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The JET Programme

A Glimpse of Home: From left to right, 1) My Ghetto Fabulous Apt. Bldg., 2) A view from my cherry tree shaded, river-side bike path that I ride daily, 3) Squid on a stick, 4) my pottery masterpiece, 5) a "Hot Menu: causal, delicious nutrition" vending machine...dinner anyone?

Sunrise Atop Mt. Fuji...not sure it gets much more beautiful than this folks!

Fact of the Month: Invasion of Jelly Giants

A diver takes a look at one of the thousands of monster jellyfish which have invaded a stretch of coastline off Echizen, Japan (that's my home!). The huge creatures are 3 ft wide, 15 ft long and weigh up to 300 lbs. Fishermen’s catches have been halved by the biggest plague of the molophus nomurai for 44 years. The poison from the species’ tentacles discolours and sickens fish but is not lethal to humans.Fishermen reported thousands of the giant jellyfish trapped in their nets. Yikes!!!

***See - told you this was another planet! I go to work next to these big bubbas every week!!! Some days I check out the window just to make sure they haven't grown legs and begun an amphibious attack.

"Your Mama" By Matt T's Students

This is a MUST READ if you're in need of some Engrish laughs. These are "Your Mama's so fat..." phrases written by the students of one of my friends. He works at a technical and agricultural high school. As a result, 1) he must work doubly hard to generate interest in English and 2) he has almsot total freedom with regard to curriculm. Just to wet your taste, here's one of my favorites: "Your Mama's SO Arrogance, she give rise to fool boy!"

Images from October/November

Tokyo: Courtesy of Craig Erdrich
Day One (begin with pic 1072) Day Two

Halloween: Courtesy of Adele Mariette

This is a great photo from the Halloween party on the train!
From left to right:
Adele as Amiinane Danger, me as Artemis, Laura as a Hawaiian girl, and Tom as Wrong Weasly

Fact of the Month: "Sex Friends" (a little education in honor of World AIDS Day)

Yes, it's true. Japanese school children continue to wear sailor uniforms and done Hello Kitty accessories all the way through high school and into their university years. However, that young and innocent image is decidedly, misleading. Surveys suggest that many Japanese youth maintain multiple sekusutomo - literally "sex friends." A joint study by the University of California-San Francisco and Hiroshima University recently found that of 602 teens ages 15 to 19 surveyed in the Shibuya section of Tokyo, 43 percent said they kept five or more sex friends at a time. A similar survey of 16-year-olds in two rural prefectures found 20 percent of boys and 18 percent of girls said that they have at least five sex partners.

In the aftermath of the collapse of Japan's early 1990s "bubble economy," many corporations have stopped hiring new university and high school graduates, so ever-greater numbers of young Japanese matriculate each year to the economic margins. They form social groups that - like their jobs - are part-time, low stress and temporary. Their logic: Japan is largely HIV-free, so by having sex within a closed circle of cohorts they can enjoy lifestyles reminiscent of the West after the advent of the birth control pill and before the emergence of AIDS. That flawed reasoning reflects the unwillingness of older Japanese, particularly parents and teachers, to educate kids about the risks of promiscuous behavior. Condom sales have dropped 25 percent over the last decade: "Young adults refuse to use them," said a spokesperson for Japan's largest maker of condoms. Japan's abortion rate has nearly doubled since 1999 to 13 per 1,000. The result, new research shows, is a significant rise in STDs among young Japanese.

According to the Ministry of Health, between 1998 and 2000, the STD infection rate rose 21 percent for Japanese men under 24 and 14 percent for women in the same age group. While Japan's HIV rate remains one of the world's lowest, it is rising quickly. According to a the Health Ministry, 621 people were infected in 2001, an increase of 34% over 2000. Officials believe the actual number of Japanese infected with HIV is five times higher than the reported figures (2, 549 reported have AIDS as of Dec. 2002).

