The Continuing Adventures of Japanese life

Japan cannot be judged by single moments or incidents, but it can be redeemed by them.

Drum and Flute

I followed the sounds of a chirping flute and a booming drum and discovered that the Ajimu shrine—usually a quiet and empty place—was alive with the movements and colors of a local festival. I had noticed the hanging lanterns the night before leading up from the torii as I looked out over the now harvested rice fields. The colors of my town have changed from summer green to autumn gold and the once lush fields are now muddy, prickly places with little tents of drying rice. With the time of the harvest come little local festivals celebrating traditions that span far back in Japanese history. As a young foreigner, these events provide a perfect place to connect more with my community and get a few strange stares from people.

As a walked up the stone stairs to the shrine, I recalled memories of that place from back in August when I first came there looking for “real Japanese cultural” to photograph. Back then, the weather was fiercely hot and the shrine was bear and silent. This time, however, autumn wind blew chills over me and there were dozens of banners and lanterns hanging all along the stairs. Cars were parked along the road below and music floated down from the hill above.

Once inside, I ran into some young people who first saw me from across the way and shortly after were suddenly behind me (totally freaked me out at first). I spoke a little Japanese to them before another guy arrived to offer me takoyaki (fried octopus…yummy).

After that, the performers on stage who had been dancing out a story of a battle between a hero and some oni (demons) threw some mochi at the crowd and sent everyone running and collecting (mochi are rice balls and can really hurt if they hit you in the face). I got a pocket full and was cornered by a very old man who wanted to touch my hand. He kept shaking it and holding it and saying something very meaningful-sounding, but alas I didn’t understand and we both politely bowed and smiled.

Feeling satisfied, I headed back down the stairs and across the fields that lay between my apartment and the shrine. Ajimu is small and quiet, but I love living here. I’ve never experience the small town lifestyle and at first I thought being placed here was a cruel mistake. But now, I feel good about coming home and the remoteness of my new home is something I choose to appreciate.

Three Months in Japan

I made the front page of the school newspaper. The photograph is me chugging a glass of thick, green tea at the school cultural festival with a student standing next to me chugging a glass of cola. The “challenge” was issued to me as soon as I walked by the small stage where all sorts of eating and drinking (non-alcoholic, of course) competitions were taking place. The quality of the picture is rough due to the cheap recycled paper it’s printed one—a type of paper popular in Japanese schools for all kinds of announcements and memos—but one can clearly recognize me with my longer-than-normal hair and slightly stiff posture (I was a bit nervous at the time with so many Nihonjin watching).

I laughed when I saw the picture and felt special for making the collage of images displaying the events of the festival. I’ve been here in Japan for three months now and only this past week have I felt like I was beginning to jive with my co-sensei. The working environment can be intense with teachers rushing around all day working hard and then staying until 7 or 8 or even later. I’m the only one who leaves before 5 and recently I’ve been staying later to help with English speech practices and also to attend some of the various club activities. Like Japanese teachers, Japanese students are at school all the time and remaining on the grounds until dinner time or later is normal. Another JET described the Japanese school as serving more of the role of the family with parents expecting teachers to help raise their children, students often feeling closer bounds with their homeroom teacher than with their parents, and teachers spending more time at work than at home. I think having me stick around later (and my constant attempts to succeed despite constant failure) has helped the other teachers see that I’m not just a slack westerner come to Japan to drink and slack off (ALTs don’t always have the best reputation).

In other exciting new, today was English movie day! What’s the first thing out of the school’s extensive English video library? “Full House”, season one! Yes, with all the countless television series and movies out there in the English world, “Full House” is the one that my school owns and uses when a teacher is absent. Some of you die hard fans of the show may remember that later on in the series, Uncle Jessey made it big in Japan with his band…not sure if this is the reason the school choose this English series or not. Anyway, I felt decently excited about watching the show (even though season one was produced back in 1990 or something) since it is a form of English media (a rarity for me) until I got to the class and learned that there would not only be Japanese subtitles on, but also full Japanese voice-overs enabled. That means no English anywhere! So I got to watch episodes 1 and 2 of “Full House” completely in Japanese. My excitement climaxed when one of the students kept pointing at the screen and saying “Justin?” every time Danny Tanner appeared. Oh geeze, all in a day’s work.

This afternoon we are cleaning up the town. I don’t really understand what’s going to happen…all I know is that everyone is meeting at the junior high school where cleaning assignments will be given out. Everyone has vanished at this point, so I guess I’ll just go with the flow and hope for the best.

