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!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Akita-ken in Gifu-ken
Random post alert. Very random.
I've been thinking about dogs in Japan lately. I've seen alot of them in my time here. In fact, I saw more in Tokyo than I see here in Gifu most days. In Tokyo, they were all little 'foo-foo' dogs- you know, pomeranians, daschunds (sorry Sarah), toy poodles, usually dressed in some kind of jacket and with a 'hair-band' or two. Undeniably cute, but city dogs, if you know what I mean. Reminded me of the poodles you see in Paris, eating at the table at a cafe with their rich French mistress. (I really did see that in Paris once.) Walking through Tokyo, I spotted many weird and wonderful canine characters, including:
A pomeranian peering out of a Gucci backpack...
Four identical miniature daschunds wearing different coloured jackets like some kind of dog boy-band, all on leashes (one is being carried in the photo below)...
More daschunds at a 'dog cafe'... the owners were enjoying the experience way more than the dogs.
And, although photographic evidence is lacking, I spotted a smokin' hot leather-clad Japanese yakuza-boyband member-pimp holding a tiny chihuaha-type dog wearing a pink bow.
But in Gifu, good old country-bumpkin land, the dogs are straight-down-the-line REAL dogs. Introducing the Akita-ken. ('ken' is the another pronounciation of 'inu', meaning dog.) I just wikipedia-ed them, so of course now I'm an expert. Anyway, I always thought these dogs were cute. They look kind of like a cross between a fox, wolf and dingo. Their tails are curly and they're really alert.
They seem to be the national dog of Japan. Because you know Japan has a national everything. They were originally bred in the north of Japan as bear-hunting dogs, so you know they're agressive underneath all that cuteness. Just like all things Japanese, there have been attempts to keep the breed 'pure'. Akitas were also used as guard dogs for the Emperor and his children, so they must have some kind of 'sacred' connotations too. And normal people used them as babysitters for their children too!
Japan's most famous dog, Hachiko, was an Akita. Yes, Hachiko- the most valiant and loyal embodiment of man's best friend since Lassie. The legend says that he met his master at Shibuya station, Tokyo, every day. When his master died, Hachiko returned to the station every day for the rest of his life to wait for him. So now Hachiko has been immortalized as a statue outside Shibuya station. It's become a very popular meeting point. On my recent trip to Tokyo, I couldn't get near it, it was so crowded!
So anyway, 99 percent of the dogs I see here in Gifu-ken are Akita-ken. (Hard-working down-to-earth dogs for a hard-working down-to-earth place, I guess.) They seem to embody the Japanese spirit somehow. And not least because their temperament sounds pretty much like the national character! With only a little imagination, I'm sure anyone familiar with Japanese society can see the parallels:
"They are naturally wary of unknown people and animals and should be well socialised to avoid undesirable aggression. They are highly pack oriented, thus, isolating them from a social environment causes them great stress. Akitas are known to be very quiet dogs, only barking "when there is something to bark about". An Akita is not likely to shower affection on someone that is not a member of his family or a close friend that he sees frequently, and can be extremely aloof. The dogs are known for their loyalty, and a pet Akita will patiently follow its master from room to room, without ever getting underfoot."
I'm not sure about the 'underfoot' bit, but I'm sure it's a metaphor for something! ;)
Anyway, enough rambling. Woof!
I've been thinking about dogs in Japan lately. I've seen alot of them in my time here. In fact, I saw more in Tokyo than I see here in Gifu most days. In Tokyo, they were all little 'foo-foo' dogs- you know, pomeranians, daschunds (sorry Sarah), toy poodles, usually dressed in some kind of jacket and with a 'hair-band' or two. Undeniably cute, but city dogs, if you know what I mean. Reminded me of the poodles you see in Paris, eating at the table at a cafe with their rich French mistress. (I really did see that in Paris once.) Walking through Tokyo, I spotted many weird and wonderful canine characters, including:
A pomeranian peering out of a Gucci backpack...
Four identical miniature daschunds wearing different coloured jackets like some kind of dog boy-band, all on leashes (one is being carried in the photo below)...
More daschunds at a 'dog cafe'... the owners were enjoying the experience way more than the dogs.
And, although photographic evidence is lacking, I spotted a smokin' hot leather-clad Japanese yakuza-boyband member-pimp holding a tiny chihuaha-type dog wearing a pink bow.
