Cultural quickie: cartoons/comics

Ok, I'm not about to delve into the ridiculous debate of what "anime" really mean means in the symbollic, literal, and spiritual translations. Nor am I going to once and for all end the arguement of which is the superior or purest art form. Nope, you may rest at ease now. Just wanted to briefly describe the love the Japanese seem to have with comic images in use in various public documents such as street signs, flyers, warnings, etc. The Japanese are very visual with their written PSAs, and almost always they are accompanied by a cartoon of some sort. And let me tell you, nothing sells home the dangers of fire safety than a chibi character with a fire-based aura running with arms raised and eyes bulging. It's hard to accurately describe their fondess for the style, and I certainly don't care to cover the deep-rooted cultural reasons for such. But it just gives off a weird impression, to the part where at any time I expect to ask a question to have some comic character pop out and and in a joyful/informative voice uttter: "That's a great question, and could be best explained in comic form!" Then he claps his hands and the surroundings shift into a manga-verse of bright colors and rounded shapes.

On the awesome side.

When you're constantly reading literary works that exist on the truly profound and awesome, it's difficult to write something yourself and be able to deem it worthy of popular consumption. I prefer to write articles more on the interesting side rather than just publish a day to day journal. Both because I think I take into consideration the probable readers of this blog and the wanting to not give a bland summary of routine events. However, the likely result of striving for such is that my posts focus on either the subjects that irritate me to no end, or the truly awesome occurrences that just happen. Thus far, I feel the former make up a majority of this blog so I think this post should be dedicated to the later.

While being an ALT in Japan is by no means on easy occupation in terms of mental health, there are certainly times where it's truly gratifying. I'd have to be insane or at least completely anal to expect every one of the students I taught to be perfectly on par with their desired skill at English. Fortunately, I don't expect any such thing so long as they learn something of my lessons. One such case, a middle school student of unfortunately little aptitude in English at this stage, but has an awesome personality and ability to recognize a further purpose beyond school teachings. During a lesson, I see him and another more English-gifted student conversing and motioning in my direction during a pair project. Eventually, he waves me over. The gist of it is that using a combination jap-eng dictionary, his partner`s skills, and his own natural cunning, he had written "I have reached the limit of my strength, vacation please? Yes/No."　This made me happier than an ALT probably should be in this situation. Unfortunately, remembering my responsibilities as an educator and role model, I had to circle "No" but with much apology and understanding. He gave an exaggerated slump and bit of mock despair and I walked off chuckling. He did ask me again after the class had ended and I gave him a very enthusiastic `yes` and smiles all around.

I`ve never expected any of my students to have a solid grasp of English based on nothing but bad textbooks and my own shoddy teachings. Problem is, it`s hard to convey this to the students when you don`t know enough Japanese to do so and explaining in English kinda defeats the purpose, it seems.

Summer in a nutshell

So my nice long 5-week summer vacation comes to a close this weekend and I now reflect on everything I've accomplished over the past month or so. Sadly enough, the sum of that is exactly '0'. I basically squandered the entire time and got nothing accomplished, either on the 'for kicks' or the productive side. With the exception of one very enjoyable trip to Sendai with a few other ALTs, I basically sat in my little corner and did pretty much what I would if I were back in the States. At the beginning there were plans of visiting other places all around, but those fell short as being either 'too expensive' or 'too much work.' Not that I'm making excuses, mind you. No, there's no forgiveness and only the promise to do better in the next round. With the new crop of folks showing up very soon or already here, I shall endeavor to be more sociable and adventurous. When in a new place, one would be remiss to not try as many new things as possible. Hopefully I'll be able to slip from my rut and be able to try more outside venues. I'm proud of myself for discovering and making the movie theater a regular thing. However, they can be as expensive as the rumors state at almost $20 a pop during prime time showings. Going before 5pm can cut the price in half, assuming there's even a showing then. That done with and put aside, now for a more general overview of the Japanese countryside in the summer.

IT'S FLIPPING HOT.

Now, being from Florida I should be well used to this as the temperatures and humidity were about the same if not slightly lower. What I was not used to, however, was the lack of Air Conditioning. Most going to Japan and even north Japan will probably have an AC unit. My apartment is somewhat old style so the idea is generally to suffer the heat for a month or two, then go back freezing. Regardless, it still is not fun when merely wearing clothes causes you to sweat.

