Top 5 Experiences with Seafood in Japan

 The subject of fish comes up a surprising amount in everyday conversation and is often a source of confusion: from school lunch, to work parties at sushi restaurants, to giving tours of Hokkaido to in-laws, which includes navigating the seafood on various restaurant menus. The average Japanese person doesn't know the English words for different kinds of meat (pig, cow, etc.) let alone all the different species of fish!  Anyway, here are some of the weirdest and most surprising seafood that I've encountered in Japan:

5. Ikameshi - I ate this dish for the first time for school lunch. I thought it was a potato, and when I asked, "What's this?" a student drew an excellent picture of a squid of the chalkboard. The rubbery sea creature is hollowed, stuffed with glutinous rice, and simmered in a sweet soy sauce-based soup. Does it sound appetizing? I was even more surprised when we received three packages of ikameshi as a prize from my husband's basketball tournament! Also, here I'll include my honorable mention: eating baked whole fish, including the bones and the head and the eyes and the skin, for school lunch. Who knew that kyuushoku (school lunch) could sophisticate my palate?

4. Fish cakes, the hot dogs of Japan: The wide world of fish cakes begins with surimi (literally "scraped meat"), a thick paste made from various types and parts of whitefish. When cooked, it becomes dense and rubbery and includes additives like MSG. Sometimes packaged as imitation crab meat, sometimes as kamaboko "loaves", and sometimes packaged with artistic patterns like this Hello Kitty fish cake, it is quite a treat. Another type of fish cake is narutomaki, named for the tidal whirlpools near the Japanese city of Naruto and for which the anime character Naruto is named (the creator loved ramen!).

3. Ikura: Have you ever tried roe, or fish eggs, atop your fancy sushi? One of the best (and most expensive) is ikura, salmon roe. Every fall, the salmon migrate upstream through my town in Japan, and though protected during this season, the fish and their eggs are local delicacies. The Hakodate Asa Ichi Morning Market offers whole bowls of ikura and rice. When you take a bite, they burst liquid into your mouth like fruit Gushers. Their taste is bold, salty, and uniquely delicious, making it one of my favorite foods in Japan.

2. Sea urchin (uni): I received some sea urchin in a can as a prize for winning BINGO at the end of the year party with my BOE. Here is my husband's description: "Opening the can, the urchin appears dry, brown with white specks, like a can of wet cat food that has been opened and left out to dry.  The aroma is musky; pungent; you get the sense that flavors have been... maturing in that can for some time.  The flavor is hard to describe; it's salty, definitely, but there's also a strong, meat-like flavor, with a lingering aftertaste reminiscent of a mild cigar.  The texture is granular, and it breaks down in your mouth into its constituent parts: moist grains of briny sand.  Certainly, one could develop an aficionado's palate for it; for me, though, once was enough."

1. Whale - Without opening a whole big can of worms about the whaling industry, it is always shocking to see whale being sold at the grocery store and at the cheap conveyor belt sushi restaurants. Its bright pink color is unmistakable and its flavor has been described as similar to that of reindeer or moose, neither of which I've ever eaten or intend to.

Although I hail from Minnesota, "The Land of 10,000 Lakes," my knowledge of fish in English or Japanese is severely lacking. However, I have thoroughly enjoyed learning about the mysteries of the oceans on my plate. Now, I can't wait to explore the oceans snorkeling in Okinawa and try to find some of my favorite foods, as Sebastian the crab would say, "Under the Sea."

The Swastika in Japan

Me: "Why are there swastikas all over my Google map?"
My friend: "Those are Buddhist Temples."

Let's play "How many swastikas can you spot?" I counted 11.

This is a real conversation I had when I came to Japan which lead to my discovery of the storied history of the swastika. While it is used in many ancient and modern civilizations the world over, the swastika is primarily associated with the Nazi party of Germany, and in the U.S. it is rather taboo. But the symbol is used on Japanese maps to denote a Buddhist temple, and is even found on the official flag of Hirosaki City in Aomori Prefecture, just across the Tsugaru strait from Hakodate, Hokkaido, where I first asked this question.

However, I am surprised by how little the general public knows about its greater meanings. Behold the fruits of my last 5 minutes' labor on Wikipedia:

The history of the swastika is complex and full of misconceptions. From ancient India to many Native American tribes, from theories about it appearing in the visual cortex during state of altered consciousness to Carl Sagan's theories that it represents a comet that could be seen across the world...suffice it to say that its origins and evolution cannot be explained easily. The word "swastika" comes from the Sanskrit svastika - "su" meaning "good" or "higher self", "asti" meaning "to be" and "ka" as a suffix. The most common interpretations are "to be good" or "being with the higher self." In Buddhism, the word evolved to represent eternity and as a symbol for the religion itself. Just let it be known that the swastika does not simply equal fascism, but still I wouldn't wear it on your sleeve.

