Monthly Archive for July, 2006

Hachimantai Ho!

Published on July 31, 2006 in Hachimantai. 0 Comments

My new Digs
Originally uploaded by jasohill.

I had Internet access one day after I arrived here. How is that for service? Pretty damn awesome, I’ll tell you. I’m quickly falling in love with this place. It’s quiet, picturesque, and full of interesting people. Not to mention that the area is literally swimming with Onsen resorts. If there was a job lottery, I think I won it.

My first day of work is tomorrow. I am hoping to find out more about the schools I will work at then. From here on in, I will be providing a wealth of information on Iwate and it’s surrounding areas. Enjoy.

And……you’re done

Published on July 29, 2006 in Senmaya. 0 Comments

We’ll, this is my last blog post from Senmaya. The next time you hear from me, I will be in Northern Iwate. I will raise my glass to Senmaya. Kanpai! Kanpai! Kanpai! Speaking of Kanpai, there is a festival happening right now. I’m off to enjoy it. Take care folks.

Senmaya Eikaiwa……Farewell

Published on July 27, 2006 in Senmaya. 0 Comments

I’m two days away from my move and most of my preparations are nearing completion. I had my last Eikaiwa(English Conversation) class this evening and I was quite moved by it. I think when I decided to teach that class every week, it was one of the best decisions I ever made. I’ve met so many wonderful people through my Eikaiwa, and having to say goodbye to them is really hard for me. It’s not really goodbye, but it’s still going to be a long distance. Everyone even had a farewell message for me. I was really touched by their kind words. We all have to move on sometime. I’m glad I got the opportunity to do this. A small note for those of you who are coming to teach in Japan this year(oh yes, I know you’re reading this.) If you get the chance to teach a volunteer Eikaiwa class, take it without hesitation. It will be one of the best things you ever do. So here is a kind shout out to Mr. and Mrs. Honda, Atsuko, Eriko, and Meiko. Thank you for all the great memories. You were my best students.

Illumination

Published on July 25, 2006 in Nature and Photography. 0 Comments

Illumination
Originally uploaded by jasohill.

I took a little break from moving this afternoon and got down to some photography. I noticed a little girl sketching out an amazing flower. All the students are now on spring break, so she was using her free time to hone her artistic ability. I though I would join her.

I just love the way this flower draws you in with its subtle change in colors. This is why I love flowers and this is why I love Japan. It’s full of stuff like this.

In the midst of moving

Published on July 24, 2006 in Culture and Senmaya. 0 Comments

I’m sorry for the infrequent updates this week. I’ve been busy going out of my mind with moving preparations. There are many things to sort out when you move from one place to another. I’ve been on the phone with countless companies, and I can safely say that I am now a fully armed and operational person in transit. What is this costing me? Well here is a running total so far.

1. Moving company. Will charge me 31 500yen ($300) to move me from Senmaya to my new digs.

2. Car Inspection. I would have had to do this regardless of moving, but I got it done early so I didn’t have a breakdown on the road. Total cost? 170 000 ($1700) Sound expensive? Oh, it is. That is a mandatory inspection and something that needs to be done every two years. For those of you who are coming to Japan and want to buy a used car, be sure to set aside $2000 for a two year inspection. It’s called 車検(Shaken).

3. Disposal Services. How does one remove the festering crap of 10 years worth of previous JET participants? They use a dump. I haven’t done this yet, but I will let you know when I get the bill.

UPDATE: It just cost me 4620yen to dispose of a really old and crappy clothes washer. Grrrr! Bring it on Japan!

UPDATE: Cost of removing old couches and chairs. 750 yen. This isn’t as bad as some of the others costs. Looking forward to seeing what is next.

Basically, Japan is frickin’ expensive. However, its also incredibly convenient. So no complaints so far.

Crazy Japanese Homonyms Article #1

Published on July 17, 2006 in Language. 0 Comments

Today I am beginning a series of articles that attack the wonderful world of Japanese homonyms. I won’t be speaking about the easy ones either. I’m going to focus on words that I come across in my everyday struggle at figuring out what the hell everyone is talking about. Shall we being?