Other than that there is one big event occurs during the summer vacation: Tanabata. Now I forget most of the details of the story the holiday season celebrates, but basically it's an excuse to shoot of firecrackers for several weeks straight. So that was kinda fun but rather uneventful at the same time. Worst part about being in Japan and not fluent is that it can be fairly. You simply don't know about cool stuff unless someone actually tells you. Been a few times where I've unwittingly stumbled onto a festival or event I had no idea was supposed to take place. But once again, probably half my own fault for not asking or making the effort.

The other great regret I have that can be easily remedied is my total inadequate number of pictures I've taken. I hope to take care of that somewhat this weekend, going around the countryside and snapping shots of whatever strikes my fancy. so hopefully look for those soon.

So after all this time I guess I'm ready to get back to work. Should prove to be an interesting semester at the least. Lot to look forward to and some things to dread over slightly. Nothing to do but keep walking forward and hoping for the best as usual.

Cultural Quickie: Cell Phones and Driving

You cell phone opponents may rejoice, as Japan is one country that has actually gone through with banning, or at least severely limiting, the use of cell phones while driving. And yes, the Japanese are just as attached to their cell phones as Americans and the like tend to be, if not more so. And while most of the time the Japanese will follow the law of not using phones on public transportation, they can't quite seem to let go while in their own private vehicle. This doesn't mean they just drive and talk, but rather in a Japanese-style obedient adherence to the law, they simply pull over to the side of the road when they receive a call. Many a times I'll be on a little town road and see someone pulled over with their emergency flashers on, chatting on a cell phone. Quite often the car won't have quite enough room to pull over fully, so it creates a bit of a hazard for other cars trying to get by. Basically, I wouldn't be surprised if people pulling over to use their cell phones caused more accidents then people talking while driving, though I have no evidence that proves as such. Now I think it may be ok to have a hands-free setup and drive, but that usually means knowing in advance when a call was coming or making a call, so don't that too often.

On Second Thought...

(Post-dated, April 23rd)
Today I had one of those 'proud to be, and able to see myself as a teacher' days. Once again, probably mostly because of the small school unlike the previous Junior High, and going there three days in a row unlike the once every six weeks schedule of an Elementary school. Basically, today I show up only to have the kyoto-sensei(vice-principle) inform me that the Japanese Teacher of English is sick today and won't be coming to school. At first I panic, then rejoice at the thought of possibly going home early to take care of some important chores. However, it was not to be. I get on the phone with the JTE and she apologizes profusely then asks me if I can do maybe a 10-minute drill then have the students write in their workbooks or do their homework. Panic returns. Now, I don't see myself as a skilled or experienced teacher at this point, but my age allows me to remember a few things about being a teen at school. I know that there's no way these kids are going to be able to work for forty minutes on a few pages of work without finishing or just not bothering. So I figure I might expand upon the lesson plans in order to get slightly more time out of them. I pull some general review stuff I did the week before at the other Junior high, and try to run it by the kids.

Now, I know I'm supposed to be able to make lesson plans for Junior High classes just as well as for Elementary, but on short notice and in a situation where you're really by yourself, it's a bit difficult. All in all, however, I think it went pretty well. The first period was a little shaky, just having a lack of material to cover. The next two periods, though, my efforts paid off. Of course the kids had no idea what they were supposed to write for 40 minutes, or where to even start. So I pulled a few ALT tricks from the bad and did a few warm-ups that lasted the period. Third period was even better, with a successful adaption of the lesson incorporating a little piece of home, the kids learned about Campbell stadium and were actually interested and understood. Couldn't ask for anything more.

Now, the heart-warming teacher tales. After third period, I had my first student come to talk to me outside of being forced to, and in English. Having a kid actually initiate a conversation is a pretty big deal from what I understand, so I felt pretty good about it. When I got back to my desk, one of the teachers showed me something a student had written in Japanese. After my rough start, a first grade student for some reason wrote a little note for me, or about me. Basically it said: James-sensei, the teacher's absent, please do your best/good luck”. I have to say, it had a rather heart-warming effect. the teacher made a copy of it and gave it to me, probably wanting to keep the original to put in some scrapbook, maybe. So I got home and tacked it to me wall in the very noble, 'touched' teacherly thing to do. I would wind the post down with some more thoughtful and unnecessary tripe, but this post is already much longer than I hoped it would be. So bye.