Info. from: Webb, Amy L. "Japan's Casual 'Sex Friends' Risk More Than Broken Hearts." Newsweek. (09.16.02) and "Japan's HIV Cases Rose in Last 3 Months of 2002." Associated Press (01.31.03)

Meet my new cousin Caroline Gardner Williams!

Well, she's really a first cousin once removed, but who's counting. She weighed in at 6 lbs., 13 oz. and was 19 inches long. Mom and baby are doing great! I can't wait to meet her!

Images from November/December

Thanks to Christina, Kara, and Adele for sharing your pics with me!

Thanksgiving - Well, seeing as we couldn't have a real finger-lickin' turkey dinner on Thanksgiving, we decided we might as well stuff ourselves silly as everyone was doing State-side. So, we went to Ganga, the all you can eat curry buffet. Pictured to the left you see Jose and Amanda - stuffed and happy!
(pics courtesy of Adele Mariette)

Festivus "for the rest of us" - In honor of the American Thanksgiving, the Canadian Thanksgiving, Christmas, and all holidays that involve massive amounts of food, the JETs in Fukui celebrated Festivus, the festival for the rest of us! It was a jolly good time. ( pics courtesy of Adele Mariette)

Winter Seminars - About 30 JETs were involved in an English workshop of sorts at one of the academic schools in the city. Check out the photos. Please be sure to note the fakes noses (they look like bird beaks) that my students decided to wear because, "Americans look different from Japanese people." Also, note the lack of boys - English is far far more popular with girls than boys. Finally note the weird pipe contraptions used to funnel the exhaust from the gas heaters out of the classrooms...this is the standard in all Japanese schools. They don't use central heating here. (...and you thought Japan was technologically advanced). (again, pics courtesy of Adele Mariette)

Fact of the Month: Why are so many Japanese Women Pigeon-Toed and Bow-Legged?

When I first arrived I was shocked by the prevalence of pigeon-toed, bow-legged women. These traits seem to characterize the gait of almost all females in Japan, regardless of age or wealth. They shuffle along, usually in high heels, looking as though they're going to topple at any moment. I'm terrified for them. Recently I've even noticied that my students snicker and point at my feet - noting that my feet, unlike theirs, point straight forward or even slightly outward. Nan de? (Why?)

My initial conjecture was that Asians are genetically predisposed to these conditions as they are to alcohol sensitivity and poor eyesight. But, a little research revealed the following: "in all of Asia, only Japanese women walk this way" (The Business Times). Moreover, the deformities are limited to females. So, I chucked that theory. I have, however, found two theories to be rather convincing::

1. Walking pigeon-toed is considered feminine in Japan. Whereas in the West we correct for it in childhood, in Japan this child-like posture is encouraged. It is a holdover from the days when people still wore kimono. If you walk normally while wearing one, the kimono tends to comes open so for modesty people began walking pigeon-toed. Even though people no longer wear kimono, a shuffling walk with one's feet turned inward is still considered modest, feminine, and even cute.

2. It's a symptom of the traditional way of kneeling (seiza) on tatami. I've found that, while men do kneel, women tend to remain kneeling for much longer. In fact, girls tend to sit on their heels or with their bum between their backward-sprayed legs even when they're "relaxing." I don't know how they do it, as I find it incredibly painful. In any case, they do it all the time, and many people suggest that this bows their legs and turns their feet inwards.

In any event, if ever you come to Japan and find yourself horrified by the posture of women here, as was I, try to remember that you're passing judgement with a western eye. What we see as deformity, they see as beauty.

Sources: The Business Times. "Japanese Women's Legs Telltale Signs of Differing Ways of Life."
and "The Quirky Japan Homepage."

