My last days as a Japanese English Teacher

Almost 2 years being an assistant teacher in Japan.  What a ride it has been.  The experiences I've had here will undoubtedly shape who I am.  It hasn't all been roses and rainbows.  I've had some really dark times here.  In a country with almost the entire population of Australia in one city it can be incredibly isolating.  There is a cultural tapestry here, that on the surface is gorgeously woven with kindness and hospitality, but underneath has threadbare smiles and superficiality.  Often a feeling of never being accepted or acknowledged.  Of efforts being unnoticed or ignored whether deliberately or not.  Could I live in Japan?  I don't think so.  At least, I don't think I could work here.  Not enough logic, perhaps, could summate it.

But having said that, I think this country will forever replay in my mind.  There are so many things that I will remember fondly as my life continues on it's meandering path.  Surely I will miss them.  Maybe it'll be the genuine conscientiousness and thoughtfulness of people.  Or maybe the punctuality.  The amazing culture which is so electrified of positive energy you cannot fathom where it comes from.  Maybe it will be some crazy superficial things like the effectiveness of postage services, convenience stores which have real meals and everything else, or even the way traffic directors will guide you to your carpark completely oblivious to the redundancy of his job.  Yes.  I will miss Japan.  And it's toilets.  It has really been amazing.  I have learnt so much about the political, religious, historical and cultural significances of not just Japan but lots of Asia too.  I can see how narrow my vision was before.  How ignorant I had been, even without intending to be.  How ignorant so many of us can be.  I have seen some truly beautiful places and had some unforgettable experiences that no photo will be able to remember for me.

My time in Japan has come to an end.  It's time to move on to the next stage of my life and for me to see how it all goes.  It has been an amazing, unforgettable ride with some amazing unforgettable people.
Thank you Japan.  今からがんばりましょう

Another Birthday

It's surreal to think that I've been here almost a year and a half.  That's a long time.  I've learnt a lot, gained an epic amount of asian culture knowledge, made some great new friends.

It begs the question though, what next? What will my next adventure be?  What is a career and why do we need to have one?

For my birthday I went to a shibazakura park which was millions of these little flowers in full bloom.  Also took a trip to the coast to watch a re-enactment festival of the first American ships to come to Japan.

Fuji in Spring

Here's a couple of shots of Mt. Fuji from the ocean. Shortly before I went back to Australia for a holiday. It's a mountain with many facades it would seem. Just uploading a couple of photos before I unload some of the holiday pics onto my computer.

2013-2014 Graduation. One Year in Japan

Graduation day and the last day of the school calendar!

The third years are treated with photo albums, yearbooks, flowers, gifts and ceremonial messages to juice up their tear ducts before the actual ceremony.
Basically in a nutshell it was a few farewell speeches by the other grades and some VIP members. Then it was the 3rd year students turn, someone gave a tear jerking, frog-in-throat inducing speech before they sung one of the most beautiful songs I would have ever thought possible from teenagers. Lots of tears from students, teachers and parents alike. The whole hall was a cacophony of sniffles. Then a special guest duet from Okinawa to sing some beautiful music to farewell the principal as well as the students as he is retiring next year too. The 3rd years then did a 'walk of goodbye' through all the corridors of the school and all the students of the other grades, all the parents and all the teachers were lining the corridors to clap them and say goodbye as they departed. Lots of lingering afterwards to get things signed and pictures taken with teachers.

All in all it was a very sad but lovely ceremony. It puts everything in perspective, a day like this, of why teachers do what they do. The teachers in Japan are there for these kids through the good times and the bad. They discipline, they visit family homes and give help to families and students if needed. It's a role in society here that is so integral to the entire culture of Japan, it's not just teaching. They start at 7, and finish at 7 to 9 every day sometimes even later. Weekends too. They don't have more than about 2 weeks actual holiday a year (which is still encouraged to help out if they're available), and they are with the students the whole time. It's an amazing, social, culture to witness.

