Attention: Gaijin loose in Japan!

How have I been treated so far?

Since I have arrived in Sata-cho, all who I've met have treated me very well. Each day I'm invited over to someone's house where we have a feast. The portions of food are small, but there are many portions. It is kind of like a buffet of food. One meal might include 5-10 different dishes. Many stereotypes that I had created before I came have been dismantled since I've been here. I noticed in my blog that I've made some sweeping generalizations by saying, "The Japanese are___ ."The only way I can refute this is to precursor that this is my experience so far, and other language teachers have had opposite experiences. Many of the JETs who have complained have been women. They feel there is an obvious difference in the way they are treated. My neighbor, a female, who lives 20 minutes away, however, has had a very positive experience. One girl complained about the open sexual harassment in her office. Another JET that had concerns is very resistant to learning and doing anything Japanese. Every situation and reaction has been different here. I'm very happy that my situation has been so positive. My only complaint so far is that my predecessor left my apartment filthy, and I haven't had time to clean it because I've been so busy. Overall, the people I have met and work with have been very concerned about my welfare and are interested in American culture and beliefs.

What is the Japanese home life like?

Each home that I've entered is very unique and the experience is different. One preconception that I had is that the houses would look the same inside and certain cultural traditions would be followed rigidly once inside. For example, I had read that Japanese homes are uncluttered, very clean, and the women stay hidden except when you need something. This is not necessarily true. My supervisor's house, Mr. Kisanuki, is very cluttered and dusty. He has the biggest collection of whiskey, wine, sho-chu (local spirit), beer, and knickknacks that I've ever seen. His house is also very big, and some traditions, such as taking off your shoes, aren't followed as rigidly. His wife sat in the living room with us and was very interested in English. She is a very sweet woman.

My second supervisor, on the other hand, has a house that is spotless with one room where a large collection of knitted dolls and whiskey is kept -- this is where we ate. His wife ran around the house bringing us things, such as food, while we talked and ate. She stayed in the back in the kitchen most of the time. I got the feeling that his home was much more traditional. He is also a very nice man.

Overall, each home, person, and meal has been different. It is much like the U.S. Everyone has a unique personality and unique interests.

Don't talk about the war!

Before I came, I heard that the Japanese will never talk about World War II and that we (JETs) should not bring up Iraq. Since I've been here, there hasn't been a meal that I have not been asked about the two wars. Interestingly enough, the women have been asking me my opinion about the Iraq war and WW II. As you might know, Nagasaki just commemorated the 60th anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb. Here is a link to an article about the dropping of the bomb: <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4133572.stm> If you have time, click on the links within the article. There are some great personal stories photos.

Rlingers of WW II lingure here both in the geosubconsciousin the subconcious. In one of my photos, you can see a big hill in the background. Driving up that hill, there are many caves that were used as bomb shelters during WW II. I've been told that Kyushu was heavily bombarded by the U.S., and there are many older people here who still remember it. I guess many people were killed in the town in which I'm living. War seems to be a lived reality here. The few that I've talked to do not support the war in Iraq. I've made it clear that I don't support Bush nor the war. Also, they are extremely angry with Bush because of his position on North Korea. N. Korea is only a couple of hundred miles away, and they have nuclear weapons. This is a big concern to the few I've talked to, for they do not want to experience another nuclear attack. They feel that the hard-line approach has been antagonistic not diplomatic. I fortunately haven't been associated with the president by everyone. Though, one Japanese woman was particularly suspicious of me. She had a hard time believing that there are Americans who don't support the administration's positions. She also thought that there are aliens everywhere in the U.S. She asked me if I've ever been taken up in a spaceship. She was dead serious. Not all Japanese disapprove of the war and administration. One teacher jumped up excitedly upon seeing me. He assumed that I'm a fan of Bush and proceeded to tell me how much he loved him. He shook my hand vigorously and repeated, "Bush is a good man, Bush is a good man!" Even you republicans can make friends outside the U.S. Wink...Wink. ;) Overall, I wish I could speak Japanese and articulate my thoughts. I would like to talk about the diversity of opinions in the U.S.