But in Gifu, good old country-bumpkin land, the dogs are straight-down-the-line REAL dogs. Introducing the Akita-ken. ('ken' is the another pronounciation of 'inu', meaning dog.) I just wikipedia-ed them, so of course now I'm an expert. Anyway, I always thought these dogs were cute. They look kind of like a cross between a fox, wolf and dingo. Their tails are curly and they're really alert.
They seem to be the national dog of Japan. Because you know Japan has a national everything. They were originally bred in the north of Japan as bear-hunting dogs, so you know they're agressive underneath all that cuteness. Just like all things Japanese, there have been attempts to keep the breed 'pure'. Akitas were also used as guard dogs for the Emperor and his children, so they must have some kind of 'sacred' connotations too. And normal people used them as babysitters for their children too!
Japan's most famous dog, Hachiko, was an Akita. Yes, Hachiko- the most valiant and loyal embodiment of man's best friend since Lassie. The legend says that he met his master at Shibuya station, Tokyo, every day. When his master died, Hachiko returned to the station every day for the rest of his life to wait for him. So now Hachiko has been immortalized as a statue outside Shibuya station. It's become a very popular meeting point. On my recent trip to Tokyo, I couldn't get near it, it was so crowded!
So anyway, 99 percent of the dogs I see here in Gifu-ken are Akita-ken. (Hard-working down-to-earth dogs for a hard-working down-to-earth place, I guess.) They seem to embody the Japanese spirit somehow. And not least because their temperament sounds pretty much like the national character! With only a little imagination, I'm sure anyone familiar with Japanese society can see the parallels:
"They are naturally wary of unknown people and animals and should be well socialised to avoid undesirable aggression. They are highly pack oriented, thus, isolating them from a social environment causes them great stress. Akitas are known to be very quiet dogs, only barking "when there is something to bark about". An Akita is not likely to shower affection on someone that is not a member of his family or a close friend that he sees frequently, and can be extremely aloof. The dogs are known for their loyalty, and a pet Akita will patiently follow its master from room to room, without ever getting underfoot."
I'm not sure about the 'underfoot' bit, but I'm sure it's a metaphor for something! ;)
Anyway, enough rambling. Woof!
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Hello, Goodbye!
Today my mum left after visiting me here in Japan for almost 4 weeks. Last night, at the dinner my colleagues had in her honour (!), I learned a new Japanese word: sabishii. I thought it meant 'to miss someone', but now that I look it up, it actually means 'lonely, solitary, desolate'. I wouldn't go as far as to say I'm desolate (no more than usual, anyway.. hehe just kidding), but I WILL miss her. As I told her, I wasn't that sad to leave Australia and embark on this adventure they call JET... but somehow, when someone visits you and stays for more than a couple of weeks, they become part of your life again. And then, when they leave, it feels like something's missing. This is the first time I've lived alone, and although it's been way easier than I expected, there was always something slightly off about it. I guess it's me adjusting to living by myself. Not necessarily sad or lonely, but definitely different.
Anyway, I have many mementos of mum's visit- mostly domestic things! Since she arrived, I have acquired: a table (aka earthquake shelter); a curtain divider for the shower area; pictures for the walls; a Japanese paper umbrella; a newly-cleaned carpet; a NEW futon; and a new frying pan. Oh, and I've been cooked for countless times, had numerous items of clothing and bedding laundered, and the mould cleaned out from a closet or two! Don't get the wrong impression- it's not like I was living in squalor before she got here... far from it. My neighbour commented on how clean my apartment was. But I guess I haven't exactly developed my mother's zest for cleaning!
But far better than these things are the memories of our trips to the Nakasendo (specifically, our hike between the towns of Magome and Tsumago), Matsumoto castle, Takayama, Ise Shrine, Mikimoto Pearl Island, and Nagoya (Neko Maho cafe). Oh, and the memories of me nursing her back to health after she came down with a severe cold halfway through the trip! Which reminds me that I have also acquired a bottle of Vicks VapoRub, some cough medicine and some throat spray...
Now, I better go work on consuming some of that mysterious stew concoction she prepared yesterday, which is apparently supposed to feed me for the next 3 months...
Anyway, I have many mementos of mum's visit- mostly domestic things! Since she arrived, I have acquired: a table (aka earthquake shelter); a curtain divider for the shower area; pictures for the walls; a Japanese paper umbrella; a newly-cleaned carpet; a NEW futon; and a new frying pan. Oh, and I've been cooked for countless times, had numerous items of clothing and bedding laundered, and the mould cleaned out from a closet or two! Don't get the wrong impression- it's not like I was living in squalor before she got here... far from it. My neighbour commented on how clean my apartment was. But I guess I haven't exactly developed my mother's zest for cleaning!