The magical words for today are スウィミング(suuimingu) and 睡眠（suimin). Based on their morphologies and lengths, they may seem different, but I guarantee you will have a heck of a time sorting them out. The first word means “swimming”(As you have probably guessed). It’s a loan word from English. The second word means “Sleep.” You won’t find it spoken as much as the first, but there are cases when I have head either one or the other and have had a hard time figuring out what the heck someone is talking about. Are you going suimin in the pool, or is it time for suuimingu at the end of the day. Regardless of the context they are found in, these words cause me a great deal of agony. One of these days I might just be able to sort them out.

And before all of you Japanese experts start flaming me, I will clarify that 睡眠 is used mostly as a written word and you will usually hear 寝ましょう(nemashou) instead. However, since it serves as a good example, I’m going to use it anyways. So don’t waste your time.

This is yet another reason why context is so important when using Japanese. It is very difficult to guess what someone is talking about based on what little you may have heard. You almost need to understand the entire sentence to understand whether or not a word means one thing or the other. This makes spoken Japanese a lot more difficult than languages with fewer homonyms. Well, at least it does for me. I mean if you heard, “睡眠しましょう”, what would you think? I’d grab my trunks at head for the pool. Everyone else would be off to bed. I’d be the only one in the pool. That’s actually rather depressing. I think I’m done with this for today.

Nagashi Soumen anyone?

Published on July 16, 2006 in Culture and Senmaya. 3 Comments

I had the most pleasant of surprises when I went downstairs for my Sayonara party on Saturday morning. A Truck appeared with three full shoots of bamboo. My neighbors then began to attack that bamboo with saws and other tools. They cut the shoots in half and constructed a massive water slide with them.

There was a lot of leftover bamboo from this. They use the leftover stuff to make cups and hand made chopsticks(竹橋). I was blown away. I didn’t know bamboo could be this useful. Incredible.

At the point I still had no clue what was going on. Then my next door neighbor told me that when a goodbye party is held, sometimes nagashi soumen(流し素麺） is done as a tradition way to send them off.

The concept behind it is very simple. You take soumen noodles(素麺) and let them run down the bamboo slide. People wait near the slide and pick them off as they come down. Then they dip them in a tasty noodle sauce and eat them up. Or course it take a couple of hours to set up the slide. It’s a ton of fun to participate in, especially with kids present.

This is another example of a Japanese tradition I knew nothing about. Unfortunately, if you ever want to be part of this, you’ll be using it to send someone off. That someone could very well be you. So enjoy it while it lasts. Love live the noodle!

The Long Hard Goodbye

Published on July 13, 2006 in Administation and Senmaya. 0 Comments

This is my last week as an ALT in Senmaya. Here is the breakdown of what has happened so far. I have now been the host of 3 farewell ceremonies, received 2 bouquets of flowers and have made 3 farewell speeches. Well over 700 students have wished me goodbye. I have also received around 40 farewell cards and have had 2 students burst into tears while talking to me. I have also received 1 certificate of appreciation from the prefecture. At the start of this week I was feeling fine, but I think it’s all starting to hit me now. Things are changing again, and those changes are all happening now. My three years in Senmaya are coming to an end, and that end is coming fast. Only thirteen days remain until I begin my move to northern Iwate. I can’t help but be overcome by it all.

If that weren’t enough, this is the week the temperature decided to soar into the 30s and the humidity rocketed up to 70%. I have basically been a mass of walking sweat and goo all week. It would unwise to touch me. Unwise, indeed.

The only thing that keeps me in a positive frame of mind is that I will soon be settled in at my new location and getting a little free time to relax and orchestrate my first move in Japan. After that, I’m sure I will be partaking in a number of welcome parties and festivals. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. My liver won’t survive this.

Other than all of that, I need to consider what I want to do for the rest of my life and I need to do it soon. I really think I could be a photographer. I think I need to start taking steps to ensure that is what I will do. I’ll work it out somehow. My motivation is strong and my desire to success has never been so high. My only advice those who might try and stop me is, “Get out of my way! You won’t like me when I’m motivated.” Have a good weekend everyone.

NOTE: Following this month, my blog is going to start going through some changes. I will still be talking about my personal life sometimes, but I’m changing the main focus on living in Iwate and Japan more than anything else. I want to dedicate this blog to those who have decided to make Japan their way of life as well. If you think Japan is all about Shinjuku, Pokemon and the Bullet Train, you obviously haven’t been reading this blog.