My discovery of the history and meanings of the swastika beyond the American notion is just one example of the way my year in Japan has broadened my sense of world history and made me aware of my own limited knowledge and ethnocentrism.

This revelation also reminds me of the quotation by John Muir that is printed on the back of a t-shirt I have from the Macalester College Environmental Studies Department:

"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe."

The Top 5 Embarrassing and Hilarious Blunders in Japan (So Far)

International travel has taught me how to be apologetically foolish and gracefully embarrassed. Heck, I think that's a great characterization of foreigners in Japan, despite their best efforts to appear skillful within Japanese culture. While many of the things I have done to make a fool out of myself are the result of lacking Japanese language proficiency, some are the result of intercultural misunderstandings. Here are my (and my husband's) top 5 blunders in Japan:

5. "Douzo"

Most of the language problems we've had I must credit to my husband. His Japanese is better than mine, and he's more willing to try speaking, whereas I will usually smile cutely and gesture my way through a conversation, using as little language as possible. Being willing to make mistakes is a great characteristic of a language learner which leads to many breakthroughs in language. However, it also leads to many strange miscommunications. My husband visited the town gym on one of his first days in town. The manager at the town gym was trying to show my husband the facilities, as he had given me a tour a couple weeks before.

He opened the door to the pool building for my husband, saying, “Douzo!” My husband, not understanding, replied, "Douzo!" and walked away. Later, he discovered that "Douzo" in that context means, "Please, after you," and the manager was trying to get the door for him not say goodbye. This is a really common mistake when learning a language: the correct response isn't always repeating what someone says. Of course, "Good morning!" can be replied to with a "Good morning!" but I have experienced saying "How are you?" to teenagers and having them reply, "How are you?"

4. “My tomorrow hurts.”

If face to face communication is difficult for us in Japanese, let me tell you, talking on the phone is almost impossible. My husband has been playing on the town basketball team, and he must sometimes communicate with the organizer by phone. A few months ago, my husband received a phone call from that man, asking if he was coming to basketball that night (later, we found out that he had some gifts to give us). My husband replied, "Watashi no ashita ga itai desu." My tomorrow hurts. He was trying to say that his leg (ashi) hurt. The organizer laughed it off and understood that my husband wouldn't be at basketball. But I know that's the last time my husband will mistake the word for tomorrow for the word for leg.

3. The whiskey dilemma

I debated for months about what to give my BOE as an omiyage gift from America. After some research and recommendations, I decided on a bottle of whiskey and some sweets. Instead of choosing some top shelf whiskey (which it turns out you can find in Japan anyway), I chose a bottle made in Minnesota. Needless to say, Minnesota isn't known for their whiskey, and I don't know much about it in the first place. And Japanese men know A LOT about whiskey. At my welcome party, they brought the bottle and made a big deal out of tasting it and trying to read the English label. They discovered that the bottle I gave them turned out to be blended, not 100% whiskey. Furthermore, they brought their own bottles of sake for me to try, packaged in boxes and probably valued much higher. My advice is either not to give alcohol, or if you do, make it something damn good.

2. Forgetting to take off my shoes

When walking into my apartment for the first time, with my supervisor and the organizer of the English Circle right behind me, I made a rookie mistake. I stepped right up onto the wood floor with my summer sandals on. My supervisor went, "Ah!" and I turned around immediately and realized my faux pas. It was bound to happen eventually.

1. Getting pulled over by the police in front of my junior high school

This situation takes the cake on embarrassing moments for me. I left for work on what seemed like a normal Tuesday morning. Little did I know that the 5 minute drive would result in a terrifying and embarrassing experience. But let me set some back story here.

First of all, police cars in Japan always have their lights on. I always wondered how I would know when I was getting pulled over. The first hint is that you did something really wrong, because the cops here aren't just looking for any small reason to pull you over like in America. You have to be doing something really dangerous or REALLY speeding. They have like a megaphone thing they speak out of. Secondly, cars in Japan pull over for no reason every time I am driving. Parking lots are rare, and talking on the phone while driving is illegal, so for many reasons people just throw on their flashers and stop. Thirdly, the roads are so icy. While there are snow plows and occasionally sand is put down as a de-icer, most roads are layers and layers of ice. 

So now that the scene has been set...here is what happened. The car in front of me came to a sudden stop and turned on their flashers. I started to go around the car in fear of not being able to stop in time because of the icy roads, and then behind me I see an ambulance! I pull over quickly, and then I see a police car heading the other direction. I turn onto the street that goes to my junior high school and 15 seconds later the police car pulls around the corner. I come to this 5-way intersection and realize that I need to pull over, but there is a man pulling his child in a sled through the middle of it. So I wait, go through the intersection, and stop just outside my junior high school.

I didn't receive a ticket, only a warning ("Very dangerous! Be careful!"), but some of my students walked by and I knew that word would spread. The next day, the English teacher told me her students had been asking about it, and so I told her the story. It ended up being just fine.

