Archive for the 'Iwate' Category

The Dreary Doldrumes of January

Published
by
jasohill
on January 12, 2007
in Iwate and Personal
. 3 Comments

Well, I’m now back in Japan. After a 14 hour trip that, coincidently, had me on the same plane as a friend of mine. I arrived back in Tokyo and got myself a bullet train up to the frozen north of Iwate. It’s amazing how the weather goes from warm and raining, to cold and blizzardy all in the space of 400km. Within a day of returning, I was back at work and back to routine. My trusty kerosene heater decided it didn’t want to work, and is now in the shop, leaving me chilled to the bone.

I’m not sure what it is about 2007 that already has me in a bit of a funk. It could be the rather cold reception I got when I came back(Oh! you’re back. Whoop de doo), or possibly the army of friends and acquaintances I know that seem to have found true love in the last six months. I always know about how happy they are, because they never stop reminding me. This wouldn’t bother me so much if it weren’t for the fact that I can’t seem to locate a woman that shares anything in common with me. I have been in three rocky relationships in the last three years, and I have spelunked my way out of them. I do want to relax a little and enjoy my freedom, but, as some of my younger friends remind me, “Wow, you’re 30? Why don’t you have like three kids by now?” It’s hard to shake that artificial pressure that at this age that I need to be with someone. But I’ll do my best to fight it.

I think I’ll just chalk it up to SAD again this year and try to move on with my life. There should be plenty of interesting things to blog about here in Iwate. Overall, I’m sure I’m just a little tired from a long flight across the pacific. I really enjoyed my trip back to Edmonton, and I can take away a lot of positive memories from it. I also took some great pictures and will be sharing them with all of you as well. So here is a preemptive “cheers” to 2007!

Wacky weather and the coming winter

Published
by
jasohill
on November 9, 2006
in Iwate
. 0 Comments

Northern Japan has been a mess these days, as far as the weather is concerned. I’m sure most of you have heard about the tornado that touched down on an Island off of Hokkaido, killing eight people. I want to clarify that I was near that area of Japan at the time, so if you were worried about me, there is no need to be. I just want to emphasize that Japan does not get many tornadoes. I think they get a major one every forty years, so for them this was pretty big news.

That very next day a massive storm pushed itself down Japan and caused all of the morning trains on the Hanwa line to be cancelled. This left me stranded in Ashiro all morning, unable to get to my Junior High School in Tayama. Lucky for me, classes were all cancelled. That very same storm also dumped a pile of snow on any mountain over 900 meters. Iwate mountain went from brown to snow white in a little over six hours. I am definately in a part of Japan that sees more crazy weather.

That leads me to the coming winter. In what had been long overdue, I have to decided to return to North America for a couple of weeks. I am looking forward to visiting with friends and family during this time. I also hope to get out and push tiltyhouse a little while I am away as well. If you are an avid lisenter of Dai-Cast and are interested sharnig any ideas about the show with me while I am away,　please feel free to get in contact with me at the tiltyhouse website. while I am in North America, I will be in Burlington Vermont from December 23rd to December 30th, and Edmonton Alberta from December 31st to January 7th. Also, if you are just someone that hasn’t seen me in a while and want to get in contact with me again, please do so.

Fall in Hachimantai

Published
by
jasohill
on October 20, 2006
in Hachimantai, Iwate and Photography
. 0 Comments
   
Fall in Hachimantai 

Originally uploaded by jasohill.

Fall has made it’s way to northern Japan. I was just out yesterday and noticed the veritable rainbow of leaves around me. Fall in Japan is more impressive than spring is. I took this photo from near the top of Hachimantai Mountain. I’m hoping to get out again on the weekend and shoot some more fall images. There are entire mountains full of color. The temperature has also dipped under th 10 degree mark. It’s time to start thinking about the ski season.

In other news, some of my Canadian friends made their way up here for a little one on one time with Jason. I would say most of them were a little surprised to see the lack of anything other than rice fields. I did warn them about this beforehand. Overall I think everyone had a good time. I only wish I had a car large enough to take them to some of the really cool spots. We did hit up an onsen and a few local toursits spots, however.

   One place in particular was called, “Taki no Yuu”, or “The waterfall bath.” We didn’t notice any waterfalls, but we did feel the 40+ degree temperature in the bath. You really being to appreciate which body parts are more sensitive to scalding hot water when you foolishly place them it in. My friend Chris remarked that he could see what parts of me were in the bath by the massive red line that formed on my back. Perhaps that bath was a little too hot.

Taki no yuu Hotel

There are still a few more visits in store before everyone makes there way back to Canada. I’m hoping to show them all the Japan that I have come to love. Sadly, there is just too much to see, and they are only in Iwate for a small period of time. Still, it’s better than them not coming at all. Have a good weekend!

Watch your step! 注意！

Published
by
jasohill
on September 13, 2006
in Administation, Iwate and National
. 0 Comments

Hey there everyone. This is Jason Hill, the owner and author “jasohill.com” and “Jason’s Launching over Japan.” First of all, I want to apologize for all the construction that has been going on around here. I decided that the site needed to be moved to a more scalable technology, so I  purchased some webspace and moved everything over to wordpress.

You might notice a few things are different. First of all, I delete many of the posts that I made before coming to Japan. There really wasn’t any need for them. You can, however, now search the entire blog with the built in search feature. I have also added a number of categories. This will make finding an article much easier. All you need to do is search by the category tag.

I still intend to carry on in the same way I did before. Although, this time I hope to be a little more hard hitting, and digg up some great social and cultural information about Japan and Iwate. Please be patient while I categorize the 300 some articles that I have written up to this point. Thanks.

Why I love Iwate

Published
by
jasohill
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.

