Experiments and experience

I have nearly finished packing my bags. I'll be leaving for America on Wednesday, so this will be the last entry until my triumphant return to Japan. Unless I get bored at the airport. I'm super excited. It will be great to be at home for a while. See Jen. See my friends. I can't wait.

I'll kick this off with a Preschool Kouto update. It actually hasn't been that exciting, but a few interesting things have happened. First, as it's the rainy season here in Japan, I'll show you what it looks like every day.



There's actually a little blue in that picture, which is unusual. It's dreary. It doesn't rain every day, but it always looks like it's going to. I'm not entirely against it. It would be even better, though, if it wasn't dreary and 80 degrees or more. And crazy humid. Gross.

A troupe of puppeteers came to the school to put on a show for the kids. That was fun. They even called me up to judge which side of the room sang the frog song louder. Also, all of the kids at the school like to collect bugs. They love it, in fact. It's kinda' weird to see four year-old girls running around picking up snails and beetles to add to their collection. But I dig it.





I think that I've mentioned the giant spiders that live around here. Regardless, here's a quick refresher. They are huge, they live in your house, and they don't make webs. They rely on their incredible speed to catch roaches. The good news is that they don't harm people. Now, I had never seen one of these things in person. Until a few days ago. I lifted a bag off of the floor near my desk, and was greeted by this sight:



I'm not exaggerating when I tell you that this thing was as big as my open hand, including my fingers. Ridiculous. Then I proceeded to try and catch it. It was, by far, the fastest spider I'd ever witnessed. Took me ten minutes of running around to finally get it outside. I don't know what else to say about it. It was incredible.

A while ago I met a dude in Himeji named Shintaro. It was a chance meeting. I was a little intoxicated and happened by the Starbucks. Sitting outside was a guy wearing a Chelsea track jacket. I mentioned while passing that Chelsea was my favorite team. He offered me a seat, and we had a long talk about soccer. We exchanged numbers and I left for home. Well, last weekend I met up with him in Himeji again. We decided to go out for a drink. That's when I got to see the underside of Himeji. Not really the underside, I guess, because it's still safe and fairly clean. But the red light district. I have pictures of it in the daylight, so some of the drama is lost. It's definitely a sight to see at night. Like a mini Tokyo. The street was literally bumper to bumper with taxis.



That's about all I've got for now. Here's today's drink of the day (double team):

Matcha Coca-Cola & Shiso Pepsi


Drink makers in Japan are always trying to innovate. They have to keep an edge in a market that is more diverse and dynamic than any other. The big two from the US are no different. They try this kind of thing all the time, often with poor results. Here's the latest from both.

First up, Matcha Coca-Cola. This is Coke with green tea. I tasted this, and was instantly sure that I never wanted to taste it again. It's like drinking Diet Caffeine-Free Coke with a green tea aftertaste. Not good.

Pepsi's response? Shiso Pepsi. Shiso is an herb that has a taste somewhere between mint and anise. Shiso Pepsi has a taste somewhere between gross and disgusting. It's basically Pepsi with a hint of mint, and an aftertaste of ground up plant matter. Also not good.

Next time you're in Japan, avoid these. I will from now on.

Surprise, surprise. It's raining again...

Observations

Let me start this post by saying that I feel better. I'm still a bit homesick, maybe, but I'm feeling good about being here. I'm not physically ill anymore. Except for the lack of sleep, I'm doing really well.

I know that I've only been in Japan for two and a half months, but I've been doing a lot of thinking. There is actually quite a large number of things that I've started to take for granted. Well, no. I don't think that's the case. I don't know that I would say I take them for granted. I think it could be better described as things that I've started to become accustomed to. Let's talk about this a little bit, and see if we can't figure out what I'm trying to say.

Convenience - There are more vending machines within a kilometer of my house than there are in all of Tujunga (where I live in LA). They are almost literally on every street corner. In Tokyo, they are definitely on every street corner. But consider the fact that I live in a town of about ten thousand people. That's small, where I come from. There's even a Seven Eleven in Kamigori, which was actually very surprising for me. I guess what I'm trying to say is this: within reason, it's easy to get what you want, when you want it. It's the "getting things you need when when you need them" part that can be a challenge.

Tidiness - This is something that one cannot easily describe. In Los Angeles (and San Diego, for that matter), there is an underlying grittiness to just about everything. That's how it feels, anyway. Not to say that everything is dirty, and there's litter everywhere. I think it's at least as much about the attitude of the people around you. In Japan, there are almost no public trash cans. There are lots of places to get rid of recycling, but this just goes hand-in-hand with the proliferation of vending machines. You can offload cans and bottles all over the place, but not trash. Despite this, there is virtually no litter. People just seem to care more, here. Which is a good segue into...

Tolerance and consideration - People in Japan are nice. Even if they are not really "nice," they are at least not obstructive. Most, however, are genuinely considerate of others. This is a great change from Los Angeles. I almost feel more welcome here than I do in LA. I'm not talking about my house and my family. I'm talking about the general public. There is a safety here that I've never felt anywhere else. I'm almost afraid of what being back in LA will feel like.

General awesomeness - This includes many things. Badass old Japanese castles are within a half-hour train ride. Arcades (called "game centers" here) are stocked with fully-working, non-vandalized cabinets. And the prizes to be won are incredibly cool. All Japanese snacks all the time. Some of the weirdest and most interesting television shows in the world. Plus commercials. Great restaurants. The list goes on.

As I've been here for almost three months, it will be time to return to the US soon. Two weeks from tomorrow, to be exact. I still don't know how long my stay will be before I'm back here. I'm definitely excited to go home for a while. I miss Jen. I miss my friends. I miss my family. It will be good.