But far better than these things are the memories of our trips to the Nakasendo (specifically, our hike between the towns of Magome and Tsumago), Matsumoto castle, Takayama, Ise Shrine, Mikimoto Pearl Island, and Nagoya (Neko Maho cafe). Oh, and the memories of me nursing her back to health after she came down with a severe cold halfway through the trip! Which reminds me that I have also acquired a bottle of Vicks VapoRub, some cough medicine and some throat spray...
Now, I better go work on consuming some of that mysterious stew concoction she prepared yesterday, which is apparently supposed to feed me for the next 3 months...
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Insert Seoul/Sold/Soul pun here
I made it back safe and sound from the wilds of Korea. Yep, in the past few weeks I've shed my skin flakes all over eastern Asia. Seoul was cool, but I can't say it was the trip of a lifetime. Food was great, onsen was nice, the company was good, but something about the trip fell a little flat with me. I'm cautious saying it, but I think I've become a bit 'Japanized'. I think that after only a few months of living in Japan, even the most hardened foreigner will find themselves adopting (at least to some degree) the impossibly discerning attitudes towards cleanliness, 'politeness' and aesthetics of the Japanese.
Granted, Seoul is a huge, bustling metropolis, whereas I currently live the suburbs of a fairly small city... actually, full-on inaka (country-side) according to the Japanese (but then everything except Shinjuku is inaka to them!) But Seoul came across as kind of dirty, too busy and annoyingly chaotic. I don't know if there was a garbage collection strike while we were there, but you couldn't help but notice the piles of garbage bags, many half-open, on every street corner. There were also people trying to sell you (low-quality) stuff EVERYwhere. Oh, and we got lost trying to find a castle, so we walked all over Seoul (which, by the way, must be one of the world's hilliest cities) looking for the bloody thing.
From the top of a hill after failing to find the castle.
When we finally found the castle (aided by the directions of a very friendly parking attendant), the gates were closed. By that point we had exactly 15 minutes to make it back to our hostel across town for the next activity.
...Which actually happened to be the highlight of the trip- a Korean public bath. Yes, that means you get naked with strangers, something I am well acquainted with now, having developed a fondness for Japanese onsen. I can't say I was a huge fan of the 55 degree sauna, or the hessian bags they placed on our heads before we entered (?!). But the washing and the scrubbing and the being massaged was pretty relaxing. And exactly what we needed after a day of what was for me, sort of disappointing sightseeing.
The day before (just to give you the story out of order), we took a tour of the DMZ, the 'demilitarized zone' between North and South Korea. Unfortunately the tour we took didn't actually go inside the DMZ, like some do, but we got pretty close to it and it was interesting to learn about the situation. The most interesting thing was the way that South Korea presents the situation to tourists. If you were to believe their hype, North and South Korea are about to reunite any day. It's great that they're optimistic, and I'm no expert on the politics, but I couldn't help feeling that it kind of denies the gravity of the conflict.
Oh, and of course the day we visited the lookout point that allows you to see across a valley into North Korea, it rained cats and dogs. The fog was so thick you could barely see a few meters in front of you. The view from the observation deck was a sea of white. So much for binoculars!
I can say that the people in Korea were, overall, really helpful and friendly (the hostel lady, random people who helped us out with directions, the waiter who brought us the best meal ever, the tour guide, the onsen ladies...). Let's just try to forget the old guy on the train that came up to my friend, GRUNTED to her to get up, and took her seat. Our last meal in Korea was absolutely, amazingly delicious, and extremely spicy, of course.
We were wary of the after-affects, namely the "ring 'o' fire" that would strike, possibly while we were on the plane back to Japan, but decided it was worth it. (I was spared the suffering, but my friend wasn't so lucky.)
Pretentious disclaimer: The above is just an account my my own reactions and experiences on a quick, 2-day trip to Seoul. It is by no means representative of Korea and any trip anyone else takes there, and any future trip I might take there, will bear little resemblance to what I experienced this time. I know there are many many amazing cultural and social aspects to Korea that I have no idea about and would love to discover. The negative things I've talked about shouldn't be a reflection on Seoul or Korea in general; they're mostly just a result of the shortness of our trip, the rainy weather on the first day, our slight lack of planning, and my now Japanese-influenced cultural perspective!
