"All for one, one for all"

read the sign above the chalkboard in one of my ichinensei (first year) classes today. This sentiment is echoed in many aspects of Japanese society, and today I noticed it in the lunch culture.

The process begins with everyone moving their desks into lunch groups. None of my schools have a cafeteria. Instead, lunch is brought on a cart into each classroom. Students each know their role in the most efficient process of lunch distribution. Industrious female students become food servers and males distribute trays, cartons of milk, chopsticks, soup, rice, and food plates to each student desk.

Then, when everyone is prepared, a student takes the lead in uttering some Japanese words that result in the group saying, "itadakimasu." It can be loosely translated into English as such: "I humbly receive this food."

I guess you could say that I'm usually a "line item" eater - I finish one thing before starting another. I suppose that is how I undertake tasks besides eating as well. However, in my keen observations I have noticed that not only the overall structure of lunch time is group-oriented, but the consumption also works in this fashion. You eat a little rice, then a little miso, then a little of the main course, sip a little milk, and repeat. No item is left by its lonesome.

And zoom in a bit more to the rice bowl. The boy next to me ate it chunk by chunk, pushing the straggling grains back to the bunch. When I eat rice, I often fumble my chopsticks around, flicking rice here and there around the bowl, and by the end have about 50 pieces of rice broken up individually around the bowl that I have to pinch at desperately. A single grain of rice left in the bowl could symbolize a lack of appreciation for the meal, or wastefulness. In the words of Tetsuya Shimano, my Japanese teacher in the US, "We eat them all."

The meal concludes when every last person is finished eating. Together, we utter, "gochisosamadeshita," my personal translation is: "This meal was super awesome." Plates and bowls are neatly stacked. There is even a certain way to fold milk cartons. The top of one is opened to hold 4 or 5 folded up ones. It's genius. As an environmental studies major, I intend to write an entire other post about the widespread ecological, sustainable practices in Japan.

Another Japanese saying, and the flip-side of this optimistically appreciative metaphorical coin is, "The nail that sticks out gets hammered down." As someone who is very clearly not part of the group, or a "gaijin" - outsider - I feel constant pressure to fit in. Part of me thinks, "You're clearly an American, and you are here to share your culture, so don't worry if you don't do everything right, that is, the Japanese way." Another part of me thinks, "If you try your best to fit in, you will be able to represent your country in a positive light and make bicultural breakthroughs." Yet another part of me wants to be transformed into a Japanese person so that when I go grocery shopping or simply walk down the street I won't draw stares.

I appreciate the way things are done in Japan. I hope sometimes they can appreciate the differences I bring too. And then we can be like...(let's see, some kind of metaphor)...like lunch. Many flavors, enjoyed together and not alone. <3 ^_^ <3

Great things: views, teaching, and enkais

Well, the great things in Japan keep on coming.

I have two schools that are 40 minutes away. I drive through a mountain pass, and when the weather is nice, there is almost nothing that could start my day off better than the view of mountain peaks shrouded in fog with the sun shining brightly upon them. When I arrive, there is this beautiful view of the sea of Japan and the small fishing village Kumaishi.

 

I have been giving my self introduction at 4/5 of Yakumo's schools so far. Each time it improves! I went the low-technology route. My predecessor used a Powerpoint presentation, so teachers were surprised that I wanted to teach without it! I begin with information about America, Minnesota, and myself. Then we play a chain race introduction game where each half the class tries to be first to get out their mini jikoshoukai - self introduction. I then ask students what they know about America, and they brainstorm (Obama, Spongebob, Michael Jackson, Beyonce, Lady Gaga, etc).  The best teaching tool I brought was a stuffed loon (bird) that makes a loon's call.

For longer classes, students get into three groups where they can look at my personal photo album with pictures of my family, my Minnesota picture book, and my Murray Jr. High Yearbook. We also end with a mingle BINGO game where students have to get 5 signatures in a row of people who like American things. For pictures with my students too, see my town blog.

 



Next, the BOE threw my welcome party. We went to a Japanese restaurant and then to karaoke, and it was a BLAST. The restaurant was in the traditional Japanese style with tatami mat floor. We had amazing (though difficult to eat) food:

There were also 3 games that the staff held for us. The first game was a sumo tournament. We drew numbers for our matchups and went through the bracket playing the izakaya style sumo: two people begin back to back with their feet on a pillow on the floor. You thrust out your butt, and the first one to fall off the pillow loses.

