Spring Has Sprung

Spring has come to southern Gifu, and the signs are everywhere.

1. It's warmer- finally! No more huddling in front of the heater, no more wearing my ski jacket on the way to school, no more frozen puddles to slip on when making my way into the school building. It's amazing how the body adapts to temperature though- I feel positively warm now that it's just above 15 degrees outside. When that hit me back in October, I was shivering my ass off!

2. Flower blossoms are out.
Last Sunday I went to a plum（ume, うめ、梅）blossom festival in Gifu city (at Baiorin Koen, or ‘Violin Park’, no less). It was just a small park but filled with lots and lots of plum trees. Apparently plum flowers are the first to bloom of all the fruit trees here in Japan, and while they are not quite as delicately beautiful as cherry blossoms (sakura, さくら, 桜 － the blossoms most favored by the Japanese, which won’t emerge until the end of March), they are still a very nice treat for the senses after winter. The park smelled like spring and there were plenty of Japanese families out enjoying their first ‘official’ taste of spring for the year.

Seasons here are generally welcomed in very prescribed ways- through festivals focusing on something representing the natural beauty of that season. And I have to say that of all the seasons, spring is the one I’ve been looking forward to most.

I think I was premature in my last post in saying that I will never again be surprised by anything in Japan . At the plum festival, we witnessed for the first time a very Japanese custom. The seasonal photo model. A Japanese ‘maiden’ (actually she was probably in her thirties) wearing a ‘Spring’ outfit was posing for photographers amongst the plum trees. And when I say posing, I mean it. The expressions on their faces were the fixed, vacant, spacey smile of housewives in 1950s magazine ads. There was a crowd of male photographers gathered in front of her taking pictures.

We found the whole situation hilarious and kind of bizarre. So we decided to copy her, in an ironic way, of course. Julie was braver than me, and it wasn’t long before a couple of the photographers had made their way over to where we were to take photos of this ‘gaijin sakura girl’! (Not that this was anything new to us; every time we go to a festival, someone will inevitably take a photo or three of us, without our permission and with no attempt to be discreet.)

3. Following on from the blossom theme, shops and department stores have brought out their spring merchandise. That is, you can now purchase an array of very realistic plastic sprigs of cherry and plum blossoms, beautiful sakura writing paper, postcards featuring cute furry animals frolicking among flowers, and blossom-covered dishware. And if you stop by a combini (convenience store), you can literally taste spring- in the form of a sakura-flavored Kit Kat!

4. Starting this week, at 5pm every day, my neighbourhood is treated to the sweet notes of ‘Sakura’, possibly Japan ’s most famous traditional Japanese folk song. You’d probably recognize it if you heard it.

http://classic-midi.com/midi_player/uta/uta_sakura.htm

Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms/Blanketing the countryside/As far as you can see./Is it a mist, or clouds?/Fragrant in the morning sun./Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms/Flowers in full bloom./Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms/Across the Spring sky/As far as you can see./Is it a mist, or clouds?/Fragrant in the air./Come now, come/Let’s look, at last!

I knew about this tradition of playing a special song – either the official town song, or a seasonal tune - over the loudspeakers in towns all over Japan , but until now, I hadn’t heard it in Kakamigahara. As corny as it sounds, it does stir the heartstrings- I look forward to hearing it again this afternoon! Am I turning Japanese?!

5. It’s ‘dust storm’ season in East Asia .

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7274718.stm

From late February to April, huge dust clouds from the Gobi Desert in China blow over to the east and collect pollution as they go, carrying it to Korea and Japan . When I first heard about this, I thought it was just another example of Japanese xenophobia (Chinese dust causes illness in Japanese!), but maybe I need to be less cynical because apparently it’s a real phenomenon. Gifu isn’t spared- over the past week I’ve noticed thick haze in the air and last night riding home I could feel and smell that the air wasn’t clear. All of this has meant an increase in the proportion of people wearing white surgical masks as they go about their business here in Japan . (In case you didn’t know, it is a Japanese custom to wear white masks covering their mouth and nose - like the ones surgeons or very very sick people wear – when they have a cold or allergies. Sometimes it makes you feel like bird flu has actually broken out here.)