Granted, Seoul is a huge, bustling metropolis, whereas I currently live the suburbs of a fairly small city... actually, full-on inaka (country-side) according to the Japanese (but then everything except Shinjuku is inaka to them!) But Seoul came across as kind of dirty, too busy and annoyingly chaotic. I don't know if there was a garbage collection strike while we were there, but you couldn't help but notice the piles of garbage bags, many half-open, on every street corner. There were also people trying to sell you (low-quality) stuff EVERYwhere. Oh, and we got lost trying to find a castle, so we walked all over Seoul (which, by the way, must be one of the world's hilliest cities) looking for the bloody thing.
From the top of a hill after failing to find the castle.When we finally found the castle (aided by the directions of a very friendly parking attendant), the gates were closed. By that point we had exactly 15 minutes to make it back to our hostel across town for the next activity.
...Which actually happened to be the highlight of the trip- a Korean public bath. Yes, that means you get naked with strangers, something I am well acquainted with now, having developed a fondness for Japanese onsen. I can't say I was a huge fan of the 55 degree sauna, or the hessian bags they placed on our heads before we entered (?!). But the washing and the scrubbing and the being massaged was pretty relaxing. And exactly what we needed after a day of what was for me, sort of disappointing sightseeing.
The day before (just to give you the story out of order), we took a tour of the DMZ, the 'demilitarized zone' between North and South Korea. Unfortunately the tour we took didn't actually go inside the DMZ, like some do, but we got pretty close to it and it was interesting to learn about the situation. The most interesting thing was the way that South Korea presents the situation to tourists. If you were to believe their hype, North and South Korea are about to reunite any day. It's great that they're optimistic, and I'm no expert on the politics, but I couldn't help feeling that it kind of denies the gravity of the conflict.
Oh, and of course the day we visited the lookout point that allows you to see across a valley into North Korea, it rained cats and dogs. The fog was so thick you could barely see a few meters in front of you. The view from the observation deck was a sea of white. So much for binoculars!
I can say that the people in Korea were, overall, really helpful and friendly (the hostel lady, random people who helped us out with directions, the waiter who brought us the best meal ever, the tour guide, the onsen ladies...). Let's just try to forget the old guy on the train that came up to my friend, GRUNTED to her to get up, and took her seat. Our last meal in Korea was absolutely, amazingly delicious, and extremely spicy, of course.
We were wary of the after-affects, namely the "ring 'o' fire" that would strike, possibly while we were on the plane back to Japan, but decided it was worth it. (I was spared the suffering, but my friend wasn't so lucky.)
Pretentious disclaimer: The above is just an account my my own reactions and experiences on a quick, 2-day trip to Seoul. It is by no means representative of Korea and any trip anyone else takes there, and any future trip I might take there, will bear little resemblance to what I experienced this time. I know there are many many amazing cultural and social aspects to Korea that I have no idea about and would love to discover. The negative things I've talked about shouldn't be a reflection on Seoul or Korea in general; they're mostly just a result of the shortness of our trip, the rainy weather on the first day, our slight lack of planning, and my now Japanese-influenced cultural perspective!
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
The best laid plans...
I've just completed the mammoth task of deciding what to do with my mum when she visits. The possibilities were endless: what to do when you you've got Japan at your doorstep, one Japan Rail Pass, 3 months worth of pay and 5 days off work? I felt the pressure to show her the best Japan could offer. Finally, after weeks of prodding her for ideas- and receiving varying suggestions such as "somewhere warm", "somewhere we can't go on a weekend", "anywhere, really" - I took the plunge and booked us a 2 nights at two different minshukus (family-run inns) in the Kiso Valley, Nagano prefecture. After making the commitment to invest time and money in these places, I spent the rest of the day convincing myself I had made a good choice. The Kiso Valley is home to the Nakasendo road, a 'post road' (whatever that is) from the Edo period (1600-1868). Many of the towns along this route have been preserved as they were in the Edo period, even to the extent where no aerial wires are allowed. You can walk a 9km trail past woods, farms and old inns between two of the towns (Magome and Tsumago). The minshukus we're staying in were apparently resting spots for travellers back in the day. Anyway, it'll probably be pretty damn cold, but I'm looking forward to 'stepping back in time' for a couple of days, and seeing 'the other Japan', as one travel website put it. So much for "somewhere warm"!
PS. My bedroom has just reached a high of 18 degrees after I broke down and turned the heater on for the first time. Yep, winter's definitely approaching, and they're predicting a not-so-mild one.
