The Cold, the Freezing Cold!

Its not really that cold. People say it gets cold here in the "heart" of Japan. But compared to Boston, outside here hasn't gotten so bad yet. The difference between the cold here and there is that here there is no heat indoors, and no clothes dryers. As I sit here typing this at my kitchen table - my computer is on the kitchen table because I have closed off the other rooms to conserve heat - my breath dances in front of me in steamy white cloud. In fact, this morning I was blessed with more time to ponder life in Japan as I took my clothes in from my small porch where I had left them to dry the day before. This morning was so special because I opened the porch door to see everything covered in a few inches of bright white snow - even my work clothes for today! As I brought them inside to hang up to dry again, I came to the conclusion that life without a dryer is good - it conserves energy and is more natural - that is, if you live on a Caribbean Island!!!

An Old Outdoor Mannequin in my Neighborhood

My Genki Children

Tuesdays: 75 little 5 year olds - so cute! They're showing off their Winnie the Pooh Christmas coloring papers. Good job kids!

Saying Yes to Japan

Saying Yes to Japan is a new book by Carl Kay and Tim Clark. It was reviewed in this month's edition of Japanzine Japan's National English Language magazine. The review says the book is different. I started reading it a couple days ago and I have to agree. It looks at Japan's most serious problems, inefficiencies in the service economy, and proposes practical solutions with real-life anecdotes of people trying to change the system through their own business proposals and innovations. I guess it has to do with what I was saying about identifying problems, and knowing where and how you can change them. The authors are right, there is a lot of room for change in the service sector of Japan's economy. Furthermore, I think there's a lot of room for change in Japan's education sector. Before I get into that, I will recommend this book for anyone interested in Japan and economics.

Changes

Going to another country to teach English, or work in any field, can have some unexpected surprizes. Very little is concrete, in fact.
I know that what I experience here in Japan is a combination of what choices are made for me and those I must accept (which are not always the same thing), and the choices I make for myself. It reminds me of the prayer that mom used to always say, God grant me the serenity to accept what I cannot change and have the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.
Here, I constantly wonder why, for example, my supervisor tells me that when the school has its Christmas party I will have already left. She goes out of her way to inform me about details such as when, where, and how the party will be. She even asks me if I would like to sign up for it. I remind her, as she reminded me just moments ago, I will not be in the country. All the while, I must painfully regulate my English so that we can communicate. It is my fault, afterall, for not studying Japanese a little harder. The point is, I cannot change my supervisor's personality or her attention to unnecessary details. I cannot change the fact that I am expected to be a typical American yet perform according to Japanese standards. I cannot change some of the things that frustrate me most about this country, such as the larger phenomenons of racism and ignorance, empty consumerism, self flagelation and depreciation, social controls and dependency, and the speed with which the gas company shuts off my gas if my bill sits in my mailbox a day too long...
Among Assistant Language Teachers and other foreigners, it is nauseatingly fashionable to declare superiority over Japanese society. I'm not trying to focus on any unattractive points of my experience in this country. My idea is to identify things I cannot change, and conversely, focus on the things I can change. Coming to Japan, I had no idea what my job would be like. Luckily, I have had several opportunities to find other more meaningful situations where I can develop my teaching experience. And, I've been able to create them on my own terms. Here, I've been thrown into a new country, new culture, new language, and although I may not realize it, as time passes here I am absorbing alot of new ideas about how life is lived in this part of the world. Because I studied for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test and because of every day interactions, I have the chance to pick up one of the world's most difficult languages. And even though I am far away from family and friends, the ones who love me most will realize this experience is good for us all, as I bring another part of the world home to share.
Although the last few weeks have been rough with studying, getting sick, realizing my JET job isn't all I had hoped (even though I promised myself to walk in with no expectations), and missing "home," I can honestly say I'm also able to look at this experience as an opportunity to make changes where I can, and learn to see and deal with what I can't.
Maybe I'm finally adjusting to life here.
But with that said, there's just over a week left until I'm on a plane home for the holidays. Thank God.

Anti-Tobacco Campaign

As seen on the subway... there are many equally amusing versions of this ad. The diagrams kills me. Was there something lost in translation, or are they meant to be so weird?

Art of Arimatsu and Kishimen

In Nagoya, there is a historical "ward" called Midori ku. It hasn't appeared in any guidebooks that I have come across. I think Midori ku is somewhat popular with the Japanese, but it doesn't get too much international traffic. Midori ku is a long street of buildings that have survived many years, so each building authentic and shows edo period design. This ward is home to the art of arimatsu, or traditional Japanese tie-dye. The difference between American hippy style tie-dye and Japanese tie-dye is that the latter is born through a complicated, time consuming process. It can produce stunning results in color and design. In Midori ku many things are sold made by arimatsu: cloths for all purposes, clothing, scarves, neck ties, and umbrellas! Here is a link with pictures and an explaination of the dying process:
http://www.shibori-kaikan.com/indexE.htm

On a side note, I tried kishimen today in an udon shop in Midori ku. Kishimen is known as Nagoya's dish. Well, it was good, but alot like any other noodle-in-broth dish. Its special claim to fame is that the noodles are wider than udon noodles. Let's hear it for original Nagoya!

Dating - one perspective

I promised I'd make a comment about dating here, because it can be so frustrating. The cultural differences make it really hard. And not being able to communicate with the majority of people (Japanese speakers) makes it even more difficult to find someone to date! Cultural differences, like that the men spend more time at work, and do not have the Western "macho" attitude (for better or worse...) make it difficult to know how to relate coming from another culture with different expectations.

But on the bright side, being in Japan is a nice chance to contemplate single life.

Racism in Asia, NYTimes Article

(Excerpt from the NY TIMES) TOKYO, Nov. 14 - A young Japanese woman in the comic book "Hating the Korean Wave" exclaims, "It's not an exaggeration to say that Japan built the South Korea of today!" In another passage the book states that "there is nothing at all in Korean culture to be proud of."
In another comic book, "Introduction to China," which portrays the Chinese as a depraved people obsessed with cannibalism, a woman of Japanese origin says: "Take the China of today, its principles, thought, literature, art, science, institutions. There's nothing attractive."

Interesting. Not sure what to say about this yet, because still I personally have not witnessed any hostility between Koreans and Japanese. Maybe I don't get out enough. Or maybe I don't speak Japanese or Korean!

Here is another interesting, humorous look at the problem: http://toron.pepper.jp/jp/syndrome/nation/fuckj.html

Sex Ed.

Last week I wandered into the high school health office. I was interested to see a panel of wax molds of very realistic body parts with various ailments. I couldn't quite tell what it was about, so I got closer. There were about eight molds of female genitalia, all apparently affected with different STDs. It was interesting to see true-to-life female genitalia just hanging out in the school nurse's office, especially with such gruesome and true to life representation of what STDs do. At first I was shocked.  We don't have these models in high schools in the US. But maybe if students see what STDs really look like, that will make them all the more informed and more likely to take care of themselves. Unfortunately there were only female examples.  Maybe I am assuming too much, but I was dissapointed that the nurse's office would promote the idea that it is only a woman's responsibility to think about STDs.