---

I am learning so much in Japan. No matter how much I want to be, it's impossible to be in control. I tried to learn everything and prepare so much before arrival, but been being adaptable and forgiving of myself for the inevitable mistakes has proved the most useful. 

Last weekend we took our trip to Niseko and the road conditions were terrible.  Visibility was limited. It was dark. Strong winds blew snow drifts onto the roads and the snow plows had totally neglected some roads. When nearing our hotel, following my GPS, we took a left up a hill that would bring us to our destination. However, it hadn't been plowed, my husband put the pedal to the medal to get through the deep snow, but we ended up beaching our car. The level of the snow reached the underside of our car. I was freaking out. We were on a dark hill with no one around and my cell phone wasn't getting reception. What did we do? We ended up just pushing the car back down the hill and going back to the main road.

Messing up may be the rule, but matter how deep in the snow or muck you get, or how big of a fool you make of yourself, life goes on. You can live your life being careful, controlled, and risk-averse; troubled by the repercussions of chance. But I'm learning that life is one big adventure, and a better one if you're not playing it safe all the time. So do some fish tails on that icy road. Swim into the ocean even though there might be a shark. Eat a raw egg.  Take this great advice, "Do one thing every day that scares you," (like talking on the phone in Japanese). Follow your dreams to the end of the world, then spread your arms and jump.

5 Weird Things About Japan

While my last "Top 5" list talked about the Crazy Cool Things in Japan, this list will document the Top 5 altogether strange things in Japan. Maybe they are still cool, but they fit more in the category of, "Things that make you go hmm..."

5. Jumbo McDonalds sandwiches 

The McDonalds international menu is remarkable. Did you know that McDonalds India serves the Chicken Maharaja Mac and there is no beef on the menu? In Egypt you'll find the McArabia: two chicken or beef patties between pita bread with tahini sauce. While Japanese McDonalds serve an EBI Filet-O shrimp burger and a Green Tea Oreo McFlurry, the most curious menu items are from the America-style menu. Behold, the Mega Mac. Packing 700 calories and 40 grams of fat, it's a surprise that this item isn't actually found on American menus.

4. 2-ring binders and 2-hole punches

Who ever heard of a 2-ring binder? The fact is that it's almost impossible to find a 3-ring binder in Japan. It's nothing against the number 3 (4 and 7 are the taboo numbers). It would make sense, then, that there aren't any 3-hole punches either.

3. Super hunched over old ladies everywhere

Ubiquitous osteoporosis. Say that 10 times fast. Little calcium is consumed here, so what that amounts to is hundreds of hunched over old ladies. But considering, the country has a relatively low rate of osteoporosis, likely due to the weight-bearing exercises of old ladies who I see shoveling away every last flurry of snow that touches their property. Also floor-sitting and squat-peeing might contribute. And natto never hurts.

2. Bags in bags in bags

Despite the best efforts of grocery stores in Japan to reduce plastic waste by charging you 5 yen per bag, putting things in bags is really a part of Japanese culture. When buying gifts for coworkers they must be individually wrapped, and then artfully packaged. The redundancy is disturbing, but I think it serves to show the efforts that are taken to present a purchased product as clean, contained, and cared for.

1. Technological backwardness

You think of Japan as the land of technological innovation: from consumer electronics to robotics to the automotive industry. The one most surprising thing about living in Japan is how far from our expectations technology here really is.

Would it surprise you that most workplaces are stuck in the 80's using fax machines? And while some people have Smartphones, the vast majority are using really simplistic flip phones. There is almost no wi-fi in businesses or hotels, and while many classrooms have a television, they have a chalkboard and not a Smart board like in many modern American classrooms. Furthermore, credit cards are rarely accepted at businesses.

In Japan, I have encountered so many things that blow my mind, either because of their awesomeness or because of just how very different they are from American culture. I found out yesterday that sleeping at work is not frowned upon as it's a sign of exhaustion from hard work rather than laziness! 

Top 5 cool (but weird) things in Japan

There are so many crazy cool things about Japan that I had a hard time picking my top 5. Begin the countdown...

 

5. Ramen counter restaurants

This is the Japanese version of fast food or a greasy spoon diner. When you enter, you punch what you want into this machine and it prints your ticket which you hand to the guy who is the greeter, the cook, and the server. If I were an entrepreneur in America, I would love to open a ramen counter restaurant. Most Japanese restaurants in the U.S. serve expensive sushi, so a ramen counter restaurant would fill the equivalent niche that Panda Express does for Chinese food in the U.S. You don't really have to talk to anyone, and you can enjoy a filling meal for cheap. It's the American dream.

