This post will be about random details that are amusing or interesting, aspects about my daily life that i have not yet shared, my trips to Towada City, Aomori and Karuizawa, Nagano, and the Yokohama Town Autumn Festival.
The next post will talk about my teaching experiences.
1) Lunch. The lunches here are insanely healthy, not to mention delicious. I eat everyday with the students, which is fun but also awkward at first. I don't speak much Japanese and the students are shy about speaking English. Students either arrange their desks in a circle or put them together in 3 or 4 blocks and eat lunch in their classroom. Throughout lunch are the days announcements over the loudspeaker which is then followed by J-Pop being blasted in every classroom. After eating they sort their trash and dishes (straws/plastic, unwanted food, bowls), wash out their milk cartons before disposing of them, and clean their tray with a towel and spray. So organized and clean.
2) Brushing teeth. They brush their teeth after lunch. At one school they even put their toothbrush in a cup of water and set it on the table next to them while they eat. I think that's kind of gross! Teachers will also walk around the office after lunch casually brushing their teeth.
3) Break. After lunch is "afternoon break" (昼休み)when the kids roam around the school and do whatever they want. Basically it's recess, but the teachers aren't always around, which is so weird to me since in America the teachers are constantly blowing their whistles at students for misbehaving. So interesting! I started playing soccer, tag, and climbing the jungle gym with the kids and it's been a lot of fun. I miss recess! I miss being a kid! And the best part is getting to know the students better. They also feel less shy around me after spending 45 minutes of being chased around the playground by me aka Monster Emi. After break is cleaning time. Seeing tiny little children with big vacuum cleaners and tall brooms walking around the school is such an interesting sight. They play classical music on the loudspeaker during this time, which is also interesting. Basically everything at school is interesting.
Below: two examples of a school lunch. Usually there is a vegetable and meat soup, a vegetable dish, some type of meat, and rice/bread, always served with milk. The middle picture top row is a spork, which they use instead of spoons and forks, although usually we just use chopsticks. Everyone thinks that my ability to use chopsticks is the most amazing thing in the world, being a foreigner.
Second row: a bento box given to the teachers and faculty at the elementary schools' track meet; the best cookie I have EVER tasted (flavor unknown, unfortunately) given to me by my coworker's wife; nanohana (canola blossom) soft serve ice cream (VERY delicious!)
The next post will talk about my teaching experiences.
1) Lunch. The lunches here are insanely healthy, not to mention delicious. I eat everyday with the students, which is fun but also awkward at first. I don't speak much Japanese and the students are shy about speaking English. Students either arrange their desks in a circle or put them together in 3 or 4 blocks and eat lunch in their classroom. Throughout lunch are the days announcements over the loudspeaker which is then followed by J-Pop being blasted in every classroom. After eating they sort their trash and dishes (straws/plastic, unwanted food, bowls), wash out their milk cartons before disposing of them, and clean their tray with a towel and spray. So organized and clean.
2) Brushing teeth. They brush their teeth after lunch. At one school they even put their toothbrush in a cup of water and set it on the table next to them while they eat. I think that's kind of gross! Teachers will also walk around the office after lunch casually brushing their teeth.
3) Break. After lunch is "afternoon break" (昼休み)when the kids roam around the school and do whatever they want. Basically it's recess, but the teachers aren't always around, which is so weird to me since in America the teachers are constantly blowing their whistles at students for misbehaving. So interesting! I started playing soccer, tag, and climbing the jungle gym with the kids and it's been a lot of fun. I miss recess! I miss being a kid! And the best part is getting to know the students better. They also feel less shy around me after spending 45 minutes of being chased around the playground by me aka Monster Emi. After break is cleaning time. Seeing tiny little children with big vacuum cleaners and tall brooms walking around the school is such an interesting sight. They play classical music on the loudspeaker during this time, which is also interesting. Basically everything at school is interesting.
Below: two examples of a school lunch. Usually there is a vegetable and meat soup, a vegetable dish, some type of meat, and rice/bread, always served with milk. The middle picture top row is a spork, which they use instead of spoons and forks, although usually we just use chopsticks. Everyone thinks that my ability to use chopsticks is the most amazing thing in the world, being a foreigner.
