雷鳥

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Japanese word of the day: 雷鳥 (raichou)
Translation: ptarmigan, grouse, partridge
Kanji: thunder + bird

My school’s baseball team was in Niigata Prefecture this weekend. One of the students brought back a box of raichou souvenir snacks for Y-sensei, and she gave me one. She also taught me the bird’s name. Personally, I think “thunderbird” sounds much cooler than “grouse.”

The bird apparently changes color to camouflage itself. It turns white in winter and brown in spring or summer. The souvenir snack is not actually made of partridge, but is a sweet pancake-like shell with sweet white bean paste inside. It was tasty!

Conspiracies, ignorance, and guilt.

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When I was in Korea a few weeks ago, my friend A told me about how strong the anti-Japanese sentiment is there. The fight over ownership of the island of Dokdo/Takeshima is a particularly hot issue in Korea, but I never hear about it in Japan. (Both countries claim ownership of the tiny islands.) My friends told me the reason behind a name change for all Family Mart convenience stores (now “CU”) was because Family Mart is a Japanese brand and the company didn’t want to lose business. And of course the issue of Comfort Women (Japanese forcing women in Korea, China, and other occupied countries into prostitution) has been in the news numerous times.

But in Japan, one of my coworkers told me that she was “upset” when she learned that other teachers referred to the Nanjing Massacre as a “massacre” during human rights education at our school. She explained to me that it was a conspiracy, that the actual number of people actually killed during the “incident” was nowhere near the number that China claims. She said that when she was younger she felt really guilty for being Japanese, but now she doesn’t think the incident happened and Japanese people shouldn’t “feel guilty” about it.

Read this article about what is and isn’t taught in Japanese history class. It explains how so many Japanese people don’t understand why their neighbors are so strongly anti-Japan.

Japanese people often fail to understand why neighbouring countries harbour a grudge over events that happened in the 1930s and 40s. The reason, in many cases, is that they barely learned any 20th Century history.

Now, I don’t think that every Japanese person should personally “feel guilty” about things that their country did more than half a century ago. World War II happened before many of us were born. But there’s definitely a responsibility to acknowledge what happened. And more importantly, to make reparations to the victims and make sure it doesn’t happen again.

A German friend told me that he was surprised to hear Japanese politicians claim that things like the Nanjing Massacre never happened. Apparently in Germany, it is illegal to deny that the Holocaust happened. And not just for politicians, but for anybody.

It scares me to think about such large-scale denial/ignorance. Now, I am the first to admit that my knowledge of history is extremely spotty, but there are people in power actively trying to spread misinformation.

Finally, if you really want to feel appalled, read this article about how the comfort women were “necessary.” Ugh.

Mood for Swing 2013

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I just got back from an AMAZING dance weekend in Tokyo. I signed up for the Mood for Swing workshop as a lead, since apparently all the follower slots filled up in about half an hour once registration went live. But since I’ve been taking most dance classes as a lead in the past year (the Osaka scene suffers from a scarcity of leaders, especially in the Sunday workshops I’ve attended, and Tokushima has even fewer) I figured I could still get a lot out of it.

I was right. The classes were great! Todd and Ramona were the instructors and focused on a lot of basic concepts that apply to all levels of dancing. They worked on connection, musicality, and strategies for slow and fast dancing. I also learned (finally!) how to get into/out of tandem Charleston. And a lot of the stuff on the second day of the workshop I was able to incorporate immediately into my dancing. (There was more footwork-type variations on the first day, that I need to practice more before I feel comfortable leading it in a social setting.)
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The x-ray bus

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On Wednesday I usually go to my technical school, but this Wednesday I had to first go to my base school for a quick X-ray exam. Every year, as one of many health check procedures, a bus with an X-ray machine comes to school and everyone has to be scanned for lung cancer or tuberculosis or something. Luckily I got in early, since I had to bike to my other school afterwards.

You sign in, get a little red plastic tag with a number, and enter the bus. Then you have to remove most of your upper layers of clothing–no bras or buttons. There’s a curtain separating the changing “room” but it was a windy day so the other female teachers and I had to take turns holding the curtain closed and changing. There is a modesty gown you can use, once you strip down to your undershirt or tank top.

