Fall in Japan

O Autumn, laden with fruit, and stain’d

With the blood of the grape, pass not, but sit

Beneath my shady roof; there thou may’st rest,

And tune thy jolly voice to my fresh pipe,

And all the daughters of the year shall dance!

Sing now the lusty song of fruits and flowers.

The narrow bud opens her beauties to

The sun, and love runs in her thrilling veins;

Blossoms hang round the brows of Morning, and

Flourish down the bright cheek of modest Eve,

Till clust’ring Summer breaks forth into singing,

And feather’d clouds strew flowers round her head.

The spirits of the air live in the smells

Of fruit; and Joy, with pinions light, roves round

The gardens, or sits singing in the trees.

Thus sang the jolly Autumn as he sat,

Then rose, girded himself, and o’er the bleak

Hills fled from our sight; but left his golden load.

-To Autumn, William Blake, 1783

The colors, children!!!

-Professor John Frink, 1995

Back in November, I went out to Kamikatsu on a guided hike to see some of the fall colors. The fall colors here (kouyou or momiji) are looked at in a way I can only compare to how people treat the fall colors in New England.

When I lived in Massachusetts, I had no less than 40 people come up to me and asked:

“Have you seen the foliage?”

“Ooh, you should make sure to go see the foliage.”

“Make sure you take a trip to see the foliage.”

In Massachusetts, “the foliage” has almost the same level of importance as “the Red Sox” or “the Patriots,” and it is spoken of with the same level of decorum, righteousness, and honor.

Here, there is also a word specifically used to describe fall colors: “kouyou” or “momiji.” There is even a special term for going to see these colors: “Momijgari,” or autumn leaf viewing.

We drove up a massively steep hill to arrive at the beginning of the hike. It made me laugh as the guide unlocked a small section closing off the trailhead. By unlock, I mean he undid a rope tied in a knot preventing people from going up the trail.

Before you go off about how anyone should be able to use this trail and not have to pay for it, I agree in principle, but in small communities like Kamikatsu things like this actually help the community to survive. I have no problem supporting a local community, and neither should you, so let that be the end of it!

The trail was really cool because it was a miniature version of the Shikoku Pilgrimage, a multi site pilgrimage of 88 temples traversing around the island of Shikoku. The trail had markings for each of the temples, and it was cool to think about what it would be like to walk the 1,200 km journey that multiple people take every year.

The colors were certainly beautiful, especially at one point where we were able to scramble to the top of a large rock and look out into the valley.

After finishing the hike, we drove back down to have lunch. About halfway down the hill, we stopped at a tiered rice field that has been in existence for hundreds of years. Every year, there is a community harvest where a large number of people from the community help to harvest the rice together. I was invited to take part in this event next year, and hope that I can make that happen.

Lunch was fantastic. We stopped at this little restaurant that is built facing out over the valley, and it has floor to ceiling windows, making the view fantastic. We all enjoyed an udon set (a set is essentially like a value meal back in the states, and usually includes rice and a couple of sides), and reflected on how great it was to enjoy a beautiful fall day in Japan.

THE ZOO!!!

Monday was a National holiday, so we made big plans to see some Christmas things in Tokushima. Our friends Chris and Kara invited us to go to the Tokushima Zoo with them. They were having a Christmas event and if you dressed like Santa you got free admission. 

Bird Enclosure

The Zoo is just outside our biking range so we had yet to go, Chris and Kara picked us up and we all headed out.  I was surprised by the lack of decoration and the lack of “Santas” as it was touted as a Christmas event.  But the weather was perfect and there were animals to be seen.  We say some birds, deer, and some monkeys.

Red Panda

Bear

  As we tried to take pictures of the monkeys they launched themselves from their ropes and flung onto the wall of the cage. Had the fencing not been there I’m quite sure Clint’s face would have been eaten of by a red faced macaque. He did manage to get a good picture in the face of danger. The chimpanzee also had some pent up aggression and would bang on his door cage five times then charge to the glass wall of his cage where he would sit almost majestically for about 30 seconds before returning to bang on the door some more.

Red Faced Macaque trying to eat Clint

Chimp

The Zoo itself was set up nicely and had a large picnic area and was well landscaped.  The map lead us in a circle to see all the animals and touted some animal encounters such as throwing sausages to the bears feeding carrots to the elephants and getting up close and personal with some sheep. We passed on the special timed events and instead headed over to the monkey enclosure.

Meercat

Zebra

Giraffe

Lion

Having seen the aggression form them larger monkeys earlier I was a bit weary. There were several signs indicating to close our bags and check our pockets for protruding items. Chris warned us to watch our things because last time he was robbed by a monkey.  We entered and almost immediately the monkeys were fascinated with us. They shook hands with Clint and eventually climbed up onto his back and tried to get into his bag, and drink his coffee. They really seemed to like my hair and began grooming me while sitting on my shoulders. If was funny and cute until I got pooped on. We didn't get anything stolen form us but they did take Kara’s chapstick from her bag, we had to make quick moves to get it back, but it was recovered. 

