Archive for the 'Senmaya' Category

Page 2 of 11

Spooky Happenings in Senmaya

Published on June 1, 2006 in Culture, Education and Senmaya. 0 Comments

I just heard something positively creepy from some of the teachers in my school. I had just come back to the staff room from teaching some first grade Junior High students and I happened to overhear a small group of teachers talking about something. It appears that over the years, people have been seeing ghosts at Senmaya Junior high School.

Of course, my skeptical side went into full alert. According to Mark, the other ALT who works here, things can get pretty creepy at night, and the day the girl reported seeing a ghost, he said he got violently sick and had to leave the school.

The current rumor is that three year ago one of the students here saw what looked like a woman staring out a window on the second floor above the staff room. Now one might easily dismiss this as an optical illusion or an overactive imagination; however, in the last couple of weeks a teacher who recently started working here described seeing the exact same woman in the exact same spot. And the teacher and former student have never had any previous contact with each other. The woman is said to have long hair. Her face cannot be seen. I’ll keep you updated if I hear anything else. There might be something to these rumors. Though I’m sure it could be debunked pretty easily as well.

UPDATE: It appears that the students and the teachers at my school aren’t the only ones who have seen this ghost. According to my girlfriend Shiho, this sort of story is very common in Japan. When she was a high school student in Mie Prefecture, she used to hear the exact same story as well. In fact, she though it rather nostalgic . She also said that the ghost usually appears to look the same in all the stories. Chalk up another victory for the skeptical enquirer.

When you see me in hell, be sure to say hello

Published on May 20, 2006 in Senmaya. 0 Comments

A follow up to a story I did a while back on the signage I had been seeing around Senmaya. I had a couple of nice Japanese ladies comes to my door today and offer me salvation in the name of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Now I politey declined their lovely offer and invited them in for coffer, but I just had to ask them if those signs belonged to the Jehovah’s Witnesses. They told me there is no relation between those signs and Jehovah’s Witnesses in general. Well how about them apples? That means that I still need to find out who they belong to. The search continues.

Today’s friendly meeting has led me to take on a new attitude when dealing with undesirable religious evangelicals. From this point on instead of telling them that I am the anti-christ, as I used to do in the past, I will now drown them in politness while at the same time, refusing their offer to save my wretched soul. I am hoping they go back to their secret Jehovah headquarters and tell their fellow minions about me. I am hoping that while I am still doomed to eternal damnation, that I am seen as a polite young heathen. That way, if they should end up in hell as well, they’ll be be sure to seek out Jason Hill. Spending the rest of a hellish eternity with a well-mannered young man is surely not so bad now, is it?

The arrival of a special guest

Published on May 1, 2006 in Photography and Senmaya. 0 Comments

Night Time Blossom Viewing
Originally uploaded by jasohill.

I’ve been a very patient man and my patience is finally starting to pay off. Spring is now in full swing, and the cherry blossoms have come out. I went out for some night blossom viewing with Alan and Kathleen, followed by a pint at the local Korean restaurant. They were also kind enough to model for me. So I took some interesting long exposure portraits of them. It looks like the hellish winter of 2006 is retreating at last. That can only mean good times lie ahead.

In other news, my good friend Ian has come to spend a few days with me. We are having a grand ol’ time nerding out and geeking it up. What could be better than that? That is right. Absolutely nothing!

The beginning of the end

Published on April 9, 2006 in Senmaya. 0 Comments

I’m taking a quick break from my Kyushu report to bring you all up to speed on what has been happening recently. The coming of April has brought many changes. The first of which is a pretty major one. As of April 3rd The Senmaya Education Office is now closed and I am commuting to the Ichinoseki Education Office. This is a mixed blessing in many ways. The one negative thing is that I have to commute 40 minutes to work, and then 40 minutes back, where previously it was a three minute walk from my door. The good news about this is that I only go there about 8 times this term. Also, I am now working with with Omar, the American ALT in Ichinoseki. It’s enjoyable to talk with him about what is going on. The other big advantage to being in Ichinoseki is the shear number of restaurants. I have choice pickings of fast food, Japanese, or even Chinese. This is much better than what I used to have(Choice between set bento or Combini food.)

Along with this change, I am now visiting five schools instead of the three they used to have me go to I believe this is because I have a car and it’s fairly easy for me to get to these schools. I don’t mind at this at all, and in fact, I am looking forward to working at these new schools.

However, April also signals that the end is near. My time on JET is now down to four months. At the end of July my time here will end. What will I do at the end of July? Ah, that is for another blog post.

Ice skating party or “Skatemo” as I call it

Published on March 12, 2006 in Senmaya. 0 Comments

Ice skating party take 2
Originally uploaded by liquidindian.

Spring time in Japan means that it’s time for the annual ECC Hina Matsuri party. This year, since I was skiing at that time and the other participating JETs were busy, they decided to push the entire thing back a week. I suppose the foreign guests are the crux of this party and there isn’t really much point in having a gather without us. Hence, we had an Easter party instead and got to teach about Jesus and his mad dying and resurrecting skills. Everyone was impressed and Easter chocolates were distributed to all. People in Japan aren’t as familiar with Easter as they are with Christmas. I suppose it’s because Easter isn’t a good enough holiday for eating KFC.

Allen and Kathleen were there with me, and I give them full credit for enduring the agony of rental skates. Those things are a bitch. They both managed to unglue themselves from the boards and skate around with the kids. I also want to thank them for taking this wonderful picture. With out you I would have been completely buried in English students.

