So I just was finishing up a jog, and stopped just outside my apartment building to walk for a minute. I noticed one of the farmers whose fields surround my apartment building, and started a quick conversation with him. After discussing such important topics as how nice it is to be young (he apparently was a very young looking 78) among other things, I asked him what kind of plants her grew. After giving me a quick tour, he asked if I eat eggplant. Before I can say anything else, he's cut three eggplants from the nearest bush and deposited them in my hands...I love Japan :-)
Now all I have to do is figure out how to cook them...
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Japan's election explained by an expert
http://csis.org/publication/japan%E2%80%99s-august-30-election
This is a link to a publication out of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), written by Dr. Michael Green. As well as being a Georgetown Professor and the Japan Chair at CSIS, Dr. Green spent 3 years on President George W. Bush's National Security Council (NSC) as the president's special adviser on Japan & Korea.
During my time at Georgetown, I took two of Prof. Green's classes, as well as worked for him at CSIS for 8 weeks this summer doing an internship.
This is a link to a publication out of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), written by Dr. Michael Green. As well as being a Georgetown Professor and the Japan Chair at CSIS, Dr. Green spent 3 years on President George W. Bush's National Security Council (NSC) as the president's special adviser on Japan & Korea.
During my time at Georgetown, I took two of Prof. Green's classes, as well as worked for him at CSIS for 8 weeks this summer doing an internship.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
And you thought 8 years of one party being in power was bad…
…try 54. The conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has controlled the lower (more powerful) house of the Japanese Diet (parliament) for the last 54 years. To put this into perspective, the last time Japan had a power change was when Dwight Eisenhower was the President of the United States. The “1955 system” as it is called here and abroad was created when the two most powerful conservative parties in Japan joined together the form the LDP, and with the exception of a brief period in 1993-94, they’ve been in power ever since. Somehow the fact that the opposition parties here have taken up the Obama theme of “Change” and chanting “Yes We Can” doesn’t seem as hokey as it really should- when it comes to party change, they’re looking good for the first time in over half a century.
This Sunday Japanese voters will go to the polls to elect the Diet’s more powerful lower house. Since the leadership of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi (2001-2006), who as a charismatic Japanese leader (seemingly an oxymoron in itself) was able to enact some real reform in the Japanese system (privatization of Japan’s largest banking system, the Postal system- yes, they keep their money at the post office), the LDP hasn’t been able to keep a PM around for longer than a year, and they’ve lost the majority in the less-powerful upper house of the Diet. This Sunday will see the first lower-house elections since 2005, when Koizumi was still in power. Current LDP PM Taro Aso’s approval ratings have hovered around 20%, sometimes dipping into the single digits. Though he has handled the economic recession fairly ably, his gaffe- and scandal-prone administration is likely to see the first pure opposition victory in the lower house since before 1955.
This “opposition” comes in the form of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ). Lead by Yukio Hatoyama (and formed by Ichiro Ozawa, an LDP defector), they are campaigning for “Change,” though this can always be a relative term in Japanese politics. Regardless, there are many signs that the Japanese electorate has become fed-up with the countless failed policies, corruption scandals, and unpopular PM’s of the LDP. To be fair, the DPJ has had its share of corruption scandals, etc., but they have not had the chance to have a majority government in power in order to show whether they’re able or not to steer the country in what they see is a positive direction.
The Japanese political system for beginners: Japan has a bicameral legislature (like ours) that is elected through proportional representation (not like ours). Their system much more resembles England’s than our own. Like in many, many other countries in the world, their head of government, the Prime Minister (equivalent to our President) is not directly elected into office. Instead, the PM is elected within by the party in the Diet with the most seats. This makes up for a much weaker Executive branch (the cabinet), especially in Japan, where consensus policy making is endemic. Unlike the US government, which upon a major party change in the Executive may be left to fill about 7,000 positions (which the Obama administration is still working on), the Japanese government is primarily run by a powerful bureaucracy. This means that only about 200-300 people change after any given election, even with a possible “major” power shift. Things that have gotten in the way of any type of power shift in the past half century: an ineffective opposition (imagine the Democrats, Libertarians, and any other left party being unable to come to any agreement, and none being able to muster a majority by themselves), the Japanese electorate’s loyalty to local politicians (despite widespread corruption scandals in the LDP), and the close ties between the government, the bureaucracy, and large groups of business corporations (this relationship is called the “iron triangle”). For these reasons, the Japanese government has been slow to change, and there have been very, very few people/Prime Ministers that have been able to enact any type of real change in the government (Koizumi being the notable exception).
We shall wait and see what happens this weekend. Because I work in a rural Japanese middle school, my co-workers aren’t the most politically outspoken/active people, though I have found a few people that I can speak to about the election. More on the Japanese sentiment later, though the next time I write there may be the first change of government here since, well, pretty much since my parents were born…
This Sunday Japanese voters will go to the polls to elect the Diet’s more powerful lower house. Since the leadership of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi (2001-2006), who as a charismatic Japanese leader (seemingly an oxymoron in itself) was able to enact some real reform in the Japanese system (privatization of Japan’s largest banking system, the Postal system- yes, they keep their money at the post office), the LDP hasn’t been able to keep a PM around for longer than a year, and they’ve lost the majority in the less-powerful upper house of the Diet. This Sunday will see the first lower-house elections since 2005, when Koizumi was still in power. Current LDP PM Taro Aso’s approval ratings have hovered around 20%, sometimes dipping into the single digits. Though he has handled the economic recession fairly ably, his gaffe- and scandal-prone administration is likely to see the first pure opposition victory in the lower house since before 1955.
This “opposition” comes in the form of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ). Lead by Yukio Hatoyama (and formed by Ichiro Ozawa, an LDP defector), they are campaigning for “Change,” though this can always be a relative term in Japanese politics. Regardless, there are many signs that the Japanese electorate has become fed-up with the countless failed policies, corruption scandals, and unpopular PM’s of the LDP. To be fair, the DPJ has had its share of corruption scandals, etc., but they have not had the chance to have a majority government in power in order to show whether they’re able or not to steer the country in what they see is a positive direction.
The Japanese political system for beginners: Japan has a bicameral legislature (like ours) that is elected through proportional representation (not like ours). Their system much more resembles England’s than our own. Like in many, many other countries in the world, their head of government, the Prime Minister (equivalent to our President) is not directly elected into office. Instead, the PM is elected within by the party in the Diet with the most seats. This makes up for a much weaker Executive branch (the cabinet), especially in Japan, where consensus policy making is endemic. Unlike the US government, which upon a major party change in the Executive may be left to fill about 7,000 positions (which the Obama administration is still working on), the Japanese government is primarily run by a powerful bureaucracy. This means that only about 200-300 people change after any given election, even with a possible “major” power shift. Things that have gotten in the way of any type of power shift in the past half century: an ineffective opposition (imagine the Democrats, Libertarians, and any other left party being unable to come to any agreement, and none being able to muster a majority by themselves), the Japanese electorate’s loyalty to local politicians (despite widespread corruption scandals in the LDP), and the close ties between the government, the bureaucracy, and large groups of business corporations (this relationship is called the “iron triangle”). For these reasons, the Japanese government has been slow to change, and there have been very, very few people/Prime Ministers that have been able to enact any type of real change in the government (Koizumi being the notable exception).