The Daily Grind

So the first two weeks of the job that will be mine for no less than 50 more have passed. In this time I’ve had the chance to teach in more situations and styles than most ALTs do in their year of assignments. Elementary, Junior High, Special Needs, large classes, tiny classes, all with their own little quirks, good parts, and bad parts. At this point it’s difficult to say which I think I’ll enjoy more. My first school was an large elementary school, so I think this kinda shaped my early style. I took a lot from the training as far as mannerisms and behavior, and it seemed to work fairly well for me. Maybe the kids just knew the routine and what to expect. I hope to start pulling a few tricks of my own out soon, once I get a hang of all the schools. So far, where I’ve been in charge I think most of the students are enjoying themselves and learning at least a little bit, so I guess I’m not doing too bad, then.

Elementary School: One part teacher, two parts clown, two parts activity coordinator. Mix together and add to a class full of little Japanese kids and you have an ALT. Maybe I’m doing it wrong, but so far Elementary school has required the most planning for successful lessons. Granted I’ve been able to reuse quite a bit of my material and I like to keep some aspects of the class loose to allow for immediate change. And on-the-fly work is a regular occurrence in these schools. You never know when an activity will fall through for one reason or another or the lesson run through quicker than expected, or the class is either above or below the standard at which you’re teaching. I’ve noticed that I’m actually fairly good at pulling stuff out of nowhere or varying things to make it look fresh and that I had it planned all along.

Big classes are difficult as you have to keep everyone’s attention and make sure you’re not just focusing on just a few students. This is not always easy as school have a tendency to stick my class in the music room where there are plenty of distractions. Although it is nice when I get a music room or playroom as I don’t have to worry about desks getting in the way. The teachers usually stay with the class and help with discipline. So far, I’ve had no problems with teacher participation once they stay, and like to use them for demonstrations if only for the kid’s amusement and comfort. However, most teachers won’t know a bit of English outside what we’re learning and directions can be difficult at times. Usually they’ll catch on and be able to figure out what you want the students to do. Time usually goes by rather quickly with the large groups, but a day of large classes will take a lot out of you.

Small classes are interesting. Getting up in front of the class only to have four or five quizzical faces stare back at you is an awkward situation. My first small school didn’t go so well, mostly due to my own fault. I seriously underestimated how small the numbers I was dealing with was, and figured that lessons meant for middle-sized classes would work fun. Needless to say, I went through the lessons and even my back-up activities with an average of 10-20 minutes left to spare. I ended up using the same stuff way more than I would have liked, and I’m afraid that I may have given the kids way to much information in order to be able to play all the games we went through. It was a little better with the older classes as they already knew most of it. In the future I’ll come in a bit better prepared and take measures to have activities for smaller groups. Also, maybe it was just the one school, but in almost all the classes, the teacher wouldn’t stay for the lesson. This wasn’t a big deal as the kids in small groups were not very rowdy and were easy to keep focused, but this presented a few issues as far as translation and the ever-cherished ‘questions about ALT’ time-killing method. I was tempted to break the ‘no-Japanese in class’ rule a few times for greater ease towards this end. Although, I think that with the right amount of preparation, these classes could be a lot of fun.

Special needs classes, or at least the once I’ve taught, are a bit different than I imagined when I first heard the term. Well, if I learned at least one thing about them, it’s that there’s no uniform way to go about them and that you should leave any pre-conceived notions at the door. One of the Special Needs teachers took the time to sit down with me and plan something together, which I really appreciated. Went into the class of four kids with a lesson meant for first graders, then simplified a bit by the teacher, and the kids just killed it. Did just as good if not better than a lot of the older classes. Here I had to pull out a few extra activities from nowhere which actually went over very well. At the end of the class, everyone seemed to have enjoyed it quite a bit, especially the Special Needs teachers. Everyone of them that saw me afterwards made a point to thank me with a little less formality than I usually get. It was also one of the most fun classes of that week for me.