 

4. Umbrellas on bikes

When we were in Osaka for the New Year it rained every day. We observed an impressive display of umbrellas on bikes, with Japanese people like Mary Poppins, somehow pulling an umbrella out of their bags at any time. Biking is more popular in Japanese cities than even in hipster Minneapolis. Although riding with an umbrella is hands-free, it is technically against traffic regulations because it impedes sight. However, it is not an enforced policy. 

 

3. Heated toilet seats
When is the last time you sat on a warm toilet seat? Was it in the public restroom at the mall? While warm toilet seats might evoke the feeling that someone's butt had occupied the same spot only seconds before, heated toilet seats come in at #3 on my cool things in Japan list. Japanese toilets themselves are pretty amazing: front and rear bidets and sound effects to mask your noises. But houses and apartments usually don't have central heating, so when you wake up in the middle of the night for a pee and your heater is off, heated toilet seats make it so that you aren't shocked awake by an icicle seat. Instead, the warmth touches your buns as you do your business, relaxed, before heading back to bed. 

 

2. Heated drinks (and soup) in vending machines

The vending machine phenomenon in Japan is often criticized. The energy-sucking eyesores line the city streets of Japan, but their convenience cannot be denied.  There are roughly 5.5 million vending machines here: the highest density in the world. Since walking, biking, and public transportation are more common, vending machines are useful for pedestrians. Whether you're headed home after a long day of work and need to chug a corn soup or adzuki bean soup, or you're starting your drive across a snowy mountain pass and need a coffee to keep you focused, vending machines are there. And there are usually 5-10 heated items!

 

1. Kotatsu aka "The Winter Devil"

Maybe the United States is home to Snuggies and USB-powered socks, but they can't boast anything as cool as the kotatsu: table meets electric blanket. The table frame is designed with a built-in heater, on top of which a futon blanket is draped, and then a tabletop is placed.  Sittin' in chairs ain't got nothin' on this. Plus, it helps save a fortune in energy costs, because it heats the area around your body, rather than your entire house! However, its nickname is "The Winter Devil" because it creates the hikkikumori effect: never leaving your house or for that matter, the warmth of your kotatsu.

 

Okay, so my top three is clearly being influenced by the fact that I am stuck in the depths of Hokkaido winter. I had to leave a lot of things out of my top 5. My honorable mention is the innovative packaging on noodle bowls and onigiri. It is very cleverly designed, but not foolproof. A visitor to Japan once asked me, “How do I open this sandwich package?”

I wonder, what things do you find cool and useful in Japan or other countries?

Upcoming Travel Plans

These two months after our New Years trip have found me lazy and lethargic, hibernating from the coldest, snowiest, darkest days of winter under my kotatsu. So, to raise my spirits, I am going to talk about my upcoming travel plans.

This weekend, my husband and I will visit Niseko ski resort for the HAJET winter meeting. There is ample time to enjoy the slopes, so we are excited to rent some gear and hit the powder. Literally, we're going to hit it with our bodies when we fall down because we aren't great skiers. We've each been skiing twice, but the only thing I remember is "pizza" and I'm not quite sure what it does. Bunny hills, here we come! Almost all kids in Hokkaido own skis and there is a skiing unit in gym class. When my students ask me, "Can you ski?" I always say, "A little!" but I think I should just say, "No."

Mid-March my parents-in-law are visiting. We will give them the grand tour of our town, spend one night in Hakodate, one at the Noboribetsu Hot Spring Resort, one night in Otaru, and two nights in Sapporo. I can't wait to share my Japan experience with family!

And while May seems a world away, I am looking forward to our Golden Week trip to the tropical paradise of Okinawa. I have already booked our plane tickets (great deals with Peach), our beach house, and hostel book-ending our stay. We hope to snorkel, try some Okinawa food, and relax on the beach. 

I can't wait!

A Day in the Life of an ALT on the JET Program

I arrive at school around 8:00. I take off my snow boots, store them in a shoe locker, and put on my indoor-only tennis shoes. I am greeted by teachers and students with a resounding "Ohayo gozaimasu" or good morning. I sit at my desk and await the morning staff meeting. A staff member asks me, "Last week did you go to elementary school?" "Yes, I did!" "Maybe you saw my son?" I met about 120 kids last week. "You signed his paper." Ah, so that narrows it down to the one class, after leaving, in which students dashed into the hallway, begging for my signature. About 20 of them made it before I moved on. "Oh, yes!" I say, "They were so cute!" Word always gets around town about what I did on the weekends. "I saw you at the supermarket! Can you cook Japanese food?" or "Were you at the town gym? Do you like running?" It's like Where's Waldo, except I usually stick out a lot more than Waldo does. That would be a great Halloween costume.

Anyway, the staff meeting begins with the bell, and all staff members stand and utter another "Ohayo gozaimasu" in unison. News and upcoming meetings are discussed and perhaps I can catch a few words: "Yoroshiku onegaitashimasu, ijou desu." or "infuruenza" (influenza) at this time of year.