Fact of the Month: "An Enkai of All Enkais"

In favor of a less dense topic this month I've decided to give you a glimpse of a Japanese enkai (office party). The following is a true tale relayed to me by one of my fellow JETs. The names of the author and participants have been changed to protect the innocent. Please enjoy! Maybe it will give you a taste for how wild and crazy the Japanese can be. "An Enkai of All Enkais"

Images from this Winter:
This picture is from a "nabe" party I had with several friends. Nabe is esentially a winter stew that you cook in the pot that you can see on the table. Good stuff when it's cold and snowy!

Home for Xmas
Eric's Visit
January
February
Shirais Jazz House
All Dressed Up (in Kimono)

All of the following are from Adele (She's definitely a better photographer and a much wittier caption writer):
Valentine's Day party at Nana Iro
Obama
Arrival in Okayama
The Naked Man Festival
Bike Ride in Okayama
Laura's Bday Dinner

Fact of the Month: The Grass is Alwasy BLUER on the Other Side of the Fence (In Japan)

I've learned that I can pretty much depend on things in Japan to be opposite what they are America.

- For emergencies you don't dial 911, instead you dial 119.
- On Valentine's Day women give men chocolate.
- Four and nine are extremely unluncky numbers (because the words sound like "death" and "struggle").
- Getting a nice brown tan is a teens worst fear.
- They peel their grapes and apples, but eat the heads, eyes, scales and bones on their fish.

Even so, I must say I was utterly confused when my students continued to speak of the blue grass, the blue traffic lights, and blue caterpillars. A little research has revealed that, though the Japanese language does have a noun that means "green" (midori), this category of color is relatively new. In the past the word "aoi," or blue, was used to reference all things green and blue. Also of note, while in English we associate the color green with youth, immaturity and new life. In Japan, those traits are associated with the color blue. Here's a list of a few things that are all green in English, but blue in Japanese: traffic lights, catarpillars, vegetables, rice fields, tree leaves, grass, and peas.

Source: The JET Programme Japanese Language Course Text Book 4.

Fact of the Month: Don't Know Much About "Sumo"

Recently I've become a huge fan of sumo wrestling. There's nothing better than observing a nation of quiet, skinny, harmonious people cheering on grosely fat naked men engaged in a girl fight. For those of you who're turned on by watching a fight between two obese guys that wear diapers and have pony tails (as am I), here are a few interesting tid bits I picked up when I attended the last national tournament:

• The supremacy of the Japanese people in Japan was supposedly established when the god, Take-mikazuchi, won a sumo battle with the leader from another tribe. Thus each match is a historical recreation.
• The rules of sumo are simple: one of the two wrestlers loses when he is forced out of the wrestling ring (which measures 15 feet in diameter) or if anything other than his feet touch the playing surface. Wrestlers may trip or slap with an open hand, but eye-gouging, hair-pulling, and hitting with a closed fist are not permitted and will result in forfeiting the bout. Since there is no weight prohibition, you can be pinned by someone twice your weight.
  
• Upon entering the contestants toss salt around the ring to purify it - Sumo still holds to its religious roots strongly. Each wrestler asks for the help of the gods to win the battle and after, the winner shows no joy.
• The best sumo wrestlers at present are NOT Japanese; they are Mongolian and American.

And, the best two:
1. It is illegal to grab the belt that is covering your "vital organs."
2. Sumo wrestlers are sex icons in Japan!

Images from March and April:

March 2004
Ann and Ori Visit Japan
The Little Family Takes on Japan

These are some of my students from Koshino Junior High School (my small school by the sea). They're all smiling and happy because this shot was taken just after they graduated.

Kawaii desu ne!