Second row: a bento box given to the teachers and faculty at the elementary schools' track meet; the best cookie I have EVER tasted (flavor unknown, unfortunately) given to me by my coworker's wife; nanohana (canola blossom) soft serve ice cream (VERY delicious!)
4) The elderly. It is common to see people who like they're in their 60s and 70s biking around town or carrying a big bucket of something (I'm not sure what...fish? Plants?). Some bikes have mini-motors built into them, which makes it easier to bike up hills. But still! I am in awe of how healthy and able the elderly are here.
5) Nature. It is unbelievably beautiful here. Every time I walk to work or bike around town, or just look out the window I can't believe I live in this fairy-land of a town. If you look one way, you see the bay. Beyond the bay are mountain silhouettes that rise and fall sharply. If you look to the other way, you see green mountains beyond rice fields and Japanese houses. There are some wooded areas, which I visited for the first time yesterday. A shrine was at the end of a winding path through the woods and it was so serene. The evergreens are straight as a ruler and they sway in the wind. When I say sway, I mean really sway! I was scared that if it got too windy the trees might tip over. There were also tall, winding trees that look like they might be thousands of years old. And, moss. Lots of green moss.
The weather in my town changes by the hour because of our proximity to the bay. In the morning it may be down-pouring rain and a couple hours later there will be bright blue skies with fluffy clouds. The clouds are always traveling fast and often leave massive shadows over the mountains behind Yokohama town, which are quite close to us. There is a lot of wildlife, too. There are bears and monkeys in the woods in this area, although Yokohama isn't too close to the forest where bears live so we rarely see them. I saw a frog waiting for me at my front door when I came home one night (picture below). I hear bullfrogs at night, too! I got really scared the first time I heard it at night time because I had no clue what it was.
Below: pictures of the river, bay, morning skies, sunsets, view of the bay/mountains from my classroom (fourth to last picture), pictures of the forest shrine, my friend frog. Obviously, these pictures don't do the scenery justice.
5) Nature. It is unbelievably beautiful here. Every time I walk to work or bike around town, or just look out the window I can't believe I live in this fairy-land of a town. If you look one way, you see the bay. Beyond the bay are mountain silhouettes that rise and fall sharply. If you look to the other way, you see green mountains beyond rice fields and Japanese houses. There are some wooded areas, which I visited for the first time yesterday. A shrine was at the end of a winding path through the woods and it was so serene. The evergreens are straight as a ruler and they sway in the wind. When I say sway, I mean really sway! I was scared that if it got too windy the trees might tip over. There were also tall, winding trees that look like they might be thousands of years old. And, moss. Lots of green moss.
The weather in my town changes by the hour because of our proximity to the bay. In the morning it may be down-pouring rain and a couple hours later there will be bright blue skies with fluffy clouds. The clouds are always traveling fast and often leave massive shadows over the mountains behind Yokohama town, which are quite close to us. There is a lot of wildlife, too. There are bears and monkeys in the woods in this area, although Yokohama isn't too close to the forest where bears live so we rarely see them. I saw a frog waiting for me at my front door when I came home one night (picture below). I hear bullfrogs at night, too! I got really scared the first time I heard it at night time because I had no clue what it was.
Below: pictures of the river, bay, morning skies, sunsets, view of the bay/mountains from my classroom (fourth to last picture), pictures of the forest shrine, my friend frog. Obviously, these pictures don't do the scenery justice.
6) Atmosphere. The atmosphere in Aomori is quite different from the more popular and well-known areas down south. I don't know how to explain it nor am I sure if other people feel the same way. I guess Aomori isn't the stereotypical image of Japan, even though it is very countryside and traditional. Maybe it's the weather. It's very cool here and you don't hear cicadas during the summer time, which are VERY loud in the south. If I think Japanese summertime, usually I think of cicadas and humid weather. It might also be how spacious it is here. I visited my grandmother in Nagano, which is apparently considered countryside. However, the roads were narrow and there were many people (albeit I visited during a popular vacation weekend). Aomori is as countryside as you can get in Japan, so I'm sure that has an effect on the atmosphere. Regardless, I love Aomori and I'm so happy I chose to come here.