Down on the Street

Published on March 7, 2006 in Photography and Senmaya. 0 Comments

The Best Manhole in Senmaya
Originally uploaded by jasohill.

If you should happen to be in Japan, and you are walking about, be sure to stop and check around your feet. You might see some of the most amazing manholes. Some of them are colorful and bright, while others have beautiful pictures on them.

This particular manhole is a fire prevention access hole for the Senmaya Fire Department. I’ve been walking over the thing for three years now and I finally decided to take a picture of it. The best things about Japan are not always the most obvious things. Sometimes they are right under your nose. Literally.

Has it really been three years?

Published on March 2, 2006 in Senmaya. 0 Comments

I was doing some site updates tonight and for whatever reason I ended up reading the first posts that I made to this blog. The first thing that I discovered was that on March 21st this blog will be three years old. The second thing I noticed was that back in 2003 I had absolutely no writing skill. I sounded like a 4 year old who had been let loose Internet for the first time. I can’t say that my writing style is worthy of academic praise, but it’s loads better than it was three years ago. That stuff was just awful. Let me give you an example:

“ Tuesday, March 25, 2003

I can’t stop listening to the Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex OST. It’s the best thing I’ve heard in quite some time.

1. Going to Seattle in about a week and a 1/2. Yikes. Anime conventions are going to be fun. Or they will kill me. I’ll have to see which is which.

2. Still haven’t heard from the JET program yet. I want to know NOW if I’m going to japan or not.

3. Penny Arcade sure hit the spot. I’m selling my GBA, so I can eventually buy a GBA SP. But I can wait for that…^_^

4. Progressive Rock rocks. Take that Kristen.

Catch you all on the flip side.”

My god! I sounded like a fresh out of college punk who makes his living on Live Journal. My apologies to all those who had to endure that. Oh, and my apologies to those that use live journal. I’ve never been a fan.

Jason’s Rural Japan Guide -Being Stared at-

Published on February 26, 2006 in Culture and Senmaya. 0 Comments

I thought it might be a good idea to talk about what it is like to live in Rural Japan. These sorts of posts might just come in handy in the future for those who are planning to live here. So for today’s topic I’d like to talk about getting stared at in your town.

There is no doubt that while you are living in a small Japanese town that you will be stared at. Everyone from small children to the elderly will be doing it. At first this might not be prepared for this onslaught of eyes, but it is something you will need to adjust to. For you see, when you arrive in your town you will become an instant celebrity, and you will stay this way until you leave. The reason for this is quite simple: You are not Japanese.

Being stared at while walking around or shopping is something that I loved at first. However, I soon began to find it quite annoying. I kept wanting to shout out to people, “I’ve been here for two years. You can stop it now.” In spite of this, I never let it get to me. This is just one of those things that you will have to grin and bear. People in small Japanese towns are just not used to anything different. They form small, tight-knit groups during school and tend to keep to them during their lives. You are obviously an outsider to this group dynamic and there is little or no chance of you ever being let into it. That is just the way it is here. Whether it be for good or bad, you are something quite special in your town, and you need to accept that. If it is something that is really getting you down, then I would recommend talking with another foreign person about it. Sometimes it is good to rant about these things. The important thing is to not let it get the best of you. And you should never take it out on the locals in hostile way. They honestly have no idea that what they are doing is wrong.

After two and a half years I can say that I really don’t mind all the attention anymore. It is a lot like being a celebrity back home. Think of Paris Hilton or Harrison Ford, for example. People are always staring at them, and I am sure they feel like they are in a different world from the rest of us. This is something they have had to get used to. Now does this mean we will never be able to makes friends with people in Japan? Not at all. It may just require a little more work and persistence than it will back in your home country. I also tend to find that the friends you do make are a lot closer, and the relationships with them will last longer as well. So be sure to take those stares and turn them around with a smile.

I know this sounds incredibly corny, but I’m just relating to what I have seen. By learning how to adapt to what seems like an intrusive and annoying occurrence, you can turn feelings of stress and annoyance into feelings of empowerment and confidence. So the next time you are at a supermarket buying a package of natto and some 80 year old ba-chan give you the eye, wink and smile at them. To them you are something different here, and there is nothing wrong with that at all.

I’d like to see you try and get that same attention at your local Safeway.

Tidings of comfort and snow

Published on February 7, 2006 in Culture and Senmaya. 0 Comments

I woke up this morning to 30cm of snow. I have never seen this much snow in Japan before. It took me twenty minutes to shovel it off my car. This is the worst winter in Iwate for me so far.

In other news I got word today that I passed the level 7 Kanji exam. Kick ass! It’s not much but it gets me one step closer to my goal of Japanese fluency. Given that I thought the test was later than it was, I’m impressed by how much material I knew. I am a very happy camper today, regardless of the mounds of snow that surround me.

Musing over the Future

Published on February 6, 2006 in Senmaya. 0 Comments

It’s hard to believe that next week I’m going to be at the returning JETs conference. It feels like only yesterday that I was just getting off the plane. And now my time on the JET programme is almost over, but not necessarily my time in Japan. Let’s just say that I’m following up on some leads at the moment. I think it would be nice to stay here for another year. I have also been thinking about returning to Canada. I guess we’ll have to see which path ends up pulling me along it.

So how is it here right now? Well, you could say it’s pretty cold. Last night it was -14C. That isn’t so bad until you consider that it’s about -3C in your house. It’s at times like these when I ask myself if I really want to stay in Japan. Regardless of what happens, I am looking forward to a change. Things are just a little too comfortable for me at the moment. A change of scenery and employment will really spice it up. And for that I’m very happy.