Until next time. Abayo!

ONLINE!

Three very helpful and very eager Japanese men just left my apartment. A network of wires and cords are bisecting my living room and I am online for the first time in three months. YES, that's right ladies and gentlemen, I am using UNRESTRICTED HOME INTERNET!

Family, friends, a new era has begun.

My Japanese Double Date

It all started late one Saturday night when I was awoken from sleep by the phone ringing. Oh heavens! What's going on?! Has someone died? Have the Robot Wars come at last?, were the first thoughts to rush through my head. Fortunately, the caller was only Joel Van Loon, the first year Canadian JET who lives out in the inaka with me (for those readers who still don't know what the inaka is, I suggest going back and reading earlier posts). Joel was calling me because he was out with two lovely Japanese girls, Aki and Mina, and said that one of them, Mina, was keen to meet me. "Great, okay…I'd like to meet her too (right?)", was my response and a week later I found myself on my very first Japanese date.

The four of us met in Usa at Aki's brother's restaurant—a quaint little place perfect for cool autumn nights—and enjoyed *kara-age and **biru together (except I had ***kora because I was driving). Through Mina's and Aki's basic English and Joel's extensive Japanese, we managed to talk about hobbies, family members, and music (all the basics for a first date). Turns out that Mina is quite a fan of U.K. bands and likes to call herself a "crazy girl" (I think her word choice on this point is a little off mainly due to her limited vocabulary). The evening was going well with our yakiniku popping and sizzling on the open flame and smiles being exchanged between all…dating in Japan was turning out to be rather fun and relaxing.

As if in response to this pleasant atmosphere, Fate decided to bring a fifth person into our company. After a phone call to Joel, a drunken, red-eyed, post-enkai Danny (another first year JET from California) showed up to amuse us (who doesn't love a fifth wheel?). He was in true form and engaged Mina in a hot debate over who the best U.K. bands are...the only problem was that sometimes they weren't really understanding one another and Mina would say, "Justin, help", to which I would reply, "Danny, be nice."

Long story short, we headed back to Aki's place where her and her brother have about a thousand songs on vinyl and a sweet turn table to play them on (they both have histories of being DJs). The five of us just chilled and Mina tried out some choice phrases from an English phrase book (one of them being "cheese is made from milk"). I enjoyed myself and was glad to meet and socialize with some young Japanese people. Aki and Mina are the first young people I've met here in the inaka and I hope to see them more often (and Danny can come too).


Japanese words defined:
*kara-age = big fried chicken nuggets
**biru = beer
***kora = cola


PS – quick internet update…I still don't have it at home! The internet guy was supposed to come on Wednesday, but the only people who managed to make it out to my apartment were the Jehovah's Witnesses! This crew really deserves their own post, but as a preview for next time, let me tell you two things: dangerous maneuvering and "wakarimasen".

Japan Spotlight: Driving in Japan

So I've been driving around in my sweet little Suzuki (the car that can park anywhere!) for close to two months now and I can tell you that the roads of Japan are a bit different from the roads of my homeland. The first thing one (an American) notices is that the roads are much narrower in Japan. A two lane road here would constitute a wide, one-way street back home, but there is still a dividing line down the center. Second, the roads often curve and wind all around mountains and cliffs and drop down at sudden angles or rise in sudden asphalt ascensions making normal drives seem more like an exciting excursion. Third, and this is just for North Americans, the cars in Japan drive on the LEFT side of the road and this causes a bit of confusion with all one's driving instincts (only when I panic at an intersection do I drive down the wrong way). And finally, fourth, the typical Japanese driver is bit more insane behind the wheel than the average driver I knew back home (but then again, I knew a lot of wet blankets).

Nonetheless, having a car and using it to drive around the countryside and city streets has made me feel a lot more independent here. Before I came to Japan, I wasn't planning on driving at all, but now, driving is one of my favorite activities (you know what I'm saying Dirty Dianna).

The other week (or was it month?) I took a trip to visit my friend, Ben, in his inaka town of Honyabakei. The route there was along a road that went upupup a mountain and then back downdowndown the other side. Along the way I enjoyed freaking out as I drove through dark Japanese forests (searching for elusive tengu!) and swerving to avoid other cars that would suddenly appear from around a narrow curve. There were also amazing/insane drop-offs from the road where, if a car were to fly over the edge, the farmers in their rice fields below would get a really good show. Half the fun of the trip was the drive (especially the return trip at night in the rain).