We shall wait and see what happens this weekend. Because I work in a rural Japanese middle school, my co-workers aren’t the most politically outspoken/active people, though I have found a few people that I can speak to about the election. More on the Japanese sentiment later, though the next time I write there may be the first change of government here since, well, pretty much since my parents were born…
My 23rd Century Cell Phone
Upon arriving in Awa city, getting a Japanese phone was one of my highest priorities. Wandering into a Japanese keitai shop is kind of like a cross between attending an electronics industry convention and walking into the Sharper Image for cell phones. A typical Japanese cell phone, for example, may come with an LCD screen that swivels 90 degrees, GPS tracking, a bar-code reader, digital TV, credit card functions, video conferencing and a camera and is unlocked by face recognition. On top of that, several phones have begun to appear with waterproofing (for those of my friends that drop their phones in pools or toilets) and even solar-powered rechargeable batteries. You can get up to a 10 megapixel camera on your phone, they all record video, and indeed it’s pretty impossible to get a phone without a camera- I heard of another JET who was trying to save money by getting as few gadgets as possible, and chances are they got one with most of these features for free.
So, as you can imagine, when I chose the “free” option for cell phones at the store, I wasn’t expecting to be able to watch TV on my phone through a miniature antenna, or take high quality pictures/movies, surf the web easily, or about 100 other things that my little flip phone can do. For Japanese people that don’t use e-mail for business, it is also common here to have a single e-mail address- that of their cell phone (we don’t do instant messaging here haha)- I recently heard of a 31-year-old Japanese woman (the girlfriend of a fellow JET) who has just gotten her first e-mail address outside of her cell phone.
This is because e-mail and easy web surfing have been readily available on the Japanese market since before we knew these things existed in America. A short rundown by the NY Times states that for the mass consumer market, the Japanese developed: e-mail capabilities in 1999, camera phones in 2000, third-generation networks in 2001, full music downloads in 2002, electronic payments in 2004 and digital TV in 2005. Part of the reason that we haven’t seen more of these cell-phones in the States is two-fold- one, what the NYT calls the “Galapagos Effect”- as Japanese cell phones became more and more advanced, other countries had little incentive to develop their networks at the same pace as advances in Japanese cell phone technology because their own domestic cell phone industries would suffer. So, the Japanese have continued to develop their phones, and the average user here has, what would be considered abroad, a super-advanced phone. Second is the fact that recently we have become enamored with software-based phones as opposed to the gadget-packed (hardware-based) phones from here in Japan. Our typical phone of choice will most likely be an iphone, which as little value on the surface, but as we all know is jam-packed with useful light-saber, beer drinking, and music recognition software.
Interestingly enough, the iPhone has begun to make an appearance here, but so far it’s stood about as much of a chance on the Japanese market as our phones do elsewhere. I guess it’s just a matter of taste…
So, as you can imagine, when I chose the “free” option for cell phones at the store, I wasn’t expecting to be able to watch TV on my phone through a miniature antenna, or take high quality pictures/movies, surf the web easily, or about 100 other things that my little flip phone can do. For Japanese people that don’t use e-mail for business, it is also common here to have a single e-mail address- that of their cell phone (we don’t do instant messaging here haha)- I recently heard of a 31-year-old Japanese woman (the girlfriend of a fellow JET) who has just gotten her first e-mail address outside of her cell phone.
This is because e-mail and easy web surfing have been readily available on the Japanese market since before we knew these things existed in America. A short rundown by the NY Times states that for the mass consumer market, the Japanese developed: e-mail capabilities in 1999, camera phones in 2000, third-generation networks in 2001, full music downloads in 2002, electronic payments in 2004 and digital TV in 2005. Part of the reason that we haven’t seen more of these cell-phones in the States is two-fold- one, what the NYT calls the “Galapagos Effect”- as Japanese cell phones became more and more advanced, other countries had little incentive to develop their networks at the same pace as advances in Japanese cell phone technology because their own domestic cell phone industries would suffer. So, the Japanese have continued to develop their phones, and the average user here has, what would be considered abroad, a super-advanced phone. Second is the fact that recently we have become enamored with software-based phones as opposed to the gadget-packed (hardware-based) phones from here in Japan. Our typical phone of choice will most likely be an iphone, which as little value on the surface, but as we all know is jam-packed with useful light-saber, beer drinking, and music recognition software.
Interestingly enough, the iPhone has begun to make an appearance here, but so far it’s stood about as much of a chance on the Japanese market as our phones do elsewhere. I guess it’s just a matter of taste…
Monday, August 17, 2009
Awa Odori- The largest dance festival in Japan
Odoro ahou ni The dancers are fools
Miru ahou The watchers are fools
Onaji ahou nara Both are fools alike so
Odorana son, son Why not dance?
In describing the simple facts of Awa Odori (the dance festival), Wikipedia does a pretty good job: “The Awa Dance Festival is held from 12 to 15 August as part of the Obon festival (my note: Obon is Japan-wide) in Tokushima Prefecture on Shikoku in Japan. Awa Odori is the largest dance festival in Japan, attracting over 1.3 million tourists every year. Groups of choreographed dancers and musicians known as ren dance through the streets, typically accompanied by the shamisen lute, taiko drums, shiobue flute, and the kane bell. Performers wear traditional obon dance costumes, and chant and sing as they parade through the streets. Awa is the old feudal administration name for Tokushima and odori means dance.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awa_Odori).
That just about sums it up, so I guess that’s about all that needs to be said…
Ok, I guess I can talk about the experience a little bit. Obon is a time in Japan that is very interesting because the time for summer festivals originated as a Buddhist custom to honor the deceased spirits of one’s family. This is the time that people usually return to their ancestral homes and clean the graves of their forebears, while the spirits of their ancestors supposedly visit the household shrines that sit in every Japanese home. As any good Texan can tell you, this shares a lot of similarities with the Mexican custom celebrating the "Dia de los Muertos" ("Day of the Dead"). Obon has been celebrated in Japan for over 500 years, and has traditionally included a dance, such as with Awa Odori.