Fact of the Month: Sakura Zensen

"Every spring, a wave of flowers sweeps across Japan. It begins in Okinawa and rolls from island to island to mainland...They call it "Sakura Zensen" - the "Cherry Blossom Front" - and its advance is traced with a seriousness usually reserved for armies on the march. Progress reports are given nightly on the news and elaborate maps are prepared to show the front lines, the back lines, and the percentage of blossoms in any one area...Nowhere else on earth does spring arrive as dramatically as it does in Japan. When the cherry blossoms hit, they hit like a hurricane. Gnarled cherry trees, ignored for most of the year, burst into bloom like fountains turned suddenly on. The coming of the sakura (cherry blossoms) marks the end of winter. It also marks the start of the school year and the end of the business cycle. It is a hectic time, a time of final exams and productivity reports. Budgets have to be finalized, accounts settled, work finished. Karoshi (death by overwork) peaks in March. Deadlines, school graduations, government transfers - and then, riding on April winds come the cherry blossoms. And in one of the most extreme shifts that seem to mark Japanese life, the nation swings from intense work to intense play. Crowds congregate beneath the flowers, sake flows, neckties loosen, and wild spontaneous haiku are composed and recited."

~Will Ferguson, "Hokkaido Highway Blues: Hitchhiking Japan."

Fact of the Month: "Auld Lang Syne"

Just as I was nodding off in the middle of yet another of the 8 billion boring speeches that made up the gradutation ceremonies at my two junior high schools, I was startled awake by a room full of Japanese poeple singing "Auld Lang Syne." Now - at first - I just thought this was some wierd dream where in people, places, and time merge flawlessly. But, no! Apparently "Auld Lang Syne" has different lyrics in Japanese (I know I know - dah!) and is traditionally sung at graduation ceremonies, not at New Year's. Rather, on New Year's Eve the Japanese opt for Beethoven's "Ninth Symphany." Just for kicks I looked up the translation for the first verse of the Japanese "Auld Lang Syne" and here it is:

"We studied hard using the glow of fireflies in summer, and by the light reflected through the window by the snow in winter. Now the days have passed and it is time to say good bye."

So - next time you see someone cute at a New Years party and you want to impress them...well you can tell them "Auld Lang Syne" as is sung at Japanese graduations, too...bet that'll win you a kiss!

Source: The JET Programme Japanese Language Course Text Book 5.

Images from April and May:

Reinan Car Rally 2004 (courtesy of Adele)
China (courtesy of Laura)
More from Eric's Visit in January
Momotaro Reloaded (courtesy of Laura)
Okonomiyaki (courtesy of Laura)

Note: The images from China and Eric's visit are out of order...just go with it.

These are some of the adorable children in China that were forever greeting us with enthusiastic "hellos" on the streets of Pingyao, a small town we visited.

Fact of the Month: 7-Eleven's Big Plan for Rice Balls

Haven't you always wanted a Slurpee and a rice ball on the run?

James Keyes, the chief executive of 7-Eleven Inc. recently said he would like to bring one of the most popular fast food items in Japan called "onigiri," or rice balls, to 7-Eleven stores in the United States.

Onigiri, which are about as popular in Japan as sandwiches are in the United States, typically consist of rice wrapped in seaweed and stuffed with ingredients such as grilled salmon, pickled plums or cod roe. They are a little smaller than hamburgers and are big sellers at 7-Eleven stores in Japan.

He said 7-Eleven customers could see onigiri on U.S. store shelves in two to three years. They will look to develop onigiri flavors that will sit well with U.S. consumers. There could be rice ball offerings stuffed with barbecued pulled pork or Cajun beans. Ummmm.... Have I made your mouth water yet?!?

Images from May and June:

Mikata Bike Trip
Wearing Yukata (courtesy of Laura)
Yashiro BBQ
Obama
Shodo (courtesy of Adele)
Baseball: Tigers v. Carp
Yukata Yatta
Tie Dye Party
Camping (courtesy of Adele)
Pizza Party (courtesy of Adele)

This is an image from my trip down to Obama ...a trip made perfect by a little dip in the sea, a lot of watermelon, and plenty of toe-tapping bluegrass tunes. As usual, Stuart is stirring up trouble. Meanwhile, Amber is giggling and Mari-chan is getting hit with one piece of puffed rice after another.

