Spring Break and Golden Week

I think it's pretty apparent by now that I love to travel. One of the best opportunities about the JET Program IS the opportunity to travel - and not only Japan, but all of Asia and the Pacific! (which is huge if you didn't know, hehe). However, because of school schedules and limited amounts of nenkyuu (PTO), you really have to do everything in your power to take advantage of those opportunities when they present themselves. Spring Break (the time between the end of the Japanese school year and the beginning of the next school year) is two weeks long and it is usually an expected time for JETs to request time off to travel. Golden Week comes a month or so later and although the schools don't have the whole week off, again, JETs are usually allowed to take necessary days off to make it a whole week without a problem. I carefully considered my options of places to go factoring in budget and nenkyuu months in advanced, but I also heard of people who managed to whip up a trip last minute. I could go into great detail about every facet of these trips, but I'm going to give more of an overview that would jog my memory for future references and yet still give my readers an idea of the place, as well as my experiences there.

SPRING BREAK!

Who: My good Aussie friend and fellow JET in Tamba.

What: Travel-mode! 

Where: Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand.

When: March 25th, 2012 - April 2nd, 2012.

Price: Around $1,300 USD each.

Knowing that I wanted to explore several places in a short amount of time, I was lucky enough to rope my friend into joining me on a whirlwind tour through Southeast Asia. We both agreed on our itinerary while keeping in mind safety and a loose budget. Discussing this beforehand really helped ensure our trip go smoothly especially considering the madness surrounding three countries, four cities, four hostels, and six plane rides in eight days. We stuck to the strictly tried-and-true tourist attractions for safety reasons, and understanding that we didn't allot enough time in each city for losing ourselves among the locales. We spent $1,300 each (including everything!) which is great in my opinion since we never once had a moment where we couldn't do/buy something because of money. In fact, we went shopping, took taxis, and went on tours as often as we pleased. The trick to this is booking early with LCC (low cost carrier) airlines like AirAsia and booking hostels (with good ratings and reviews) on sites like Hostelworld. We got some great deals on flight prices and booked the most 'expensive' private rooms in hostels (which were still only $25/night total). Something else we had to do beforehand was look into tourist visas needed (which we did need for Vietnam) and currency exchange information. If done properly and with enough time, these are not a big headache. 

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

We didn't originally plan to go to Malaysia, but it turned out this way when KL was the stop-over for all of our AirAsia flights anyway thus, we worked in a day to see what we could. After arriving at our hostel and showering, we headed out to lunch before seeing a popular nearby religious site, the Batu Caves. It was a straight shot from the main train line and less than a 5 minute walk from the station once we got there. The country is mostly Islamic but the caves are sacred to the Hindu faith. There is a great imposing, golden statue to greet you before you ascend over 150 steep steps to the cave. Along the way are wild monkeys who go from being cute one moment to screeching at you the next. I was nearly attacked for just glancing at one, but I screeched as loud as he did when he chased me so I maybe that stunned him long enough for me to escape. (Words of caution: don't look them in the eyes...) Once at the top, the wide open cavern is filled with Hindu artifacts in statue and painting forms. Ironically, in Japan I find all aspects of religious sites interesting to look at, but in this site I was less than impressed with the blue people in the paintings and instead was completely taken with the intricacies of the cave. It was a really cool place and fun time that set the tone for the rest of our trip. Later that night, we made our way to KL's famous Petronas Towers. There is a huge mall at the bottom of it that we wished we had more time to spend in, but at least we did see the main attraction: the twin towers. I'm a fan of popular city towers in general, but the twin towers of KL were the first to leave me in awe. In every sense of the word, they are spectacular and when those two are lit up at night, people stop and stare.  The people we met were incredibly nice, but some guys were a little too comfortable approaching strangers for chit chat. Whatever their intentions, some people need to realize how creeper it looks to approach two younger women when you're a 40-something-year-old man just wanting to 'practice your English.' Overall though, we really enjoyed our short stay in Malaysia and want to come back just to shop!

Hanoi, Vietnam

Hanoi is known as the old city in Vietnam, especially when compared to Ho Chi Minh City, the ultra modern capital. Right out of the airport we were approached by a slew of taxi drivers asking us to ride with them. We arranged a pickup but they were no where to be found so we just picked a cabby and hoped for the best. Our hostel here was the best out of the four. It was more a hotel than a hostel since it had a complimentary buffet breakfast, wood floors, and a flat screen television in the room. At breakfast and other places, I was surprised to find that Vietnamese food turned out to be my favorite food during the trip (when I thought for sure it would be Thai food). We were staying in Hanoi's Old Quarters, a well-known touristy part of the city. Venders would run up to you balancing their goods in baskets and unless you just walked away, telling them "No thank you" was not enough to deter them. Here, we also had to re-learn how to cross the street. Besides not really having any driving lanes, pedestrians embrace the notion of 'right-of-way' since they walk out into traffic and people just have to avoid them. There are no crosswalk signals and few traffic signals that you can actually go by, so this walking in traffic (vid with the link!) technique was our only option. It goes against all instinctual feelings but it really works. For the next two days, we booked a tour through our hostel to the World Heritage Site, Ha Long Bay. Simply put, it was amazing. This place is made up of thousands of small islands that stick up out of the water like icebergs, all jagged and close together. They looked like green-carpeted icebergs to me, but the name actually means 'descending dragon bay' so I guess they're supposed to look like scales on a dragon's back. Anyways, we went out on a Junk Boat (a traditional Vietnamese boat) and stayed overnight with only a few other travelers. We ate all of our meals together, family dining style which allowed us to share our experiences and make friends. The tour included kayaking on the bay too. Stopping in the middle of the bay, just looking around and feeling the silence on your ears was one of those moments that made me step back and realize where I was and how awesome it was. The next day we went to one of the many caves found in the bay. This one was the biggest and most impressive hence it's name, 'The Amazing Cave.' The rock formations and size of it were most impressive and colored lights made the whole place very ethereal. The tour on Ha Long Bay was probably the best highlight of the trip for me.