One of the best things about driving in Japan is being able to do reckless maneuvers without feeling too bad (or too illegal) because most other people drive like lunatics too. Go the wrong way? Do a u-turn anywhere! In a hurry? Pull out in front of those other jokers on the road, they'll slow down! Need to answer your keitai (cell phone)? Just pull over slightly to the side and turn on your blinker—you can practically park there! (no joke, Japanese people think of the road as a driveway sometimes and you will often have to drive around someone who's stopped to, 1. talk on the phone, 2. take a break, 3. gotten out of their car to go have coffee inside their friend's house).

Like everything else in this country, driving has been a learning experience for me. I often go the wrong way and end up making u-turns in the middle of the road and more than once I've just pulled off the road slightly, turned on my blinker, and gone inside a friend's house to have coffee (not really, mom). My car may be small, but she has heart and is a good companion in the inaka. And now that my fellow Ajimu JET, Chris, has lost his license due to speeding (something like 60km over the speed limit) my little Suzuki is a necessity.

PS – sorry Chris…I just wanted to put some gossip in my entry so more people would read.

Giggling in the classroom

Today was a good day.

Hiroshima: an adventure in two parts, 2

The man with the purse sat down beside us and adjusted the strap on his leather boot. It was our second day in Hiroshima and our first stop was breakfast at a trendy coffee shop. Betsy and I relished our anpan (bread with sweet bean paste inside) and took note of the incredibly stylish people around us. The urban Japanese individual doesn't leave the house without his or her designer shoes, tight pants, wild hairstyle that defies heat and moisture, and purse (yes, both men and women make use of purses). I like to think that I have some style, but compared to the young adults of Hiroshima, I'm just another frumpy white guy.

Nonetheless, our plans for the day were to go to Miyajima, the third most beautiful place in Japan. I told Betsy we should go to the first and second most beautiful places in Japan, but she likes to settle (closed-minded racist). Miyajima is an island that has been a declared sacred place and thus those near death or the heavily pregnant are not allowed to stay overnight. The most famous sites to see are a large torii a few meters out in the water (trust me, if you ever seen any guidebook about Japan you've seen this torii), the Itsukushima-jinga (shrine), and a monkey sanctuary. To get to the island from the city, one must take a streetcar (similar to the San Francisco trolley) all the way down to the coast and then board a ferry to cross to the island. Our streetcar ride took FOREVER and along the way I kept asking old women if they would like my seat (one lady graciously took my seat, another refused…but that might be because she was about ten feet away in the car and I had to shout "sumimasen (excuse me), dozo (please take my seat)!"…I was really only asking to practice my Japanese).

Once on the island, Betsy and I found ourselves mixing with about 50,000 other people all there to see the beauty and mystery of Miyajima. There are tame deer near the dock that greet visitors and eat all the return-ferry-ride tickets and clothes they can get (the deer didn't get us, we read the warning signs and avoided the deer food vender). Some of the high heel-wearing Japanese women didn't fare as well and ended up being assailed by the ravenous deer.

Betsy thought it would be awesome to rent bikes to explore more area, but we soon learned that the island is filled with steep hills that make bike riding just an intense leg work out (way to go, Betsy). Still, we did manage to work off our morning anpan before eating oysters and kara-age (delicious fried chicken) for lunch.

After Miyajima we headed back to the city for dinner with another JET (Lisa from Nakatsu and her boyfriend Jeff!) at a ramen restaurant where you order you food via a vending-like machine (delicious, trust me). Then since it was a full moon, we got some mochi (sweet rice balls) and chilled out in the peace park (the tradition in Japan is to eat mochi and relax on the night of the full moon).

Betsy and I left the following day with a vow to plan other such trips. I had such a blast with her because we can commune with one another about having difficult teaching jobs. Unlike Japanese elementary and junior high school students who are precious and cute, our high school students are dirty terrors with no respect. Not all of them, but some of them (really just the boys) are rude and crude and not knowing the language makes teaching a challenge (and the fact that neither one of us knows much about being an educator). Learning that our situations are similar encouraged me to keep trying and pressing forward…life should only get easier. Plus Betsy likes to eat yummy Japanese food as much as me (and thank goodness we weren't together much longer because we both would have been fat and broke).