Oh Coffee!!

After the excitement of the monkeys we wandered around the zoo a bit more and into a connected Family Fun park. It looked like a low budget carnival but had permanent structures, one of which was dilapidated and eerie, we thought it was closed, but no, still a fully functioning arcade, albeit it a gross and old one. there were also large mechanical animals you could ride. they were mostly Pandas and some were in better shape than others.

 

We left the Fun Center and the zoo and decided to take a stroll around the nearby botanical garden. It was small and being winter, didn't have much to look. I'm sure it it gorgeous in the spring and I am looking forward to returning then.

Another Disaster Drill

My school, like other schools in Japan does regular drills to practice for natural disasters. This time it was for a tsunami.  I was warned about the event in advance but only because I asked about other schedule changes after it was assumed that I would dress up like Santa earlier in the week (that is another issue for another time.) So Friday came and things were a little strange, the schedules were all 15 minutes early so we could fit in the drill, but the kids didn't understand what was happening.  

Getting them to eat early and nap early was a bit of a struggle. As the event approached I asked what my role was supposed to be. Having finished my lesson early to accommodate the drill, I was not in charge of children at the time, and didn't know where I would be helpful. Everyone was as clueless as me. We got the alarms on our phones which was a melodic charm that you could hear from bags and pockets across the office. I headed downstairs where I knew there were about to be a bunch of unhappy children being woken form naps and rushed to the highest point in the school. 

I decided I would be most helpful carrying immobile babies. I thought this way I could follow others and still be somewhat useful. I watched as children were rustled from sleep and told to put “disaster hoods” on. They lined up and walked up the two flights of stairs to the highest part of the building. There we all sat. Roll was called and everyone was accounted for. We did a staff count and I surprised everyone by saying the correct number in Japanese as it was my turn. “Oh, Heza-sensei, good Japanese”. Overall the drill was successful the children were warned they would die if they didn't follow the rules. I even managed to keep the baby I was holding from crying. 

Obviously this is not what Japanese children look like but to keep their privacy I have added appropriate faces.

Oh, the language....

I am at a language crossroad. We have now been in Japan for 4 months, we are staying for the foreseeable future.  So far I have managed to live here despite speaking much of the language. I can say roughly 5 phrases and I use them often, but I have been able to live my daily life without the use of Japanese. There are many foreigners who live here for years at a time and never pick up much of the language. At first when I heard this it seemed, not only impossible but also silly. Why would you and how could you, live in country and not learn the language? It turns out it is rather easy. I can read signs (for the most part) read some menus (but not all), do daily activities like shopping and using public transportation, and respond with a cordial greeting when I see my neighbors. I can do all of this without knowing how to speak Japanese.

I would love to talk to the farmers at the market about their food!

I know I should learn. I want to learn. The big issue I am having is that I don’t ever have to speak it.  I go to work and I am literally paid to speak English, I come home and speak English, and all of my socializing is done in English whether with other expats or with people in America.  Yes there are situations where knowing Japanese would be helpful or give me more independence. I needed help setting up a cell phone contract, I needed help at the bank, I cannot order at restaurants unless there is a picture or the Japanese used is very simple.  I would like to talk to locals or join a club, both would require vastly more Japanese than I have now.  

My first attempt at learning kana symbols, a 4yr olds workbook

Learning Japanese is hard! Learning any language is hard at first. I know the “best” ways to learn a language and I know what makes you a better speaker, I teach them every day, I just can’t seem to follow my own advice. I suppose language study is like anything else, you just have to find the right motivation and stick with it. You can’t get better or even get started without committing time to do it.

Is this a time commitment I really want to undertake? It’s not enough to do it casually, it will never happen. Maybe I would pick up a few more phrases or be able to read more kanji but learning the language and being able to use it takes effort. I know others have and continue to struggle with this issue I just hope i can find the motivation to do something about it.

Frustrating Developments in the Land of the Rising Sun

There are a number of things that any foreigner here will find frustrating, but almost everyone has one or two things that drives them completely crazy. The interesting part about this is that it is rarely the same thing. There are a few things that are almost always somewhere on people’s lists – the inability of anyone in Japan to give a straight answer to a question, the passive-aggressive way people respond to your behavior, the way people cannot fathom that things like chopsticks, rice, and other fruits and vegetables exist outside of Japan – but typically there is one thing in particular that people just can’t handle.

I think this is self-preservation. There will always be things that annoy you, whether you’re half way around the world or just around the block. I think being able to have one thing that you allow yourself to throw a bit of a temper tantrum about is healthy, and allows you to let most other things go. Either that, or I’m just making an attempt to justify my own immature and childish behavior.

Either way, I am no different than most. I will now list my top four most frustrating/anger inducing/mind numbing/bile producing things about Japan.

4. Adults on foot

3. Adults on bicycles

2. Students on foot

1. Students on bicycles

Every day that I walk or bike down the street, I am consistently surprised that at least 40% of the people on the roads – be they pedestrians, cyclists, or motorists – aren’t killed every single day. People have no concept of traffic rules here. Cars drive down the middle of the road instead of the left side and there seems to be no real concept of who has the “right of way.”