The second game was a big group janken tournament: rock, paper, scissors. I lost in the first round. I do not think I understand the subtleties of the game at this point.

The third game was for the staff: they had to guess how many famous Japanese people out of 10 my husband and I would know. We recognized 5/10 names, and the ones we did not know were a character from the anime One Piece, a couple of olympic athletes, and some other artist type people.
A note from the party, however: I gave the staff a gift of whiskey from America, after being given advice that it would be a good gift by some JET alumni. However, it was not the best whiskey, and it was a total mistake. If you give the Japanese whiskey, make sure it is the best whiskey! They have very high standards.

Finally, we headed to Joy Park, a karaoke box. By this time, we were so full, and for some reason the staff ordered about 3 plates of edemame, french fries, pizza, and meat and cheese tray. Most of it was not eaten, and I felt so bad, because I just could not eat another bite!

This was my first karaoke experience, ever. I had never sung in front of a group before. Here is another hard and fast rule about Japan: everyone rocks at singing for some reason. Maybe it's because of karaoke culture, but the fact that I am not the best singer and all of the English songs were either quite demanding vocally or party mix songs, it was a challenge to say the least. I was happy that there were some English songs that had both Japanese and English words with which you could sing along.

And to end this post, here is a bit I found on the internet about the name of my town, Yakumo, which means eight clouds. Its name comes from this poem:





More Tomatoes: A kind gesture or a lifestyle hint?

In response to yet another gift of tomatoes today and upon discovering this Japan Times blog article, I wonder if there is more to my receipt of vegetable than meets the eye...

"Back in February, a seemingly unstoppable river of tomato juice was flowing out of supermarket doors up and down the country as Japanese shoppers jumped on the latest food fad to hit the nation. The frenzy had been sparked by a report written by researchers at Kyoto University that seemed to indicate that consuming large amounts of tomatoes was effective in alleviating “metabolic syndrome” (read: getting rid of your gut)."

Much of what happens in the Japanese workplace focuses on subtle cues. When, on my first day at school, I wore a suit (trying to dress smartly to make a good first impression), and all the other teachers were in t-shirts, teachers continuously commented, "You must be hot," or, "I like that jacket." I have been told that in the Japanese workplace, if you receive too many compliments, you might just be committing a cultural faux pas.

I may be over thinking this, but I feel the need to think critically about the intentions and preferences of my colleagues in Japan. Perhaps the tomatoes were just a kind gesture. And perhaps someone has noticed my visits to buy sweets, chips, and little pizzas from the 7-11 and word is getting around...

Which brings up another thing:

Today I taught at school #4 for the first time. A man came up to me and commented that he saw me at Homac, the local home furnishing store, with my husband. Yesterday, the BOE member who sits next to me said that he saw me at the grocery store. Turns out he was standing next to his wife, who was talking to me because she works at junior high #1, and I didn't notice it was him. Gah!

I feel like whenever I leave the house, I will have to be presentable and on my best behavior. No more running to the grocery store in my pajamas, or doing whatever else scummy lazy people do sometimes when they think no one is watching. Anonymity is not an option. Maybe I could craft a disguise!?

 Has anyone else had a similar experience or found a good solution to this? --> I have been introduced to probably 150 people working in public sector jobs in my community. Even if I was good with names, which I'm not, and even if I understood their names while they quickly rattled them off, and if I had a better grasp of which Japanese names were last names and first names and what to call people, I couldn't possibly remember everyone's names.

Taiko & Vegetables

Life is going smoothly in Japan. This upcoming week I will visit 3 more of my schools and have my welcome party thrown by the Board of Education. Tom, my husband, has been invited, which makes me very happy! We will enjoy Japanese food and go to karaoke for the "second party." I have heard the Japanese are like hobbits when it comes to enkais (drinking parties). First enkai, second enkai, and for all I know they have elevensies.