Haniwa your way to happiness

Published
by
jasohill
on May 26, 2006
in Art, Culture and Iwate
. 0 Comments

Hmmm
Originally uploaded by jasohill.

My teaching adventures in Japan often take me to a little town south of Senmaya called Fujisawa. Now, about 15 years ago, Fujisawa embraced the art of Haniwa. What is Haniwa, you ask?

Haniwa was a form of Japanese funerary that appeared during the kofun period in ancient Japan. It involves pottery of small earthenware figures of horses, dogs spirits or pretty much anything you can think of. And let me tell you, some of these sculptures can be pretty freaky. If you are interested in Japanese history, you might wish to check out this Wikipedia article on Haniwa. Now, obviously people in Fujisawa don’t use Haniwa to mark the solemn occasion of a death, but haniwa does serve the purpose of livening up the town. You can find this stuff everywhere. Be sure to check out my flickr set for more examples of haniwa around Fujisawa.

Every year Fujisawa holds a contest for it’s citizens to determine the best haniwa of the year. The winner receives a thousand dollar cash prize. According to one of the English teachers at Fujisawa Junior high, a student won the contest a couple of years ago. I think I just might be up for pottery in the next couple of months.

Memories of a violent end

Published
by
jasohill
on May 6, 2006
in Culture and Iwate
. 0 Comments

Christian Park
Originally uploaded by jasohill.

This week was golden week and I took the time to do some traveling. One of the places I went to was the Okago Christian Martyrdom site just south of Fujisawa town.

I usually teach in the Fujisawa area, but I had never been to this place before. The site itself is on top of a steep hill and requires you to ascend many steps. There is a direct path and a side path that allows you to re-live the horror of Jesus’s march to the cross while you ascend. Once at the top, you there is a small shrine to the memory of those who were slaughtered for their religious beliefs. They used to offered the Christians a choice. They could step on a picture of their lord and escape a gruesome fate, or refrain from defacing god(literally) with their feet and have their throats slit.

There were also a number of incredible spring flowers growing alongside the memorial. If you are in the Fujisawa area and would like to visit this memorial, just head south of Fujisawa and follow the directions. If you would like more detailed instructions, feel free to email me and I’ll fill you in.

A tale of two Junior Highs

Published
by
jasohill
on April 26, 2006
in Education and Iwate
. 0 Comments

The Ichinoseki education office has me at a couple of new schools this term. I don’t mind this asince it gives me a chance to interact with more people and teach more English to kids who would otherwise be deprived of it. Well this week I had two very different reactions to my presence at school.

At the first Junior High, which is a small school outside of Ichinoseki, I noticed a very inviting attitude towards me. They immediately greeted me and made sure that I had my lunch taken care of. During the day people and students spoke to me and asked me all sorts of questions. It was great. I love those kind of situations. In fact, I thrive in them.

However, today I had quite a different lunchtime experience at another Junior High I was visiting. I had just returned from a class and I sat down to type up an email. I noticed that after about 10 minutes, no one had mentioned that lunch was ready and no one was to be seen. At this school, the teachers and students eat kyuushoku, a set meal that is made at a meal center somewhere in the area. When I visit a Junior High school I eat these meals as well and I am sent a bill after a couple of months. The food is good and cheap and it give me a chance to shoot the breeze with the teachers. Well I headed over to the principal’s office(where we eat) and immediately everyone got really quiet and looked at me. I motioned towards an empty chair, and one of the women grudgingly nodded her head. Then, another lady got up and ran from the room, only to return with another lunch tray and placed it next me. For the remainder of the meal, it was very quiet.

Now I’m not a rocket scientist by any means, but I could pretty much ascertain that even though I had been at the school since 8am, they had forgotten that I was there, and neglected to set up another lunch for me. Now, this would be quite insulting to anyone, but I’ve actually gotten used to it. There are some people in Japan who consider foreigners to be less than human and promptly act like 4 year old when faced with one. My three years here have taught me that I am lower on the totem pole than a petunia in many way. Ah, if only I were being sarcastic. The one saving throw is that there are a large number of Japanese people who are not that way, and it keeps me sane while I am here. I’m not sure if this is just something that happens in all countries. I can’t tell anymore. However, when racism happens to you, it’s really not fun. If you ever plan on living in Japan, this is something you’ll need to be ready for. Especially if you plan on living out in the country, where, as in many places around the world, the gene pool hasn’t been given enough Chlorine.

Perhaps I am angry with what has happened. In fact, yes, I am quite angry with it. There should be no excuse for a developed country to bring people in, have them work here and then treat them like garbage. That is the sort of thing that starts wars.

Meet the flickrites

Published
by
jasohill
on April 26, 2006
in Iwate and Photography
. 0 Comments

The Iwate flickr Meet-Up
Originally uploaded by jasohill.

On Sunday I planned a get together with many of the flickr users currently living in Iwate. I’d say it turned out to be a spectacular gathering. We had a BBQ out at Tenshochi park in Kitakami, then we went out and took some pictures of the scenery. I think there were about 10-12 people total. Quite a number for the first gathering of this kind in Iwate.

Sadly, the cherry blossoms weren’t quite out, but we still had some great photo opportunities. We are currently planning another one and if you happen to live in the Iwate area, and are a photography enthusiast, be sure to check out my blog for future meetings. You can bet we’ll be having more of them. The goal is to have at least one a month.

Hockey Night in Morioka

Published
by
jasohill
on January 29, 2006
in Iwate and Sports
. 0 Comments

Hockey Night in Morioka
Originally uploaded by jasohill.

Most of the games have been cancelled this year. But that hasn’t stopped us from coming out and enjoying a few practices. Here is Ben coming around for the puck. We wear helmets but its looks much better this way for a photograph.

The season lasts until the middle of February and then it’s over for another year. This is my last chance to get in shape before spring.