Some days I have 3-4 classes and some days, like today, I have none. My JTE (Japanese Teacher of English) left me this note: I'm gonna return tests to the students so please do your work today! I'm not sure what "do your work" means because I am rarely involved in lesson planning, but I make myself look busy. I'm just glad he gave me a heads up, because my JTEs at all of my other schools send me an e-mail a few days before or have a meeting with me in the morning. I am lucky if this JTE talks to me before lunch, so I'll be happy to "do my work."

On the days when I teach, I enter the classroom and the students are always surprised and excited to see me since I rotate between five junior high schools. Class sizes vary greatly between my schools. Two of my schools are in a small town about 50 km away through a mountain pass, but due to declining population, the town just merged with my main town. There are only about 6-10 students per grade. Two of my other schools are just outside town, with about 15-20 students per grade. But my main school has about 30 students per class and 3-4 classes per grade.

Students wear school uniforms. The boys wear a sport coat with the school emblem on the pocket and their name badge and grade pins situated below. They wear clip on ties and slacks that are both usually too short because of their growth spurts. Girls wear pleated skirts that fall below the knee, with scarves around their necks and vests or fitted coats. Some days students wear track suits too.

Class begins when the teacher gives the cue. There is a student leader who says, "kiotsuke, minnasan nijikan benkyou hajimemasu" (Attention, everyone, we are beginning second period study). All the students bow, and then we begin the morning English greetings. Please imagine students' responses in the dreariest monotone possible, like they just rolled out of bed. Good morning everyone! "Good morning, Ms. Rebekah." How are you today? "I'm fine, and you?" I'm happy, thank you. What day is it today? "It's Monday." What's the date today? "It's February twenty fifth." How is the weather today? "It's sunny."

The teacher usually makes a few remarks, gives a worksheet or vocabulary test, and then says, "Open your textbooks to page 92." Perhaps there is a reading passage or a dialogue. I begin by reading vocabulary words and students repeat, twice. Then, I read the passage and students repeat. Behold, the JET Program human tape recorder, all the way from America.  For the rest of class, I will either stand in the corner while the teacher goes over grammar on the blackboard or help students with "their work" in class.

When lunch comes around, I choose a classroom and eat with my students. I will usually take a picture of my lunch to blog about, and students will come over and ask about my phone, "iPhone 5?" "4S," I say. They are still impressed for some reason. That happens almost every day.

Students put on aprons and hats and dish out food while others bring food to their peers' desks. Then, the class leader gets everyone's attention, "Kiotsuke..." and then everyone says, "Itadakimasu," together. In Japan, before eating, people say itadakimasu to express appreciation for the food and those who have prepared it. People ask me what the English equivalent is, but we Americans just eat. Maybe some people pray. But there isn't as simple a translation as, like "Cheers" for "Kanpai." Anyway, lunch commences and at the end of the meal it's another, "Kiotsuke..." and then "Gochisosamadeshita," meaning "Thanks for the food I just ate."

Now, I am "doing my work." The math teacher is itching his butt, inside his pants, directly across from me in the teacher's room. I have my Kindle and my laptop and my iPhone for 3G internet connection so I can check my mail and play games on my phone. Sometimes I study Japanese. It's pretty relaxed. Now there is a teacher gurgling at the sink in the office.

While every day in Japan is an adventure and something cute always happens with my students*, it's a shame that I am so underutilized in lesson planning and teaching in general. While JETs are told, "every situation is different," every JET seems underutilized. I have traveled across the world, become TEFL certified, and here I am, "doing my work" for 8 hours in the staff room. 

I hope you enjoyed the little slice of life description of a school day in Japan!

*At lunch, a student had the teacher translate this hypothetical situation: "if you were on an island with a friend and your friend died, what body part would you eat?" I was grossed out and confused. He explained, "Japanese people usually say 'hands' and Americans usually say 'brains.'" I guess we're zombies... "No brains!" I replied, "brains make you sick. I wouldn't eat my friend. I would go fishing." My students laughed.

How to Prepare for an Interview with the JET Program

As it's about time for the JET Program 2013 interviews, I wanted to share my preparations for my successful interview in 2012, as compiled from other blogs and sources. 

No matter what happens, always appear relaxed and confident. A part of the interview is seeing how you react to stress. Emphasize that you are up for any challenge. They are looking for the “genki” factor: that chipper, excited, happy disposition that will win you have with plenty of Japanese kids. And don’t forget to smile.

The JET interviews have three main segments:

1) Questions about your teaching / international experience

2) Questions about you personally or how you would react in certain situations

3) Some kind of teaching / role-playing demonstration

The interview will be focused on:

• Your knowledge of and level of interest in Japanese culture
• Getting to know more about your personal interests or your background
• If you know what you put on your application, inside and out!
• Your ability to improvise and think on your feet

In addition, I made sure to know my application and statement of purpose inside and out. Here are the interview questions to prepare for.