On Friday, my husband and I tried taiko drumming for the first time. We were fortunate to join a class of elementary school children in a community education class. We were thrown into the mix, memorizing rhythms like masters. Well, in our minds anyway. There were some very genki kids - I love the part of taiko where you get to scream a Japanese word at the top of your lungs. I can't remember the word though...I wonder what it was?

I received a visit today for my first Japanese vegetable fairy. I even got a watermelon! This is a huge deal - in Japan melons are very expensive. Our grocery store sells watermelons for 2500 yen (more than $25). I just read about the game Suika-wari (すいかわり) - click link for video, nagashi somen comes first and at about 1:17 the game starts. Like a pinata, you try to split the melon open with a stick or baseball bat while blindfolded. It seems like fun, and a way to stretch your $25!

I met the organizer of the Adult English Circle that I will be teaching beginning on September 19th. We went to a restaurant called Alphorn about 5 minutes outside of Yakumo for dessert and beverages. The restaurant owner's husband was from Switzerland and she speaks great English. Tragically, the shop owner's husband died in a traffic accident about two years ago shortly after the restaurant opened. Three old dogs roamed around the very fancy restaurant, and I appreciated the change of pace from the law in America where no animals are allowed where food is prepared. 

 Last week, I also appeared in a news article in the Hokkaido newspaper! While I cannot read Japanese, I am told that it says the following things:

• My great grandmother was from Japan and I wanted to live in the country where she was from.
• I am eager to volunteer in the Tohoku region that was devastated in the earthquake/tsunami in March 2011. 
• I was a math tutor in the United States.
• I hope to get involved with soccer teams.

10,000 points for anyone who can tell me how my grocery store point cards will actually reward me? Like 500 yen off once I fill it up? That's my educated guess from looking at pictures and numbers:

 And finally, a video bonus for this week. This is a video of the brilliant yet savage ravens of Sapporo. The fiasco began while I ate some sandwiches and Cheetos in the park, minding my own business, next thing I now these guys are swarming around me. I gave one a Cheeto to try and appease it, and that caused more harm than good. The ravens became even more aggressive. Both cute and viscous, here is a video of the ravens:

...the way they hop towards sideways you with their eye facing you is so creepy...

* and rather than go back and edit my sentences, i notice that either being in japan is gradually reforming the way i write my sentences, or else i am just a bad writer.

superlongpostaboutmyfirstday

My first day at Junior High School in Japan started miserably. Since my car insurance kicked in at midnight last night, I decided to drive my private car for the first time to the board of education where I would switch to my work vehicle. However, my predecessor left the fuel tank totally empty.

So I began the 10-minute walk to the BOE, over encumbered with teaching props, books, papers, prizes, my laptop, my indoor shoes and outdoor athletic shoes and clothes in case I was invited to play any sports. I was amply prepared, to say the least. And then it began to downpour. Luckily, my preparations included a fold-up umbrella which minimized the soak. Not to mention the heat (あついね) - so by the time I got the BOE I was drenched in a mix of rain and my own sweat. 

I was nervous to drive, not having driven in Japan for about a week and a half, but the solitude and predictability calmed my nerves, enough to temporarily forget about my upcoming self-introduction speech, meeting the staff, students, and being in the classroom.

I switched cars and made it to the junior high early. At 8:05am sharp we started a meeting at our pod of eight desks. At 8:10am sharp, everyone stood up, said "おはよございます," and we started the morning meeting, which consisted of people speaking in Japanese popcorn-style around the room.

At 8:25am, the principal ushered me into the gym where all ~200 students sat perfectly aligned in rows. I wish I would have taken a picture from the stage, but Japan's stoic ceremonial nature deterred me. I sat in a chair, in front of a microphone, and as the principal approached the stage, students were at the ready. They bowed to him for a good 5 seconds. I think I need to bow much longer to people of higher status than myself. 

I gave my self-introduction and the head English teacher translated along. After I finished,  I was reminded why I want to be a teacher, and why I want to be in Japan. One student, much less nervous than myself, walked up on the stage. He took the microphone off the stand, faced me, and introduced himself in Japanese (I could understand a little). Then, in English, he introduced himself. Facing me, with the entire student body in my view, he said most genuinely and kindly, "Please ask us if you have any questions. We are happy to have you here." I barely kept it together. So cute. Such good English.