Bangkok, Thailand

Before going to Bangkok, words that I heard used to describe it were crazy, hot, and dangerous. I can confirm all three are true, hehe. The security at the hostels were tightest in Thailand and we heard of a terrorist incident on the train lines after we left. Even being from Miami, the heat in Bangkok was no joke. There isn't a lingering sea breeze in the air for relief like in my hometown; instead hot air just blows in your face most of the time. On such a day, we set out to see the three most famous temples via water taxi on and both agree that The Grand Palace, The Temple of Dawn, and The Temple of the Reclining Buddha are just as beautiful and best remembered in our pictures. lol. Way more fun for two girls living in the countryside Japan were the amazing malls! They are the largest, most intricate, most diverse malls I have ever seen! One night, we went to the Siam Paragon mall who's slogan is accurately put as 'the shopping phenomenon.' It was nine floors of every store and brand you can imagine with the top floor being a movie theater that has an IMAX and 4-D theater. After deciding on a place to eat out of the hundred provided in the food court (not an exaggeration), we eagerly went to see The Hunger Games in 4D. Not only for the experience but also because Japan is incredibly slow at getting any movie I want to see. Yes, specifically whatever *I* want to see. (why, Japan, why?) The experience was like having the rumble pack for the N64 console combined with being the in the Stich's Great Escape ride at the Magic Kingdom in Orlando. My friend found it distracting, and maybe I would have too if I didn't already know the plot of the movie. The next night, we went to another huge mall called Terminal 21. This one had the bargains Thailand is famous for as well as winning the best themed mall award in my book. The mall is styled like an airport with escalators being the arrival and departure gateways. Each floor is a different global destination with the whole floor being decked out in the theme of that country. They went above and beyond capturing the feeling of each of the destinations as I can confirm 3 out of the 6 cities. On the last night, I got a Thai massage mostly because I wanted to be able to confirm if they were all they are talked up to be - they're not. Maybe if you're a guy you'd enjoy it, but I was less than impressed with the quality of the massage and quite.. in shock by the experience in general. I guess you could say I got what I was looking for but we'll just leave it at that, lol.

Phuket, Thailand

Although we were all about traveling and seeing the sights, we did want to have some typical spring break activities. In Phuket, we made it a point to do two things: ride an elephant and go the beach. What we didn't specify was how good of an elephant ride or how long at the beach we wanted to go. The elephant ride was not what we were expecting. 'Jungle Trek' in the tour pamphlet meant walking around someone's plantation and the other 'features' of the tour were campy as my friend put it. However, for the time that I was actually riding on the elephant's head, rubbing his ears, and being totally vulnerable to his power so it was worth it, but I'd do it again for a better overall experience with the elephant. That evening, I went to Patong Beach at sunset and just people watched. There again, while in paradise, I had another moment of profound reflection of where I was and how awesome it was to be there. The next day we did a tour out to Phi Phi Island. After the intimate feel of the Junk Boat tour in Vietnam, I found this tour boat to be overcrowded and full of snobs. One guy even took our seats (ours because our stuff was on them) and shamelessly smirked the whole time while talking to his friends like we weren't even there. It's ok, I'm comforted with the knowledge that karma is always on my side and had a great day. The tour itself gave us a good mix. We stopped at a bay made famous by its appearance in the movie, The Beach, snorkeled in some of Thailand's world famous snorkeling/scuba waters, and then got to stretch out on a gorgeous beach in the middle of nowhere for some much needed tanning. Getting a tan on spring break was a high priority for me, so I was quite happy about that (the little things, lol). Phuket, as naturally beautiful as it was, could also lower itself at times to be like any other tropical destination that I've been to - Cozumel, Bahamas, Grand Cayman. I tire of the ultra-touristy feeling spots in favor of some authentic local surroundings like what we saw in the Old Quarters of Hanoi. I can't begrudge the availability of smoothies in this tropical location though..since returning I have been craving them non-stop!

Arriving back in Japan was bittersweet. It meant I was no longer seeing new and exotic places but it also meant I wasn't worried about safety, sanitation, or speaking the native tongue. However, I can't wait to see more of Southeast Asia one day! Only this time, I'm going remember to make time for sleep!

GOLDEN WEEK!

