Goals for Japan

I have started my list of goals for Japan. I tried to make them as SMART as possible (specific, measureable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound).

• By August, write a 1,000 word essay about my expectations for Japan.  Revisit and reflect upon these expectations every two months.
• By August, write a 1,000 word essay about who I am before going to Japan to maintain my identity and not lose myself in Japanese culture.
• Spend 30 minutes per day actively studying Japanese.
• Work out (run, lift weights, do yoga, etc.) at least 3 times a week.
• Weekly, update blog with goal progress , continued reflections and inspiring observations, both about teaching and life in Japan.
• Each week, take 15 photos minimum and upload to Tumbler/blog.
• Weekly, observe a non-English class during down time.
• Try something new every week and use these experiences to learn more about Japanese culture.
• Discover when registration is for Japanese classes in Hakodate, register, and attend regularly.
• When I am invited to or offered an opportunity, never turn it down. Remember how much Yakumo has done and is continually doing for me, and work hard in exchange.  Continually seek out ways to positively and tangibly impact my community.
• Monthly, meet with teachers to plan lessons, discuss how things are going and set some goals for future lessons in order to continually improve as an educator.
• In order to pay off my student loans and have money for transition back to life in the U.S., save a minimum of 80,000 yen each month. With the rest, do not be too frugal and enjoy many travel adventures and munching delicious Japanese food!
• Each month, travel to at least one new place, whether that be a well-planned trip to a city on Honshu or a spontaneous road trip in Hokkaido.
• Participate in at least one community event or festival.
• Get involved in at least one student club or group.
• By October, have contributed 3 activities to lesson plans and have taught 3 lessons on my own.
• By October, have started a pen pal exchange between one school in Japan and the junior high school I worked at in St. Paul, MN.
• By December, have joined a community group that will allow me to learn more about Japanese culture while learning a new skill. Perhaps a cooking group.
• By February, decide whether to recontract or take the GRE online for a Masters in Education at Hamline (TEFL Certification would count towards required credits.)
• By July, have travelled to 2 of the following places: Osaka, Kyoto, Tokyo, Nara, Nikko, Hiroshima, Mt. Fuji.
• One month prior to departure, prepare for reverse culture shock: "Nobody cares about your travels." Utilize career counseling and be patient with transition time.
• Before departure, write a 1,000 word essay reflecting on how JET has impacted me personally, and how it will affect my future personal and professional goals.
• Make one true friend in Japan before I leave, and continually keep in touch with them.
• Prepare a presentation to give in my community and continue international exchange.

Proposed Travel In Japan

I have scoured the internets and my friends' and mentors' vast knowledge to create my Japan travel bucket list. However, I am not certain how to deal with this catch 22: the days I have off of work are holidays when traveling would be prohibitively expensive. 

Within Hokkaido, I should be able to travel on the weekends considering I will have a car. Here is a list of my prefectural travel dreams:

• Hakodate, one of the three most beautiful nightscapes in the world, and for Mt. Hakodate.

• Sapporo, for the snow festival of course, but also to the  Susukino Entertainment District, Odori Park, Clock Tower Building, and JR Tower (Namco Wonderpark!). Also for the Yosakoi Soran Dance Festival in June!

• Shiretoko, the only world heritage site in Hokkaido, and the "last pristine wilderness" in Japan.
  

• The  Otaru Snow Light Path Festival and Ashikawa Winter Festival would be great winter travel options too!
  

Other natural travel plans include:

• Shikotsu-Toya National Park for the lakes and perhaps the ice festival in Jan-Feb. or water festival at the beginning of July.

• Daisetsuzan National Park's Sounkyo onsen resort, Mt. Daisetsu, and famous lavender fields.
  

• Kushiro-Shitsugen National Park
  
• The Noboribetsu Hot Spring & Hell Valley
• Okushiri Island & Hiyama Prefecture National Park + Fukushima Island

Outside Hokkaido, my tourist dreams are too wishful.

I would love to spend more time in Tokyo than the 3 chock-full days of orientation in Shinjuku. In the Tokyo area I want to see Akihabara, the Imperial Palace East Garden, Hamarikyu Gardens, Ueno Park, Tokyo National  Museum, Tsukiji Jogai Market, and Ghibli Museum.

I hope to visit my friend in Aomori during the Nebuta Matsuri Festival, and hike the Shirakami mountain range, enjoying the beech forest and golden eagles. 