While I can’t deny that Melbourne’s mild climate is nice (well, except for the drought!), I can’t help but feel that we are missing out on something by not having four distinct seasons. By Australian standards, Melbourne is ‘European’, so they say, but being so mild, we don’t get to experience the burst of spring after the relative hibernation of winter. So it’s a novelty to be here in Gifu and to experience my first full northern hemisphere calendar year and all the seasonal changes that come with it.

Token 'deep' post

It has hit me recently that I really need to be aware of not falling into a kind of ‘rut’ here in Japan . I'm only here for a short time- initially I thought one year, but now that has been lengthened to two, because the more I see the more I feel the need to see. By ‘rut’ I mean taking things for granted, and feeling like you’re going through the same routine week after week. It might seem like it would be hard to fall into a monotonous routine being on the JET Programme, being challenged every day in a foreign culture, traveling all over the country on weekends… and yes, it is an exciting life in many respects. In fact, up until now (and certainly before I arrived in Japan ) I myself thought that my life for the next year would be a whirlwind of anxiety, excitement and exhilaration. But even traveling can get to be a bit of ‘same old, same old’. I guess it’s human nature. We adapt to anything. The alien becomes foreign, the foreign becomes normal, and eventually, some of the normal becomes boring. The thing is, as much as I enjoy my weekend trips to places like Nara , Tokyo , Kyoto , Hida, Hiroshima etc., and as much as I look forward to the next Japanese seasonal matsuri (festival), since the beginning of this year, I’ve become aware that some of the ‘spark’ has gone from these otherwise strong feelings of enjoyment.

I know it’s a result of just getting used to how things are here- even, or especially, the little details. Now each experience here is tinged with a little bit of sadness/regret that nothing will ever be completely novel or surprising to me here from now on, at least not in the way that it was a few months ago. I guess it can be compared to growing up, becoming an ‘adult’ and losing that childhood innocence people are always talking about. I don’t think I can ever look upon anything in Japan- from the temples to the landscapes, to the people, to the kids, to the food, to the crazy fashions - again the same way I did when I first arrived here.
Ah, that’s life, and I think the Japanese have it right with their concept of wabi-sabi.

Then again, maybe instead of looking at all this like I’ve reached the end of some kind of journey of discovery, I should realize that I’m moving into a different phase of appreciating Japan… maybe less focused on the superficial.

Ah, I see...?

I'm reading a book called "Chrysanthemums and Thorns" at the moment, by Edwin M. Reingold, a former Time editor who did a lot of reporting about Japan. It is really really insightful as far as Japan goes, because he writes so objectively and is not afraid to expose some of the darker aspects of Japanese society/culture/politics/business. He writes about stuff that most people never write about for fear of seeming offensive or too critical, breaking taboos, or exposing some great secret of Japanese society. For example, he analyzes things like the Japanese Emperor renouncing his status as a 'god', Japan's perception of foreigners, the role of women, the yakuza, and political corruption... I guess many Japanese would be mortified to read this book and even more mortified that foreigners were reading it. But I like it because it does expose the 'real Japan', as it claims to do. That's something that many people agree is hard to get at- so much of life and culture here is based on the superficial- at least it appears that way to an outsider.