Then it’s two more steps deeper into the bus, and the technician positions you around the machine. It’s like standing and trying to hug a piece of wall, with your chin tucked over the top. But relax. Okay, stay relaxed and take a deep breath and hold it.

The (presumably) lead door closes automatically as he machine whirs to life, then opens as the machine finishes up. Overall the actual X-ray probably took two seconds. Then you’re done! Back out to the changing alcove, squeezing past the next person up for examination. Put your bra back on and get out of there.

I find it really interesting that the nurse told me everyone has to get X-rayed once a year, (which is why I had to come in on a Wednesday) yet in the US we rarely have a chest X-ray unless you’re sick. I guess they just worry about different things here.

Haircut day

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20130421-114234.jpgSaturday was Haircut Day.  K and I met up for lunch at Coco Curry, then had half an hour until our hair appointments so we went into Tully’s.  I got the Tapioca Coconut Latte, which was a little disappointing.  First, I asked for no ice (huge chunks of ice make drinking bubble tea frustrating).  Turns out half the drink actually IS ice.  Also, I was hoping the “latte” part meant it had milk in it, like a chai latte is chai syrup and milk.  But the “coconut latte” is coffee, presumably with some coconut flavoring.  Unfortunately coffee flavor is much stronger than coconut, so I couldn’t really taste it.

Then it was time for our haircuts!  Getting a haircut in Japan, for those of you who haven’t had the pleasure, is MUCH nicer than in the US.  (I guess if you go to a super-fancy place in the US it might be as nice, but I am way too cheap to try that.)  First, if you have to wait before your appointment they bring you a drink.  Secondly, when they wash your hair they put a towel over your eyes.  Third, I got a mini massage after my shampoo, before my haircut.  (I think it was because K and I were scheduled at the same time, so I had to wait a little while the stylist finished her cut before he started on mine.)  Scalp massage, percussive massage on head and shoulders.  They also sprayed something on my scalp that made it all tingly.  It smelled a little like it had menthol or something similar.  I got a good bit of length cut off, so now my haircut is just above my shoulders.

After our haircuts, we wandered around the Hana Haru Festa in Aibahama park.  (Flower Spring Festival)  There were a bunch of ramen shops set up,  so after walking around, shopping in the department store (LOFT, Uniqlo, Jupiter for stationary, clothes, and imported foods, respectively) we headed back to the festa for dinner.  The people who sold us the ramen were outgoing and friendly.  We got reeled in, then they chatted with us while we waited for the food.

20130421-114253.jpgAfter we ate, we caught part of a concert by some really energetic guys in spandex body suits.  The lead singer was wearing red while we were eating, but he was in a silvery-grey by the time we went to watch.  The bassist and drummer were in green, and the guitarist had on a short festival jacket and white underwear.  I do not know why.  Then K and I headed home, where I finished cleaning out my closet.  Overall, a productive Saturday!

An earthquake, and then a hike

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On Saturday morning, I woke up at 5:30 because there was a 5 point earthquake shaking Tokushima. (It was a 6 at the center, on the nearby Awaji island.) Or maybe I woke up because my phone was buzzing and beeping, and there was a siren blaring somewhere in my neighborhood. The earthquake lasted less than a minute, so I was still disoriented and groggy by the time it ended. I dragged myself out of bed to check the news (no tsunami warning) and after a quick call to my friend R, with whom I was planning to go on a hiking trip that day, I went back to bed but not back to sleep.

My hiking buddies at Fujii Temple

My hiking buddies at Fujii Temple

I got up again at 7, and got ready for an overnight hike with R and some other ex-pats. We took the train from Tokushima Station out to Kamojima and Fujii Temple, which is #11 on the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage. We hiked 18 km (11.2 miles) in about 7 hours, (including several rest stops and a break for lunch) to Shouzan Temple, #12. We spent the night at the temple, as D (the trip organizer) had reserved us spots in the temple’s accommodation. There were five of us in total, and we got two spacious tatami rooms (one for the boys, one for the girls). We arrived around 5, so we had a little time to take baths and settle in before dinner.