Who: Lover boy.

What: Vacay-mode! 

Where: Okinawa, Japan.

When: April 30th, 2012 - May 4th, 2012.

How much: About 80,000 YEN each.

Okinawa for Golden Week, along with Sapporo for the Snow Festival and Climbing Mt. Fuji are the top three on my 'to-do list' for Japan this time around. If you're keeping track, I now have 2 out of 3 completed - woohoo! After the whirlwind that was Spring Break, I knew I wanted some real R&R for Golden Week. With that in mind, I planned to see the local sites but also left whole days open to wandering. Since Golden Week is a specific week it leaves little flexibility in terms of planning, so I just had to hope for good weather and decent prices. I was a little bummed when I found out most of the week would be cloudy and rainy, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Remembering how hot Bangkok was, I couldn't imagine the humidity coupled with bright sunny days. If that had been the case, we would have just wanted to be inside in the A/C instead of wandering around. And it worked out perfectly, because we were fortunate enough to have one perfect beach day while at gorgeous Ama Beach on Zamami Island. Okinawa is a different world from the rest of Japan. Their dialect is unintelligible to standard Japanese, their cities feel, again, like Caribbean port towns, and the American military influence is apparent as well. Their train system for getting tourists around the island is lacking (as in non existent), but at least in the capital of Naha, they had a great train line. Because of that, the trip Churaumi, a world-renowned aquarium, set us back 3 hours each way. However, Churaumi was amazing and is a must see! It has one of the largest aquarium tanks in the world that houses 3 huge whale sharks! The aquarium is part of the Ocean Expo Park so we also went next door to the Tropical Dream Center. It had the most beautiful orchids I've ever seen and a was a beautiful romantic stroll through the gardens. To see some Okinawan culture, we also went to Shuri Castle which, unlike other castles in Japan, is unique for being styled after Chinese architecture and one of the few remaining relics of the RyuKyu Kingdom (the inhabitants of Okinawa before Japan took over).
For two days, we took a ferry to nearby Zamami Island as I read on all the sites that it was not to be missed - they were right. The island has only 500 inhabitants and is (of course) centered around the tourism it receives. As a side note, there's actually a JET placed on that island - crazy!! It's a famous location for whale watching, but unfortunately whale watching season had ended back in March. No matter, we greatly enjoyed lounging on their famous beaches, Furuzamami and Ama, seeing some incredible views from the cliff side, and, in my case, scuba diving for the first time! I was surprisingly nervous for this even though I love thrill seeking experiences, but passed with flying colors as the instructor said I did perfectly as a diver. I also had fun walking the beach by myself collecting some of the most incredible shells I've ever seen (in a store or on a beach). We were out there so long on the nice sunny day that we got sunburned but it was totally worth it. Zamami was also a perfect example of a tropical destination that doesn't feel like all the rest. Its local culture shines through without any of the touristy gimmicks. It was a perfect holiday.

I know that when I look back on this time, I will be happier about the things I did than the things I didn't do. You have to take the good with the bad and these experiences have made every time I've been homesick or frustrated with work so worth being here. Until the next adventure! (hint: it's last one on the list!!)

Enkais: All in a Day's Work

An important feature of JET life that I haven't talked about yet is the enkai (宴会). Literally, meaning 'banquet' these are equivalent to a workplace office party. I don't really have a choice in the matter concerning payment for these big parties. Even if I expressed that I didn't want to go (perhaps in the interest of saving money), it would still be taken out of my paycheck. Even if I couldn't go for a legitimate reason like being sick or having another commitment, it would still be taken out of my paycheck. My attendance however is optional. Actually in most companies, attendance isn't required, but in Japan, a lot of things are "not required." However, as a foreigner, it isn't actually expected that I must go.

All enkais follow a general format of encouraging speeches, flowing alcohol, and lots of laughter. There's always a "kampai! (cheers!)" at the beginning which is led by the principal and a "banzai! banzai! banzai!" (hip hip hooray! or hurrah!) at the end. There's also the common practice of going around with bottles of beverages and filling each other's glasses. At an enkai, one should avoid pouring for themselves but instead pour for a coworker and wait for them to return the favor. In this case, seniority doesn't matter like it does in other aspects of Japanese culture. The only things that change are associated with the reason for having the enkai. i.e. holiday parties, beginning of the school year, farewell/welcome parties. Some special features I've seen at enkais so far include karaoke, speeches by honored individuals, giveaway games, special recognition given to individuals, and a game of London Bridge - with a twist. To elaborate on that last one, the teachers made a long chain of London Bridge with the teachers who were being recognized going under it. At the end, some of the stronger male teachers hoisted them up one at a time and tossed them up in the air. I was definitely surprised to my proper coworkers THAT loosened up, haha! But it really is great to see them relax and take a well-deserved break.