Junior High: One part lesson planner, one part cultural liaison, two parts human tape recorder. Mix evenly with shy Japanese teens weighed down by the education system and serve one ALT. My week of Junior High classes was quite an experience. I went into the job after having taught at several Elementary schools, so I think I was somewhat accustomed to the system I had worked out for myself. It was a bit of a rude awakening for some reason. I did little to no actual planning; having short conferences with the teachers as to what they wanted to do. During class I wasn’t exactly the star of the show, taking a true “Assistant” role. And the funny thing was, it was a bit uncomfortable. All the things I wanted in an ALT position, and the Elementary school warm-up had ruined it. I actually didn’t like not having control. Granted, this isn’t always the case with Junior High, probably just the first week where the teachers know I haven’t done this before. Junior High schools have actual English Teachers, who more or less already know some English. And since they can explain things a lot better than you, instruction falls mostly on them. Classes have been fairly straight-forward, with a lot less emphasis on game and more emphasis on actual English. Some of the students aren’t quite as enthused with these classes, but for the most part are agreeable. There are a few that simply don’t pay attention, but they usually keep to themselves and don’t disrupt the class. At this point, they kinda hesitate to ask me questions or get my help, and my not being able to use Japanese kinda limits what I can tell them to: speaking the parts for them to hear, miming, or giving veiled responses. However, outside of class more often than not they won’t hesitant to wave and say hello or goodbye, knowing it will probably only illicit a short response from me, which is what they’re comfortable with. I have taken time to try talking to a few, and will continue to do as such. It tends to be a bit livelier in the staff room for me as opposed to the elementary schools. I can usually chat with the English teachers and have them translate to talk to the other staff. Perhaps the biggest plus of teaching at Junior High schools for me is the culture experience. In Elementary school they start to learn the foundations but it’s Junior High when the kids really became ingrained in Japanese society, which for me is always nice to be able to experience and study.

So both situations have their advantages and disadvantages and both have their own little fulfilling moments. I’m kinda glad I got to experience both and not just be stuck with the same thing everyday.

Getting Settled

For the sake of my personal time and reader interest, I've decided to condense a few mediocre post into one. For the most part it's been a period of minor adjustment and boredom, followed by anxiety and worry once classes started getter closer.

The apartment is now fully furnished with even a few things I wish I hadn't received, mostly miscellaneous bit of unneeded furniture, but as far as it all goes, I'm probably better off than a lot of ALTs just starting out. I have all the little things you need to take for granted until you don't have them. Heaters, Dishes, pots and pans, a washing machine that actually kinda sucks, and a real bed. I didn't have to buy a whole lot to round it all out. So far, Marumori has been a fairly inexpensive post. On the downside, there's just not a whole lot here. I am able to walk to any of the three grocery stores in town and driving to any only takes me a few minutes. For everything else, there's Kakuda.

Kakuda is the little city a few minutes drive away from me that seems like will act as my lifeline of convenience. While a lot of the good stuff is further away in Shiroishi, Kakuda contains the essentials as well as a nerd Mecca of sorts. On the practical side they have a 100yen store, basically a dollar store except a lot cooler. You can pick up a lot of essentials there for mere dollars. Maybe I just appreciate the concept more that I actually have to buy all the little day-to-day nick-knacks, but the place is still pretty cool. Next to it is a department store of sorts. Not a whole lot there, actually, but as far as the things you can't pick up for dollars, you can still find it fairly cheap here. And the most important part and the biggest drain on my cash flow thus far, the Mecca. A Game slash DVD slash Music slash books slash otaku trinkets store. My first visit, I picked up a cheap DVD player and a copy of Snatch. Since them I've grabbed a few more $6 DVDs (X-men 2, Harry Potter, and Fight Club) and in compliance to my own otaku inner demon, a few little Gundam model kits from the newer series.

Driving in a foreign country is a fairly interesting experience. Add many factors such as driving on the opposite side of the road, speeds judged in kilometers, and an unfamiliar vehicle make it a rather tense experience at times. However, after my first few white-knuckled adventures, I generally got used to it. every now and then, though, my brain reverts back to the original driving instincts and potential un-pleasantries arise. The Japanese road system leaves a lot to be desired. Roads are narrow, specifically in towns, and ill-kept after, especially everywhere else. Many of my schools lie on winding mountain passes with sections that can only fit one vehicle at a time. When winter rolls around, it makes it many times more dangerous.

