away.

The Blogger people have yet to contact me after a week, so I am assuming the last eight months of archives are gone. I, in the spirit of American perseverance during hard times, will get past the loss of my creative properties and continue documenting the extraodinary journey of the Chicago Man in Japan.

I should shortly post several of the most recent entries and photos that I was trying to post last week. They will appear below shortly if they are not already posted.

Being a teacher in Japan

2005-09-05T11:07:00.000+09:00

Having had a basic bit of knowledge about Japan there were no major surprises when I got here. There were however, a number of minor eccentricities to be found in Japan that I wasn’t expecting at all. I am actually writing an article for the Hyogo Times (the local JET news letter) on this topic, which I will post once finished, but for know I will simply comment on some of the most recent events.

I was given the Friday off after Yashiro orientation so I could attend the PTA meeting at school on Saturday. All I was told was I would introduce myself to some of the parents and students. Saturday morning came and I couldn’t decide what to wear. I thought putting on a collared shirt would be appropriate, but it can be so blasted hot here. I finally decided to go with a polo shirt and slacks. They know how hot it is; it would look plenty formal. I arrived at school only to find all of my co-teachers in sportswear: tracksuits, shorts, t-shirts, and sports polos, and I was wearing slacks.

Thinking back I have no idea if I was told to wear sports wear, because the PTA meeting was put on my schedule three weeks prior. In any case, there was some reason that all of my co-teachers were dressed to go running at a PTA meeting. After a quick journalistic investigation I discovered the PTA meeting is an annual event in which different groups of parents with their children from around the neighborhoods square off in a huge tug-of-war tournament. There was no talk between teachers and parents about the coming school term. The teachers were only required to straighten the ropes and declare winners while sweating parents and children yelled and pulled for the pride of their neighborhood. There was a trophy for first place and prizes for places one to three.

I ended up giving my self-introduction speech, which was well-received, and then I simply watched and enjoyed the event while frantically fanning myself to keep cool in my dress slacks.

(Cultural side note: Everyone fans themselves here. Some people have expensive folding fans, but most people use the free fans given away on the street and near train stations with advertisements on the back. It sometimes strikes me as a little effeminate to furiously flick the wrist while fanning, but it is hot here and men and women both do it. When in Rome...)

Yesterday was the all-school work day. This time I was told in advance to wear sports clothes. I found out on Friday that I would be with the seventh grade teachers doing some digging. I didn’t know what to expect, but it turned out to be a serious morning of work. While we were working the teachers explained to me that Japanese teachers do more than just teach in the classroom. Except for the principal, no one has their own office. We all work in one large community office and whoever happens to be in the office answers the phone when it rings. The teachers really work as a team here and don’t have a problem having to do activities outside the range of academics.

Likewise, students go beyond just attending class. In some schools the students take turns in serving each other lunch. They also clean the school at the end of the day. All of these things not only eliminate unneeded cleaning staff at school but also teach about teamwork, etc.

So on this particular work day the seventh grade teachers and I were pulling up drainage grates and digging out all the mud, sand and silt that clogged them up over the past five years. I worked as hard as I could, and I’m a little sore today, but the teachers seemed impressed by my enthusiasm. After the digging we carried branches for a while, but finally finished before lunch time. In the teachers room we were rewarded with watermelon (it’s quite expensive here) and iced coffee. I have to say, there really is a sense of team work in such an activity that I have not experienced at any other job.

The Fins

2005-09-05T11:06:00.000+09:00

On Thursday afternoon, after Yashiro, I went home, cleaned up the apartment, and in short order set out to go to Kobe to meet Maria and Hanna. Maria is a friend of mine from Finland whom I met in France at my YWAM school. She recently took up a job with Fin Air which gives her and a friend the exciting privilege of free travel. The two of them came to Japan with their mothers and had been staying at a relatives house who lived in-between Osaka and Kyoto.

Kobe Harbor
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I met Maria and Hanna at Sannomiya station (the hub of Kobe) and we mostly just walked around Kobe for a while. We walked through China town and went on to the harbor lands were there are a few interesting things to photograph. After a long day, which followed a long week, we went back to my apartment. They slept in my living room and I slept in the bedroom (without air-conditioning) so I didn’t get the full night of sleep I had been hoping for.

The next day, we took the train 30 minutes West to Himeji. Himeji is a city of about 500,000 with it’s most noticeable feature being Himeji Castle- the greatest castle in Japan and a Unesco world heritage site. I haven’t sat down and read the pamphlet I bought about the castle so I’m not sure about all the history at the moment. Most importantly: it is the biggest castle in Japan; it survived most of the W.W.II bombing and has been impeccably maintained for around 400 years; and it has been lived in my many of the most famous daimyo (feudal lords).

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"self portrait"
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History aside, it was an amazing structure to explore- inside and out. For all of those who plan to visit me, expect a trip to Himeji castle because you have to see it once, and I will be happy to see it again and again.

On the same block of land is a large Japanese garden. By the time we were finished with the castle we were short on time, but we had already paid the castle and garden ticket, so we went for a quick look. In our jog through the garden the highlight was definitely the ponds and the pictures of Koi below speak for themselves.

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Yashiro Prison: August 15-18

2005-09-05T11:00:00.000+09:00

Last week over a hundred gaijin (foreigners) descended upon the sleepy town of Yashiro to participate in the yearly prefectural orientation for new JETs. Basically, all the new JETs from my area (many of whom are stir crazy from being placed in the country where there are no other foreigners for miles) were sent to the teachers prefectural training facility. There they were expected to attend various seminars on living in Hyogo-ken, team-teaching, and Japanese language. Many of these meetings covered the same things we heard at the Tokyo orientation, at our home city orientations, and amongst the thousands of JET web sites on the internet.

So after a long day of lectures, everyone (especially the stir crazy JETs) were looking forward to a free evening. Unfortunately in the small town of Yashiro, the nearby convenient store is the extent of entertainment options. So people hung out and played games while drinking beverages of a refreshing nature purchased at the aforementioned convenient store. Unsurprisingly, there are a certain amount of disturbances caused by JETs followed by complaints from local residents.

Perhaps to try to prevent such incidents or maybe just to instill a certain level of Japanese discipline, the Yashiro teachers facility maintains a strict curfew (hence the Yashiro prison nickname). The gates to the facility closed at 10 p.m. and “lights out” was supposed to be 11 p.m. This, coupled with a menu that was less than gourmet, meant it was impossible to avoid lots of complaining-JETs for four days. In truth, it really was a fun time. The stuff that was review wasn’t too bad and many of the other seminars were really quite helpful. Of course, the best part was re-meeting JETs from Tokyo and meeting a handful of new JETs as well.

My Japan pad

2005-09-05T10:46:00.000+09:00

Some of these pictures are already dated, because I have purchased a few minor accessories to brighten up my place. I have made it a little less shabby, but I still have a problem with bare walls. I had assumed before coming I would have no problem finding interesting prints and posters of some of the obscure Japanese artists that I had heard about at home. It seems some of them are just as obscure in Japan as they are in the States, and I will have to keep my eyes open for their exhibits and for specialty shops just like I had to at home. Perhaps when my place is “done” I will take some updated photos. For now, enjoy those below.

The complex
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I'm in the two windows on the second floor.
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The Foyer: always take your shoes off in Japan!
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Kitchen/Dining room
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Garbage organization- they're serious about this
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My living room (I sleep here b/c of the AC)
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The bathroom- shower on left/toilet on right
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Storage room/big closet?
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I already replaced these curtains and sheets
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My iBook is right at home
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Northeast up the river from my place
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Southwest down the river from my place
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Old bike bad
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New bike good
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