I don't know about other workplaces in Japan, but at my high school, a ￥3,000 (USD 37.00) enkai fee is taken out of my paycheck every month which goes towards paying my share of the party. This goes for everyone at my school, so considering we have two major enkais a year, I estimate about ￥12,000-21,000 per person. It's quite pricey if you think about it, but at least it holds its weight. With almost 80 staff members, my school has to rent out a large dining hall to accommodate us all. ($$$) Either this includes a bus service or they pay extra, but this bus takes us to and from school. ($$$) This is provided 1) for convenience and 2) so that people can drink to their heart's content (since Japan has a 0% tolerance policy on driving and alcohol). Also, so far it's been the case that the food is top notch even if I'm not a fan of everything. ($$$)

At my first enkai in December, right before the winter holidays, the organizers used part of the money to go towards gifts for everyone which they then made a game out of for entertainment. Everyone received something. ($$$) The game was to have our seat numbers chosen at random and then the person selected one of the wrapped gifts at the front of the room. The most expensive gift in the pile was an iPod and the cheapest couple of gifts at the end were boxes of fancy chocolates. To everyone's amusement, I picked out an electric shaver for men and acted like I was thrilled. Later, I traded it with a male teacher for a personal massager - win/win.

At my second enkai in April, after the start of the new school year, we had a 12 course sit down meal. In reality it was too much food, but I wanted to try everything. (I later paid for my gluttonous ways, but I regret nothing!) Unbeknownst to me, this was also the farewell party for some of my teachers who were being transferred to new schools (I'll explain this shortly). Usually if this were the case back home, some sort of goodbye card would have been passed around beforehand for everyone to sign or we would have pitched in for a surprise farewell gift; thus when I realized what was going on, I was lamenting the fact that I didn't get anything for some of my favorites. But then I was saved by the enkai fund! Each of the teachers who were leaving received a bouquet of flowers, a plaque of recognition, and a gift card that they knew came from everyone's pockets. ($$$)


So this farewell party came as a surprise to me because it is commonly known in Japanese schools that in the short time between the end of the school year in March and the beginning of the new term in April, several teachers will be transferred and new arrivals will come in. I was away for a week during the spring break and in that week, my teachers had been replaced with new ones. We also switched desks around in the staff room and I'm not particularly fond of my new place, but oh well. I was extremely uncomfortable for a about a week with all of the changes. After eight months of adapting to a new work environment and becoming confident with my place in this Japanese school, I suddenly I felt unsure about what was expected of me all over again. Once more, I gave my self-introduction, met the new teachers, and adapted to the classes. I also was sad to say goodbye to people I basically just met and really liked. They had helped me get settled in and were friendly, familiar faces that I may never see again. At least I got to say a proper goodbye thanks to the farewell enkai! 

I intend to find out, but at the moment I still don't understand why teachers are transferred - do they put in a request? Is it random? Can they say no? From the speeches at the enkai, I know that all of them had been at my school for different amounts of times. The shortest was two years and the longest was twenty-two years. So it's not a matter of "your time has come." Also, many of them seem to be really inconvenienced by where their new school(s) are (sometimes up to two hours away from their home). So better said, I don't know why certain teachers are transferred, but I do know what the thought process is behind this madness. It's considered a way of spreading the talent. Japan isn't an individually competitive society, but instead likes to make sure there's more of a mutual benefit going around. The theory is if there's a bad teacher you can hope that they'll be replaced by a good teacher soon thus sharing everyone's strengths and weaknesses in the education system and making sure no one becomes complacent. I see a lot of flaws in this but have been enlightened to the benefits as well. 

That last part was a bit of a rabbit trail from the original purpose of this post, but relevant all the same...Banzai! Banzai! Banzai! 


Here are some pictures that I snapped with my phone (Already being a gaijin in a sea of Japanese people, I didn't want to stand out more with my shiny red camera, hehe)

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I'm talking about the end of the school year here in Japan. If you're not familiar, the school year in Japan is very different from what we have in the States (and elsewhere I'm sure). There are three semesters per school year with several smaller breaks in between (the shortest being 2 weeks and the longest being 6 weeks). Comparing this to the three month summer students back home are accustomed to, these smaller breaks are probably better for retaining subject matter since your brain doesn't have much time to stuff it in a back drawer. However, having cherished these three months of bliss every year during my primary education, I can't approve of this in good conscious. Plus I think it makes the end of the year more exciting instead of, "oh, I'll be back in two weeks. whatever."

However, as a teacher, it's been pretty great. Especially in this third semester which is broken up into two parts by the winter holidays. Before the holiday break, everything was normal. After the break though, everything has been a drawn-out process of winding the semester down. The kids have review classes, then a week of tests, more review, college entrance exams, rehearsals for graduation, special assemblies, and best of all, half days! I'm not needed fore most of this which has left me to my own devices at work and early afternoons back home. Others may have similar situations, but this has been mine and is not indicative to what the average JET experiences, even in my immediate area. Some reasons may be because:
1. I have high school (whatever unique set of circumstances that entails)
2. I can hit my apartment with a rock from the school (thus I go home for lunch and NEVER COME BACK)
3. Pure luck! (Some other JETs I know have great perks, so this must be mine).

My fellow teachers are of course running around doing things but even they've been more relaxed in general just hanging out, browsing websites, reading the newspaper, or chatting. In any case, this is definitely my new favorite time of year since I can't foresee class in the blistering heat of summer and lack of air conditioning trumping this cozy, undisturbed time in the staff room.