There is so much that I want to see and do in Nara, Nikko, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Okinawa (etc.), but they may all have to wait. How can I visit all these places!?I would love to see some epic fireworks, gawk at a fertility festival, go to a game convention, etc., but I predict that I won't have enough time. 

Further recommendations or resources about how I can fulfill my travel dreams are most welcome!

Volunteering is also a dream, and there are many organizations that could use a hand (see below). I wish that JET had a built in service component, like the AmeriCorps program in the United States where one can serve about 100 hours with service projects in the community.

1. It’s Not Just Mud (INJM) is a non-profit volunteer organization specializing in disaster relief and grass-root support and rehabilitation of disaster affected individuals and small businesses. We are based in Ishinomaki, Miyagi prefecture, Japan and work in the Tohoku region.
   
2. Peace Boat’s mission has been to provide immediate emergency relief and support for the long term social and economic recovery of the Tohoku region following the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, focusing on the city of Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture and its environs.
   
3. Smile Kids Japan's mission is to have every orphanage in Japan visited regularly by a volunteer team in an effort to provide children with mentoring, cultural exchange and a newfound sense of trust.
   
4. SWTJ (Solidarity with Tohoku, Japan) has been created to express our strong solidarity with the people affected by the earthquake and tsunami that hit northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011. We aim to stand by northeastern Japan by conducting long-term support activities in close cooperation with the affected people, and by organizing events that remind the public of the need for continuing solidarity.

PLUS: Article in today's Japan Times:
From baby massage to fostering pets, many options for volunteers

And bonus video: HAVE A GOOD TRIP! (I'm that horse)

Intentional Travel to Japan - A Lesson Plan

If I could use one word to describe my experience with JET so far, it would be INTENTION. From the application, to the planning, to writing this blog post, I have been intentional - mentally determined - to be accepted and make the best out of my time teaching English in Japan. While I have never traveled internationally, on every domestic trip, I have returned home with new understandings of myself and the world. By taking full advantage of my opportunities, by examining my goals, expectations, and intentions, I hope that my trip to Japan will be exceptional. Below is an outline of my intentional travel plan in the format of a lesson plan.

Objectives - I will be able to (IWBAT) travel to Japan, learn more about myself and the world, impact my community in a positive and tangible way, gain new friends and new skills, and make the transition home by continuing what I have done in Japan in some way.
Timing - Minimum 1 year (July 2012 to July 2013)
Materials - Items that I  forget but then buy in Japan or (over)pack!
Preparation - See "Intentional Travel to Japan - A Lesson Plan"
Anticipated Challenges - Language barrier, cultural missteps, culture shock, unrealistic expectations, demotivation of intentionality, tight finances, the hikikomori effect (just kiddin'), driving into the ditch on icy, blizzardy, Hokkaido roads.
Pre-Journey-

• Examine preconceived notions.
• Reach out to contacts for insight and advice in order to develop realistic and informed expectations.
• Create a ranked list of the places I want to travel in Japan and begin planning dates for travel, including volunteering.
• Set specific, measureable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound goals.

Journey-

• Frequently update blog with goal progress and continued reflections and inspiring observations, both about teaching and life in Japan.
• Never say "no" to an offer or an opportunity.
• Despite my reticence to take photos and videos at the expense of experiencing the moment, do it, in order to share my experiences with others and remember them.
• Decide in February whether to recontract or take the GRE online for a Masters in Education at Hamline (TEFL Certification would count towards required credits.)

Post-Journey -

• Blog about how my experience in Japan will continue to influence my life.
• Prepare for reverse culture shock: "Nobody cares about your travels." Utilize career counseling and be patient with transition time.
• Continue international exchange in my community. 

My Predecessor & Living Situation

Macalester College in Saint Paul, MN has a global network of alumni that constantly surprises me. Through a friend, I was connected with a Mac graduate and current JET ALT in Japan named Lauren. She gave me a wealth of information and has been instrumental in my preparations. Through Lauren, I was introduced to a number of other grads currently teaching English in Japan. When I found out my placement, I informed my contacts and to my surprise, someone knew an ALT named Dori from Mori, Japan, only about 30 miles south of Yakumo! I contacted Dori who connected me with the current ALT in Yakumo, Laura! I am relatively certain that Laura is my predecessor, and I have heard from her at length about my living situation. That's networking at its finest, people! Most ALTs have not yet been connected with their local boards of education or predecessors, so I am extremely fortunate to have this extra time and information to prepare myself.