 

Qualifications

Why do you think you are a good candidate for our program?

How would you contribute to international understanding?

What kind of special talents or abilities would you bring to the program or your students?

Why should we hire you?

What makes you different from the other applicants?

Why didn't you study abroad?

Why are you interested in Japan?

Why did you choose this particular city/prefecture?

Culture (Shock)

What kind of negative experiences do you anticipate encountering and how would you deal with them?

How do you handle conflicts with your friends?

If you were at a work-sponsored drinking party and a fellow teacher tried to grope you, how would you handle it? What if it was the principal?

What would you do if you were expected to serve tea to the men during the morning meetings?

What would you say if a student asked you why America bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

Education Issues

What sort of teaching experience do you have?

In what ways do you expect education in Japan will be different from education in your home country?

How will you present your home country to the Japanese people that you meet?

Suppose there is an important event at one of your schools on a weekend that you had pre-arranged plans. Your principal asks if you could cancel your plans and come to the event. What would you do?:

Tell us three things you would like to tell your future students and other ALTs about your home country.

If you could bring only three things to show Japanese students to represent your home country/state, what would they be and why would you bring them? 

Paint us three pictures: three distinctly Western things that you could describe to students without having a common language.

Name the three most important people in American History.

What if your JTE only uses you for a “human tape recorder”?

How would you get students interested, especially if they have no reason to learn English?

Classroom Management

There is a loud, obnoxious boy in your class who isn't doing the assignment you have given.

You are teaching a lesson and Japanese team teacher makes an English grammar mistake. What do you do?

What will you say if a student asks you about drug use?

Would you ever strike a student? What if the teacher you are teaching with struck a student in front of you?

What would you do if you are teaching a class and there is one student in the back room sleeping? Reading comics? Talking on a cell phone?

What would you do if a student spit or cursed at you?

What would you do if you were in the right classroom when the bell rang, but your team teacher is not there?

General Knowledge Base

What do you know about Japan?

What Japanese movies do you like?

What Japanese food do you like?

What are your hobbies?

Who is the governor of your home state (or province)?

Who is the president and vice-president of your home country?

Who is the prime minister of Japan?

Name five famous places in Japan.

What are the important issues facing our world today? 

What are some current important events in Japan?

What holiday is your favorite and why?

Do you like karaoke?

Name five famous authors of your home country.

Name the major islands (or cities) of Japan.

Name three famous Japanese people.

What do you know about the political system in Japan?

What are some issues facing Japanese-American relations?

Do you have anything that you would like to ask us?

Ask each to give one piece of advice to new JETs heading to Japan.

Ask the former JET about their time as a JET and how their interview went, or their best moment in JET.

What can I do to prepare, in the case that I am selected, before departure?

Good luck!!!!!

Green Tea & Cigarettes: Health in Japan

What do you know about health as it's related to Japan? What is the secret to their long lives, and what are some common misconceptions? These are just a few of the things I've noticed.   

• I know that the Japanese people have the longest average lifespan of any nation.
• The obesity rate is very low, only 3% compared to about 30% in the United States.
• They eat less fast food than other nations, although this is changing.
• Japanese people walk more as a part of their daily lifestyles because public transit is more the norm.
• Also, the cost of food is higher here, and the average Japanese person consumes about 200 fewer calories per day than an American.
• I know that they eat a lot of fish and seafood, which are rich in omega fatty acids and a lean source of protein.
• They eat a lot soy products, including tofu, miso soup, and edamame.  
• You might think of Japan and think, "soy sauce" and you’d be right. The Japanese diet actually contains a lot of salt.  
• They drink a lot of green tea, with the mysterious power of antioxidants.
• The national health care system is extremely impressive, and the average Japanese person visits the doctor about 14 times per year.
• However, MANY people smoke, and according to the National Cancer Center, smoking kills more than 100,000 people per year and is responsible for one in ten deaths. 
• Their dental hygiene is remarkably terrible and most toothpastes do not contain any fluoride.
• Japan is also the land of alcoholic nomihoudai or "all you can drink," and excessive drinking in Japan accounts for 4.15 trillion yen per year in health costs.
• The nationwide suicide rate is quite high, perhaps due to the dominant culture of overwork and stress from societal pressure.

So, while people in Japan live longer on average than any other country, it has more to do with their healthy diets and active lifestyles and less with some mysterious Asian health secret. 

Influenza & The Face Mask in Japan

Do you remember the SARS and the Bird Flu outbreaks? What images do you remember from the media?  For me, as with many of the images from Asia that you see in international news, I remember the "mask." However, use of the white face mask is a part of everyday life in Japan.  