PS. My bedroom has just reached a high of 18 degrees after I broke down and turned the heater on for the first time. Yep, winter's definitely approaching, and they're predicting a not-so-mild one.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Let's play catch (up)
Whoops. It's been over a month since my last post and I didn't even write anything about my trip to Shirakawa-go, or Nara, or Halloween, or Hida, or... or... So, time for a quick run-down:
Shirakawa-go
I got to spend a weekend in a UNESCO World Heritage-listed village in the mountains of Japan. AND, I got to appease all my senses by witnessing traditional festival celebrations. AND, did I mention this was a SAKE festival?! It's called the 'Doburoku Matsuri' and it's named after a type of unfiltered sake. Unlike the clear sake you might be familiar with, it looks more like oatmeal because the rice grains haven't been completely filtered out. Doburoku tastes a whole lot more bitter than the mainstream version. Actually, it was hard to get down but it didn't take us long to acquire a taste!
Basically, the weekend looked like this: Me and a couple of other JET friends from down south (Gifu) took a 3 hour train north to Takayama (an incredibly beautiful town in itself, dubbed 'Little Kyoto') where we were picked up by another friend who just happens to live in one of the most picturesque villages in all of Japan. (Nice to have friends like that.) Unlike his predecessor though, who was the 'experienced woodsman' type, I don't think Jordan particularly enjoys the 'roughing it' aspect of his situation, which involves things like helping the townspeople thatch the roofs of generations-old houses, and in winter, digging a tunnel through the snow to his get to his car. ;P Anyway, from what I can tell, his situation looks like the 'storybook JET experience' and I hope he realises how lucky he is.
So what's all the fuss about Shirakawa-go? Well, it's home to 'gassho-zukuri' houses, which have a 'prayer-hands construction' style. To put it in English, the houses look like cute little gingerbread-house woodsy-mountainy village houses that you'd find in the Swiss Alps. They're actually designed that way so snow can't accumulate on the steep roofs in winter. The upper part of the building was traditionally used for things like producing silk, so the silk-worms lived up in the attic. And my friend's students live there!
Back to the festival: We followed the parade (involving a lion/dragon, a drum, a red devil, a green devil, lots of boys in white, rainbow streamers and a respected elder riding a rickshaw) up to the village temple, watched a lot of lion dancing, and tasted sake. We were impressed when the officials laid down two long mats in front of the temple and let everyone sit down on them before they came by with pots of sake and served us all-you-can drink proportions. Needless to say, most people were dead to the world on the bus-ride back to Gifu...
Halloween
I have to say I am getting a little annoyed at the Japanese versions of American holidays. And I haven't even lived through Valentine's Day yet! The Japanese don't know much about the REAL meaning of any of these holidays. Of course, most holidays have lost their significance in the West as well, what with commercialization etc... but in Japan, the sole reason they adopted these holidays is because they think the decorations are cute. I don't want to sound like Scrooge, but it makes me feel a bit sick. The minute Halloween was over, out came the Christmas decorations. And if you think it's overkill in America or Australia, you'd better not set foot in Japan. The malls and supermarkets have been playing Christmas carols since the first week of November. And I'm not particularly religious, but the whole Christmas thing being completely devoid of any references to Jesus, Mary, etc, is a bit wrong, I think.
Having said all that, Halloween was fun. The ironic thing, though, is that despite the plethora of Halloween merchandise available in Japan, the Japanese people seem to have a big problem actually wearing any of it come Halloween-eve. My friends and I went to the 'Nagoya Friends' Halloween party- supposed to be a chance for 'foreigners' and Japanese people to have fun together. It was 80 percent 'foreigners', and the Japanese that were there wore cat-ear headbands (girls) or the work suits they had been wearing all day (men). The Japanese guy we talked to said he had come as 'the British PM'. Because he was wearing a suit. Ha. I guess I can see their point in not dressing up. It can be chotto embarrasing. My friend Julie and I decided to go as Hello Kitty and My Melody (another similar character, a pink rabbit). Seeing as all we had to do was buy a headpiece and gloves for 20 bucks, it seemed to make sense. Except unfortunately for me, Halloween evening happened to coincide with the official bankruptcy of Nova, Japan's biggest English language school. This story was huge in the Japanese media. Nova's mascot is a pink rabbit. Who looks a lot like My Melody. And I was wearing a pink rabbit costume on the night of the day Nova went under. JET is like the 'rival' way (and I must say, the superior way) to go teach English in Japan. Anyway, lots of people thought I was making fun of Nova. So I felt bad, but not until the next day when I was sober enough to work out what all those Japanese people had been saying: "Nova usagi!" (Nova rabbit). That night we had fun trekking back to our hotel for 45 minutes, bringing joy to groups of Japanese businesspeople and traffic officers along the way.
