Saying Goodbye to Japan…

After three years I am finally leaving Japan. As the plane tickets are finalized (and payed for), and as we pack up our belongings; ruthlessly throwing out the things which we don’t need, the realization that we are actually leaving hits me. I have had a great time living in Japan and I have learned so much. This tangent I have spun off on from my original goal of working in theater has taught me a lot, and now is the time to go back to the States and use these skills I have acquired and find my place.

Inspired by my friend’s post, this is a reflection on my time in Japan.

Things I accomplished:

• Learned some Japanese (and learned how to learn a language).
• Learned that I love teaching high school students and became a good teacher.
• Met my husband and got married (and struggled through a yearlong wait for his spouse visa to be issued. At last!)
• Learned about a different culture and how to exist in it (when in Rome…)
• Lived on my own for the first time in a rural area and learned how to be fully self-suffient.
• Made a few Japanese friends.
• Became a better cook.
• Helped other Assistant Language Teachers with their problems and hopefully helped them become better teachers.

Things I regret:

• Not learning more Japanese.
• Not making more Japanese friends.
• Not going to Okinawa and Hokkaido.
• Not seeing Takarazuka (there are still two months left…)
• Not starting a blog about my experiences sooner.

Things I will miss about Japan:

• The food (soba, udon, ramen, the special taste of canned coffee, hire katsu ヒレカツ, izakaya 居酒屋 food, all you can drink specials, salad udon, agedashi tofu 揚げ出し豆腐, festival yakisoba 焼きそば, and much more.)
• Friends I’ve made.
• Karaoke boxes!
• Purikura (print club!)
• Nama gurepufurutsu sawa 生グレープフルーツサワー (shochu (焼酎) - Japanese vodka – soda, and a raw grapefruit that you juice yourself and add to the glass).
• Vending machines everywhere; from drinks, to toys, to oden　（おでん）…
• Summer festivals (祭) and wearing a yukata (浴衣) to them.
• Cherry blossom viewing parties (hanami 花見) where we sit outside all day and eat and drink.
• Great customer service and no tipping.
• Good trains and public transportation.
• Being an expat at time when when the reputation of the USA is not very good.
• Automatic flushing toilets and automatic faucets that actually work properly.
• How safe Tokyo feels compared with big cities in the States.
• Hot springs (onsen 温泉)!
• Watching gakkou e ikkou (学校へ行こう！) on Tuesday nights.

Thing I will be glad to leave behind:

• Having to bike everywhere.
• Being stared at just for looking foreign.
• Expensive fruits and vegetables.
• Not being able to find many cooking ingredients for recipes I want to try.
• Unequal gender roles.
• Simple things being difficult to do because my Japanese isn’t good enough, or there is excessive beauracracy.
• The translation/repeat method of English teaching.
• The idea that the group is always more important than the individual.
• Lack of central heating, kerosene heaters, small refrigerators, microwave/oven combination, Japanese stoves.
• Big, stripy mosquitos.

Things I miss about home:

• My family and friends.
• Cheap fruit and vegetables.
• Having a car.
• That being an individual is valued and success is not measured by seniority but by ability.
• Making theater.
• Not living in a tiny apartment.
• Being able to dress uniquely without worrying that I am not dressed appropriately for teacher (a highly regarded job in Japan).
• ATMs are open 24 hours and you can use a credit card or cash card almost anywhere.
• Cultural diversity.

Things I am worried about dealing with when I get home:

• Culture shock.
• Finding a job in the arts.
• Getting health insurance.
• Moving back to my hometown where I haven’t lived for 10 years.
• Evaluating my experience in Japan and creating a new 5 year plan.

Gunmania 2008: Spring Issue (vol 2)

The magazine I write for has just come out with it’s spring issue, so check it out. This magazine is a quarterly publication about Gunma Prefecture (群馬県), where I currently live.

In this issue:
-Running (And Cycling) For A Cause
by Erin Kessler

-Great Japan Beer Festival
by Bahia Simons-Morton

-Gunma Public: Teacher Dorama
by Joyce Wong

-Koyasan: The Best Of Old Japan In A Day’s Leisurely Walk
by Symerna Blake

-Not Done Yet
by Chris Hensleigh

-The Princess Of Kiryu
by Bahia Simons-Morton

Download the PDF here: http://www.gunmajet.net/node/1171

Great Japan Beer Festival

My first reaction when I heard about the Great Japan Beer Festival during Golden Week was, “Awesome, I like beer! Let’s go!” My second impression, after viewing the poorly designed and amateurish website was, “On second thought, this website is really lame. Maybe we shouldn’t go…” In the end, however, we spontaneously went to Tokyo during Golden Week and just as spontaneously decided to go to the beer festival.

