Archive for the 'Culture' Category

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Exploding Piggy-Bank

Published on November 12, 2007 in Culture and Technology. 0 Comments

I don’t usually don’t like to post stories that have made the rounds on the blogosphere. But this particular article is just too funny too resist. The story comes to us from the AFP, and can be read here.

TOMY toy company has designed an exploding piggy bank that shakes violently when you don’t add money to it in a timely manner. This “punishment” is supposed to shame you into saving more money. Oh, Japan, I should have seen this one coming. As if people here didn’t have enough shame as it is. The bank is called the ”人生銀行” or “Life Bank”, and is ready to go on sale any day now.

If you are interested in any of their other 人生 products, you should check this out. It might be the most annoying alarm clock ever devised. They call it the “Life Clock” or “人生時計.”

In order to bring you content above and beyond what the AFP is bringing you, I intend to purchase an exploding bank and play around with it. Stay tuned.

人生銀行 – Product page.

“Concentration” in Japanese

Published on November 11, 2007 in Culture, Education and Hachimantai. 0 Comments

In what is perhaps the most awesomely translated game name I’ve ever heard coming out of Japan, I learned what the game “Concentration” means in Japanese the other day.

First of all, I should explain that I use “Concentration” as a way to practice vocabulary with young learners of English. I usually choose eight words, then print out two sets of them. During a class we’ll practice the target vocabulary, then I’ll lay out the cards on the black board in a 4X4 pattern. Young children love this game, and they enjoy trying to get a matching pair of words.

Well, the other day, I was playing this game with a group of first graders and the teacher mentioned how much she like the game herself. I asked her if this was a game that is played in Japan. She mentioned it was quite popular and is called “神経衰弱(shinkeisuijaku)” in Japanese. I didn’t get a chance to look it up until recently, but when I did, I almost fell out of my chair. I asked her again about the name. I asked why it was translated into “Nervous Breakdown.” She couldn’t give me an answer.

I can only imagine what late night session of “concentration” by a group of overzealous salarymen lead to the game being called “Nervous Breakdown.” Somebody had to be playing this game at gunpoint.

I love Halloween

Published on November 8, 2007 in Culture and Senmaya. 0 Comments

I love Halloween, originally uploaded by jasohill.

I was at the the Murone Steak and Halloween party again this year. If you’ve been following this blog, you’ll know I try to get out to this party every year. We started out at Hilltop steak out in Senmaya, and moved on to the community center, located somewhere near the Iwate, Miyagi border.

The kids party was awesome, with well over a hundred kids showing up in some of the most wonderful costumes(most of them not relating to Japanese manga and anime characters.) The after party also a lot of fun. I got the chance to meet some of the new JET programme participants this year. Overall, it was well worth the two hour drive.

A big thanks to Greg Anthony for throwing it. This is his eight time doing it.

For those times

Published on October 17, 2007 in Anime - Manga, Culture, Iwate and Language. 0 Comments

I was at one of my elementary schools, having my self a nice little chat with one of the teachers. She asked me if I had a problem with doing two classes on the 24th, instead of the one I was scheduled for. I expressed that it wasn’t a problem at all. In fact it was a pleasure to enlighten and educate those sweet little faces. She was very pleased with this and happy that I never had a problem with any requests. I did mention that I would only have a problem if I were to be double booked. She laughed and said, “その時のため、分身の術(sonotokinotame, bunjin no jutsu.)

Basically, in English it means “For those times, you’d need the special body splitting techinique(used by ninjas)” She was so shocked that I understood what she was talking about, she almost fell over. I told her I learned it in a book. I will never reveal the true source of my information.

Shitty Japanese animated show about pansy, teenage ninjas never make good reference material.

Transplanted – Dean Ruetzler

Published on September 1, 2007 in Culture and National. 0 Comments

This is the latest episode of Transplanted. Transplanted is a podcast I do about people living abroad. I like to talk with ex-pats and ask them about their experiences abroad.

This week, I speakwith Dean Ruetzler, an English instuctor working in Japan. He talks about his life in Japan and his former life in Finland. If you are planning on living overseas, you may wish to listen in and find out what he has to say on the subject.

My Dress Shirt; Show it to me

Published on August 23, 2007 in Culture and Hachimantai. 0 Comments

Recently, I have found my problem solving skills to be in a state of atrophy. This might be due to the lack of challenge at my work place, or perhaps laziness in general. Going from a stressed out University student to glorified human tape recorder(read:ALT) carries with it some serious consequences; many of which I probably won’t realize until long after I am out of Japan. As a way to improve my mind, I have been reading more, attempting some challenging logic puzzles and playing some sudoku. I have found the results of my training to be quite satisfactory, and my head no longer seers in pain at basic computations.

However, Japan always seems to find a way to brake my brain in two. I’m not sure if it is the culture to blame, or rather the company in particular, but I am flabbergasted at what I encountered on Thursday evening at a local dry-cleaners. I had dropped off a dress shirt there the other day and was going to pick it up. I thought this would be a routine trip. Oh, how wrong I was. Here is how things played out. The dialogue was in Japanese, but it has been translated into English for your enjoyment.