Nara
It might not have been the best plan to go to Halloween festivities the night before a big trip to Nara, one of Japan's cultural and historical capitals. But it turned out ok anyway. Except for the fact that we made the mistake of actually taking advice from a train conductor, and ended up spending 6 hours on trains when we only meant to spend 3. Note to self: never ask for advice if you think you know what you are doing. Inevitably, it will throw you off course. I'd spent a good hour online planning which trains we should take, etc, and it was all undone by the advice "the other train will get you there faster". We got there in the end, with enough time to meet the deer and see the Todai-ji and the Daibutsu, a huge Buddha statue. Yes, that's right, meet the deer. They're left free to roam all through central Nara because they're considered messengers of the gods according to Shinto beliefs. They're cute, especially the young ones, but some can be pretty aggressive in their search for treats. We also got to see Kasuga shrine, where the deer seem to be more peaceful, perhaps because they're more religious. This shrine has lots and lots of lanterns and is really beautiful. To finish off the trip, we considered buying omiyage (souvenirs) to take back to our colleagues, but I wasn't game enough to buy the 'deer dropping' cakes! (chocolate, of course)
Hida
Two weekends ago I was lucky enough to be a special guest of the Hida Tourism board. Along with 4 other JETs and other 'foreigners' (there's that word again), I experienced an all-expenses paid overnight tour of northern Gifu-ken. I feel it's my duty to now convey to all my friends and family how wonderful Hida is as a tourist destination. And it really is; it's a very traditional, mountainous area of the prefecture, where a lot of old crafts are still practiced. We had to fight our survival instincts to actually board the tour bus, having read the itinerary stating that the tour will require "ten foreigners to execute". Our first stop was an apple orchard where we did some pickin'. Unfortunately, because it had rained a little that day, the 'Country Walk' was cancelled (for me, it felt like a frustrating example of Japanese-ness, but that's probably being unfair). Instead, we got to see a town called Kamioka, which had some beautiful autumn leaves and a funny-but-not-really sign on a bridge that said "Think again. There's a brighter future" in Japanese. The guides told us, through their laughter, that it was there to stop people committing suicide, since it commonly happens on that bridge.After the strenuous hike, we were dropped off at an onsen to soak our aching muscles. I love onsen but I don't think my body is quite used to being immersed in 50-degree-celcius water for minutes on end. Finally, it was off to the hotel, and a beautiful traditional Japanese dinner with local delegates. My friend and I were seated with the Head of Tourism for Hida (I think that was his title, anyway), and of course, managed to drink enough sake to help him confirm every misconception of 'foreigners' he ever had. Actually, it wasn't me who was so drunk, but my friend, who was christened a 'champion' at the end of the night. Oh, and by the way, I overheard one of the delegates commenting on how we 'ate everything' (zenbu tabeta). To which the other replied, 'their bodies are big' (karada ga ookii). Of course they must have thought we couldn't understand, but I did! The delegates also treated us to a couple renditions of the Hida song and taught us the Hida dance. You must understand that in Japan, whenever alcohol is offered, it's expected that people will drink until they're making fools of themselves.
The next day we had our choice of soba noodle-making, paper-making or lacquering. I chose to lacquer, and of course, you can't do that in two hours, so we only got to do the first layer. Our bowls will be sent to us when they're done. After a tour of Furukawa town and another amazing meal, we only had to spend half an hour filling in a survey and we had 'paid' for our trip. Of course they served us coffee and snacks while we worked on the surveys, to make us feel even more guilty.And that's what I've been up to, fun-wise, over the last month or so. Next time I'll write an entry that's more representative of my daily life!
Shirakawa-go
I got to spend a weekend in a UNESCO World Heritage-listed village in the mountains of Japan. AND, I got to appease all my senses by witnessing traditional festival celebrations. AND, did I mention this was a SAKE festival?! It's called the 'Doburoku Matsuri' and it's named after a type of unfiltered sake. Unlike the clear sake you might be familiar with, it looks more like oatmeal because the rice grains haven't been completely filtered out. Doburoku tastes a whole lot more bitter than the mainstream version. Actually, it was hard to get down but it didn't take us long to acquire a taste!