Awa Odori was part of the “Hachigatsu (August) Bon,” which is based on the solar calendar, and the most commonly celebrated one across Japan. Generally, the bigger the city, the bigger the festival, which usually includes fireworks displays (both the visual kind and the loud booms that they have for things like Las Fallas in Valencia, Sp.). We went to one of these displays at Naruto (just north of Tokushima city) the first Friday I was here, and I put a few pictures of that on Facebook. I also was able to witness part of the even smaller Yoshinogawa City festival (which is just across the river from me). During Obon, each village’s dance can depict the region’s history and specialization. For example, regions with a history of mining (like some areas on the island of Kyushuu) may simulate the movements of mines (digging, cart pushing, lantern hanging, etc.), while everyone dances in unison in a group.
Obon festivals in Tokushima (and especially Awa Odori) have been famous for their size, exuberance and anarchy since the 16th century. According to local custom, Awa Odori’s existence as a huge, independent city-wide dance festival dates back to 1586, when the local daimyo (lord) Hachisuka Iemasa, hosted the drunken celebration of the opening of Tokushima Castle. The locals, having consumed a great amount of sake, began to drunkenly weave and stumble back and forth. Others picked up commonly available musical instruments and began to play a simple, rhythmic song, to which the revelers invented lyrics.
On Friday, all first-year JETs and a few of the returners joined a dance troop (ren) called Arasowaren, which loosely translated means “promoting peace and understanding.” This is the larger of the two internationally-oriented dance troops in Tokushima, with over 220 participants. After changing into our Yukata and donning a headband, we attended the pre-dance party. This party included speeches by the leaders of the festival, dance lessons, and of course the Japanese party pre-requisite tables of beer and snacks. After learning the dance and subsequently doing it around the room with the other members of the troop, we were ushered out into the streets to begin our 3 ½ hour experience in of Tokushima city during Awa-odori as part of the Arasowaren. Much of the time was spent weaving around and between other dance troops and spectators to reach our dance places. During this time, we had plenty of opportunities to gawk at the variety of ways that people have created to dance the relatively simple dance steps.
Of course, the main point of that evening was our dancing itself. In various designated parts of the city, we would line up in 5-6 lines, and dance 100 yds. or so through the streets, followed by our band of shamisen, taiko, shinobue, and kane. We danced through two especially large sets of stands during our journey through the streets of Tokushima city. It was a bit nerve-racking to dance a dance we’d learned a couple of hours before in front of a couple of thousand people. I was hoping to get lost in the crowd of gaijin (foreigners)- after all, we all look alike.
In more dramatic fashion: The city itself during our dance was an orgy of sound, lights, smells, and people. Colorful lanterns hung from all the bridges, along the streets, and down the alley-ways. Booms from the fireworks periodically reverberated throughout the city, temporarily drowning out peoples’ shouts (generally: “Yattosa! Yattosa!- which lacks semantic meaning, but helps to encourage the dancers) and the sound of the instruments. Festival food was cooked on literally every corner, or, as John M. would put it: pretty much yaki- anything: yakitori, yakisoba, okonomiyaki, takoyaki, etc. People were crammed into every possible space; they were either dancing, watching, or being pulled into the dance while trying to watch. Indeed, for the more wild, night-time dances, spectators are often encouraged to join.
The two nights we went to the festival were pretty hot, but no one really seemed to care, as the city danced with abandon until the police kicked the noisemakers and dancers off of the main streets, then the side streets, and then finally the arcades/pedestrian thoroughfares. What one who has been here may know of the generally subdued, reverential, humble side of the Japanese culture was nowhere to be seen on either night. While during the day the dances tended to be more organized and stylized (called Nagashi), as the each evening progressed dancers switched to a frenzied dance called Zomeki. Indeed, one of the most surprising things for me to see were young (say, college-aged) dancers having drinking contests where people sat on one another’s shoulders, and the one on top would swig from a huge bottle of sake and pass it on, only then to be spun by the bottom person.
I mentioned that we went to the festival on two successive nights (Friday and Saturday, the two concluding nights). Friday is the one in which we danced, and on Saturday we were set free to go out and witness the mayhem as spectators (as much as one can neglect to participate). This is where the majority of my pictures came from (before my camera ran out of memory due to the videos haha). I’ve uploaded all of the pictures that I have onto Facebook, and hopefully will be able to upload the videos sooner rather than later.
Anyways, this marks the conclusion of a pretty long entry, so if you’ve made it this far, otsukaresamadeshita (literally: I was mr. tired), or “great job” haha.
Miru ahou The watchers are fools
Onaji ahou nara Both are fools alike so
Odorana son, son Why not dance?
In describing the simple facts of Awa Odori (the dance festival), Wikipedia does a pretty good job: “The Awa Dance Festival is held from 12 to 15 August as part of the Obon festival (my note: Obon is Japan-wide) in Tokushima Prefecture on Shikoku in Japan. Awa Odori is the largest dance festival in Japan, attracting over 1.3 million tourists every year. Groups of choreographed dancers and musicians known as ren dance through the streets, typically accompanied by the shamisen lute, taiko drums, shiobue flute, and the kane bell. Performers wear traditional obon dance costumes, and chant and sing as they parade through the streets. Awa is the old feudal administration name for Tokushima and odori means dance.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awa_Odori).
That just about sums it up, so I guess that’s about all that needs to be said…
Ok, I guess I can talk about the experience a little bit. Obon is a time in Japan that is very interesting because the time for summer festivals originated as a Buddhist custom to honor the deceased spirits of one’s family. This is the time that people usually return to their ancestral homes and clean the graves of their forebears, while the spirits of their ancestors supposedly visit the household shrines that sit in every Japanese home. As any good Texan can tell you, this shares a lot of similarities with the Mexican custom celebrating the "Dia de los Muertos" ("Day of the Dead"). Obon has been celebrated in Japan for over 500 years, and has traditionally included a dance, such as with Awa Odori.
Awa Odori was part of the “Hachigatsu (August) Bon,” which is based on the solar calendar, and the most commonly celebrated one across Japan. Generally, the bigger the city, the bigger the festival, which usually includes fireworks displays (both the visual kind and the loud booms that they have for things like Las Fallas in Valencia, Sp.). We went to one of these displays at Naruto (just north of Tokushima city) the first Friday I was here, and I put a few pictures of that on Facebook. I also was able to witness part of the even smaller Yoshinogawa City festival (which is just across the river from me). During Obon, each village’s dance can depict the region’s history and specialization. For example, regions with a history of mining (like some areas on the island of Kyushuu) may simulate the movements of mines (digging, cart pushing, lantern hanging, etc.), while everyone dances in unison in a group.