Just to add some color, here is a picture from the aforementioned graduation ceremony.

Winter in Japan

I did a Fall in Japan post and hadn't intended to follow it up with the other seasons but here we are. I rather enjoy expressing my reactions to the seasons in Japan, because I come from a place that only knows 'hot' and 'hotter' for seasons.
Just like in fall, Japan's select winter foods, products, festivals, and clothing are everywhere. Conversations turn to heaters, kotatsus (heated table), nabemono a.k.a nabe (stew) parties, snow festivals, holidays, snowboarding and skiing, crab season, and onsens (hot springs). I've found that when activities become available for a limited time (i.e. snowboarding), it makes the activity that much more fun. Like where I'm from in Miami, we can go to the beach anytime so ironically we hardly do (sorry, that's kind of a misconception for people who don't live in Miami). But in Japan (and other places with proper seasons I suppose), the activities associated with that season become something to look forward to and gives you something to do every weekend. I'm really enjoying that aspect of having real seasons.
These pictures capture most of what I talked about above as well as typical fun in the snow stuff that I never did growing up. All except for the last two snowboarding pictures were taken around my apartment. The Japanese landscape covered in snow, especially in the countryside is breathtaking. I've excluded pictures from my trip to the Sapporo Snow Festival since I dedicated a whole post to that.

Sapporo Snow Festival

The was so excited to go to world famous Sapporo Snow Festival, known in Japan as the Yuki Matsuri. It was near the top of my things to do/places to go list during my time in Japan. I went with my bf and had plans to meet some other friends once we got up there. This is such a popular event that many JETs will most likely make their way there in early February, so it's a good time to coordinate some hang out time with friends from other prefectures.

Before arriving, I made all of my plans through Skymark airlines (a low cost domestic airline in Japan) and Rakuten Travel (great travel site in Japan since they don't require a Japanese credit card to reserve a booking). This is a huge festival so I made sure to do my research beforehand and asked others who have gone to give me some tips. This kind of preparation makes the most of trip and limits your expenses. Also, being from Miami, I was actually scared of how cold it would be on this northern most island of Japan. So I went out, bought the proper winter gear (thick socks, feather-jackets, hats, gloves, snow boots) and hoped it was enough. Thankfully, this was enough to keep me from freezing but at no point was I warm really. One day was so cold that I had to insert hot packets in my gloves and shoes which helped a lot..

This was the 63rd Yuki Matsuri and as usual, it was spread over 3 sites. The main Odori Site is where the largest snow sculptures are along with food and vendors. The Susukino Site had ice sculptures and is located in Sapporo's lively downtown district (very close to the Odori Site). And last, the Tsu Dome site is farther away and requires a shuttle bus (or a couple of train rides) to get to. This site is a family friendly place with lots of snow slides and other activities for the whole family. It took my friends and I a whole day just to cover the Odari Site for three reasons: 1.Sapporo T.V. Tower sits at one end so going up it provides a nice view of the park. 2. We wanted to see the sculptures both during the day as well as lit up at night and 3. It was so unbelievable cold that we just had to take breaks indoors every once in a while. The other two sites could both be covered done in a day.

Aside from the festival, I wanted to see more of Sapporo and Hokkaido while I was there. If you didn't think of it already, Sapporo is has a famous beer brand by the same name, so we ventured out to the Sapporo Beer Museum. I was surprised to find that it was more of a compound than just the museum. The museum portion was great. It was free to get into, not crowded, and short enough to keep your interest the whole time. In another part of the compound were the dining halls. I had read about Genghis Khan style dining being popular in Sapporo, so how much better can mounds of meat get than with some Sapporo beer? It can't. There were several halls but we happened to pick the best one - the Genghis Khan hall. The layout is that of a great medieval mead hall and the food was amazing! This dining style is all about the grill. It's a helmet-shaped, iron skillet where you drape the meat over the elevated middle portion and scatter the vegetables off to the side so they cook but not burn. Between three of us, we tried all kinds of meats, veggies, and side platters. Needless to say, we left there full and happy.

Another deviation from the snow festival was to a nearby town called Otaru. This small, coastal town is known for a beautiful snow light up they do at the same time as the Yuki Matsuri. We took a fairly inexpensive train ride (800en) that got us there in 45 minutes. Going back to what I said about preparation, my friend had talked to someone who had done some glass blowing in Otaru. Glass souvenirs are in all of the shops but without this knowledge, we never would have know that you could have this more unique experience of making your own glass souvenir. Although you need a reservation for this kind of workshop, our pretty faces got us in on the same day (It was either that or because we are gaijin (foreigners) who had that hopeful and confused puppy look). I expected to do more than what we actually did, but I guess it's understandable considering how much skill is necessary for this kind of thing. Our instructor did all of the work with the molten liquid magma stuff while we blew the air that stretched it out and eventually cut if off the pole it was attached to. They needed time to cool so they were shipped to us later that week. I was happy to find that it indeed did have that wabi-sabi, personal touch to it that makes it my beautifully unique, imperfect creation.