STA_0923 IMG_0941Dinner was all-vegetarian temple food, which was quite tasty. There was only one woman running the place, so she had to get the bath ready, show us our rooms, explain the rules, serve us (and all the other pilgrims, I think there were maybe about 10 other people there) dinner, and clean up afterwards. The walls were super-thin, and unfortunately one of the people next door to us was a VERY loud snorer.

IMG_0955We skipped morning prayers at 6am, but breakfast was served at 6:50. More vegetarian food, and the woman working there thoughtfully boiled the eggs for our breakfast. (She said usually it’s a raw egg, but since we were foreign she guessed we wouldn’t want to eat raw egg.) After some discussion, we decided to hike to Kamiyama instead of retracing our steps.

IMG_0987Day two’s course didn’t have nearly as much up-hill climbing as the first day, so we were able to cover more ground in less time. We also took fewer breaks. Our group split up and D and G took an earlier bus back to Tokushima once we reached Kamiyama town, but R, M and I trekked out to Amagoi Waterfall. The path up to the main waterfall passed by several smaller falls, and it was much cooler on that path. I’m really glad we went, although I’d like to go back when I have more time to enjoy it and am not so tired.

Then we made it to the bus stop just in time to catch a 2:30 bus back to Tokushima, where R and I got ice cream before going our separate ways. Day two we covered 22 km (13.7 miles) in about 6 hours (much more down-hill). Today, my legs were very very sore. 40 km in two days! But it was definitely worth it.

Landlord/tenant etiquette

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Last week, someone from the office came up to my desk to borrow my hanko (stamp with my name, used in place of a signature on official documents).  This was a little strange to me, since usually a woman from the office would first get my supervisor, then they would both come to my desk and hover while I stamped in the appropriate spot.  This time it was a man from the office, and he came straight to me (I have a new supervisor, who is out of the staff room a lot).  But the really odd thing for me was that he actually stamped all the documents for me.  But there were three copies of my new apartment contract, and each copy needed two or three stamps, so I didn’t mind.

Later that day, the same guy came back and led me outside the staff room, where I met my new (or soon-to-be-new) landlord.  He’s taking over the business from his parents, so he came by to introduce himself and give me his business card.  And of course we bowed at each other several times.  Then he gave me a big bag with this (pretty large) box in it.
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Inside the layer of paper was not a cardboard box, as I was expecting, but a rather nice tin:
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And inside the tin was a plethora of rice crackers!  All kinds of delicious (and tolerable) flavors.
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I didn’t open it until I got home.  But as I carried my big bag back into the staff room, I expressed my surprise to Y-sensei.  The previous landlord never came to school to meet me (I ran into him in the elevator of my building once or twice and he introduced himself and gave me his card, but that was more of a coincidence).  Should I reciprocate the gift?  She laughed and said I didn’t need to give him anything, since I pay rent every month.

As far as I can tell, everything else will stay the same, so I’m not complaining.  And I tried some of the crackers and they’re delicious.  :9

First week back at work

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This week has been pretty good overall. Yesterday (Thursday) I had my first class of the school year and today I had four more classes. Back to back to back to back. With four different teachers. But it was the same lesson–short introduction, make name cards, and review classroom English phrases and play Simon Says. It’s still fun even with high school students. I’m pretty tired now, though.

It’s going to be interesting working with all these different teachers. Last year, I had 6 JTEs, four of whom I’d taught with before. This year, I have 8 JTEs–only two of whom I’ve taught with. So this year will be another adventure.

Anyways, it’s bedtime for me. I’m still working on going through my pictures from my trip. My goal is to get them sorted and posted before Golden Week. Wish me luck!

Dessert Tour of Japan

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IMG_0442I’m in a pretty good mood today–I found cilantro plants yesterday afternoon and planted some of them after work today (need to go out and buy more pots and soil before I can finish) and then we had a swing dance practice this evening. So I’m making a second post (gasp! two in one day??) with some pictures from my and Arti’s trip. We enjoyed lots of desserts–Nagasaki in particular had a lot of delicious patisseries and everywhere we went they had ridiculous soft-serve ice cream flavors. I haven’t gone through all the pictures from the trip yet, but I’ve pulled our dessert shorts for you to drool over. Enjoy!