Obon festivals in Tokushima (and especially Awa Odori) have been famous for their size, exuberance and anarchy since the 16th century. According to local custom, Awa Odori’s existence as a huge, independent city-wide dance festival dates back to 1586, when the local daimyo (lord) Hachisuka Iemasa, hosted the drunken celebration of the opening of Tokushima Castle. The locals, having consumed a great amount of sake, began to drunkenly weave and stumble back and forth. Others picked up commonly available musical instruments and began to play a simple, rhythmic song, to which the revelers invented lyrics.
On Friday, all first-year JETs and a few of the returners joined a dance troop (ren) called Arasowaren, which loosely translated means “promoting peace and understanding.” This is the larger of the two internationally-oriented dance troops in Tokushima, with over 220 participants. After changing into our Yukata and donning a headband, we attended the pre-dance party. This party included speeches by the leaders of the festival, dance lessons, and of course the Japanese party pre-requisite tables of beer and snacks. After learning the dance and subsequently doing it around the room with the other members of the troop, we were ushered out into the streets to begin our 3 ½ hour experience in of Tokushima city during Awa-odori as part of the Arasowaren. Much of the time was spent weaving around and between other dance troops and spectators to reach our dance places. During this time, we had plenty of opportunities to gawk at the variety of ways that people have created to dance the relatively simple dance steps.
Of course, the main point of that evening was our dancing itself. In various designated parts of the city, we would line up in 5-6 lines, and dance 100 yds. or so through the streets, followed by our band of shamisen, taiko, shinobue, and kane. We danced through two especially large sets of stands during our journey through the streets of Tokushima city. It was a bit nerve-racking to dance a dance we’d learned a couple of hours before in front of a couple of thousand people. I was hoping to get lost in the crowd of gaijin (foreigners)- after all, we all look alike.
In more dramatic fashion: The city itself during our dance was an orgy of sound, lights, smells, and people. Colorful lanterns hung from all the bridges, along the streets, and down the alley-ways. Booms from the fireworks periodically reverberated throughout the city, temporarily drowning out peoples’ shouts (generally: “Yattosa! Yattosa!- which lacks semantic meaning, but helps to encourage the dancers) and the sound of the instruments. Festival food was cooked on literally every corner, or, as John M. would put it: pretty much yaki- anything: yakitori, yakisoba, okonomiyaki, takoyaki, etc. People were crammed into every possible space; they were either dancing, watching, or being pulled into the dance while trying to watch. Indeed, for the more wild, night-time dances, spectators are often encouraged to join.
The two nights we went to the festival were pretty hot, but no one really seemed to care, as the city danced with abandon until the police kicked the noisemakers and dancers off of the main streets, then the side streets, and then finally the arcades/pedestrian thoroughfares. What one who has been here may know of the generally subdued, reverential, humble side of the Japanese culture was nowhere to be seen on either night. While during the day the dances tended to be more organized and stylized (called Nagashi), as the each evening progressed dancers switched to a frenzied dance called Zomeki. Indeed, one of the most surprising things for me to see were young (say, college-aged) dancers having drinking contests where people sat on one another’s shoulders, and the one on top would swig from a huge bottle of sake and pass it on, only then to be spun by the bottom person.
I mentioned that we went to the festival on two successive nights (Friday and Saturday, the two concluding nights). Friday is the one in which we danced, and on Saturday we were set free to go out and witness the mayhem as spectators (as much as one can neglect to participate). This is where the majority of my pictures came from (before my camera ran out of memory due to the videos haha). I’ve uploaded all of the pictures that I have onto Facebook, and hopefully will be able to upload the videos sooner rather than later.
Anyways, this marks the conclusion of a pretty long entry, so if you’ve made it this far, otsukaresamadeshita (literally: I was mr. tired), or “great job” haha.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Where I am on Googlemaps
I think this should work. It's a map of a few locations around me that I'll update periodically.
Link: <http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=102168810899671429508.000470c354d8f32a62f30&dirflg=d&doflg=ptk&z=19>
Link: <http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=102168810899671429508.000470c354d8f32a62f30&dirflg=d&doflg=ptk&z=19>
Ame, ame, go away....
Monday, August 10, 2009- 9:45 AM
It’s now been raining for the past two days- large parts of my prefecture are covered in water, and it looks like about half of the teachers weren't able to make it into the office of my base school (Awa-chou middle school) today. Thankfully, I was able to make it in my little car, though I was seriously scared that the two feet of water I had to go through getting out of the parking lot would flood its engine. The road is apparently flooded farther to the east (towards the rest of Awa city) of me, and some of the teachers were surprised I was able to make it in. It helps that I live within a quarter mile of the school. Though we didn't feel the apparently 7.1 magnitude earthquake that struck off of Japan's East coast yesterday evening, these two days of rain have been incredible- they must be due to the monster taiphoon that's just slammed Taiwan and China. Hopefully things will clear up by the time we dance in the Awa odori dance festival in Tokushima city on Thursday/Friday...
It’s now been raining for the past two days- large parts of my prefecture are covered in water, and it looks like about half of the teachers weren't able to make it into the office of my base school (Awa-chou middle school) today. Thankfully, I was able to make it in my little car, though I was seriously scared that the two feet of water I had to go through getting out of the parking lot would flood its engine. The road is apparently flooded farther to the east (towards the rest of Awa city) of me, and some of the teachers were surprised I was able to make it in. It helps that I live within a quarter mile of the school. Though we didn't feel the apparently 7.1 magnitude earthquake that struck off of Japan's East coast yesterday evening, these two days of rain have been incredible- they must be due to the monster taiphoon that's just slammed Taiwan and China. Hopefully things will clear up by the time we dance in the Awa odori dance festival in Tokushima city on Thursday/Friday...
Phew
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Phew, what a first week; 3 packed days/nights in Tokyo, and then 5 full days here in Tokushima. I can tell you one thing: being active all day and every day has helped me to get over any potential jet lag, though it has been nice to be around a lot of nice people going through the same thing.
I’ve now met most of the other JETs in my immediate vicinity, and a few others from the prefecture as well. In Awa City (Awa-shi), 3 of the 4 of us are new: John M., who’s an active board member of the Association of JETs (AJET), has been a huge help in getting me situated and answering a lot of questions about living here. He knows a lot more than even he gives himself credit for, as he told me it wasn’t until he was answering all of my questions that he really realized that he’s been here a whole year now and how much he’s learned in the meantime. The two other new JETs around here are Chris and Thad. Thad is a great guy from Iowa, who’s spent the past 3 ½ years teaching abroad in Italy (so we both speak a language that very, very few people in this area apart from the Americans speak haha), and is an active practitioner of Buddhism. This is interesting in that he adheres to the tenets of the religion so far as he doesn’t drink alcohol or eat meat, something that he has been told many “practicing” Buddhists here in Japan have left behind them. It’s interesting to see that Japan, not a particularly religious country, but one that I’ve always assumed followed (at least in practice) what little their religions (Shinto & Buddhism) required of its adherents, is little different in this day and age from many European countries with Catholicism, or even many parts of America. Not that I’m a total cynic and think that tradition/religion/etc. everywhere has been gradually (and completely) abandoned over generations, but it’s interesting to see such widespread and complete disregard for some traditions in a country that is very much attached to its traditions. Chris is a great guy from Dallas who went to Stephen F Austin State University in Nacadoches, Tx and graduated in 2008. I find it funny that I’ve already met 5 Texans that are in this area (Annie & Becky from Austin, Chris & Adam from Dallas, and Sarah from Lubbock), though I guess the Japanese consulate in Houston must get a lot of people applying from our state. Chris came to the Group A orientation, which occurred a week before mine, so that he’s got a much better idea of what’s going on than I do so far.