                       

The light up itself was enchanting. At first it was snowing pretty heavily which was not ideal for pictures and walking without being pelted in the face, but it stopped after about 20 minutes. People were casually strolling through the scene, stopping to take pictures and being considerate of others by waiting in make-shift lines at popular spots. I especially liked how many of the scenes were set up with photos in mind. Otaru was probably the coldest I was the whole trip but definitely worth it.

                                               

The last place we ventured out to was another recommendation that I never would have know about otherwise. It was a Northern Safari that was about 1 hour and 30 minutes outside of the city via train, bus, and then shuttle bus. At first, my feelings were slightly conflicted about this place because many of the animals we saw there were completely out of their element and out in the cold just for our enjoyment. However, this kind of set up is nothing that I would ever get to experience in America and they all looked to be in good health. You were allowed to just approach the animals at your own risk without supervision. You could pet them and feed them with food that was left there (paid for on the honor system). We saw different types of owls, foxes, goats, rabbits, and monkeys. Also, other animals like a snake, piglets, ponies, meerkats, an alpaca, a giant raccoon, capybaras, a zebra, an ostrich, emus and an armadillo. Now, before you get all animal rights activist about this place, all of the animals had shelter and those that were completely out of their element were in heated enclosures. The safari wasn't crowded so we had as much time as we wanted with each of them. All in all, I had a great time going around petting and feeding animals that I never expected have such a close encounter with.

Hokkaido is known for it's great food, especially seafood and dairy products, but there weren't enough meals to try everything unfortunately.. One of the local delicacies we did get to try was butter ramen. It's much like the usual ramen except for the quarter stick of delicious Hokkaido-churned butter on top and a few added ingredients. I was very glad to try this as we were basically on our way out waiting at the train station.

I would recommend for anyone, anywhere to go to Sapporo and the Yuki Matsuri, but especially ALTs who are in the perfect position to do so. It's worth your precious nenkyuu (paid leave) and whatever amount you need to spend. I guarantee that it will be always be remembered as one of the  highlights of your time in Japan.

Update on the Teaching Experience

We are now in January and I am back to sitting on my round rump here in the staff room. At the beginning, I faintly promised an update on how I've adapted to teaching English to my Japanese students (you know? the  whole reason I'm here).

I went back and read my original post on the matter and unfortunately, not too much has changed other than my getting accustomed to it. Sadly, I haven't learned all of my students names. Not even ten to be honest. In something of a defense, they are NEVER said aloud! I could tell you some of their last names though since that's how they call on them. I am though a bit more structured since my first couple of lessons and know what the teachers expect from me now. At my base school, Hikami, I am basically a human tape recorder and someone to bounce ideas between. In most of my classes here, I prepare very little and just do as I'm told in class which includes: writing sentences from the text book, talking about my weekend, thinking of easier synonyms to help the students with a difficult word, having them repeat vocabulary after me, etc. The times I've been able to plan a lesson on my own have been for holidays, my self-introduction, and a presentation on my volunteer trip to Tohoku. My JTE seems to enjoy those times but is content with leaving it at that. When I'm not teaching, I've been asked to grade papers, tutor students, and coach the speech contest contestants. I was also asked to join a commerce class I would ordinarily never go to, but because they were doing a class project on creating a company and dealing with foreign investors, I was the choice foreigner to have mock meetings and practice formal emails with. When I'm not doing any of these things I'm at my desk doing, well, this. Some people would rather be put to good use, but I really appreciate having a lot of down time to catch up with my own interests. My fellow ALTs nearby at ES/JHS have an average of five classes a day while I usually have three.

Where I spend some of my time

Where I spend most of my time

At my visit school, Hikami Nishi (HN), I play a more active role. I'm not sure if it's because the teachers there want the pressure taken off of them a bit or if they were told to use me as much as possible, but I definitely work harder at that school. Again, an average of three classes when I'm there but each one is a challenge on its' own. The school is very small (85 students) and has a low level of English language skills thus I sometimes teach the same kids twice in a day and have to come up with separate lessons while trying to keep it in context with the textbooks. I teach all three levels here as opposed to my predominantly second year (10th grade) students in Hikami. These kids are also... less inclined we'll say...to learning English and are usually disruptive during my lessons to a point. In efforts to keep them interested, I try to mix up my lessons. For Thanksgiving, I even played a Charlie Brown special to do something different but they still talked through most it. They're not bad kids, just a bit skeptical about how practical English will be for them in the future so put very little effort. I had been warned about this attitude before arriving in the countryside. I had been told that these kids are most likely going to stay in their towns and take up their family's business or farm, so they see little value in learning English. Sad, but I'm sure we were all just as stubborn and naive when we were their age.

In both schools, I've added some fun elements here and there where I can. For example, I had them help me make hand turkeys to give away to the kids I was visiting during my volunteer trip. They seemed to enjoy that. I also gave out candy for Halloween and Christmas, making them say 'trick-or-treat' for the former and getting all the answers correct to a word scramble for the latter. I've put stickers on their papers which I then see them remove and attach to their pen cases. I've played pictionary and hangman with a couple of classes. I interact with them when they ask me what movies, actors, singers, anime, manga I like. I visited each of their classes stalls during the cultural festival and bought something. I have no doubt that they are fond of me but I do doubt how much English they're retaining.