Imagine a class of 30 students staring up at you, each wearing a white surgical mask. This is the norm for classrooms in Japan, especially from January to March when students are struck with the influenza bug. Entire classrooms or schools close for days to weeks at a time. The mask is used both to protect ones' self from the environment and also to protect others from any illness an individual might be carrying, especially the common cold. They are also a barrier to prevent people from touching their mouth and nose, through which bacteria and viruses can be transmitted.

The mask is not weird. It's not always worn because people are still afraid of SARS, radiation, or air pollution. The mask is a preventative measure; a responsible barrier to protect yourself and others. Perhaps because of the density of the population, there are many measures taken in Japan to prevent the spread of illness including disinfectant solutions sprayed on cash in ATMs and everyday items like writing utensils or musical instruments made of antibacterial plastic. 

And in Japanese junior high schools, where body odor reigns and deodorant is much less powerful than in America, I really can't balk at the practice of mask-wearing.

Sexism in Japan

Warning: I'm going to say the 'S'-word. Sexism. After six months in Japan, I am beginning to pick up on a pervading sexism here. Although Japan is one of the world's wealthiest developed nations, the gender gap is wider in Japan than you might expect. While this controversial and opinionated post significantly departs in tone from the previous ones, it has been on my mind and is worth a discussion.

You may have thought about the issue during the 2012 Olympics when the world champion women's soccer team flew coach while, on the same flight, the sub-par men's team flew business class. The story made international news, and the team captain and star Homare Sawa remarked, "I guess it should have been the other way around. Even just in terms of age we are the senior." The JFA stipulated that if the women's team proved their worth with a medal, they would be upgraded for their return flight. They did, and JFA kept their promise. Regardless, the men's team found themselves with plenty of leg room, even without a medal. 

I have become accustomed to the frequent, subtle sexism. When in public, people primarily address my husband. People find it strange that I am the primary earner.  In my town in Japan, most members of town offices and all the town leaders are male. At junior high schools, the male students dominate class and their female counterparts must be coaxed to squeak in their barely audible voices. At the town gym, I get many curious glances when lifting weights or running the track because the ideal, feminine woman is not powerful. Here, the feeling of the societal gaze is strong. For me, I am judged not only as a foreigner, but also as a woman. Needless to say, as an American woman in Japan, I am incapable of meeting the expectations for Japanese women: thin and beautiful, passive and powerless, shy and demure. 

Japan remains one of the industrialized world's least equal countries, while nations like the U.S. continue to improve political empowerment, educational attainment, economic participation and opportunity, and health. At Japan's top 500 companies, women account for less than 1 percent of executives, compared with 10 percent in America and the UK. The 2012 Global Gender Gap Report, which measures the aforementioned factors, ranks Japan at #101 near India at #105. The Nordic countries occupy the very top of the list, with the US at #22, China at #69 and Yemen last at #135. While many nations have much improvement to make, the facts are surprising about Japan. 

The social consequences, like the effect on the career and family due to changing gender roles, is nothing out of the ordinary. In 1985, only 30.6% of women in their twenties were single. But because of the increasing pressure and desire to have a career, the rate rose to 54% in 2004.  Unmarried women in their late twenties and onward are the subject of much town gossip, and I know a few female ALTs who have been questioned endlessly about why they don't have a boyfriend or are unmarried. They are ridiculed by peers and called names like "Christmas Cake" which becomes undesirable and goes on sale the day after Christmas. While there is an up-tick of Japanese women in the workplace, they are so frequently overworked that they find it quite difficult to raise a family. At the same time, with Japan's aging population, women are feeling more pressure than ever to have children. Oh, to be a modern woman. 

However, Japan has a history of great females. Did you know there have been eight empresses in Japan?  Did you know that the author of The Tale of Genji was a woman? But even in this history, you can see the well-established roots of gender inequality. The Tale of Genji was written primarily in hiragana, Japan's syllabary. Males were allowed more education than women and Chinese kanji were "men's writing" while hiragana was the "women's writing." This further distinguished the power of educated men and the deference of women. Linguistically, women's speech is expected to conform with traditional standards of onnarashii, the code of proper behavior for a lady. Women speak with an artificially high tone of voice (omnipresent in Japan), and their polite speech and even grammar has a feminine characteristic.

After WWII women received the right to vote and the new constitution stipulated equality between the sexes. The late 1960's and early 1970s saw Japan's radical feminist movement. One leader was Misako Enoki, a pharmacist who organized activists to push for the legalization of the birth control pills. Her approach was to generate media attention by forming a protest group called Chupiren, who wore pink motorcycle helmets and took part in publicity stunts like confronting unfaithful husbands in their offices. They weren't taken seriously by the media. Mitsu Tanaka was the most visible individual figure during the movement. She wrote a number of feminist manifestos and her writings called for a dismantling of the household system. "By questioning man and authority, we will deconstruct our own fantasies of love, husband and wife, men, chastity, children, the home, and maternal love."