While Laura kindly wrote me about 10 pages of information, I will give you the abridged version of my situation. Tom and I will be living in an apartment that is large for Japanese standards with 2-bedrooms, kitchen, living room, and bathroom. I will be living rent-free, with the use of a car (new last year) and laptop for work from my local board of education. My predecessor has a number of great items for me to purchase from her including her car (for personal use - seemingly essential in rural Japan), her kotatsu (heated living room table for winter), and kitchen items. 
I will be roaming between Yakumo's Junior High Schools, facilitating a biweekly English circle, and occasionally teaching some pre-school and special classes for special need students and children who have been hospitalized.
While being placed in a small town in Japan is undesirable for many JETs, I am so pleased to have a board of education that places value in having an ALT in their town, not having to pay sky-high rent prices of a city, and having room to roam in the mountains. Additionally, I have heard that my direct supervisor is one-in-a-million: she speaks excellent English, is the kindest person I will ever meet, and is super helpful when I am getting functionally set up in Japan- with my bank account, foreign resident card, and navigating the paperwork and bureaucracy that international travel and everyday life brings.
Hooray for Yakumo-cho!

Yakumo-cho, Hokkaido

A couple of weeks ago, I received an e-mail from JET about my placement notification:

Prefecture:  北海道  Hokkaido

Contracting Organization:  八雲町  Yakumo-cho

Yakumo-cho is a town with a population of about 20,000 located in Oshima in Hokkaido, essentially on the southern hook of the northern-most prefecture (that giant island at the top). Here is a tourist website with more information about southern Hokkaido. Yakumo has a legendary Lantern Parade Festival that I cannot wait to attend!
I couldn't be happier about my placement. Everyone says, "Oh, Hokkaido! I have never been there, but my aunt/friend/etc. took a trip there and said it was beautiful! It is cold and snowy." I expect the weather to be much like Minnesota, with more snowfall because of the water vapor in the air. While I will be far away from Tokyo and many of the bigger cities of Japan, I have spent the last 6 years of my life in the Twin Cities metropolis, and I am ready for a transition to a simpler life in rural Japan, in a town where I will know my neighbors and make many personal connections.

(Oddly-Formatted) JET 2012 Packing List

Here is my packing list, constantly in the process of revision.
Personal Bag
Wallet + $ (en   changed by bank)        Kindle        Laptop        Ipod Touch (w/ new apps) + Nintendo DS        English-Japanese dictionary        Camera        Headphones        Pen, pencil, paper        Deck of cards        Handkerchief        Important documents + copies        birth certificate        social security card        marriage certificate        driver's license        passport        resume        diploma + TEFL Certificate        Wear        Glasses        Casual Shoes        Skirt        Summer shirt        Toiletries        Ear Plugs        Eye Mask        Eye Drops        Lotion        Lip Balm        Hand Sanitizer
Carry-on
Suit (2)        Microfiber towel        Various chargers + prong adaptors        Ethernet Cable        Pajamas        3 Professional Shirts        2 Professional Skirts        Professional Shoes        Slippers        1 pair shorts        2 summer shirts        5 panties        5 pairs socks        Tennis shoes        Slippers        Neck pillow        Toiletries        2 oz of perfume        Cosmetics        Feminine products        Deodorant        Sunscreen        Contacts(1mo.)/Solution        Ibuprofen (50 pills)        Binders + bobby pins, Swimsuit        Shampoo        Comb Instant Coffee
Checked Bag
School sandals        Med Kit        Omiyage        T-shirt blouses (2)        Long-sleeved blouses (2)        Summer Skirts (2)        Dresses (3)        Non-jean pants (1)        Shorts (2) (1 athletic)        T-shirt (2)        Bras (1 regular, 1 athletic)        Nylons        Underwear (7)        Socks (5)        Athletic warm-up suit        Vitamins        Razor        Travel mug
Have Shipped
Boots        Coats        Educational materials + prizes        Warm socks (3)        Non-jean pants (2)        Quilt        Hat, scarf, gloves        Sewing kit        DVDs        Long underwear        Winter Skirts (2)        Long-sleeved professional shirts (3)        Costumes (Santa, Halloween)        Cleats, shin guards

Tokyo Orientation

Awaiting further information about the JET Program and my placement, I have resorted to researching details myself. It seems that JETs have stayed in the Keio Plaza Hotel in Tokyo for the 3-day orientation in Tokyo. Here is a picture of the outdoor pool on the 7th floor:

And a view from the top:

While I am nervous for travelling to Tokyo and navigating the transportation, I am so excited for the amenities. Boy, do I love hotels. :)