In the hallway not long after that, a boisterous group of about 5 boys started attempting to talk to me in English. Not far away, a group girls giggled in a corner, watching closely. After a bit of confusion, I determined that they wanted to play soccer with me after lunch - students have a short break around 1:05pm. I agreed, but I had not been informed of a locker room in which to change, my clothes and outdoor athletic shoes were still out in the car, and I didn't know where the field was or how to get out to the courtyard to play. I figured, I would let it be and maybe play another day. 

I was invited to sit in on a few English classes to observe, and was thankful that my self-introduction lessons  begin tomorrow so I could get a feel for things. Not long into the class, some student shouted to the sensei in Japanese, and he translated a question for me to answer, "Have you heard of Happy Tree Friends?" Later in class, a boy in the back of the room stealthily held up his notebook, on which he had written some sentences in English in big enough letters that I could read, "Do you know The Annoying Orange?" Later, a student yelled, "SENSEI, Do you know 'We Will Rock You?" I said yes. "Will you sing it?" I sang the chorus, kind of embarrassed, and the class clapped. Then, out of nowhere, they started yelling, "SENSEI!" again, and before I knew it, they had the beat going. stomp, stomp, clap, stomp, stomp, clap...and then the JTE (Japanese Teacher of English) started singing Queen!: "Buddy you're a boy Playin' in the street gonna make a big man some day You got mud on your face big disgrace Kickin' your can all over the place" - That really happened.

After class, I hung out in the front of the room and a huge group formed around me. "Excuse me, do you have any brothers or sisters? Does your sister live in San Francisco? Does your sister speak Japanese? Do you have a car?" I can hardly wait for all of the first-year students to give me their self-introductions tomorrow. It makes me a lot less nervous to get up in front of them and speak my native language, hiding behind props. The kids make this job so worthwhile.

During passing time, I walked around the halls a bit. People said, "kids will stare at you," and I was like, "yeah, sure" - but MAN did they stare! Imagine walking down the halls of your junior high school. Now imagine doing it naked. Those kids stared. They giggled. They pointed. They gasped when they didn't see me coming and turned around and there I was. I might start sneaking up on them... But they also said, "HELLO!" and asked, "HOW ARE YOU TODAY?" and though they were gawking, they were also funny and always helpful. 

After lunch, I heard some commotion at the door behind me. Those same boys who wanted to play soccer with me earlier had come to find me. "Sensei, soccer!" I tugged my skirt and I said, "I can't play in this..." "Changi," they ordered, so I went out to my car to get my clothes, changed in the bathroom (later I was shown where the locker room is), and one of the kids ushered me outside. 

We made 2 teams of 3, no goalies. Our team was far superior, passing triangles (the equivalent of running circles) around the other team. One teacher came out to watch us, perhaps the gym teacher. We high-fived when we scored, and the students tried their best to communicate with me, mostly saying, "Defense," or  "Shoot sensei!" and I had a terrific time. I looked back up at the school and since we were the only 6 outside, the windows were lined with students and teachers watching us. 

Upon my return to the staff room, the Japanese teacher complimented my outside of the foot kicks. Another teacher said that I looked like Abby Wambach. And there was more than one instance of, "じょうず." (skilled) Being foolish breaks down barriers. 

Most of the rest of the day was trying to find some cracks in the language barrier with my coworkers. Some of my Japanese shined through, and from the other side I saw some glimmers of English. In the staff room, the secretary who sits behind me asked me, "What is that?" as she pointed to my vapur water bottle on my desk. " みずです. Water," I replied. She thought it was body lotion! Then she asked, "What is your favorite color?" and I realized that her question was prompted by the fact that both my water bottle and laptop are orange. "Orange," I said. "Ah, orangi," she replied. Her favorite color is purple. 

Overall, there were breakthroughs, inspirations, and things I would have done differently if I could, but I would say my first day was a success!

If the Twin Cities are water, Sapporo is lead.

The bustlin' city of Sapporo, the fourth largest city in Japan by population, is the capital of Hokkaido prefecture. Like 2 million people live in this 432.87 sq mi area. For comparison, the Minneapolis-St. Paul Twin Cities metro area is 6,364.12 total sq mi (16X the area) with only 1.5X the population (around 3 million). Sapporo is dense. If the Twin Cities are water, Sapporo is lead. Seriously, that's a legit density comparison. I felt like Han Solo being freed from his Carbonite prison upon my return to Yakumo. Please be in awe of my nerdy scientific and science fiction references.