Yesterday, we went into Tokushima city (the city of 250,000 that’s about an hour to my East on the coast) and met up with a variety of new and old JETs to take a short city tour and go out for the night. The tour was quick and easy, and we were shown the closest store to buy foreign goods (read: peanut butter, taco mix, and funyons haha). Compared to how I’m sure it was 23 years ago (when the JET program began), I’m sure that people in rural places have it much better nowadays: walking through a Japanese grocery store, I find that though the brand names, packaging, and language may be different, you can find a remarkable number of things that one would buy back home: spaghetti & tomato sauce, many types of meat, all kinds of fruits, potato chips, eggs & dairy things, etc. Of course, the majority of items in the grocery store are more along traditional Japanese lines: all types of soba (noodles), ramen, a huge seafood section, miso, natto, and a ton of other things that I haven’t learned to read yet.
On a completely different note, it’s been raining cats and dogs here for the past 36 hours or so. I’m assuming it’s some weather system associated with the massive typhoon that just hit Taiwan (and is hitting mainland China as we speak). On the plus side it’s just warm summer rain, but many of the streets have been flooded in the small towns on either side of the Yoshinogawa (Yoshino river). Driving around, I’ve actually been afraid that one of our little k-cars would get a swamped engine from the foot or so of water we’ve seen on the roads.
In Japan, there are two main types of vehicles: yellow plates & white plates. White plates, with white license plates, are your normal run-of the mill cars- everything from Toyota Corollas to Land Cruisers, etc. K-Cars, or yellow plates, have smaller (650 cc max) engines. To any of you who have seen my beast of a car, it looks like a glorified HotWheels car (but a little bigger). Driving one is a lot like driving a go-cart with the whine of the engine (especially with 4 passengers) and just the small size of it. However, k-cars, we’ve realized, are the best possible thing for a JET to have: the mandatory government insurance (shakken) is much, much cheaper than the white plates, and thus they’re much easier to maintain. Despite appearances, my little car (nickname undetermined as of yet) can comfortably fit 4 people, with plenty of head room to spare- in making their cars look like boxes, the Japanese have crammed as much space into as little as possible (typical).
Anyways, the Tokushima city excursion (and the one to the Naruto City fireworks show the night before) has given me the opportunity to meet more and more JETs from our prefecture. Though Tokushima city is an hour to the west of me (mainly because the two-lane road there has lots of traffic lights), I’ve found that Tokushima JETs hang out with each other quite a bit. Be it through simply friendships & trips or any one of the various (and numerous) events organized by AJET, the JETs in the area seem pretty well connected. One of my main reasons to come to Japan to live here a second time was so that I could continue to develop my Japanese. From experience in Osaka as well as Alicante, I know that in order to vastly improve your language skills, you need to hang out and speak to locals (in that language). So far, I haven’t done a ton of that, but I feel that I’ve been justified in seeing a great deal of my fellow JETs for two main reasons: 1.) there simply just aren’t a lot of people out here, and 2.) getting situated/oriented has been much, much easier with people like John and Balacz (another JET from across the river) around to answer literally every single question that I have. It’s also been nice to hang out with the other new JETs, see how much they know about the Japanese language, people, and culture, and gauge the reasons why they’re here.
The JET program allows you to stay in Japan from 1-5 years, recontracting every year. In telling people how long I would be staying here, I mainly based my estimates off of my life back home (I’d like to go to grad school and start a career at some point) and my limited experience with alumni JET and living in Japan itself. After being here a week (yes, only a week), and speaking to a few of the returning/new JETs (especially the returners), I feel that my estimates of 2-3 years were pretty solid; people come to Japan and do the JET program for various reasons- everything from getting out of the States for a year, to having a new and exciting experience, to being here to catch the latest trend in Anime. A great deal of those people are the ones that stay for one year. After speaking to Balacz (pronounced “Balaj”), who’s been here for two years already, I’m much more confident in my earlier estimates. After telling him about my familiarity with the culture and the reasons why I’ve come back (namely: 1.) work on my Japanese language skills, 2.) get a more in-depth understanding of the culture, 3.) a more in-depth understanding of politics here, 4.) work as a teacher- there are others but those are the main ones), he was fairly confident in his opinion that I was here not only for the right reasons, but those that would keep me here several years. Obviously, time will tell, but it was nice to see that someone who knows a lot more about these things than I do was of the same opinion.
Phew, what a first week; 3 packed days/nights in Tokyo, and then 5 full days here in Tokushima. I can tell you one thing: being active all day and every day has helped me to get over any potential jet lag, though it has been nice to be around a lot of nice people going through the same thing.
I’ve now met most of the other JETs in my immediate vicinity, and a few others from the prefecture as well. In Awa City (Awa-shi), 3 of the 4 of us are new: John M., who’s an active board member of the Association of JETs (AJET), has been a huge help in getting me situated and answering a lot of questions about living here. He knows a lot more than even he gives himself credit for, as he told me it wasn’t until he was answering all of my questions that he really realized that he’s been here a whole year now and how much he’s learned in the meantime. The two other new JETs around here are Chris and Thad. Thad is a great guy from Iowa, who’s spent the past 3 ½ years teaching abroad in Italy (so we both speak a language that very, very few people in this area apart from the Americans speak haha), and is an active practitioner of Buddhism. This is interesting in that he adheres to the tenets of the religion so far as he doesn’t drink alcohol or eat meat, something that he has been told many “practicing” Buddhists here in Japan have left behind them. It’s interesting to see that Japan, not a particularly religious country, but one that I’ve always assumed followed (at least in practice) what little their religions (Shinto & Buddhism) required of its adherents, is little different in this day and age from many European countries with Catholicism, or even many parts of America. Not that I’m a total cynic and think that tradition/religion/etc. everywhere has been gradually (and completely) abandoned over generations, but it’s interesting to see such widespread and complete disregard for some traditions in a country that is very much attached to its traditions. Chris is a great guy from Dallas who went to Stephen F Austin State University in Nacadoches, Tx and graduated in 2008. I find it funny that I’ve already met 5 Texans that are in this area (Annie & Becky from Austin, Chris & Adam from Dallas, and Sarah from Lubbock), though I guess the Japanese consulate in Houston must get a lot of people applying from our state. Chris came to the Group A orientation, which occurred a week before mine, so that he’s got a much better idea of what’s going on than I do so far.