The food is decent, as long as you like Asian cuisine and seafood, which I do. However, unless you vary your diet by purchasing either unfamiliar or more expensive things, it tends to feel like eating out at the Manchu Wok every meal of the week. I figured I'd be pretty well off but have already started to develop cravings for certain western comfort foods like burgers and fries. At some point in the future, I'd probably commit a felony for some freaking buffalo wings.

Overall, it's been an interesting and mostly fun experience. When classes start up I'll be able to get into a normal routine that doesn't involve me hidden away in my apartment for days on end only venturing out to get food or entertainment. Until then...

Welcome to Marumori

You can't possibly imagine how annoying bureaucracy is without trying to wade through it in a foreign language with little translation and extra red tape. The only things that kept today's welcome into my new town from being unbearable were the tools and jump starts provided by my company that even surprised the bureaucrats with how much easier it made it. Don't worry, they made sure to make up for it, though. Whether it was the post office people being completely baffled at the presence of my middle name, or the fact that cell phone plans are insanely difficult to explain across the language barrier, it took the entire day just to get a few things accomplished. I guess I also owe thanks to my IC, a funny little lady that seemed as annoyed at the red tape as I was, but was ready and willing to fight a bear if it was one of the steps we had to go through. I can't help but feel like I was signing in blood each time and I'm sure somewhere along the way I lost my immortal soul. I dished out quite a bit of money today, with the extra zeroes of the Yen making it seem all the more impressive. My return, however, is simply the promise of more given down the road and not even that much farther down the road. But I suppose the plus side of it all is that I now have my own place, a semi-sweet Japanese cell phone, and the promise of a fully furnished house when my Minnesotian predecessor ships out. My apartment itself, is rather bare. At the moment I lack even a fridge, stove, washing machine, and proper heater. Scott, my somewhat predecessor, has already handed over a small heater, a futon and blanket, and an actual Japanese-style (coffee) table. Yeah, did I mention it's about as cold here as Tallahassee probably is right now, and that houses in Japan are basically not insulated at all. Some curtains and a few unauthorized jury-rigs should aid the situation, though.

Some pics of the new place of the 'before' variety.

Narita and Training

The week of training I received to become an ALT under my company was an interesting one, to say the least. Perhaps one of the most exhausting experience I’ve had in a while, it was also probably the most fun. The hotel was pretty nice, the room I was given having all the modern trappings of the western world with even a few additions. The toilet itself had plenty of high-tech mods and attachments that would make the Batmobile jealous. Seat-warmer, bidet, sensors; this sucker was wired for sound. Well, probably not but I’m sure that’s included in the newer model. My only real qualms about the place is their policy of only allowing one key per room. This presented some difficulty until my roommate devised a new but age-old routine of leaving the key with the staff when we’re both out. Ah yes, my roommate. Originally we were told that during the week of training we would have to bunk with someone from another English-speaking country. Now as I’ve, for a while, been of a global society mentality, I was a bit excited. When first I met him, I couldn’t help but think of him as a six-foot Harry Potter with a high-class accent. But seriously, he turned out to be a real decent chap from one of the ‘-chesters,’ some small town in the UK. He was agreeable and pretty laid back, so no problems would arise the whole week. He thankfully, also knew a bit more Japanese than I did, so I’d come to rely on him fo various translations and goings on. He was generally interested in government and politics so would listen politely while I explained some thing and provided a few tidbits of information of his own. I gotta say, though, in an exchange of passports out of curiosity, the new American one totally kicks the UK’s butt as far as being pretty and interesting.

That week we were given a decent complimentary breakfast and a lunch at one of the three hotel restaurants: Chinese, Japanese, and Western. In general, the food was pretty good with some better than others. We were left to fend for ourselves as far as dinner was concerned, but after the first night I discovered the gift shop where I could have a small meal for under 500 yen. It was also here that I was able to maintain my Soda addiction. Yup, Coke is everywhere in Japan, thank the maker (Not so blatant Star Wars reference) Pepsi is a bit harder to find, but I have managed to acquire some at some point.