Well, it's Saturday and I need to wrap up my workday (yes, I'm at school on a Saturday). The good new is that I just got my own computer at home and will soon be posting pictures to go along with all these stories. Until next time, thanks for reading.

Hiroshima: an adventure in two parts, 1

The waitress carefully studied Betsy and I and came to the conclusion that Betsy was more Japanese-friendly than me (a grossly erroneous assessment if you knew what a closed-minded racist Betsy really is). The waitress proudly put a pair of chopsticks in front of Betsy and decided to give me a knife and fork. A knife and fork! Like I'm one of the lame gaijin (foreigner) who come to Hiroshima just to stand out and be obnoxious.

This lunch incident took place in a little place across the street from the Hiroshima Peace Park. Since Monday, September 19, was a holiday ("Respect for the Aged Day") I decided to take a much anticipated weekend trip to the big city of Hiroshima and see my dear friend, Betsy Herzog (UNC alum and NC native...currently living in Okayama-ken as a first year JET). I was dining on a dish called "mixed fried lunch" and reflecting on the sites and stories found around the site of the first atomic bomb. I had arrived in Hiroshima by the shinkansen (bullet train) that travels at speeds of 285 km/hr.

Hiroshima is a beautiful city with clean streets and green parks. The famous sites of the A-bomb Dome (one of the few structures that survived the bomb's blast), the Hiroshima Peace Museum, and all the monuments to peace in the surrounding area give visitors an opportunity to reflect on history and appreciate the value of living in a world without conflict (something we still are trying to achieve). Betsy and I toured around this area on Saturday and I found my mind wondering to the scenes of massive destruction that followed the atomic bomb's detonation and how amazed I was at seeing a rebuilt city. Hiroshima is an awesome place filled with gaijin tourists and Japanese people who can speak English (two things one does NOT find in Ajimu).

After the peace memorials, Betsy and I took a further step back in history and went to see Hiroshima-jo—a traditional Japanese castle made of wood and stone (complete with a moat!). The structure was very impressive and had some sweet katana for me to drool over (I love samurai weapons). At the castle we met three gentlemen from Louisiana who asked us if we were touring Japan and we told them, "no, we live and work here in Japan." We live and work in Japan. At that moment I realized I'm not just a tourist in this far eastern country, but I am a resident. I live in Japan! My time in this country is not measured by days of a vacation, but rather by months of my young adult life.

Anyway, next came dinner in downtown at an "okonomiyaki mall". Okonomiyaki is food made with vegetables and meat mixed in with batter and cooked to create a sort of pancake-omelet-like dish. Hiroshima is famous for the dish and Betsy and I found a mutli-storied building full of little okonomiyaki stands (complete with a few other gaijin!) to dine in. Food was really a focus for the weekend and I think Betsy and I were constantly eating something tasty.

Day one of the Hiroshima Adventure ended with a stroll through what may have been the red light district of the city. There were all these young girls dressed up like they were going to prom trying to get men to come into their establishments. At first Betsy and I thought it was prom night…but then we realized that Japan doesn't have prom and that these girls were only there to entice men to come into "snack bars." No one asked me, so we just got ice cream and called it a night. Day Two was soon to come and that meant more adventure, more food, and more laughter!

The Universal Language

Despite NASA's claim that math is the universal language, I have come to believe that music is the one form of communication that links all living things together. Not just any music either, but show tunes and Disney songs are what establish common ground between people of different nationalities (and maybe the Carpenters too when traveling in Asia).

Today during cleaning time—the 20 minute block of time when every everyone at school must sweep, spray, or buff the various surfaces of the school—I sang Disney's Aladdin's "A Whole New World" with some of the students. Our assigned cleaning task is walking down the length of one side of the long school building with metal tongs and dustpans picking up bits of trash. Apparently they are singing some Disney songs in music class and I told them I preformed various pieces from both "Beauty and the Beast" and "Aladdin" back in the 5th grade. With our shared enthusiasm for lovely duets, picking up trash has never been so much fun. When I started dancing around while singing, two of the girls ran away screaming and laughing, but I think that means they were so amazed that they couldn't stand to be in my presence (like God and the Israelites).

Oh right, NEWS FLASH! I got a car! Yep, a little four-door Suzuki that reminds me a lot of my 1987 Honda Civic from back in high school (the one my sister maimed when she hit a trashcan in a parking lot). The car is small and powerless with a blue exterior, but when one lives in the inaka (countryside) any car will do (because traveling to neighboring towns to buy goods is a necessity). I've had to learn how to drive on the left side of the road…as well as get adjusted to narrow lanes and small parking spaces…and defend myself from crazy Japanese drivers who will pull out in front of you at any moment! But all in all, driving is rather fun and I'm grateful for the wheels (don't worry, mom, I've only gone down the wrong side of the road twice).