7) Language. I have talked a lot about language in previous posts, but I have some updates. Both are really important events, but one is a bad event and one is a good event. I'll say the negative one first:
a) I don't want to go into too much detail with this. Basically there is a man that lives in my town, probably in his late 20s or early 30s, who really creeps me out. He has a lot of tattoos, which is very unusual for a Japanese person, and he just says inappropriate things that rub me the wrong way. The other night, in front of a bunch of my new Japanese friends and 2 of my coworkers, he made an inappropriate gesture to me and, as you can imagine, I was VERY offended. I said, "Ew stop that is gross!!" and looked away because I was so disgusted. The three times I have interacted with him for more than 2 minutes he did or said something that made me highly uncomfortable. The worst part was, I couldn't express myself in Japanese. Not only to denounce what he did and tell him to STOP, but also because I couldn't ask my coworker questions that I really think are important to know. For instance, is he always like that? It doesn't really matter if he is because that is wildly inappropriate to do to a woman and especially a guest in the town, but it would help me understand better why I am always uncomfortable around him. Should I be worried? Does sexual harassment happen a lot in this town? That was the most frustrated and upset I have been since coming here. Luckily, my neighbor speaks fluent English and spoke to my coworker and boss about the situation.
b) I visited my grandmother and aunt in Karuizawa, Nagano (pictures below). It was SUCH a wonderful trip!! I went on long bike rides, which were so relaxing because the weather was beautiful and Karuizawa is scenic in general. My favorite part, though, was spending time with my family. My cousin and her family visited the first day as well and spoke mostly in Japanese with my aunt. The main reason I wanted to learn Japanese was so that I would be able to communicate better with my family. I was so happy because for the first time ever, I could generally follow the conversation. I wasn't able to understand everything, but I could at least get a gist of the conversation, such as "Oh, they're talking about someone taking medicine" or "My aunt is telling the store manager about how I'm her sister's daughter and haven't been here for 10 years." This was so gratifying. It was nice to spend time with my family and nice to hear them speak (and partially understand!!!) Japanese.
Below: bento box I ate on the bullet train to Karuizawa, pictures biking around Karuizawa, a giant cricket cockroach thing that had antennae the size of my index finger, giant Japanese grapes, a delicious lunch and dessert that my aunt kindly treated me to, a bullet train pulling up to the station on m way home.
7) Language. I have talked a lot about language in previous posts, but I have some updates. Both are really important events, but one is a bad event and one is a good event. I'll say the negative one first:
a) I don't want to go into too much detail with this. Basically there is a man that lives in my town, probably in his late 20s or early 30s, who really creeps me out. He has a lot of tattoos, which is very unusual for a Japanese person, and he just says inappropriate things that rub me the wrong way. The other night, in front of a bunch of my new Japanese friends and 2 of my coworkers, he made an inappropriate gesture to me and, as you can imagine, I was VERY offended. I said, "Ew stop that is gross!!" and looked away because I was so disgusted. The three times I have interacted with him for more than 2 minutes he did or said something that made me highly uncomfortable. The worst part was, I couldn't express myself in Japanese. Not only to denounce what he did and tell him to STOP, but also because I couldn't ask my coworker questions that I really think are important to know. For instance, is he always like that? It doesn't really matter if he is because that is wildly inappropriate to do to a woman and especially a guest in the town, but it would help me understand better why I am always uncomfortable around him. Should I be worried? Does sexual harassment happen a lot in this town? That was the most frustrated and upset I have been since coming here. Luckily, my neighbor speaks fluent English and spoke to my coworker and boss about the situation.
b) I visited my grandmother and aunt in Karuizawa, Nagano (pictures below). It was SUCH a wonderful trip!! I went on long bike rides, which were so relaxing because the weather was beautiful and Karuizawa is scenic in general. My favorite part, though, was spending time with my family. My cousin and her family visited the first day as well and spoke mostly in Japanese with my aunt. The main reason I wanted to learn Japanese was so that I would be able to communicate better with my family. I was so happy because for the first time ever, I could generally follow the conversation. I wasn't able to understand everything, but I could at least get a gist of the conversation, such as "Oh, they're talking about someone taking medicine" or "My aunt is telling the store manager about how I'm her sister's daughter and haven't been here for 10 years." This was so gratifying. It was nice to spend time with my family and nice to hear them speak (and partially understand!!!) Japanese.