Basically, the weekend looked like this: Me and a couple of other JET friends from down south (Gifu) took a 3 hour train north to Takayama (an incredibly beautiful town in itself, dubbed 'Little Kyoto') where we were picked up by another friend who just happens to live in one of the most picturesque villages in all of Japan. (Nice to have friends like that.) Unlike his predecessor though, who was the 'experienced woodsman' type, I don't think Jordan particularly enjoys the 'roughing it' aspect of his situation, which involves things like helping the townspeople thatch the roofs of generations-old houses, and in winter, digging a tunnel through the snow to his get to his car. ;P Anyway, from what I can tell, his situation looks like the 'storybook JET experience' and I hope he realises how lucky he is.
So what's all the fuss about Shirakawa-go? Well, it's home to 'gassho-zukuri' houses, which have a 'prayer-hands construction' style. To put it in English, the houses look like cute little gingerbread-house woodsy-mountainy village houses that you'd find in the Swiss Alps. They're actually designed that way so snow can't accumulate on the steep roofs in winter. The upper part of the building was traditionally used for things like producing silk, so the silk-worms lived up in the attic. And my friend's students live there!
Back to the festival: We followed the parade (involving a lion/dragon, a drum, a red devil, a green devil, lots of boys in white, rainbow streamers and a respected elder riding a rickshaw) up to the village temple, watched a lot of lion dancing, and tasted sake. We were impressed when the officials laid down two long mats in front of the temple and let everyone sit down on them before they came by with pots of sake and served us all-you-can drink proportions. Needless to say, most people were dead to the world on the bus-ride back to Gifu...
Halloween
I have to say I am getting a little annoyed at the Japanese versions of American holidays. And I haven't even lived through Valentine's Day yet! The Japanese don't know much about the REAL meaning of any of these holidays. Of course, most holidays have lost their significance in the West as well, what with commercialization etc... but in Japan, the sole reason they adopted these holidays is because they think the decorations are cute. I don't want to sound like Scrooge, but it makes me feel a bit sick. The minute Halloween was over, out came the Christmas decorations. And if you think it's overkill in America or Australia, you'd better not set foot in Japan. The malls and supermarkets have been playing Christmas carols since the first week of November. And I'm not particularly religious, but the whole Christmas thing being completely devoid of any references to Jesus, Mary, etc, is a bit wrong, I think.
Having said all that, Halloween was fun. The ironic thing, though, is that despite the plethora of Halloween merchandise available in Japan, the Japanese people seem to have a big problem actually wearing any of it come Halloween-eve. My friends and I went to the 'Nagoya Friends' Halloween party- supposed to be a chance for 'foreigners' and Japanese people to have fun together. It was 80 percent 'foreigners', and the Japanese that were there wore cat-ear headbands (girls) or the work suits they had been wearing all day (men). The Japanese guy we talked to said he had come as 'the British PM'. Because he was wearing a suit. Ha. I guess I can see their point in not dressing up. It can be chotto embarrasing. My friend Julie and I decided to go as Hello Kitty and My Melody (another similar character, a pink rabbit). Seeing as all we had to do was buy a headpiece and gloves for 20 bucks, it seemed to make sense. Except unfortunately for me, Halloween evening happened to coincide with the official bankruptcy of Nova, Japan's biggest English language school. This story was huge in the Japanese media. Nova's mascot is a pink rabbit. Who looks a lot like My Melody. And I was wearing a pink rabbit costume on the night of the day Nova went under. JET is like the 'rival' way (and I must say, the superior way) to go teach English in Japan. Anyway, lots of people thought I was making fun of Nova. So I felt bad, but not until the next day when I was sober enough to work out what all those Japanese people had been saying: "Nova usagi!" (Nova rabbit). That night we had fun trekking back to our hotel for 45 minutes, bringing joy to groups of Japanese businesspeople and traffic officers along the way.