When we arrived, we were at first awestruck by the enormous bouncers standing outside, towering above the crowd; something usually not seen in Japan. We got in a short line and purchased our tickets and entered. I immediately regretted not bringing in food, though there was a selection of “American Dogs”, hot dogs, yakisoba, and various snacks. We immediately bumped into some Gunma JETs who had just arrived as well.

The doors had opened at 2:30, but we arrived just in time for the kanpai at 3:00. A camera panned through the crowd, projecting our raised glasses onto a back screen. After the kanpai we started to make our rounds, with our friend marking down our opinions of each beer as we went along. We started at the A booths and throughout the festival, which lasted until 7:00, eventually made our way through all the booths (up to F).

The right side of the room was filled with a mix of German beers and Japanese beers (and Japanese breweries making German-style beers). Not a big fan of the darker beers, I tried a variety of pilsners, ambers, and light hefewizens and anything that was pale in color. One of my favorite was a yuzu-flavored beer that was quite refreshing. When we finally reached the back of the room, we found that there were buckets for dumping your extra beer and water for drinking or rinsing your glasses.

Of my several ventures the restroom, the first wait in line was about 30 minutes, but after that, most of the women disappeared, and the ratio of Japanese to non-Japanese people grew steadily more even. By the time we reached the left side of the room we were feeling suitably “relaxed”. I even bought an “American Dog” (hotdog on a stick), though it wasn’t my first choice; all the other food was sold out.

As we worked our way down the left side of the room our beer drinking became more selective, each of us choosing the type of beer we like the most. On this side I found my favorite beer, which was a light and slightly fruity Blanche made by a Japanese brewery. Actually, the left side of the room was entirely made of Japanese beers, half of which were sold out by 5 pm. Though the beers were not particularly international, there were some very good beers and I certainly felt we got our 5,000 yen worth of beer, plus souvenir glasses to take home.

All in all, if you can taste at least half of the 120 beers offered it is a worthwhile event, and going to Tokyo during Golden Week was much more relaxing than jostling with Japanese people in some picturesque location.

Event details:

The Great Japan Beer Festival
Over 120 microbrews featured.
Advanced tickets 4300/day, 4700 at the door.

http://www.beertaster.org/index-e.html

Event Location:

The Garden Hall at Ebisu Garden Place
1-13-2, Mita, Meguro-ku,Tokyo

Being a Feminist in Japan; Watching the Election From Afar

As I have been reading about the ongoing primary election battle in the States and thinking about the choice of democratic candidates, I have done a lot of thinking. Rebecca Traister’s article on Salon.com, “Hey, Obama Boys: Back off already!” in particular made me think about the current political climate and about what Hillary Clinton running has done to American feminism. I agree with most things in the article, from the uncalled for Hillary-bashing that has characterized the primaries, to the fact that it has shaped feminism in young women. And what I really realized was that living in Japan, combined with the issues of sexism raised by the primaries, have made me more of a feminist than I ever was when I left the States.

In Japan, the traditional gender roles reminiscent of the American 1950s are thriving. There are few women in high positions within companies and even fewer within politics. The media inundates women with ads aimed at the dutiful housewife and the overworked businessman. While I have noticed change in the media over the past few years, for example I recently saw a business woman in an ad for an energy drink looking every bit as professional as her male counterpart rather than wearing the typical “office girl” uniform, the change is still slow to come.

At the board of education where I work, responsible for education throughout the entire prefecture, there are 7 women, including myself, out of the 50 or so employees who work here. Needless to say, one of them is the mail and tea lady, and none of the department heads or division heads are women. In visiting over 15 schools throughout the prefecture I have only met one female principal and one female vice principal. Intelligent students at the girls’ high school where I used to work had dreams of being bakers, cosmeticians, and entertainers at Disney Land, rather than lawyers or doctors. The “Future Homemakers of Japan” newsletter the school recieved had tips for how to be the best mother. I wonder what sort of newsletters were distributed at the boys high school? Probably nothing about childcare or home life.

School nurses “tsk” about mothers who do not get up at 5:30 A.M. to prepare a proper Japanese breakfast of rice, fish, and miso soup. Even worse are the mothers who don’t have the time to pack their husband’s or children’s lunches. None of the men in my office pack their lunches, nor did the male teachers at the girls’ high school; it was always wives or mothers who did it. Every time I brought lunch made by my husband men and women alike released a collective gasp at the idea that a man could cook.

Everywhere I look, I see women in skirts, from business women, to the girls school uniforms which never include pants. Some Japanese women, when around men, raise their voice an octave and use the most feminine forms of speech such as “atashi” instead of “watashi” meaning “I”, to create wholly feminine airs.