Below: bento box I ate on the bullet train to Karuizawa, pictures biking around Karuizawa, a giant cricket cockroach thing that had antennae the size of my index finger, giant Japanese grapes, a delicious lunch and dessert that my aunt kindly treated me to, a bullet train pulling up to the station on m way home.
8) Towada, Aomori. A great aspect about living as a JET in Aomori is the network here. I walked up to someone I had met less than 24 hours before at our orientation and said, "Hey, you like hiking? Do you mind if I visit your city next weekend and maybe we can go hiking." That was it! Next thing you know I'm sweating bullets about driving to another town in this foreign country where people drive on the left side and withOUT a GPS, passing through mountains and rice fields, and driving around Towada City trying to find my friend's apartment. You see, using Google Maps here doesn't really work. It tells me the streets to go on and then, when the side streets get really specific, it says "turn right, turn left" but doesn't give street names. Anyways I found it and it was a blast. I went to a taiko drumming competition, walked around their fall festival, stopped by Hachinohe City to see some more friends in the evening, and went hiking the next morning with JET friends at Towada Lake and Oriase Gorge. It was so beautiful. I cannot explain how beautiful this country is, but hopefully the pictures will help.
Below: two pictures of a neighborhood park, a sample of just how popular the movie "Frozen" is here, an earthquake simulator bus (I went on it and experienced a magnitude 9 earthquake. As my friend Devon said, "Like, the earth just shouldn't be able to do that"), a flower horse i.e. of one of the many free art museum exhibits around town, Autumn Festival floats, fish on sticks being sold at the festival (it looks like I wasn't enjoying it, but I was), pictures of the festival, examples of the misuse of English in Japanese advertisements, a sign that says "Tomabechi" (my Mom's maiden name and a name that is rare everywhere in Japan except Aomori), pictures from our hike at Towada Lake/Oriase Gorge, another example of "Engrish."
Below: two pictures of a neighborhood park, a sample of just how popular the movie "Frozen" is here, an earthquake simulator bus (I went on it and experienced a magnitude 9 earthquake. As my friend Devon said, "Like, the earth just shouldn't be able to do that"), a flower horse i.e. of one of the many free art museum exhibits around town, Autumn Festival floats, fish on sticks being sold at the festival (it looks like I wasn't enjoying it, but I was), pictures of the festival, examples of the misuse of English in Japanese advertisements, a sign that says "Tomabechi" (my Mom's maiden name and a name that is rare everywhere in Japan except Aomori), pictures from our hike at Towada Lake/Oriase Gorge, another example of "Engrish."
9) 秋祭り (Fall Festival). For the first and last days of the three day festival, my coworker Mizuho and I went to the main shrine about 5km from my house to get dressed in what looks like a yukata or kimono, but is neither (they didn't know exactly what the version we wore was called either). Then we got jingling sticks and walked in the front of the parade ALL over town. Other people in the parade were dressed in traditional Japanese outfits, carried offerings for the gods, played flute and drums, rode horses, etc. Every hour or so we would stop on a street, put our sticks/props down, and go into the nearest house to be fed an incredible amount of food. It was unreal. This food would cost at least $15 or $20 at a nice restaurant in the DC area and here were these kind people making food for the people in the parade and just feeding it to us for free! We walked about 5 miles a day and it was exhausting, but SO BEAUTIFUL. You can see for yourself below.
Pictures: The shrine we started at and ended at, a bunch of pictures of the costumes and some friends I have made, my co-worker Norio-san and myself, pictures of the scenery around Yokohama that we paraded through, the food that townspeople kindly volunteered for the paraders during our hourly breaks, and my coworker and friend Mizuho teaching me how to skateboard at the end of the day.
Pictures: The shrine we started at and ended at, a bunch of pictures of the costumes and some friends I have made, my co-worker Norio-san and myself, pictures of the scenery around Yokohama that we paraded through, the food that townspeople kindly volunteered for the paraders during our hourly breaks, and my coworker and friend Mizuho teaching me how to skateboard at the end of the day.