Yesterday, we went into Tokushima city (the city of 250,000 that’s about an hour to my East on the coast) and met up with a variety of new and old JETs to take a short city tour and go out for the night. The tour was quick and easy, and we were shown the closest store to buy foreign goods (read: peanut butter, taco mix, and funyons haha). Compared to how I’m sure it was 23 years ago (when the JET program began), I’m sure that people in rural places have it much better nowadays: walking through a Japanese grocery store, I find that though the brand names, packaging, and language may be different, you can find a remarkable number of things that one would buy back home: spaghetti & tomato sauce, many types of meat, all kinds of fruits, potato chips, eggs & dairy things, etc. Of course, the majority of items in the grocery store are more along traditional Japanese lines: all types of soba (noodles), ramen, a huge seafood section, miso, natto, and a ton of other things that I haven’t learned to read yet.
On a completely different note, it’s been raining cats and dogs here for the past 36 hours or so. I’m assuming it’s some weather system associated with the massive typhoon that just hit Taiwan (and is hitting mainland China as we speak). On the plus side it’s just warm summer rain, but many of the streets have been flooded in the small towns on either side of the Yoshinogawa (Yoshino river). Driving around, I’ve actually been afraid that one of our little k-cars would get a swamped engine from the foot or so of water we’ve seen on the roads.
In Japan, there are two main types of vehicles: yellow plates & white plates. White plates, with white license plates, are your normal run-of the mill cars- everything from Toyota Corollas to Land Cruisers, etc. K-Cars, or yellow plates, have smaller (650 cc max) engines. To any of you who have seen my beast of a car, it looks like a glorified HotWheels car (but a little bigger). Driving one is a lot like driving a go-cart with the whine of the engine (especially with 4 passengers) and just the small size of it. However, k-cars, we’ve realized, are the best possible thing for a JET to have: the mandatory government insurance (shakken) is much, much cheaper than the white plates, and thus they’re much easier to maintain. Despite appearances, my little car (nickname undetermined as of yet) can comfortably fit 4 people, with plenty of head room to spare- in making their cars look like boxes, the Japanese have crammed as much space into as little as possible (typical).
Anyways, the Tokushima city excursion (and the one to the Naruto City fireworks show the night before) has given me the opportunity to meet more and more JETs from our prefecture. Though Tokushima city is an hour to the west of me (mainly because the two-lane road there has lots of traffic lights), I’ve found that Tokushima JETs hang out with each other quite a bit. Be it through simply friendships & trips or any one of the various (and numerous) events organized by AJET, the JETs in the area seem pretty well connected. One of my main reasons to come to Japan to live here a second time was so that I could continue to develop my Japanese. From experience in Osaka as well as Alicante, I know that in order to vastly improve your language skills, you need to hang out and speak to locals (in that language). So far, I haven’t done a ton of that, but I feel that I’ve been justified in seeing a great deal of my fellow JETs for two main reasons: 1.) there simply just aren’t a lot of people out here, and 2.) getting situated/oriented has been much, much easier with people like John and Balacz (another JET from across the river) around to answer literally every single question that I have. It’s also been nice to hang out with the other new JETs, see how much they know about the Japanese language, people, and culture, and gauge the reasons why they’re here.
The JET program allows you to stay in Japan from 1-5 years, recontracting every year. In telling people how long I would be staying here, I mainly based my estimates off of my life back home (I’d like to go to grad school and start a career at some point) and my limited experience with alumni JET and living in Japan itself. After being here a week (yes, only a week), and speaking to a few of the returning/new JETs (especially the returners), I feel that my estimates of 2-3 years were pretty solid; people come to Japan and do the JET program for various reasons- everything from getting out of the States for a year, to having a new and exciting experience, to being here to catch the latest trend in Anime. A great deal of those people are the ones that stay for one year. After speaking to Balacz (pronounced “Balaj”), who’s been here for two years already, I’m much more confident in my earlier estimates. After telling him about my familiarity with the culture and the reasons why I’ve come back (namely: 1.) work on my Japanese language skills, 2.) get a more in-depth understanding of the culture, 3.) a more in-depth understanding of politics here, 4.) work as a teacher- there are others but those are the main ones), he was fairly confident in his opinion that I was here not only for the right reasons, but those that would keep me here several years. Obviously, time will tell, but it was nice to see that someone who knows a lot more about these things than I do was of the same opinion.
Helloooo Japan
05/08/09 (Wednesday)
Hey Everyone :-)
Well, as I sit down to write this I’ve just begun the process of moving into my new apartment. I arrived in Awa City this afternoon, and have since been running around with a couple of my supervisors making some initial preparations for my stay. This marks the first point since I arrived in Tokyo on Sunday afternoon that I’ve had a chance to stop and take a breath. I’m currently sitting in the huge (by Japanese standards) living room of my new apartment and attempting to process all that’s occurred since my new life in Japan began. I'm here to become an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) in the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program. This program, run through the Japanese government, recruits English speakers from all over the world (except India, apparently) to live in Japan and act as supplements to the English as a Second Language education of primary, middle, and high-school students. JET's are primarily placed in rural areas, and typically rotate between multiple schools. I am fortunate in that I will have one base school (a middle school), where I work four days a week, and two elementary schools that I'll rotate between every Wednesday. I think there are something upwards of 4,400 JETs in Japan at any one time, and there are a ton of different wonderful resources (and a huge network) available to us.
Initial thoughts:
Japan is a lot more hot/humid than I remembered- this could be because I am living slightly farther south, or that this summer in DC so far has been so temperate that I'd forgotten what humid places like DC/Houston were supposed to feel like during the summer. Japan's summer weather is basically the same all over the country.
A lot is the same as I’d remembered from before- wonderful food, tons of people, sensory overload in the city (such as the halogen and strobe ligths of the huge Yodobashi Camera electronics store wth its constantly blaring theme song to the Battle Hymn of the Republic), interesting fashion choices wherever you go (I feel like some trendsetters get dressed in the dark here- though sometimes I feel the same way back home), and various pop culture icons splattered all over advertisements and commercials- in Japan, the music/acting/advertising worlds are all so closely linked, that you'll have the same person starring in a Japanese TV show, singing its theme song, and selling you a beer during the commercial break.