The actual training is interesting, and seems like it’s purpose is to half desensitize us about making complete fools of ourselves, and the other half to get us to think in terms of grade school again. Basically what we do is submit to lessons that would be given to a school kid and act with as much enthusiasm as possible, throwing caution and humility to the wind. Afterwards, we dissect the lesson to figure out what worked, what didn’t, and what kind of classes we could use it on. The trainers are completely out of their minds and are generally fun to be around. You really start to notice that the kinds of people that are attracted to this line of work are all either like-minded or are basically easy-going. It’s fairly easy to strike up a conversation and enjoy the company of those around you. On a bus ride to the airport for currency exchange, I had a great time just chatting with a few of the Irish trainees. Mt actual training process was a little different than the others, as I not only arrived late, but left a day early. I missed out on a few things, mostly non-important but I did skip the final lesson planning exercise. This is probably the thing I’m most nervous about and I do kinda feel like I missed a good learning opportunity, even if I bombed it.

Narita is an interesting place, kinda that mix of city and middle-of-nowhere suburb. I wasn't able to get around too often because of training and time constraints, but what little I did see was mildly interesting. The city kinda had that feel of a mix between Tallahassee and downtown Ft. Walton. About the only thing I really got to see was the Aeon mall. Apparently this company, Aeon, owns or at least sponsors a lot of different stuff, malls included. There really wasn't much interesting there at the time, save for the food court and hundred yen store. I did snap a few pictures of some of the more interesting stores.

In the Beginning

So where to begin on the topic of my great journey to the East.... On my second attempt at boarding a functional plain, I was once again submitted to the “additional screening.” A note to all those considering the teaching route, one-way tickets will probably mean a similar search so give yourself about 10 spare minutes of time to make up for it. While the process involved was neither painful nor all that inconvenient, I was still a bit annoyed of having to suffer it a second time. Had I known what was laid in store for me during the rest of the trip, I may have been less irritated. Atlanta airport was reached easily enough and, with a bit of confusion, I found my terminal. It wasn’t long before I boarded a ginormous passenger plane. I won’t go into two many details about the flight, so shall just hit the two key points of the experience. First of all, planes have finally figured out how to deal with long international flights. It’s taken technology over five decades to catch up, but now they’ve got it. It may not be standard yet, but on my plane, every seat had it’s own 7inch touch screen with it’s own On Demand. I was able to watch The Kingdom, Hot Fuzz, listen to new albums by The Killers and Foo Fighters, and play Solitaire along with many other ways to occupy the time. I didn’t even have to reach for a handheld the entire time. Now, the bad. I was unaware, but apparently they allow toddlers on planes. A toddler who cried, screamed, and kicked the back of my seat for 12 of the 14 hours. Needless to say, by the end of the flight my thoughts on mandatory sterilization changed drastically. Well, maybe not that drastically... Anyways, that hardship endured, I was able to slip through customs fairly quickly, though I’m told it’s usually a long and agonizing process.
From there it was pretty smooth sailing. There was someone waiting for me at the terminal and we hoped a quick bus after I did some currency exchange. Had I done this any other time within the past few decades, I would have enjoyed it. However, with the dollar being as weak as it is, I only got about 98 Yen for each. So I actually lost money on that deal, not a fun start. Anywho, got to the hotel, went up to my hotel room, met my roommate, filled out some paperwork, and was finally allowed to crash. A rather uneventful ending to a rather to the trip, but one I preferred at the time. So here’s a few tips for travel to sum it all up:

- Even if you can choose your seat on the plane, you WILL end up in the worst one possible.
- Planes get canceled and people who re-book flights couldn’t give a damn about your circumstances
- Smiley face stickers make for easily-spotted luggage during pick-up.
- Delta sucks, the end.

And thus is the end of the beginning of my great journey. Stay tuned for a series of entries very soon while I get caught up. Peace.

Shameless movie title plug

Strangely enough as I was about to sit down and write out my first "Coming to Japan" arrival post, I had my first "lost in translation" situation. Alone in my room, I hear a rapid flutter of knocks on the door and answer it not sure who expect on the other side. It didn't take much to make out the identity of two cleaning ladies even with their addition of surgical masks to the traditional housemaid uniform. So it wasn't too difficult to figure out what it was they wanted. However, as I share room with a roommate who had stepped out for the duration of the night and had the ONLY key to the room, I couldn't exactly just step off for a snack for a few minutes and let them lock up when they were done. Neither could I sit here on the bed while they bustled about. However, between my very basic Japanese and their basic understanding of English and with a fairly universal situation on our hands, we were able to strike a deal and everyone won out in the end. Not a particularly interesting story and I guess you certainly had to be there, but there it is. I'll try to get a grand opening post up soon.