This weekend I'm headed to Hiroshima to see a friend and have an adventure outside of Oita-ken. I will be taking the shinkansen (bullet train) so my journey there will be lightning fast (I think). Everyday I feel myself settling in a little more and while I long for home, family, and friends, I also feel comfortable and content here in Japan. Until next time, thanks for reading.

Lycanthropy, Feces, and a Typhoon, oh my!

First, let me assure everyone that I am still alive and well despite the typhoon that swept across Japan the other day. I got a day off from school and spent it watching the wind blow sheets of rain across the rice fields. Typhoons, or taifu in Japanese, are like baby hurricanes and here in the valley of Ajimu we are protected from harsh weather by the surrounding mountains. The little stray cat that runs around my apartment building is safe too (but I neglected my bike and found it the next morning in a rusty heap in the weeds…whatever, it still wobbles fine).

I just finished week two of teaching and things have improved since my first day. One of the most enjoyable parts of the day is when students come into the teacher's room to talk to me at my desk. They can strike—er, come, at any point in the day including lunch when I'm busy dropping noodles all over test papers. They usually come in pairs so their friend can help translate for them and visvera. Here is a brief list of conversation topics the students have presented me with in the last week:

1. Lycanthropy (you know, the mythical virus that turns one into a werewolf)
2. Sesame Street (yes, Japanese High School girls watch Sesame Street)
3. Jennifer Lopez
4. My eyelashes
5. Other words for poo (I told them feces and wished Blake/Chris/Mike
could have been here in that moment)
6. Carolina
7. Terrorists
8. Split ends

Whatever the topic, I always end up laughing...sometimes really loud and I worry that my co-sensei (co-teachers) think I'm being obnoxious. But everyone seems to enjoy the fact that I'm around.

My Japanese language skills are improving! And good thing to because I need to figure out what people are always asking me. Being the goofy foreigner means I just go around saying "What?" and then giving a thumbs up whenever a student speaks correct English.

Well it's Friday and I have a big weekend of Japan ahead of me, so let me wish you all the best. Otsukarasamadeshita!

First Day of School

"Laughing in Japan: English Summer Seminars"

"Awaiting Gateway"

I'm a sucker for shrines in Japan.  I want to see (and photograph!) all the
sweeping roof tops of traditional buildings with their orange-red wooden
frames and stone guardians.  When I asked people "what can I see in
Ajimu?" they responded with blank stares and then urgings for me to travel to
other places to see anything special...Usa, Kyoto, Hokkaido.

When I look out over the narrow balcony on the back of my apartment, I see
extensive green rice fields and distant green mountains.  Morning mist often
hide the mountain tops and on windy, clear days you can see all the way to
Mt. Yufuin.  Surly there must be something to see out there.

One day after work I put on my tennis shoes and went for a run towards those
mountains.  I wasn't really concerned with the exercise as much as the chance
to explore in an efficient manner.  I had only run about one kilometer
along the rice fields when I came upon a stone torii at the foot of a large
hill.  A torii is a Shinto shrine gateway and marks an entrance into a
spiritual realm.  I was happily surprised to find one because whatever lied
beyond the gate was surly sacred.  About 50 stone stairs ascended upward from
the torii and disappeared into the trees.  I took a deep breath and began to
climb the stairs, noticing the worn stone as a sign of the shrine's old age.

At the top there was a small bridge and then even more stairs leading to a
second, smaller torii.  This gateway was guarded by to two stone lions.
Well, they could have been dragon-dogs, but I don't think dragon-dogs exist
in Shinto (or do they?).  The point is, there were two of them at the
entrance to the actual structures of the inner shrine.  I politely bowed to
the guardians and passed into an orange-red courtyard consisting of several
small buildings surrounded by stone columns.  There was no one else around
and the shrine say silently in the hot afternoon sun.  I was so amazed to
have found this place...here in little Ajimu.

I walked around for a while just staring at the sweeping roof tops and
orange-red wooden frames.  I wondered why in all the times I asked about what
to see in Ajimu no one had ever mentioned this place.  Did they remember the
shrine was here?  Was I the first to see it in the last 100 years?  Would the
shrine still be here when I left?