I want to thank everyone who has read up until this point. I hope my time here has been as enjoyable for you as it has for me. If you are ever seriously thinking of coming out to Japan, please send an email my way. I would love to know more about you and why you’ve made your choice.

Why I love Iwate

Published on July 11, 2006 in Iwate, National, Nature and Travel. 0 Comments

Monday was a special day for me. I was invited along with the other prefectural JETs to a sayonara and thank you lunch. We received our thank you certificates and we got a nice speech from the superintendent of the Iwate Board of Education. After receiving our speeches, a number of us got Iwate Friendship ambassador plaques. I guess a small number of JETs are chosen every year to represent Iwate when they go back to their home countries. I think it is a nice sentiment. However, I am not going back to my home country right away. But that doesn’t mean I can’t offer all of you some good reasons to come here and visit Iwate. Let me start with some of the reasons I chose to stay here for at least another year:

1. Iwate is simply one of the most beautiful prefectures in Japan. You have jaw dropping scenery and amazingly lush forests. Winters are a frozen wonderland, and spring and fall are simply some of the best times to see colours; more colours than you’ve seen in your life. Also, don’t get me started about temples and shrines. Iwate contains some of the most beautiful Shinto shrines in all of Japan. Not to mention Chusonji temple, which is currently being considered for World heritage status.

2. Nature not good enough for you? Well, Iwate is very affordable. Apartments in the cities aren’t as expensive as they would be in Tokyo or Osaka, and I’ve found that I can get to know all my neighbours. That is something that would be hard to do in a big city. So if you want to visit Japan and save some money, then come to Iwate.

3. Culture anyone? Iwate is full of traditional Japanese festivals and ceremonies. Each town or city has their own respective festivals, and there are the big ones like the Morioka Sansa festival. We are also close to Japan’s largest fireworks festival in Akita, and just above Sendai’s Famous Tanabata festival. Iwate is also a great place to learn Japanese. You actually won’t have much of a choice in the matter. There aren’t as many English speakers here, so you’ll get a chance to flex you Japanese muscle. You will also have plenty of opportunity to live in rural Japan and partake in things the way they were before everything went all industrial.

4. But aren’t you way out there in the middle of nowhere? Not at all. Iwate is connected all major cities by a Shinkansen Bullet Train that runs straight through the prefecture. If bullet trains are too rich for your blood, than we also have buses and local trains going all over the place. Hanamaki airport also offers connector flights and some direct flights to places like Korea and Hong Kong. Seriously, you can’t go wrong.

5. But what is there to eat in Iwate? Well, Morioka has it’s famous Wonko Soba, and I’ve eaten the best Katsudon I’ve ever eaten at Yorimichi in Fujisawa-town(it’s so good I’m planning a future article on it.) I also think the fish is fresher here than it is in other prefectures. But don’t take my word for it. Come and check it out yourself.

If those five points aren’t enough to get you here, I don’t know what is. I am being totally honest here folks. If you are in Japan and want to check out something awesome that many tourists will never see, then get yourselves over here as soon as possible. If you are looking to carve out a unique experience for your trip, I cannot think of a better place than Iwate Prefecture.

Stop! Tanabata Time

Published on July 7, 2006 in Culture. 0 Comments

A Blast from the past
Originally uploaded by jasohill.

So it’s July 7th and Tanabata(七夕)is rearing it’s ugly head once again. Well, to be honest, Tanabata isn’t as ugly as I would make it out to seem. It’s basically the story of two lovers in the heavens who can meet only once year. We can only imagine the sexual tension that has been built up during that time. Well, those two lovers are the stars Vega(Orihime) and Altair(Hikoboshi). July 7th is the day they can offically make out, and if you add it all up, you can figure out where the milky way comes from. Okay, so if you interpret the story in that manner, then it can get pretty ugly. You can find the actual story of Tanabata here. I see no need to paraphrase it in my own words, so head on over to wikipedia and see what all the fuss is about. Tanabata is a fun Japanese festival with a romantic twist. All the kids dig it.

The best part of all is that my students get to write down their wishes down on a piece of paper called a tanzaku(短冊)and staple them to a tree branch. I decided to join in on the wish making this year. Little Miho didn’t quite understood what I meant when I wished for an end to Japanese bureaucracy. Ah, poor Miho. someday you’ll understand. Someday.

Happy Tanabata everyone!