I have been doing the teaching thing in Japan for a year. It's not always fun and games, but the moments that are good really do make up for the rest. If I have gained anything from this experience, it is to not turn your nose up at doing an extra job here or there, because someone else out there is working harder than you already. Australia is a laidback culture and lifestyle and our working culture loves things like early hours and sick days. Suggest to the average Aussie to work on a weekend and you'd be treated like a crazy person. Whilst Japan has MANY MANY MANY quirks and curiosities and interesting cultural tidbits that will always surprise and confuse; the single most difficult one for me to grasp is their working culture. I just can not fathom or understand it. We must remember how good we have it when we have 'it', and work harder to get 'it' when we dont have it.

Good luck third years - may you all make the world a better place in your own little ways.

Omotenashi

Omotenashi.



During Tokyo's acceptance speech for the 2020 Olympics, this lady started talking about "omotenashi".
Omotenashi is one of those seemingly infinitely numerous words that simply don't translate into English very well.
Basically it describes the infamous Japanese hospitality of 'doing whatever it is required to make sure the guest enjoys themselves." It is going above and beyond what is merely necessary. Literally bending over backwards for your guest. An example would be if you went to a restaurant and said to your dinner partner 'wow those fries were amazing, i wish we had more. oh well' And the waitress happened to overhear you and would soon simply replace your basket of fries on your table free of charge without a word. In some restaurants you take your shoes off before going inside, and they will take your shoes and polish them for you and put them in a locker for you, only to put them back ready to wear as you start to get up from your table to leave. Those are really superficial examples, but it extends far deeper into the psyche here especially in some areas.

We recently had the 'English Speech Competition' where 2nd years deliver a speech entirely in English for 4 minutes by 100% memory. Judged by the city board of education, the mayor and other high figures, it's a highly competitive affair. While the value of such a competition is arguable in terms of English progression in the country - what is really interesting is the content of these speeches that the students write. They often have an opportunity to speak their mind about certain topics and where they want the future of the country to go. This year, the topic of 'omotenashi' was extremely popular with about 3 speeches all talking about it. One student talked about how the Omotenashi spirit is slowly dying in Japan, another talked about the importance of showing other countries what it means.

I really liked the idea of Omotenashi. I don't think Australia could really work with Omotenashi. But employing similar concepts in your own daily lives is not so far fetched. If you make someone a coffee, it's not so much extra effort to include a marshmallow or something with it. If you clean the dishes, it's not so much to clean the benches or kitchen. It's about going one up above what you were already doing. There's no word for Omotenashi in English, but the concept shouldn't be so hard to grasp.

How could you employ the spirit of Omotenashi in your life?

Weekend Trip to Hakuba

I made my first attempt at a weekend trip to Hakuba.  It's about a 4 hour drive and about $40 in toll roads, but it means I get some very good powder in.  Overall it's not really worth it unless you can share the toll roads with someone else but it's very do-able.  I'll probably just go up there to catch up with friends as opposed to making the journey regularly.
Still though - edited a nice little video of some footage I got.  I'm teaching myself Adobe After Effects which is a pretty powerful video editor.

Enjoy!

It's Winter Around the Fuji Pimple

It's well and truly winter now.  With the coming of spring on February, we had a bunch of new snow.  It's so pretty!  It's been a very warm winter but still managed to see some powder.

I had some friends come and visit and we went for a few hikes.  I managed to take a trip up to the snow for a weekend.  Stayed warm too.
Here's some mobile phone pics just to keep this blog moving in quieter times :)

Happy New Year!

So It's a bit belated - but happy new year! I spent it in Tokyo with a few mates and it was a blast!
Went to Hokkaido on New Years Day and snowboarded it up for a few days - good friends, good times. Hard to beat really.

In a country which doesn't celebrate Christmas, and New Years is more about putting money into a shrine than it is about family or friends, it makes you realize that culture is really just what you're brought up to believe.
I hope the trend of commercialization of these holidays doesn't continue. Two consecutive years away from family helps you realize what's actually important about this time of year at least.

Have a great and happy new year everyone. May we all plod along and continue to experience this journey that is life. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8x8hWVRCDc&hd=1

Korea - Seoul

Seoul was a nice city.  Although it was a bit cold, we were actually lucky with the weather.  The city has hundreds of markets always open, it's cheap, it has some good historical sights, and always seems bustling with young people.  Lots of universities, a good economy, crazy good nightlife.  It's a city that is comfortable and well organized and could be easily lived in.  Really recommend it!