The more time I spend here, the more it becomes apparent that the Western stereotype of Japan, like all stereotypes, is just a surface representation. It is practically useless for preparing someone for living in Japan. Even some of the 'advice' we JETs were given before arrival, bestowed on us by the knowledgeable people at the Japanese consulate, seems misguided in hindsight. Just basic things like, 'if you are an average-sized woman or bigger at home, you will have a hard time finding clothes in Japan' (I have no problem; the clothes may even fit me better than at home!), or 'don't say sayoonara at the end of a work day because it's too final' (plenty of my colleagues have said it to ME!), or 'work-wear in Japan is more formal than in Western countries' (lots of teachers wear tracksuits to work!), or 'Japanese people don't wear/like perfumes and scents' (I think there are more perfume and aromatherapy products here than anywhere). These points are not exactly profound things that have a huge influence on daily life, but they just go to show that nothing can prepare you for living (or attempting to understand) a culture like actually living there.

Anyway, back to the book. Not to sound like a book report, but I like how it talks about a lot of things I had noticed living here in Japan, and helps explain why they are the way they are. It also emphazises the danger of judging another culture by our own standards (something that was drummed into me in Anthropology time and time again at uni, but which is difficult to avoid doing in daily life). For example, in the West, we all assume that Japanese women hold a more weak, submissive role in Japanese society than women in Western countries. But, according to this book, what we don't recognize is the power they hold in the household- eg. the wives control the family finances, doling out an allowance to their husbands. And the role of 'housewive' is more respected here in Japan. In fact, just about every role is more respected in Japan- I don't think they have the concept of 'shitkicker' like we do! Tasks that we consider menial and beneath us, in the West, the Japanese tend to take a lot of pride in. So really, you can't make judgements about any aspect of another society without understanding how that part fits into the whole. (Man, I'm really sounding like an anthropology student here.) ...Which I don't claim to understand, and almost certainly never will, but at least I realize that!

What really prompted this long-winded post was what the book says about the Japanese learning style. Reading it helped me feel better about the way my classes go when I'm teaching. Remember how I commented on the catatonic-like behavior of the students? And their apparent lack of creativity and imagination? Well, it all makes sense in light of this:"The entire Japanese educational system is geared towards passive learning. Western teachers in Japan are often dismayed by the lack of challenge and questioning from students. It is often attributed to language difficulty, or to a natural diffidence or reticence. But the Japanese student is accustomed to absorbing information from his teacher. Today, more and more criticism is being lodged against the system that puts discipline and group effort before creativity and individual expression."

Also, "the original form of the Japanese verb 'to learn', manabu, came from the word maneru, which means 'to imitate'"... and I've noticed myself that they use the verb 'to memorize' or 'to remember', oboeru, a LOT when talking about study or learning or understanding.

Having said all that, there have been a few instances when I was able to coax out some creativity from my students- for example when I had them design an imaginary robot. Against what you might expect, the girls tend to be better at this than the boys. Although the class clowns are almost always boys. So who knows- this place, like anywhere, is complicated, and I will never work it out. But I sure am having fun (is that the right word?) trying!

Close Encounter Of The Japanese Kind

Scene: The supermarket, Wednesday 4:15pm

Him: Are you alien?

Me: [pause] Sorry?

Him: Are you alien?

Me: I'm from another country. Australia.

Him: Oh, alien. Ghostbusters! ... Are you teacher?

Me: Yes, English.

Him: I am samurai. Be careful.

Me: Oh, ok.

Brrrr

I guess I've gotten used to the cold now. Gifu city's not exactly a cold place on a world scale, but it does get colder than Melbourne in the winter. The real trouble with winter here in Japan is that central heating is not common. It seems that only the very rich, with new houses, have central heating. Everyone else makes due with small electric bar heaters, a kotatsu, or kerosene heaters. Kotatsu? It's an ingenious invention, really- I don't know why they haven't caught on everywhere in the world. A kotatsu is a low table with a heating element attached to the underside of it. You put a blanket over it and sit with your legs and most of your body underneath the blanket. The heat is trapped under the table and blanket and only your head and arms (if you're eating) are exposed. Lots of JETs have them, but unfortunately, I don't. They aren't cheap, and apparently none of my predecessors had one (unless they sold it before I arrived to get some extra cash, which wouldn't surprise me). But most of my friends have a kotatsu and we've spent many pleasant nights enveloped in its warmth.