I think Tanaka's quote about the household system begins to touch on why advances for gender equality have stagnated in Japan. Japan is a land of tradition, and in many ways resistant to change. They do things because it's the way they have always done things, and that is reason enough. To question is to disrespect. Tradition calls for Japanese women to serve as willing subordinates to men. 

As a socially and politically emancipated American women, I can't help but force my ethnocentric world view upon Japan. However, I value Japan's traditional culture and I see value in preserving it. This balance between social change and honoring tradition must be struck, and it is an issue that is being struggled with the world over. I think that Japan's traditional culture is beautiful, but when it comes to women's rights, I think that Japan should change. Cultures aren't to be mummified, petrified, placed in test tubes to observe in a museum; they adapt and make transitions to modernity.

Here is one example. While women traditionally weren't able to participate in many of Japan's martial arts, now, I have seen junior high girls practicing kendo and met an American woman who placed 2nd in a sumo tournament in Fukashima. Dori from Kansas, an ALT in Mori, Japan, just 30 minutes south of my town, earned the pride of her town, the respect of her students and the fame of NHK news and newspapers by participating in a sport in which it was once forbidden for women to enter the ring.

As Japan becomes a more globalized nation and as they continue to measure their success against other industrial powers, I predict the country will want to "keep up with the Joneses" so to speak. In the next ten to twenty years we will see great improvements for gender equality.

Until then, I'll be soliciting hundreds of confused looks and disapproving glances at the gym, restaurants, and any old place with the preposterous behavior of a modern American woman.

I'd be interested to hear what you think about the topic of gender equality in Japan. Do you have a different opinion? Have you experienced something in Japan to add? Have you read a great Japanese feminist author? Please chime in with your experience or opinions!

Zen and the Art of Travel: Home and Away (or Why I Love the USA)

"You do not know the worth of water until the well is dry." So the proverb goes.

The benefits of travel are many: a broader perspective and world view, an understanding of international issues, and a context for one's own beliefs. My grand Japan adventure has allowed me to learn many things about this new country. Additionally, I have an entirely new perspective on life in the United States and what it means to be an American. 

In truth, every place has its roses and its thorns, but it's much easier to recognize the negatives that surround you, wherever you are. Throughout most of high school and college I became increasingly disillusioned about my own cultural values. I was ever the cynic about politics, about the bombastic, wasteful, lazy, and inconsiderate American persona. I was skeptical about the dominant American ideals: wealth, power, fame, beauty...materialism and militarism.  In many ways I was ashamed of being an American.

As I prepared to come to Japan, as a cultural educator, I asked myself, "What is American culture?" What makes us unique? I thought about idioms like, "As American as Apple Pie" or "As American as Baseball." Similarly, my students have great difficulty addressing Japanese culture. However, based on a recent Facebook poll conducted by myself, most Americans have at least some idea about what Japanese culture looks like. They think of anime, technology, drifting, sushi, and chopsticks. They think of white rice, honor, samurai, and "The Karate Kid."  Maybe they think of martial arts or calligraphy. But is that what Japan is, really? We think of a stereotypical, over generalized image of Japan; one without nuance. 

Now that I am in Japan, I find myself teaching not about a nuanced America, but instead, a simulacrum and a stereotype. My students find it easier to understand a simplified, cut-and-dry explanation of holidays, food, and music in English. When someone asks me, "What is your favorite American food?" it is difficult to say, "enchiladas" or "pizza" because my students would look at me confusedly and ask "Isn't that Mexican food?" or "Isn't that Italian food?" It's really difficult for me to talk about Lady Gaga as the penultimate American musician, and generalize about a land that's as vast and diverse as America.

I recently read this article in the Star Tribune about exchange students and their perceptions of America as compared to their home countries. "Fast food (they were amazed by the portions and super-sizing). Free refills. Huge refrigerators" and "A Russian student, for example, was perplexed about why everyone in Minnesota seemed so chipper. 'Why do people talk to me?' he asked Lee-Dobbs early in the school year. 'Why are they so happy?'"

I have discovered, despite some lingering misgivings, that I can be proud to be an American. It's a place where you can look someone in the eye and really speak your mind. You can be confident and bold and show emotion. It's a  place where all kinds of different people live together and learn to understand one another; I miss the diversity of the U.S.A. It sounds like a platitude, but I honestly find this amazing in comparison to Japan. We are open to change. I love how women are respected. I love the vibrant fashions and music and flavors. You know what? I love American culture. 

Spending a year abroad was one of the best things I have ever done. New experiences, like travel, give you a better understanding of who you are and where you come from: a broader perspective. As outsiders to a new culture and temporary outsiders to our own, we can see our culture and selves more clearly. Travel is about opening oneself up to a new way of living and gaining a better understanding of the world and oneself from this detached perspective.  Furthermore, you don't realize how much something has truly influenced you, its value, until you are removed from it, or, "You do not know the worth of water until the well is dry."

I can't wait to call America home again.