Nara
It might not have been the best plan to go to Halloween festivities the night before a big trip to Nara, one of Japan's cultural and historical capitals. But it turned out ok anyway. Except for the fact that we made the mistake of actually taking advice from a train conductor, and ended up spending 6 hours on trains when we only meant to spend 3. Note to self: never ask for advice if you think you know what you are doing. Inevitably, it will throw you off course. I'd spent a good hour online planning which trains we should take, etc, and it was all undone by the advice "the other train will get you there faster". We got there in the end, with enough time to meet the deer and see the Todai-ji and the Daibutsu, a huge Buddha statue. Yes, that's right, meet the deer. They're left free to roam all through central Nara because they're considered messengers of the gods according to Shinto beliefs. They're cute, especially the young ones, but some can be pretty aggressive in their search for treats. We also got to see Kasuga shrine, where the deer seem to be more peaceful, perhaps because they're more religious. This shrine has lots and lots of lanterns and is really beautiful. To finish off the trip, we considered buying omiyage (souvenirs) to take back to our colleagues, but I wasn't game enough to buy the 'deer dropping' cakes! (chocolate, of course)
Hida
Two weekends ago I was lucky enough to be a special guest of the Hida Tourism board. Along with 4 other JETs and other 'foreigners' (there's that word again), I experienced an all-expenses paid overnight tour of northern Gifu-ken. I feel it's my duty to now convey to all my friends and family how wonderful Hida is as a tourist destination. And it really is; it's a very traditional, mountainous area of the prefecture, where a lot of old crafts are still practiced. We had to fight our survival instincts to actually board the tour bus, having read the itinerary stating that the tour will require "ten foreigners to execute". Our first stop was an apple orchard where we did some pickin'. Unfortunately, because it had rained a little that day, the 'Country Walk' was cancelled (for me, it felt like a frustrating example of Japanese-ness, but that's probably being unfair). Instead, we got to see a town called Kamioka, which had some beautiful autumn leaves and a funny-but-not-really sign on a bridge that said "Think again. There's a brighter future" in Japanese. The guides told us, through their laughter, that it was there to stop people committing suicide, since it commonly happens on that bridge.After the strenuous hike, we were dropped off at an onsen to soak our aching muscles. I love onsen but I don't think my body is quite used to being immersed in 50-degree-celcius water for minutes on end. Finally, it was off to the hotel, and a beautiful traditional Japanese dinner with local delegates. My friend and I were seated with the Head of Tourism for Hida (I think that was his title, anyway), and of course, managed to drink enough sake to help him confirm every misconception of 'foreigners' he ever had. Actually, it wasn't me who was so drunk, but my friend, who was christened a 'champion' at the end of the night. Oh, and by the way, I overheard one of the delegates commenting on how we 'ate everything' (zenbu tabeta). To which the other replied, 'their bodies are big' (karada ga ookii). Of course they must have thought we couldn't understand, but I did! The delegates also treated us to a couple renditions of the Hida song and taught us the Hida dance. You must understand that in Japan, whenever alcohol is offered, it's expected that people will drink until they're making fools of themselves.
The next day we had our choice of soba noodle-making, paper-making or lacquering. I chose to lacquer, and of course, you can't do that in two hours, so we only got to do the first layer. Our bowls will be sent to us when they're done. After a tour of Furukawa town and another amazing meal, we only had to spend half an hour filling in a survey and we had 'paid' for our trip. Of course they served us coffee and snacks while we worked on the surveys, to make us feel even more guilty.And that's what I've been up to, fun-wise, over the last month or so. Next time I'll write an entry that's more representative of my daily life!
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Seeds and Sweat
I've just returned home from my first deliberate exercise session since being in Japan. I say deliberate because I'd rather forget the times in August when I naively rode my squeaky bike around Kakamigahara in 35-degree heat and 90% humidity in pursuit of a sightseeing experience. This latest physical exertion has resulted in what I predict will be a very sore hamstring muscle by tomorrow, a few scratches and a bedroom floor littered with prickles and seeds. Sound interesting? You too can have such an experience, merely by venturing out for a jog along any creek or rice-paddy in Japan. I decided it was too complicated to ride my bike half an hour to the nearest gym, sign up, and go through a 2-hour induction session in a foreign language simply to get my heart rate above 100 beats per minute. Why do that when there are several perfectly-good gravel paths (albeit a little overgrown with grasses and weeds) just a couple of blocks from my apartment? Anyway, after observing several old ladies walking their tiny dogs and eliminating the possibility that I might be trespassing onto some Japanese farmer's land, I decided to start my first jog. Half an hour and several laps of the same stretch of gravel later, I finally felt like a human being again instead of a lazy lump of gaijin flesh. Nevermind the hundreds of seeds that had attached themselves to my lower limbs, the red welts on my arms from who-knows-what weird and wonderful plant, or the suspicious glances from little old Japanese farmers' wives taking their daily constitution...
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