All I have is one electric bar heater. It works ok... I'm basically living in just one room of my apartment over winter because that's all it will heat. And I use the term 'heat' loosely. At this very moment, my room is 14.6 degrees Celcius. Believe it or not, that's warm. For safety and financial reasons, I leave the heater off overnight, which means that this morning, for example, it was 5 degrees in my room when I woke up. Yep, I can see my breath as I'm getting ready for work. But like I said, I think I'm used to it now. And people live in much worse conditions than this, anyway.

The other heating option here in Japan is the very antiquated kerosene system. The heaters themselves are pretty advanced, all technological, with timers and sensors to 'ensure' that dangerous gases don't build up... but I still have my doubts about them. To keep a kerosene heater full, you have to lug a storage container to the gas station, have it filled up, and lug it back to your apartment. All the while trying desperately not to spill it. Then you have to fill the heater up, again trying even more desperately not to spill it, so you don't soak your carpet in flammable liquid. Then, while the heater is running, you should actually leave a window open so that carbon monoxide and other fumes don't build up and slowly poison you to death, over time. Plenty of people ignore the leave-the-window-open advice, and I heard first-hand from one JET that he ended up getting really bad respiratory problems as a result. The other thing that's scared me off kerosene is that my desk is in prime position at work, right next to one of two huge kerosene heaters in the staffroom. So I inhale plenty of poisonous fumes during the day- why get them at night too?

As much as I think I've adapted to my 4-degree bedroom, I can't wait for spring to come. Which apparently we are well into by now, according to the Chinese lunar calendar. Whaaaat? Mid-February? Spring? Yes, it really is too good to be true- no such luck. I guess I'm stuck wearing my ski coat and scarf and huddling next to the heater for another month or so.

I Found The Twilight Zone in Tokyo

Two random, pretty weird things happened to me in Tokyo on my recent trips there, and I just have to get them down.

1. The scene: New Years Eve, sick in bed at a cheap hotel because I got food poisoning from KFC! On my 10th visit to the bathroom, I am sitting in the cubicle when I become aware that the Indian guys from down the hall (who have been partying in their room for several hours) have decided to also take a trip to the bathroom before they venture out for NY celebrations. It suddenly occurs to me that this is a unisex toilet, and there are urinals just outside my door. So I vow to remain silent and let them do their business. One by one, they come in, take care of the task at hand (I am unfortunately privy to exactly what that involves), and leave, taking their sweet time! After each one leaves I am SURE it must be over, but no- another one shuffles in. I am getting more and more annoyed and embarrassed by the second, not just because it's not exactly pleasant listening to the tinkling, but also because I am afraid if they find out I've been in there all along, who knows how they might react. Just when I think it can't get much worse, drunk Indian guy number 8 comes in, warbling 'My Heart Will Go On'. Yes, the Celine Dion ballad. In an Indian accent. At least it drowned out the other sounds.

2. My friend Leanne and I are walking across a busy street in Akihabara, the area of Tokyo where all the weird and wonderful newest technological advances first go on sale. Just as we reach the other side, we both feel someone rubbing our heads firmly and vigorously. I am stunned for a couple of seconds and the possibilities of who it might be run through my head. Leanne's friend Yota, who we met for dinner last night? His friend Simon, who we also met? We turn around and see a middle-aged Japanese guy in glasses running away (in what can only be described as a 'frolicking' manner), half giggling, half-panicked. It sounds funny, but it left me outraged. A complete invasion of... everything. And people around us, although they had noticed, didn't bat an eyelid because the Japanese are masters of the 'bystander effect'. This angered me even more. Looking back, yes, it's funny... but unsettling, because he could have done way more than just mess up our hair.