That is not to say that I disapprove of women wanting to be feminine, or women wanting to be mothers, or stay-at-home mothers for that matter. Caring for children is an important and worthwhile pursuit. But I do find myself wincing when I think of being a housewife as a career. For me, that path would hold no satisfaction. As I look around Japan, I truly appreciate how lucky I am to have so many options as I woman.

When Hillary first decided to run for office, I found myself understanding those women who Traister calls the “second-wave feminists”. They are of a generation who never thought they would see a women get this far. And while I am leaning toward supporting Obama, I have tremendous respect for Clinton making such a powerful stand. Maybe she isn’t best woman for the job, but the fact that she is a strong woman who has gone so far and done so much is deserving of a little more respect than she has been given by the media, and certainly by the men who seem to hate her disproportionally to her failings.

Watching the election from Japan has certainly given me a different perspective than what I would have were I living in the States right now. Surprisingly, the election has been a hot topic here, especially in discussing who is better for the job as president: Obama or Clinton. I can’t help but wonder if the reason for this hype is because the idea of a black president or a female president is such an alien idea to the Japanese. Regardless of the reasons, this election is being watched by Japan the world and whatever the outcome, history is being made. Let’s just try to do it with a little less debate about which is more relevant; racism or sexism.

2008年4月2日: Japan News Update

Mutangfrog Travelblog finds report that 40% of Japan blogs are spam.

Check out the pervert daikon in Shizuoka.

Japan activist, Debito Arudou, writes about how forums promoting how Japanese and foreigners can live together are often not producing much success.

The Japanese love eels. But what to do about the possible”eel crisis“?

This review of the comic book tale of an assistant English teacher’s life in small town Japan indicates it’s a worthwhile read, though pricey and incomplete. (TONOHARU: Part One, by Lars Martinson. Minneapolis: Pliant Press, 2008, 128 pp., $19.95)

Hostess scams men out of money, by convincing them to buy her dogs which she later returns.

Problems with cyberbullying are becoming more and more prevalent in Japan.

Nova successor angry at other schools for “poaching students.”

Local female assembly women in Japan tops 10% for the first time ever.

No Tokyo theaters will show controversial movie about Yasukuni Shrine.

Puppine, puppy fashion magazine.

Novelty pudding, looks like udon, tastes like pudding!

2008年3月25日: Recent Japan News

Writer blogs her way to top literary prize : Most blog postings in Japanese; “Technorati found 37 percent of all postings were in Japanese — about 1.5 million per day.”

Ministry to hold special courses for handling foreign press : Special training to help Japanese communicate clearly with foreign press.

Hawker’s kin in Japan to prod manhunt : Briton Linsey Hawker’s killer still free.

Placenta 10000 jelly drink is FOSHU for beauty : Beauty drink includes pig placenta.

QR code graves give a “Memorial Window” : Family members and friends can scan barcode on grave.

学校へ行こう！

学校へ行こう！(gakkou e ikou!) is a Japanese television show showed from 8 to 9 pm on Tuesday nights on TBS. The title means, “Let’s go to school!” and the show focuses on various school related activities and games. It is hosted by the idol group V6. There is some debate as to the meaning of “V” in the groups name, possibilities including vegetable, volleyball, veteran, or vicycle (bicycle in the katakana spelling).

This show often features simple competition games that are often V6 verses popular girl groups or actresses. The participants, though much older than high school age, dress up in typical high school uniforms before engaging in the activities. An example of one game is when 3 members of V6 and 3 members of a popular girl group, sat in a circle, boy-girl-boy-girl. They then looked at the person next to them and said, “愛している” (I love you). The first team to crack up lost and had to do a challenge or punishment. This type of game is a typical batsu（ばつ）game.

A recent feature on the show is “high school boys who convincingly look like girls”. They invited boys from all over Japan to come on the show dressed in drag. Their charm points (チャームポイント) or most attractive features are then critiqued by an actress or singer. Introduced before a live audience of high school girls, the reactions of the crowd are shown before we see the boy-as-girl presented. Before and after pictures are shown showing that some of the boys look even better as women! The first set of boys-as-girls were so convincing as women, they were asked to take part in the fashion show of the Tokyo Girls Collection. The following week the show also featured “mothers who look like high school girls,” which really drove home the agelessness of some Japanese women.

Other features include inviting a girls’ high school photography club to follow one member of V6 for one day while another member plays pranks on him, various pranks and hi-jinks between the group members, and a high school confessional where high school students stand on the roof of their school and shout their secrets to a group of classmates on the ground below. This show is a great look at the culture surrounding Japanese high school students, and compared to most of the shows currently on Japanese TV it is both smarter and more entertaining.