Eventually I had to leave because the heat was draining me and I needed to get
home for water and shelter.  On my way down the stone stairs I stopped for a
moment to look over the rice fields and the town beyond.  I could see most of
Ajimu from the height of the stairs and it wasn't until that moment that I
really acknowledged the beauty of my town.  Somehow noticing that natural
beauty made the distance to me American home not seem as vast.

Just before I took a step to pass out through the torii, a shiny gleam caught
my eye from the ground.  A single copper 10 Yen coin was reflecting the sun
and sat just inside the shrine grounds.  I picked up the coin and took it as
a gift from the divine...a reminder of how sacred places are out there
waiting to be found.  Japan was slowly revealing herself to me...and in
response I was slowly feeling more at home.

I Fell Off My Bike

Seriously, I really did fall off my bike.  The incident marked what I'm
referring to as my "low point" in Ajimu.  The accident occured a week ago
Sunday after my first weekend in my tiny Japanese town when I was tired and
feeling a bit frustrated with my lack of phone, email, and transportation.

I had gone down to the "large" grocery store in town called "SELF ONO - Value
Price" to get dinner.  Why the store's name is in English I have no idea
because nothing inside the store has a bit of English on it.  Grocery
shopping is currently my second favorite activity in Japan (my first being
eating the groceries later) because of all the new and strange items on the
shelves and in the bins.  Some things I recognize: tofu, fish, apples (for
$2.50/each!)...other things are totally new (yakitori, hiyamugi,
wakame)...and still other items appear to be something I know, but end up
tasting quite different (normal bread?  no, that's sweet bean paste inside;
just a cookie?  no, it tastes like salt and garlic; refreshing water?  of
course not, that's carbonated with lots of sugar).

Despite all this confusion, I still manage to pick up both familiar and new
items to create a wonderful meal.

On this particular grocery outing I was feeling rather "genki" (happy,
energetic) however I was soon to discover that I did not have the money to
pay for my cart full of groceries.

Here's the scene: get to check out counter, smile, "konnichiwa", watch as
items are scanned, reach for wallet, realize wallet is not there, panic, try
to remain calm, try to explain situation, try again, try a third time using
lots of big gestures, run out of store, race home on bike (in the rain), race
back at top speed, wipe out 10 meters from the store's entrance, bleed, get
up, run inside, pay for groceries while being covered in sweat, blood, rain,
and dirt, leave feeling defeated.

Now this story does have a happy ending because life has only improved since
that day.  Ajium is a beautiful place surrounded by natural splendor and
slowly I'm getting use to life here.  In time I know I will discover all the
adventures that are waiting for me right outside my little sliding door.

Nihongo ga wakarimasen

 It`s 4:00 in the afternoon and I`m standing on new green tatami mats on the
second floor of my Japanese apartment (yes, 2 levels!).  My senses are so
overwhelmed by the countless new stimuli that all I feel is the intense heat
and humidity.  Strange bugs make strange noises outside my sliding windows
and I realize I need to eat...and shower.

 Earlier that day I was dressed in my best coat and tie and bowing to my new
supervisor.  Unfortunately two minutes after that I was lugging
my 70 lbs. suitcase through the burning hot streets of Oita-shi (Oita City,
the capital of my prefecture) to her car so we could make the 1 hour, 10
minute trek to the little town of Ajimu, my final destination in Japan.
First impressions are important in Japan, so I was glad to be sweating all
over my dress clothes as we walked those 2 km to the parking deck.

 Once in the car, we headed off through the mountains (beautiful!) and made
moderately good conversation about food, Japanese culture, and tengu (Shinto
mountain spirits).  My supervisor speaks pretty good English...I speak
horrific Japanese.  Our car went up hills, around narrow cliffs, through long
tunnels, and finally, BOOM, AJIMU, my new home!

 First stop, the school to meet the principle and staff (at this
point I should point out that I`ve had very little rest in the 5 days I`ve
been in country).  My meeting with the principle went like any routine
meeting with a Japanese principle.  We bowed, he gave me his card, we chatted
a bit (with my supervisor translating), we had some green tea and a strange snack
wrapped in plastic that we didn`t actually open, he told me to do my best, I
bowed, and left.

 Outside his office I was given a rusty bike that is approximately 57 years old
(but has a bell and basket!) and I was taken to my apartment just up the
street.  I got help deciphering the AC remote, the washing machine controls,
and the hot water panel.  I said "domo arigato" and told her I would be at
school the next morning.