New Year, New Post

I know it's all a big cliche to say that with a New Year comes new resolutions, the turning over of a new leaf, and all that. But recently - this week, actually - I've felt that something has changed in my outlook on my time here in Japan. I've suddenly started feeling a lot more comfortable here. It's probably due to a lot of things- I'm slowly but surely improving my Japanese (and have actually found a class that lets me learn how to SPEAK in Japanese as opposed to learning obscure grammatical rules); I'm approaching the 6 month mark of being here; I've pretty much resolved to stay here for another year, beyond my original one-year contract; and the fact that Leanne, my high school friend, is visiting from Australia.

Travelling with someone who is seeing Japan with a completely fresh outlook has made me aware of how much I actually do know about Japanese language, society, culture and trivial things. Even just knowing a nice cafe to take Leanne to, only a 5 minute walk from my house, made me realize that I'm not so much of an 'alien' here, but that I actually live here and am a functioning part of society... well, somewhat, anyway.

Now, I also don't feel so much like I'm part of some big imperialist effort to 'spread English to the masses' around the world. Being hired by the Japanese government to go inform people about English and Australian / Western culture didn't sit 100% comfortably with me. But I know it's up to me to make it what it is. I can go in there and demand the students 'say this', or 'do that', but the more classes I teach, the more I realise that my role is not to change them into outspoken, opinionated pseudo-Western English speakers. They are what they are, even if their behavior in class does come across as a little catatonic or 'robotic' overall. If I can make a few students a bit more passionate, a bit more motivated, a bit more confident about English, then I've done what I came here for. Sounds idealistic, I know, but last weekend something happened that made me feel it was happening. Five students from my school participated in an English Speech Competition in my city. The other ALT and I coached them for about 2 weeks, every day after school, in pronounciation, delivery, gesturing, etc. And we really saw an improvement. Most importantly, I could see that just practicing a speech they had written by themselves was giving them a lot of confidence and motivation. Especially for one student, Shiori, who I could tell was naturally shy and afraid to speak English. But she worked incredibly hard on practicing her speech, and took in everything I told her. She ended up winning the competition! In fact, all 5 of our students (3 of which we had coached) took the top 5 spots. Granted, only 2 schools were competing, but nevertheless, it would have meant a lot to those students. And to our school. I've never really been in a position to feel 'proud' of someone, since I've never been a teacher or coach before, but it really does feel great.

The other thing that has given me more confidence in my job is that yesterday one of my colleagues (a Japanese Teacher of English, or 'JTE') told me that every time she goes to teach a certain class, they ask 'where's Jessica?'. Apparently they really love my class. All this time I've been feeling that they weren't getting much out of it, they were bored, didn't understand anything I was saying, and so on. But all my efforts to make the classes fun and understandable are apparently not in vain. Japanese students, as I've been at pains to explain to people back home, are extremely shy, reserved and downright unresponsive compared to students in the West. Now, when I came here, I knew all about Japanese culture putting emphasis on the group and 'hammering down the nail that sticks out', etc. But it has been really hard to accept that Japanese students could actually be interested in a class, despite acting like they've had a frontal lobotomy. I'm sure there are some that really don't want to be there, but I think the majority of students do get something out of my classes, and I'm so glad to know that. The other thing is that Japanese people (ie. my work colleagues) don't tend to give feedback or talk about how a class or project went. So generally, I've had nothing to go on as far as working out whether my lessons are acceptable/worthwhile or not.

Anyway, to round out this deep and meaningful post, I guess I'll jot down my resolutions for 2008. Until this year I've never actually had resolutions. But now that I'm a 'real adult'- 25 and living alone, thousands of miles from my family - I've become aware of few things I need/want to do:
-Be more decisive. There are no right or wrong decisions, but make a decision and if it turns out not so good, deal with it.
-Eat healthier and try to exercise more. (the old staple)
-Be more open with other people.
-Find a hobby and actually stick with it.
-Trust your instincts.

Ok, let's go 2008!