Different from before: this time I’m on the job, not a student. Though I haven't had the chance to get up in front of a classroom yet (that'll be the first week of September), next week I'll be participating in an English camp with all of the rest of the new ALTs (Assistant Language Teachers) in my prefecture- should be fun. The pop culture has changed so far as the music and faces are different, but it's the same general idea as before- now to watch enough Japanese TV to get an idea of who's popular now to be able to speak about them with my students.
This marks the first time that I'll be living by myself- no family, host family, or roommates around to actively participate in my home life. It's a little strange (and quiet), but hopefully before long I'll make some friends and eliminate the quietness of my apartment.
Departure and Tokyo Orientation (Friday-Tuesday)
After a brief pre-departure orientation and some last-minute packing we were good to go on Sunday morning. My friend Jeff and I were a little late to the airport because of a last night out with a few of the roomies, but we made it with plenty of time to spare (about 2 hrs). After a quick 2 hour flight to Chicago, we boarded the flight for Tokyo. Though American Airlines doesn't have quite the movie selection of Air France (flew to Europe to hang out with Kate for a week last month), every other guy in our group (as well as myself) made sure to watch the new Star Trek movie and X-men: wolverine at some point during the flight.
I'm a big fan of the other ALT's that came over from DC with me. There were 66 of us total, and we all got along pretty well. It was great having nice people around to make the trip more relaxed, and Tokyo orientation more enjoyable.
After arriving in Tokyo on Sunday afternoon, we were bused to our hotel. The Keio Plaza Hotel is a beautiful (and huge- 47 floors!) hotel in the downtown Tokyo area of Shinjuku. We were placed in rooms with two other ALT's from our departure cities, and left to roam around the city (though most people were too exhausted to go far). I ended up going out to dinner at a local izakaya (basically a bar with private seating and better food) before heading back to the hotel for bed.
The two days of Tokyo Orientation were a blur of constant activity- we had breakfast starting at 7:30 (though we usually woke up sometime after sunrise at 5:00), then meetings from 9 am-5 pm or later. Monday, the 13 new ALT's from our prefecture that arrived in our orientation group (Group A had gotten to Tokyo a week earlier, we were part of the 640-person Group B orientation) with an older JET from our prefecture, Remco from Holland. He was very entertaining, and it was interesting hearing the perspective of a JET who doesn't spend a great deal of time with other JETs in the area. After that, I ran into a few other friends and decided to wander around Shinjuku for a bit longer before heading up to bed.
A note on Japan: it is the safest country in the world. Not only are its big cities very well lit-up at night, they literally never sleep. Petty theft and violent crime are virtually unheard of in the country of 130 million people, and they generally shudder at the idea of having a similar right to the US' second amendment and the right to bear arms. Thus, when I say "I wandered the city at night with a couple of friends," it was usually with a great deal of people around, no matter the time.
Tuesday night I spent with a few of the other DC JET's before we had to go our separate ways the next morning. It was really surprising how close we got in just a couple of days- I guess going through a veritable paradigm shift in one's life draws you closer to ones around you in a very short amount of time- no matter what one's experience with living in Japan and living in Japan more specifically, every one of us was leaving family and loved ones behind to embark on an exciting new path. Tuesday night we all went out to Shibuya (basically Tokyo's version of Times Square) and wandered around a bit before returning to our hotel and making it up to the 47th floor to take pictures of the Tokyo cityscape. I'm not sure if I was really able to capture how truly vast the city is in pictures, but it's incredible how it seems to stretch on forever.
Today, Wednesday, I arrived in Tokushima City (250,000 people, East coast of Shikoku island, farthest east in our prefecture, and biggest city in the prefecture) and was met by Yoshimoto-san, Hayashi-san, and John, two of my supervisors from my local board of education and a 2nd-year JET in my city, respectively. John was extremely helpful in answering my questions, and Hayashi-san and Yoshimoto-san are very nice and helpful as well.
The Apartment
I'll upload the video as soon as I figure out how (disclaimer: I apologize for the 3 seconds of man-legs- didn’t realize there was a reflection haha )
Before coming to Japan, I had logically assumed that I would be living in an apartment approximately the size of a shoebox. Though my host family in Kobe had lived in a pretty big house (by Japanese standards), I assumed that a JET living alone would warrant a very small space. Fortunately, today I found out that not only would I be living in the largest apartment of any of the area JET’s, but also that this meant that it was a pretty good size. I’m having a hard time reconciling the fact that this place is all mine for the foreseeable future. Is it sad that I’ve wandered around the new place several times marveling at the fact that not only is it beautifully clean and Japanese style (complete with tatami mats in the bedroom), but also it’s all mine? I’ll keep y’all posted on how this whole “living alone” thing goes for me. At this very moment, it feels a bit isolated, as I’m yet to get a cell phone (that’ll be tomorrow), I don’t have a land-line, I have no internet, and I don’t know anyone’s phone number, haha. So, upon getting a couple hours off after shopping for the basics at the local grocery store, I spent the next 20 minutes or so just sitting on the balcony and staring at the rice paddies and surrounding mountains, trying to get my bearings (and of course having the beer that my predecessor had left me).
Don’t get me wrong, I’m ecstatic to be here. I’m just a little bit jet-lagged and tired from orientation, so getting my head straight shouldn’t take too long after a night’s rest.
The rest of this week looks to be pretty busy- getting a cell phone, car insurance, my “gaijin card” (gaikokujintoorokushou- or foreign resident’s card), and meeting people in the middle school and two elementary schools that I’ll be teaching in will probably keep me on my toes. I’ll also get to meet and go out with the 2 other ALT’s in the area that will be teaching nearby this year.
Well, that's all for now- hope everyone's well, and please don't hesitate to shoot me a message by e-mail or facebook, I'd love to hear from you!
p.s.- I'll get my mailing/phone info up soon- I also have skype: john.i.dougherty
Ja ne
Hey Everyone :-)
Well, as I sit down to write this I’ve just begun the process of moving into my new apartment. I arrived in Awa City this afternoon, and have since been running around with a couple of my supervisors making some initial preparations for my stay. This marks the first point since I arrived in Tokyo on Sunday afternoon that I’ve had a chance to stop and take a breath. I’m currently sitting in the huge (by Japanese standards) living room of my new apartment and attempting to process all that’s occurred since my new life in Japan began. I'm here to become an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) in the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program. This program, run through the Japanese government, recruits English speakers from all over the world (except India, apparently) to live in Japan and act as supplements to the English as a Second Language education of primary, middle, and high-school students. JET's are primarily placed in rural areas, and typically rotate between multiple schools. I am fortunate in that I will have one base school (a middle school), where I work four days a week, and two elementary schools that I'll rotate between every Wednesday. I think there are something upwards of 4,400 JETs in Japan at any one time, and there are a ton of different wonderful resources (and a huge network) available to us.