 So now I`m standing in a hot apartment realizing the kanji (borrowed Chinese
characters used in written Japanese) on the AC remote are more complicated
that I thought (I do know the symbols for man and woman so I go into the
correct restroom at restaurants).  I`m in Japan, my journey here truly about
to begin and I have no idea what`s for dinner.

(PS - still having internet issues, so while you all can enjoy reading this, I
cannot enjoy getting any emails from you--either hotmail or gmail.  Until I get something worked out, I
won`t be able to access my email in Japan)

Jet-lagged JET

After 17 hours of travel from Atlanta to Tokyo (13 of those sitting on a plane
next Robina from South Carolina who I had some great
Tylenol PM-induced heart-to-hearts with) I found myself in a fabulous
Japanese eating establishment with no idea what the wait staff were
saying.  "Wakanarisomashinma?!  Nalakerinsoshima?!" were the "words"
being shouted at me.  I just stood there and thought, "Hmmmm, Lety was
right, I should have learned some Japanese before I came."
Thankfully, there were two guys from the Mid-west with me who had some
functional Japanese conversation skills.  With their help, our group
of tired, disoriented JETs were seated and served.

Over the next 3 days in the Tokyo Orientation, I met people from all
over the Western world.  The first day was overwhelming because of the
number of crazy accents coming from the English speakers (British,
Australian, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Kiwi, South African, Texas,
Canadian, Jersey...).  The hotel we were staying at was super nice and
located in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo.  Everything was new and
weird (plus I was extremely jet-lagged so even the normal everyday
things seems mysterious and strange).  By the end of the orientation,
I found myself eating sushi while watching anime during a mild typhoon
in downtown Tokyo.  Awesome.

This magical first stop in Japan soon came to an end and the 1,600
JETs were divided into their respective prefectural groups and sent
off by train, plane, and bus to their new homes for the next year.  My
next destination was Oita-shi, the captial city of my prefecture, Oita
on Kyushu.  But that is a story that will have to wait until later...

Filling in for Justin

Hi, this isn't actually Justin typing....this is Baker (you might know me). Apparently Justin is having trouble accessing Blogger and Hotmail from Japan, so he asked me to send another update out saying this, and also saying that if you wish to email him, do not use Hotmail...use Gmail. Here's the account - justinshaddix@gmail.com

He seems to be fine, didn't really say much to me in his email, except that computers are kind of hard to find in such a small place.

Until next time...

Suprise, I'm Alive!

Hey everyone! Well I've been in Japan 5 days and I'm still alive. The flight to Tokyo was, uh, long. I went 13 hours only peeing twice! Once I arrived in Japan, I was overwhelmed by the number of other JETs from around the world. I spent 2 days in a fancy Tokyo hotel learning all about the crazy life I've signed up for and talking to young people with every kind of accent.

I'm afraid I don't have much time right now, but I wanted to post something quick to let everyone know I'm here in Ajimu and having a good time. I did freak out yesterday and cry some this morning, but this evening I'm fine. SO MUCH TO TAKE IN! SO MUCH TO LEARN!

Love you all.

Destiny Realized

For over a year now I’ve been talking about going to Japan. I think in April 2004 I yelled at Matt Kiefer in the Undergraduate Library because he was joking with me as I was desperately searching for English teaching programs in Asia (the University Career Services people were absolutely no help). Sometime last summer, as I was cutting the grass at 5705 Old Warson Court in Raleigh, I felt the wind blow over me and I knew I wanted to go—no, had to go—to Japan. I found the JET Program, waited until the fall to apply, was interviewed in the winter, and now at the height of summer, I am about to embark on a long awaited adventure to the Far East.

My final destination is a little town of 8,000 called Ajimu located in the Usa District of Oita Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in southern Japan. I’m telling you all this because that’s all I know about my new home (specific information about Ajimu is not published in any guide book or found on any website). I’m excited beyond belief about going and can’t wait to start a new life there.

Through the mystical powers of the Internet, I will be able to stay in contact with my friends and family and I will use this blog to share my stories and experiences and maybe even the local gossip of my town.

Thanks to everyone who asked me 50 billion times over the past year what it is I want to do with my life, and then asked again when I would hear back from JET, and then continued to ask when I was leaving for Japan, and then finally asked when I would be back. The answers are: to find adventure, sometime in March, July 23rd, and when I’m supposed to.