Slurp, Slurp, Shovel

Eating has been a real treat. So far, it seems o.k. to slurp your food. It makes sense because a lot of the food is very hot. When you slurp, it creates airflow over the food, cooling it down. Shoveling food into your mouth also seems to be normal. The first time I went to lunch with my supervisor, he choked down his large buffet of food in 5 minutes. 10 minutes later, I discovered why eating quickly was important. If you eat fast, then you have more time to nap. I found that I was the only one eating while the others were sprawled out on the floor sleeping. I've already taken to eating quickly and napping.

Keep Left! Keep Left! This isn't a political slogan.

Driving has been a fun experience. Luckily, the speed limits are very low here (30mph), and there aren't a lot of stop lights (My town has one). I've managed to maintain driving on the left. I'll space out every once in a while and come to, thinking I'm on the wrong side of the road. Really, I'm on the correct side. I just panic and slow down, and after realizing I'm o.k., I speed back up. It's pretty comical. Parking are a potential demolition derby. I always forget to stay to the left. In the states, the stereotype exists that Asians are bad drivers. I feel that new rules throw many people off, and it has nothing to do with being Asian. I empathize with foreign drivers now. Please, don't make fun of us! They probably look at me and think, "What is that crazy American doing?" The roads are very narrow in my city. Often, the highways are just one lane. Turns have mirrors so that drivers can see around the corners and slow accordingly. Most cars in Japan are very small. Nevertheless, gas is very expensive. It cost me nearly $70 USD to fill up my gas tank. We really do have cheap gas in the states. This reminds me that Americans really should switch to the metric system. I've been having a hard time telling people my height and shoe size, which I'm often questioned about. They are amazed at the size of my feet. I try to tell them that I'm not extremely tall in California, and many people tower over me in the states. Because of my large feet, I can't find inside slippers to wear. I guess I'll have to buy them online. We have inside shoes and outside shoes. They can be anything really, but the rule is that they should be worn exclusively inside or out.

Shane-san! I like pizza.

I taught my first class this week. Each class only had five children. One had six, seven, and eight year olds. The other had nine and ten year olds. Fortunately, the two other language teachers left me a lot of visual aids and lesson plans. We learned to say, "Hello, my name is_____," and "I like ______ (pizza, hamburger, sushi, etc.)." I started off with an introduction about myself. I showed them pictures of my parent's house, my truck, family, etc. I played them some Beastie Boys, Guns N' Roses, and showed them how to rock out. After developing the days vocabulary and phrases, my first activity was pass the basketball coupled with American hip-hop. When I stopped the music, the person with the ball had to say, "Hello, my name is _____." They really loved this game. Kids were spilling out of their chairs, laughing, and dancing. Like in America, the kids have different personalities. One kid was a ball of energy and kept blurting out phrases he had heard on T.V., such as "Most Burger is delicious! (Japan's version of Mc Donalds)." He is very excited to use the language though, so I let him go crazy. The younger kids are much less cautious when using the language. The older girls, on the other hand, tend to be more apprehensive. Overall, the lesson was a success. Today, they need to bring in a toy that will be used in the lesson. Learning names has been a real challenge. Japanese names are completely foreign to me, so it is extremely tough to remember names such as, Hirakawa, Futuzoka, Kisanuki, etc. I sort of miss the names Smith and Johnson.

Watashi wa Shane desu.

I've been learing the language slowly. I haven't had time to sit down and study it because I've been eating out or meeting people in my spare time. I also feel that I need focused instruction and interaction. Japanese words have a lot of syllables and their sentences have particles that are tricky. I've needed a lot of exposure to certain words before I can remember them. To help myself remeber, I've been keeping a pocket dictionary. I've found the phrase books can be helpful, but if I make my own then it is much more useful. I haven't even thought of learning the writing yet. In a couple of weeks, there is a week-long course in Japanese that I’m taking. I look forward to it. Thus far, I've been communicating with hand gestures and grunts. It is amazing how much meaning can be conveyed with simple gestures. I probably look like an infant. The gestures and simplified sentences are hurting my articulation in English. I apologize if my writing comes off as rudimentary.