Continue reading ‘My Dress Shirt; Show it to me’

Shigyoushiki time, baby.

Published on August 20, 2007 in Culture, Education and Hachimantai. 1 Comment

If you found yourself choking on the first word up there in title, have no fear. I will explain it all to you. The 始業式(shigyoushiki) is the ceremony that schools hold at the start of the new term. In this case it is the second term, and it starts right now. This ceremony is not as formal as most are. It doesn’t even involve wearing a tie in most cases.

　　The Shigyoushiki is to let the students know that they should move from their summer vacation study schedule to a regular school schedule. Otherwise they might not know they are actually suppose to attend classes again(they never stop coming to school, however.) I’m actually sure they would know about the new term, but you never can be too sure; and never being too sure is what Japan is all about. Practice, practice and more practice. Constant Vigilance!!!

I took part in this ritual and it wasn’t all that bad. The principal came up and spoke of all the recent elementary school deaths around Japan(perhaps as a subtle hint not to die this term.) He also wanted us to try our hardest and never give up, and that it’s time to pick up the pace and study like tomorrow was never going to come. Constant Vigilance!!!

Never mind that I had know idea when this ceremony started. I decided to be vigilant and get up at six am, so I could make it there without missing the ceremony. I made it with one and a half hours to spare. A close call.　But I was vigilant!!!

Vigilant!!!

As the days go by…

Published on July 31, 2007 in Culture and Personal. 6 Comments

I am sitting here at my desk, trying to explain to myself why I haven’t blogged anything in the last three weeks. I would assume the one thing that keeps me from doing so is my absolute lack of desire to blog about Japan at this time. It’s not that there hasn’t been anything to blog about. I am just finding myself in a position of complete disillusionment.

As the summer months crawl by, I keep asking myself the same old questions. “Why I am still in Japan, when so many have moved on.” “Why I am still single, when so many my age have married and started families?” Or better yet, “Why I can’t seem to settle on a career when I am 31 and many are already well entrenched in their ambitions? ” It’s not that I am envious of those who are “successful” in the oxford definition of a happy life. Yet I can’t help but feel the ALT lifestyle is leaving me stretched thin. I love many aspects of Japan, yet feel I can never really amount to anything if I stay here. But then I ask myself, what is this “anything” I want to amount to in the first place. Is it worthwhile? Will it leave me satisfied? Can I really say that digging myself into a mediocre career with a wife and kids will give me anymore satisfaction than what I am doing now?

But there lies the problem. What am I doing now? The life of an ALT is a strange one indeed. I am there to assist my teachers with lessons, and I even make my own lesson plans when it comes to elementary school? Sadly, there is little that changes year to year. I am always making flashcards and finding songs. I am always using myself as a human tape recorder when I am in the Junior High classes. There are no promotions and no raises. I am not a human here. I am an ALT, and that is something I will always be. I am highly expendable, and that bothers me. As much as I enjoy this job it is not something I can do for rest of my life. When it comes to being ambitious, I am not Howard Hughes, but I am also not Kleatus, the slack jawed yokel. I feel like some days I am force to choose between these ridiculous extremes.

Which brings me to the next step. What that is, I’m not sure, however, I need to find it as soon as possible. I delayed this decision last year by moving out into the middle of nowhere. I fear now that if I don’t make it soon, I’ll be relegated to the vast rice-fields of Japan for years to come. In the mean time I will resume my blogging ways, and finding ways to make Japan enjoyable for all of you on the outside. Thanks for sticking around.

Hot Jazz in the City

Published on July 10, 2007 in Art, Culture, Iwate and Music. 1 Comment

I thought I’d kick off my first blog post in a while with a smoking hot review of the Jazz concert I attended the other day. The name of the band is Olive and they are based out of Morioka and Senmaya. Yes, for those of you who read this blog on a regular basis, you’ll know that I used to live in Senmaya. I got a chance to take do a photo shoot of the concert. I was also quite impressed with what I heard.

The band is made up of Mai on drums, Emi on keyboards and vocals, and Oi on the electric stand up bass. What they lack in members, they make up for in raw ability. The band focuses on a style of acid jazz infused with pop style rolling bass lines. They performed a set of three songs; each more more upbeat and grooving than the previous. I have yet to actually get the names of the tunes they played; however, they are working on a CD for release later this year, so when I get my hands on it, you’ll be the first to know. For now I have placed the pictures I took in a flickr set. Enjoy.

Red Tape is Sticky

Published on June 12, 2007 in Culture and Education. 2 Comments

Japan is well known for its slow moving, bureaucratic layers of impossibility. Many tasks such as getting a driver’s license, or even signing up for a credit card often require moments of effort and patience. Applying for a job, or enrolling in University can sometimes be so stressful, people spend year training for them. We can see a little of that in North American as well(SATs, interviews etc.), but I’m not sure it is on the same scale as what I’ve seen here. What I didn’t realize was that many of these stressful motions are taught from as early as elementary school.

Today, I present for you, the elementary school English club. The school shall remain nameless in order to protect the identities of those involved.

Continue reading ‘Red Tape is Sticky’