Fact of the Month: So You Think the Japanese Live in Rabbit Hutches...

"[In Japan] neighborhoods are a labyrinth of one-lane streets, narrow divides, dead ends. The Japanese usally cite the high cost of land for this closely packed effect, but there are other reasons at work. A typical Japanese village is surrounded by open, inviting areas: forests, rice fields, hills. But...the Japanese wedge their homes into thickly clustered packs, as though huddled together for protection. The rice fields form a moat of green around them, and the Japanese live in each other's laps.

It is a habit born partly of geography - the fjords of the coastline naturally encourage villages to be clustered in coves. But it is also something else. The design of their villages is born of a need that the West has largely disregarded as weak: the need for human company and the sadness of being left alone. In the West we fear insignificance. In Japan, they fear loneliness. It is in this broad sense that Japan is described as being femine, and the West, masculine. In the West we are obsessed with individuality. It makes us strong - in a very limited sense of the word - but like any commitment to an ideal it also requires a sacrifice. And what we have sacrificed in the West is our sense of belonging. In Japan, it is privacy that has been sacrificed. And it is this privacy that the Japanese home seeks to reclaim.

Japanese homes are greedy. In the West, given a mid-sized piece of land, we would build a modest home and reserve at last half of the property for a yard...The homes of Japan, in contrast, are disproportionately large for the amount of land they occupy. It is a pernicious myth that the Japanse live in rabbit hutches. Maybe in Tokyo or Osaka, but for the majority of Japanese outside the major centers, homes are comfortable...It's the yards that are small."

~Will Ferguson, "Hokkaido Highway Blues: Hitchhiking Japan."

Images from July:

Spring/Summer 2004
Minato International Day
Sayounara Party
More Sayounara Party (courtesy of Adele)
Dinner at Harumi's
Karaoke
Last Shodo Class (courtesy of Adele)
Last Friday Night Out (courtesy of Adele)
July 2004
Final Fling

This is a fantastic photo of Amber, Laura, Lindsay, and me at the Sayounara Party. Thanks for sharing the photo Laura!

The Farewell Speech

On Friday, July 16th the Fukui Prefectural Board of Education held its closing ceremony for the departing JETs complete with lots of bowing, gifts, and snazzy certificates too! Robbie Roberts delivered a wonderful speech during the ceremony (translated beautifully by Janine). Later, at the banquet that followed, Laura, Katie, Teresa, Kara and I also gave a few words. Many many many thanks to Tanner Blackman for his amazing reading of the translation. Many many many thanks to Harumi Yamada for writing the translation. And, lastly, many many many thanks to the girls who wrote the speech. It was really special for me to share memories of our our time in Fukui together in the process of writing this. Your words and thoughts reminded me of so many beautiful and important parts of this experience that had slipped my mind till now. And, you are all beautiful writers whose words I will dearly miss. To everyone who was there and everyone remaining in Japan - Sabishii! Ogenkide! See you! To everyone who wasn't, maybe this speech can give you a bit of a glimpse into our lives in Japan and all that we'll miss.

Fukui Floods!!!

On Sunday, July 18th Fukui City flooded something aweful. We got more rain in 3 hours than the area usually gets in the entire month of July (and July is typically the rainy season). The main river that runs through Fukui (Asuwagawa) came within three feet of washing out the bridge that's nearest my house...and within just a few feet of spilling the banks and flooding my neighborhood. That is quite frightening given that the bridge usually spans at least 20-30 feet above the river. The river did overflow, break the massive dike, and destroy bridges in other parts of the city. It flooded and destroyed many a house. Carp were swimming in the streets and the elderly were being rescued in rafts. Three people died in the flood and two remain missing. It was quite a terrible storm! Please keep these people and this city in your thoughts and prayers. I included some pictures in the "July 2004" album. Here's what the Fukui newspaper had to say: details. Here are some pics from Adele/Rhen.

I'm off!