But anyway, Sapporo:

It's bright. There is so much to see! The above photos were taken in the Susukino nightlife district. Next, there were a ton of game centers in Susukuno, and the following photo is of my husband in the Namco Arcade on the 9th floor of JR Tower.

To summarize the rest of the trip, Pachinko parlors are smoky dens of mischief, the shopping center under the JR Sapporo Station is an aMAZEing place, and cool stuff happens everywhere, like the costume contest we stumbled upon in Odori Park. I got a ton of Nintendo Street Pass Tags.

We will be visiting again in February for the Sapporo Snow Festival (hotel already booked!). Then, I hope to visit the Botanical Gardens, Tanuku Koji Shopping Arcade, eat miso ramen (it originated in Sapporo!), and visit a brewery!

Random Post!

Hi! I have been having a relaxing weekend. Here are some random photos:

While looking through papers in my desk at work, I found out one of my distant predecessors was teaching the adult English circle profane words and gestures (I'd say goodbye should have made at least number 10 on the list, but it ranked below the F-word in importance, I guess...):

My dinner (Hello Kitty pasta went swimming in a sea of Japanese tomatoes):

Recent purchase at the grocery store (I feel the same way about sand, just maybe not between bread slices):

And my relaxing candlelight chuhi + watching Wil Wheaton's Tabletop.

kbye!

Tanabata Festival

 Yesterday I drove to Kumashi area schools. The view was remarkable, with the hills and the Sea of Japan:

 In the evening, Yakumo had its Tanbata Festival, or the Japanese Star Festival. It was at the kouminkan (公民館) Community Center, which is where I work for the board of education.

Here are some pictures of the nagashi somen, where you catch noodles coming down this pipe with chopsticks and dip them into the soup. I caught some!:



And just for fun, here are my "buying local" dairy purchases for the week:

And a hilarious "engrish" sign that I walk past every day from my apartment to the board of education. See it?



Mori Town Festival

Yesterday, I took my first train to Mori, about 35 minutes south of Yakumo, for their town festival. Taking the train was not too difficult, thanks to the promptness of everything in Japan. Although I got off of work at 4:30pm, I was able to walk (5 min.) to the train station, buy a ticket, and hop on the 4:45pm train which arrived precisely on time. I knew exactly when to get off, not only because I could read the station signs in hiragana, but also because the train arrived at 5:25pm, exactly as planned!

I met a fellow JET, we stopped for drinks and fried potatoes with chili spice sour cream, which looked a lot like butter to me. We went up to the shrine and carnival area, and there was a ton of delicious looking food and cool games including the one where you try to catch goldfish with only a thin piece of paper.

Here are some photos of the shrine and torii, traditional Japanese gate marking the entrance to a Shinto shrine:

The sunset was beautiful on the main street as we waited for the parade to begin. The main drag of Mori is called, "Odori" which means "Big Street."

Please enjoy the following photos and videos of the parade. We were serenaded by many town groups doing yosakoi, choreographed dances to traditional Japanese music. My favorites included one with this super genki old man and a little girl, and one with people wearing tutus with what I'm pretty sure a cross-dressing guy with a swan head located in a suggestive location:

After the dancers, we waited, and waited, and waited for the rest of the parade to begin, but it turned out that they were giving a bunch of ceremonial-type speeches a ways down the road, and then waiting until exactly 8:00pm to begin. The guy actually stood there and watched the bank's clock on the street until it struck 8:00 before they began. Well, now it occurs to me that since it was August 8th (8-8), the 8pm thing could have been of some significance.

At last, the rest of the parade began!The taiko drum groups were very talented:

And finally, I don't know what this is called, but a bunch of guys carried girls on big floats, and stumbled around likely drunk, back and forth across the street:

This one was particularly lovely:



Overall, my first festival in Japan was a blast!

Yakumo Japanese Garden

On my lunch breaks, on fair weather days, I am fortunate to have this beautiful Japanese garden nextdoor to the BOE. Here are some photos.