Initial thoughts:
Japan is a lot more hot/humid than I remembered- this could be because I am living slightly farther south, or that this summer in DC so far has been so temperate that I'd forgotten what humid places like DC/Houston were supposed to feel like during the summer. Japan's summer weather is basically the same all over the country.
A lot is the same as I’d remembered from before- wonderful food, tons of people, sensory overload in the city (such as the halogen and strobe ligths of the huge Yodobashi Camera electronics store wth its constantly blaring theme song to the Battle Hymn of the Republic), interesting fashion choices wherever you go (I feel like some trendsetters get dressed in the dark here- though sometimes I feel the same way back home), and various pop culture icons splattered all over advertisements and commercials- in Japan, the music/acting/advertising worlds are all so closely linked, that you'll have the same person starring in a Japanese TV show, singing its theme song, and selling you a beer during the commercial break.
Different from before: this time I’m on the job, not a student. Though I haven't had the chance to get up in front of a classroom yet (that'll be the first week of September), next week I'll be participating in an English camp with all of the rest of the new ALTs (Assistant Language Teachers) in my prefecture- should be fun. The pop culture has changed so far as the music and faces are different, but it's the same general idea as before- now to watch enough Japanese TV to get an idea of who's popular now to be able to speak about them with my students.
This marks the first time that I'll be living by myself- no family, host family, or roommates around to actively participate in my home life. It's a little strange (and quiet), but hopefully before long I'll make some friends and eliminate the quietness of my apartment.
Departure and Tokyo Orientation (Friday-Tuesday)
After a brief pre-departure orientation and some last-minute packing we were good to go on Sunday morning. My friend Jeff and I were a little late to the airport because of a last night out with a few of the roomies, but we made it with plenty of time to spare (about 2 hrs). After a quick 2 hour flight to Chicago, we boarded the flight for Tokyo. Though American Airlines doesn't have quite the movie selection of Air France (flew to Europe to hang out with Kate for a week last month), every other guy in our group (as well as myself) made sure to watch the new Star Trek movie and X-men: wolverine at some point during the flight.
I'm a big fan of the other ALT's that came over from DC with me. There were 66 of us total, and we all got along pretty well. It was great having nice people around to make the trip more relaxed, and Tokyo orientation more enjoyable.
After arriving in Tokyo on Sunday afternoon, we were bused to our hotel. The Keio Plaza Hotel is a beautiful (and huge- 47 floors!) hotel in the downtown Tokyo area of Shinjuku. We were placed in rooms with two other ALT's from our departure cities, and left to roam around the city (though most people were too exhausted to go far). I ended up going out to dinner at a local izakaya (basically a bar with private seating and better food) before heading back to the hotel for bed.
The two days of Tokyo Orientation were a blur of constant activity- we had breakfast starting at 7:30 (though we usually woke up sometime after sunrise at 5:00), then meetings from 9 am-5 pm or later. Monday, the 13 new ALT's from our prefecture that arrived in our orientation group (Group A had gotten to Tokyo a week earlier, we were part of the 640-person Group B orientation) with an older JET from our prefecture, Remco from Holland. He was very entertaining, and it was interesting hearing the perspective of a JET who doesn't spend a great deal of time with other JETs in the area. After that, I ran into a few other friends and decided to wander around Shinjuku for a bit longer before heading up to bed.
A note on Japan: it is the safest country in the world. Not only are its big cities very well lit-up at night, they literally never sleep. Petty theft and violent crime are virtually unheard of in the country of 130 million people, and they generally shudder at the idea of having a similar right to the US' second amendment and the right to bear arms. Thus, when I say "I wandered the city at night with a couple of friends," it was usually with a great deal of people around, no matter the time.
Tuesday night I spent with a few of the other DC JET's before we had to go our separate ways the next morning. It was really surprising how close we got in just a couple of days- I guess going through a veritable paradigm shift in one's life draws you closer to ones around you in a very short amount of time- no matter what one's experience with living in Japan and living in Japan more specifically, every one of us was leaving family and loved ones behind to embark on an exciting new path. Tuesday night we all went out to Shibuya (basically Tokyo's version of Times Square) and wandered around a bit before returning to our hotel and making it up to the 47th floor to take pictures of the Tokyo cityscape. I'm not sure if I was really able to capture how truly vast the city is in pictures, but it's incredible how it seems to stretch on forever.
Today, Wednesday, I arrived in Tokushima City (250,000 people, East coast of Shikoku island, farthest east in our prefecture, and biggest city in the prefecture) and was met by Yoshimoto-san, Hayashi-san, and John, two of my supervisors from my local board of education and a 2nd-year JET in my city, respectively. John was extremely helpful in answering my questions, and Hayashi-san and Yoshimoto-san are very nice and helpful as well.
The Apartment
I'll upload the video as soon as I figure out how (disclaimer: I apologize for the 3 seconds of man-legs- didn’t realize there was a reflection haha )
Before coming to Japan, I had logically assumed that I would be living in an apartment approximately the size of a shoebox. Though my host family in Kobe had lived in a pretty big house (by Japanese standards), I assumed that a JET living alone would warrant a very small space. Fortunately, today I found out that not only would I be living in the largest apartment of any of the area JET’s, but also that this meant that it was a pretty good size. I’m having a hard time reconciling the fact that this place is all mine for the foreseeable future. Is it sad that I’ve wandered around the new place several times marveling at the fact that not only is it beautifully clean and Japanese style (complete with tatami mats in the bedroom), but also it’s all mine? I’ll keep y’all posted on how this whole “living alone” thing goes for me. At this very moment, it feels a bit isolated, as I’m yet to get a cell phone (that’ll be tomorrow), I don’t have a land-line, I have no internet, and I don’t know anyone’s phone number, haha. So, upon getting a couple hours off after shopping for the basics at the local grocery store, I spent the next 20 minutes or so just sitting on the balcony and staring at the rice paddies and surrounding mountains, trying to get my bearings (and of course having the beer that my predecessor had left me).
Don’t get me wrong, I’m ecstatic to be here. I’m just a little bit jet-lagged and tired from orientation, so getting my head straight shouldn’t take too long after a night’s rest.
The rest of this week looks to be pretty busy- getting a cell phone, car insurance, my “gaijin card” (gaikokujintoorokushou- or foreign resident’s card), and meeting people in the middle school and two elementary schools that I’ll be teaching in will probably keep me on my toes. I’ll also get to meet and go out with the 2 other ALT’s in the area that will be teaching nearby this year.
Well, that's all for now- hope everyone's well, and please don't hesitate to shoot me a message by e-mail or facebook, I'd love to hear from you!
p.s.- I'll get my mailing/phone info up soon- I also have skype: john.i.dougherty
Ja ne
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