Japan Blogging in Summary

I recently came across a Japan blog, blogging about blogging in Japan. It’s true; those of us living in Japan just cannot resist blogging about our “unique” experiences living in this country. Like the man in the cautionary tale at the beginning of the post, I resisted blogging for more than 2 years in Japan. Now, just as I am preparing to leave, I have entered the world of Japan blogs.

“The Westerner’s Fear of the Neosign” seems to both mock and delight in the blogs of foreign bloggers living in Japan. He summarizes it quite nicely here:

The Greater Japanese Co-Prosperity Blogosphere

Every blog about Japan – and there are too many to count – reveals a dossier of prejudices that the author either held already or nurtured during that vital first year in the country. It’s no surprise that blogs are appended so innocuously -“a blog about my life in Japan”, “thoughts on Japanese society”, “visual culture in Japan” – since this is all the author believes himself to be doing.

With so much effort put into framing Japan for an online audience, why is it that when asked that most basic and predictable of questions by Japanese – “What do you think of Japan?” – the usually candidly functioning Western tongue is afflicted by paralysis? It’s not only to avoid being negative. Hardly any foreigners, save for newbies – and aren’t they just terrifically mockable? I mean, they actually reduce complex issues to opinions – can state in a few concise phrases what they really think of Japan. The truth is embedded in our blogging activities but we lack the critical insight to tease it out until it shines.

To identify which concept best summarizes your Japan blog, read the full entry How’s Your Japan Blog? For handy reference, he also includes a Japanese summary of the all the concepts to use when a Japanese person innocently asks you, “So, what do you think of Japan?”

Cubicle Culture Doesn’t Exist in Japan

When Americans think of the typical workplace I think we envision something out of Office Space; cubicles stretching away, each one dominated by the distinctive personality of the person inhabiting it. Though there is not much privacy, there is a little, and for most people it is enough.

But in Japan, there is no cubicle. No short walls separating your desks, nor long ones either. You and your co-workers sit next to each other, able to glance over at the computer screen or what is open on the desk. Your boss’s too, don’t have their own office, unless they are Really Important. The department heads do, however, get a desk of their own off to the side, or at the front, often facing toward the workers, so that that those who work for them cannot see what is on their computer screen.

This modicum of privacy is highly coveted, at least by me, whose work schedule is erratic at best. Not erratic in the sense that I don’t come in at regular times, but erratic in the sense that some days I am buried under a pile of work, but others I have nothing to do but twiddle my thumbs and read the news, study Japanese, or shuffle papers in an attempt to look as busy as those around me.

When I first came to Japan I remember being surprised at the teacher’s room at the school. I wasn’t expecting so little privacy. Now, I’ve gotten used to it. From that teacher’s room, to my office at the Prefectural Board of Education, the layout is usually the same. I’ve gotten used to the way there is no wall separating me from the bank teller or postal worker; how the important people at the bank sit at the back of the room, while the female tellers in cute bank girl uniforms smile and help you at the front. I’ve even gotten used to the hospital waiting room, which has nurses coming out with thermometers or blood pressure monitors to take your vitals while there is a guy with the flu on one side of you, and a woman with a bunion on the other.

The Morning Commute #1

On the morning train, the faces are always the same.

The Boy has a grey backpack and red shoes. His head weaves back and forth as he takes in his surrounding; the movement is punctuated by a change in focus on this or that. He mutters to himself quietly and earnestly. His pants are too short and his white socks flash like a beacon above his red shoes. His face is almost always lit up with a smile, but when it’s not, he is staring fixedly at something, thinking avidly. Some might say he isn’t all there, that there is something missing, but I believe that his brain is merely missing that censoring ability that separates thoughts from spoken words. Some of my students do the same thing.

Always sitting at the end of the row next to the middle doors is Handyman. Handyman always wears navy blue and red, and usually his pants are workman’s pants with many pockets. He is almost always asleep. Large, square glasses obscure most of his face, but his drooping cheeks are reminiscent of a large dog.

Between The Boy and Handyman is Mr. Newspaper. He often sits between the two, yet purses his lips with displeasure whenever The Boy attempts to engage him in conversation, or points out pictures in the paper with questions or comments. He wears the standard salary-man coat (khaki and long), which hangs down to mid-thigh over his dark pants. Between pants and shoes there peep light-tan socks; only in Japan are light socks acceptable with dark pants and dark shoes.

On the other side of The Boy is Paper. Everyday, he wedges himself into the seat, bursting backpack still perched on his back like a fat monkey. As he pulls out his school work from his large purple shoulder bag, papers drop to the floor, which he hurriedly gathers into his lap with a surreptitious look around, his glasses glinting in the sunlight. He pulls out a chocolate bar and devours it completely, making the sheen of his skin somehow more noticeable.