Here's a quick rundown (with pictures!) of some of the things I've been up to lately.

field trips with the preschool


letting random kids wear my sunglasses


finding my way into the abandoned junior high school


lunches with the Imaoka Family


going to the driving range with Ikki


And I added a sweet new calendar to the sidebar. Check it out.

Teaching

I think I now know the full breadth of my responsibilities here. The first thing that I was asked to do was translate the calendar and activities handout into English. Two of the students at the school are from non-Japanese speaking families, so they needed English calendars. That was not easy. Someone once said that translating is not just a=a and b=b. It's also creative interpretive writing. So that took me a while. It was not a small calendar. But it was fun, and that's the first bit of official translating I've done.

In the afternoon, I had my normal English lesson with Hara-sensei. She helps me teach on Thursdays. Before the class, she approached me with a question. She wanted to know if I might be able to assist with teaching the students at the elementary school near my house. I said yes, because it's only one Monday per month. No problem. She's a super nice woman, and I like teaching with her. She's like the motherly teacher that you had as a kid. Kinda' wacky and fun.

Encho-sensei (the manager of Kouto) had scheduled a meeting with a different elementary school in the afternoon. This one is just down the street from the pre-school. We went and met the Principal, Vice Principal, and three of the teachers at the school. The meeting itself was mildly overwhelming, if only because I didn't understand a lot of it. We went over when I would be teaching there, which students I would be instructing, the curriculum, etc. The text that they want me to teach is written for native Japanese speakers to teach English. The textbook is written in Japanese, naturally. Encho-sensei informed me that two teachers will be assisting me. She also pointed out that they really just want me there to pronounce words and speak to the students in English as I would speak to any students. It shouldn't be too bad.

So my schedule for the next six months will be as follows:

Monday - English lessons at the elementary school once per month
Tuesday - At Kouto all day with an English lesson in the afternoon
Wednesday - At Kouto all day with an English lesson in the afternoon for the pre-schoolers, and an English lesson after school for 2nd grade students
Thursday - At Kouto all day with an English lesson in the afternoon
Friday - At Kouto until 1:30, then two English lessons in the afternoon the elementary school, an English lesson after school for 1st grade students, and another for the 3rd & 4th grade students.

It will be busy. Most of the time I get three-day weekends, though. And I just like being here in general. I think I will survive.

Today's drink of the day:

Lucky Cider


Lucky Cider is, as far as I can tell, not cider at all. It tastes more like Ramune (like a Japanese cream soda) than anything else. But it is delicious. The dolphin at the top says, "Fruity Smell, carbonated heart, Lucky Cider." And the added benefits can be seen in this video:



"Have a lucky morning, my friend is unlucky,
Sun is shining for me, handsome guys want me,
Big money hit me, I am a lucky girl,
Because I drink Lucky Cider!"

Which probably explains why it is sold out so often at the vending machine around the corner. But I totally got one! And I'm already feeling more lucky... Not really.

On another note, I realized that for some reason I had disabled comments. I have remedied that situation, so now anyone can comment on the blog. Just click on the link that says comments. Easy.

Osaka and Pre-School Kouto

Apologies for the brief lapse in activity. It's been a busy few nights.

On Monday I went to Osaka. Finally. I have always wanted to check it out, and I finally had the chance. I rather enjoyed it. Took me almost two hour to get there by train. While passing through Kobe on the train, I went beneath Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, the longest suspension bridge in the world. Unfortunately I was unable to get any pictures of it. Next time I pass by, I'll be sure to sit on the right side of the train.

Arriving in Osaka, I was immediately struck by how different it is than Tokyo. I mean, aside from the size. Tokyo is this gleaming metropolis, full of tall buildings and charming side streets. Osaka was more like a gritty, older city. Like the New York that I imagine (I've never been). There are definitely some interesting things, though. Take the HEP 5 Building, right outside of Osaka Station.



It's like a ten-story department store with a giant ferris wheel sticking out of the top. I went inside, but it was a bit upscale for me. Like a vertical version of The Grove in Beverly Hills. As I ventured further afield, I didn't find too much that was very interesting. I didn't look that hard. But I eventually arrived at Osaka Castle.





That was awesome. Given a choice, though, I prefer Himeji Castle. I didn't go into the castle this time. I want to do that with Jen when she comes out to visit.

After Osaka Castle, I went across the city to Shinsaibashi, the shopping district. Basically one long-ass shopping street. I had to find some shoes for school. And I did! I'll try to remember to take a picture of them when I get back to school. Anyway, I found some shoes and tried to win a toy or two. I did not win any toys. After Shinsaibashi, I went to Den Den Town (Osaka's answer to Akihabara in Tokyo). It was a small area, but I saw some interesting things.





After that I came home. And I got soaked in the rain. And I'm fine with that.

No drink of the day, today. Here are some pictures of my school, instead!









More to come.

Valuable Lessons

Things I learned today:

- Being from California, I slur my words. This makes speaking Japanese difficult (for example, kawaii = cute, kowai = scary)

- Despite the above fact, I've been told that my Japanese pronunciation is excellent

- Numerous people have told me that I use chopsticks like a Japanese person



- The eye is the best part of a broiled fish head



- Japanese pre-schoolers learn way more than American pre-schools teach, like piano, Go and Kendo







I also learned a few new useful words, thanks to Ikki. Also, while at sushi tonight, I was introduced to a bunch of people from all over town. Shon-kun, Miyazaki, Nakamura and Ikki are coming over next Friday for a takoyaki party. And tomorrow I may go to Osaka to check it out, as I've never been. I'll let you know how it goes.