So far I would say that this experience has taught me a lot about patience, resourcefulness, and adaptability. I honestly don't feel built to be a teacher but have had my fun experiences during this time. As the school year progresses, I also learn more about the Japanese school system which was somewhat of a gap in all my collegiate studies. In April, the new school year will start bringing in new students and changing my schedule completely. If much changes, I'll update again!

Volunteering in Tohoku

When I first heard about the events of March 11th in Japan, I was in shock. This wasn't happening in my country but in one that I loved just as much. The sheer devastation and loss of human life was being transmitted to me from all directions - the news, YouTube, photos, iPhone apps, and friends who were being directly affected.

I wanted to do something even though I was far away, so with help, I was able to organize a bake sale fundraiser that was a big success on a small scale. When I learned that I would indeed be coming back to Japan via the JET Program, I knew that I eventually wanted to travel to Tohoku to see it all for myself.

Unfortunately, many of the volunteer trips either took place in the summer before I had arrived, or required too many days. I knew I could always make a trip for myself but I didn't just want to see it, I also wanted to help in some way. Just as I was about to give up until the spring, a post in one of the many JET affiliated Facebook groups gave me the perfect opportunity. An individual by the name of Naomi Murakami acts on her own to help the people of Tohoku. All the way from Hyogo Prefecture, she contacts groups and organizations on her own and offers to be of service. She enlists the help of others who are also interested and together, they put up their own time and money to plan different excursions and ways to volunteer.

On this occasion, we were introduced and the three of us traveled together to Sendai, Matsushima, and Ishinomaki in Miyagi Prefecture. We were only there for a total of two days, but I really felt like we accomplished what we set out to do and contributed, albeit in a small way, to the recovery efforts. 

We headed out early Saturday morning from Itami airport in Osaka and two hours later were in Sendai Airport. From the air, we could see how the coast was completely flattened, but once we got closer, we could see that it was a bed of trees that had been completely bent by the force of the tsunami. Upon seeing the distinguishable wavy architecture of the Sendai airport roof, I was immediately reminded of a YouTube video I saw that showed the airport being completely inundated and large aircraft carriers being swept away like toys. The interior though portrayed none of that as rebuilding modes of transportation were a top priority in the weeks following the disasters. 

We rented a car and met up with Naomi's friend, Reiko Kamisaka who is a copy writer in Natori city. She led us just outside the airport where the devastation was immediate. The airport and the immediate surrounding area were among the hardest hit in Sendai. The sheer emptiness of the place makes you almost feel like you're on a construction site, but instead of partially built homes, you see partially destroyed ones... Also, now that I am a teacher and because most Japanese schools look similar, seeing schools in the damage was especially difficult. 

From this point, we headed to a Natori City's important cultural property that dates back from the Edo Period of Japan (1603-1868). The couple that maintain's the building is a friend of Reiko's and so she offered to give us a private tour. The building is an amazing relic from a time long ago that was fortunately spared but not without some damage.

Although we went to Tohoku to volunteer, I was glad we had some extra time to see things like this in order to gain a full appreciation for where we were and how these areas were affected. Next though we did head out to where we were scheduled to volunteer; at the Sendai Shichigou Shimin Center, a kind of day care for kids. We were joined by another volunteer group who happened to be there the same day called Bouken Hiroba and Smile Japan. Many of these children were from nearby Shichigou Elementary School where we heard from the adults that many of them watched their friends be carried away by the tsunami. I say heard from the adults because the kids don't like to talk about it. Not that we were prying, but when they asked why we were there, we would explain. Trying to add to the conversation, they would make a comment about where their mom or dad was, but when we would ask about themselves, they would change the subject. Reminding them of that day was not what we were there for, so we proceeded to have a full day of playing games, eating snacks, singing songs, and giving them little presents. 

For me, the whole point of this trip was that even if the people we came across didn't put it into words, I hope that somehow they internalized the message that they're not alone. People from other parts of Japan, even us from the other side of world, want to see them recover they best they can and have a happy life.

A story that has stayed with me since I left, is that of this man pictured here in the red jacket. His name is Makoto Suzuki and he is a worker for Sendai City Hall. He lost his wife and his wife's family in the tragic events. He told us this over lunch which he insisted on treating us to. His work now is primarily trying to relocate people and re-appropriate the damaged areas. However, he is constantly met with opposition from the people themselves because they are reluctant to leave and want to rebuild instead. On the weekends he lends his time to doing this kind of volunteer work as well. Naomi commented that since she last saw him, the weight of his burdens seemed more apparent on this shoulders. If this is is true, I fear for this man in a different way that need not be said. He is in my thoughts, and we plan to send him a Christmas card to continue the 'cheering spirit' we brought there.

Pictured above are some Thanksgiving hand turkey cards I had my students make for these kids. Although both the givers and receivers where not entirely sure what a turkey was, my high school students enjoyed coloring for a change and these kids enjoyed laughing at the "creative" cards they saw. I mean, do these look like turkeys to you?! haha! At least they got the 'cheering' message across..

That night, we went to dinner by Sendai Station. While in search of a Starbucks in the station, I came across  a most fitting exhibition showcasing before-and-after and recovery effort pictures from the disasters. Although I couldn't read the descriptions, I knew enough kanji to figure out where and what was happening in the pictures. I had seen pictures like this on the internet before, but now that I had actually been to some of these places, it was even more shocking. From looking at these pictures I realized a couple of things that I hadn't realized before - the extent of the damage and the incredible progress. Some before pictures showed islands and inlets of the area that are just gone now - not damaged, but underwater. Also, I mentioned before how modes of transportation were the top priority to be repaired, but it was amazing to see the kind of efficiency with which this was carried out! The example below shows that in two days this mangled road was brand new.

The next day, we woke early to head the two hours north to Ishinomaki. Although the tsunami's damage spread across three prefectures and many towns, Ishinomaki experienced the most damage and loss of life. We set out to a temporary housing facility called Higashi Matsushima Hibiki Kasetsu Juutaku to make ourselves of use in any way possible. We arrived and after surveying the grounds briefly, we were asked to help move kotatsus (heated tables), blankets, and heaters from the storage room to the place where residents could pick them up for use. Afterwards, we went about cleaning the community center of the facilities since the people who work there are much too busy with other things. Another small volunteer group was there offering free facials and other spa-like treatments to the women tenants. I think little things like that help take people's minds off of their troubles and makes them feel good, even if only for a little while. We noticed on the map of the grounds that some houses were bigger than others. We figured these must be for families while smaller rooms are for couples or singles. Either way, the houses are not that big or allow for much privacy as they are paper thin. November is not the coldest month but we were already distributing the kotatsus and such because the temporary homes also do little to keep out the cold.

These people are the ones that lost everything. They are starting from scratch. Many have been asked to go live with family in other parts of the country if they can, but understandably, many don't want to leave their town or be a burden to their other family members. Most of these people used to work along the coast and their jobs are now too far away to commute to. They get meager stipends (￥40,000 or about $515 for three months) of relief from the government that are not reasonable at all to actually live on, just maybe to get by. Naomi explained to us that a lot of the donated money is still sitting with the charities that collected them as they are still finding the best way to distribute it evenly and use it most efficiently. Like I said, this disaster affected a very wide area. It is not as simple as giving it to one town or community. We're talking huge cities like Sendai down to small fishing villages like Minamisanriku. These are also some of the problems that Makoto is faced with. It is a daunting task, but these people need help if they are to move on with their lives.

Above are pictures of people work there (with the exception of the tenant who is picking up supplies). The older man in the green vest is affectionately called 'Otousan' (Dad) and we were essentially working with his group, Yappshi Tohoku, that day. The bottom picture shows Naomi with an older couple who decided to reopen their grocery store on the housing property for the convenience of the residents. Seeing that we were volunteering, they gave us figs and tea. They really didn't have to but it goes to show how generous these people are even with the little that they have.

From there we had some time before we were scheduled to go to anther day care, so we were told that we should see some of the coast nearby. We headed to areas that were once known for their beautiful beaches, but are now devastated. Very near to each other were two extreme examples of tsunami preparedness. In the area of Oku Matsushima, the story had always been known of the tsunami that came and wiped out the town many years before. Heeding the moral of this well-known story, the residents waited for no warning after the earthquake before heading to high ground. No one in this village died. Close by though, many villagers in a town were not so fortunate. Littered beaches, piles of rubble, over-turned houses, people taking refuge in caves, lasting faith, hope to rebuild, four-legged survivors...these were just some of the things we saw on the coast.

 

The day care we went to in the afternoon, Chibikko, had few kids since it was a Sunday afternoon, but that allowed for more one-on-one time with the kids to be able to have snacks and play UNO. These kids are a true example of resilience. Because they are children, I will not say their names, but they were laughing and smiling with us when only a few months before, each of them had lost a parent and/or grandparents. Two of them were students of Kadowaki Elementary School where a fire had broke out during the earthquake and was then flooded by the tsunami. Seven of the classmates perished and they were forced to spend the night in the school since the flood waters hadn't receded. Throughout the night they heard pleas of help from other victims outside that gradually went quiet. Like a friend of mine said, no child should have to go through something like this but at least their time with us was spent laughing and being a kid. After we left the day care we were going to head straight to the airport, but they had told us that their former elementary school was close by so we went to take a look for ourselves. It is completely surreal to think of the terror those kids felt and then to see the place where it actually took place. I saw a couple with their arms around each other walking around the school grounds. I couldn't help but think that maybe they were the parents of one of those lost children or had maybe known them.

 

As the sun set, we made our way back to Sendai to get on a plane and head back to our reality where neighborhoods are intact and people are not weighed down by the memories of these most horrific events. Even in the same country, it's easy to forget about these people who have suffered so much while we go on about our daily lives as they struggle to do the same. My time there is one that I will carry with me and already value greatly, but I hope sharing my experience sheds light on the current state of things and spreads awareness of the ongoing need for recovery. For more pictures not seen on this blog, click here.

頑張ばれ東北！がんばるぞニッポン!！Do you best Tohoku! Do your best Japan!!