As a cyclist back in Denver I never thought I’d say this, but people on bicycles are far worse than those in cars! I spoke to my supervisor about this, and the conversation went something like this, “Yamamoto sensei, are there any rules around cycling in the city? Are people expected to ride on sidewalks or in the street? What side of the street are cyclists supposed to ride on? Are people supposed to signal their turns?”

“Well, there are rules, eh-to, but, eh-to, no one really follows them. When I was younger, I learned rules of cycling, but now no one follows rules.”

It is just a generally accepted fact that cyclists don’t really need to follow any rules! No one signals turns, in fact, no one makes any indication where they’re going at all!

They also carry umbrellas when riding in the rain. They wear rain suits, but they also carry umbrellas. This does not help people’s ability to ride in a straight line or take up only one lane of the sidewalk. The aged folks here struggle to maneuver the one speed steel monsters as it is, and with the addition of an umbrella it becomes a herculean effort.

The only saving grace is that everyone rides single-speed cruiser style bicycles, and does so in such a slow and deliberate manner that unless you make a concerted effort to hit someone you won’t.

Well, I have to put a caveat on that. People do things slowly when on bicycles, but not especially deliberately. If you are riding directly at someone, they will make no visible indication of where they are going. When I was riding in America, if a situation like this came up, I would do my best to LOOK in the direction I meant to go, and typically, the person riding directly towards me would do the same, making it fairly clear and easy to avoid running into someone.

This does not happen in Japan, or at least not here in Tokushima. People don't even get the “deer in the headlights” look, they just stare straight ahead, eyes glossed over. It’s like they’re not paying attention to you, where they’re going, or really to anything at all.

The worst thing is that they do the same thing as pedestrians! People walk, but they walk like someone who has just left the bar at close. No one walks in a straight line. They also do not make any indication if they decide to stop or change direction. This can be frightening when you are on a bicycle, and a pedestrian, with no apparent rhyme or reason, walks directly into the your path or stops in front of you. Flying Spaghetti Monster forbid they look behind them or make themselves aware of their immediate surroundings before making this slow and deliberate move to cut you off.

Much like in the United States, students have the same qualities as adults, but as the majority of junior high and high school students – both in America and Japan – are hormone driven, self absorbed, demonic mutants, all the annoying things they do are just that much worse. Bicycling and walking are no exception. Students will bike or walk three or four across on the street or the sidewalk. This would be annoying anywhere, but here, where the streets aren’t wide enough for two cars and the sidewalks aren’t wide enough for two people, it makes things impossible.

They move slowly and deliberately, paying even less attention and being more likely to jump in front of you emoting a giggling high pitched spatter of Japanese, even as you try to move into the grass to avoid them. They look either like very well dressed groups of tiny Mafioso (in the case of young students coming or going to school), or like sloppily dressed pimps or prostitutes (the casual wear of Japanese youth). They also play on their smart phones just as much as students back home, but often do so while riding erratically on their bicycles.

The one exception (in my opinion) to annoying Japanese people on bicycles is the elderly. Old people on bicycles do…not…give…a…fuck. This is awesome. They will ride directly into traffic, straight through unruly groups of Japanese teenagers, and take up the entire sidewalk while riding more slowly then you think could be humanly possible. I don’t even mind when they carry umbrellas, because they’ve earned it. The aged folks here struggle to maneuver the one speed steel monsters as it is, and with the addition of an umbrella it becomes a herculean effort, but they do it, and good for them.

They also seem to get “the fear” when there’s any possibility of colliding with someone. They will literally jump off of their bikes if you or anyone else looks like they might run into them. I’ve never seen anyone do this until I came to Japan, and it’s awesome.

My wife tells me that I have to let these things go. She’s absolutely right. She’s smarter than me, more together than me, and her logic surrounding this “problem” that I have is beyond reproach. There are far more important things to be angry about or concern myself with, but after four months this seems to be the one thing I just can’t get over.

In case anyone’s reading this and wants to comment, what’s the thing that annoys you in Japan or otherwise?

Good Morning!: Or, How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Japanese Social Structure and Gender Inequality

This is something I should have talked about earlier, but I’m not sure I would have been able to write about it with the clarity I have after being able to observe here for the last three months.

There is a very clear and easily delineated social power structure in Japan. This is evident the minute you walk you arrive in the country, but the longer I am here, the more it becomes evident in every aspect of life. School is no different. Just like in the United States, schools are a reflection of the society they’re created in. Of course you can’t walk into a school and immediately understand the entirety of a society, but I think it’s a great place to start.

The power differential shows itself not only across rank, but also gender. Japan is old school in nearly every facet of life, which can be at times equally fascinating, comforting, surprising, or infuriating. From my perspective, this aspect of Japanese is disappointing, but to many women, especially those coming from a feminist perspective, this ranks somewhere between infuriating and impossible.

I would be lying if I didn’t point out that as a male, this inequitable treatment is often advantageous to me. I don’t like it, but I take advantage of it. I’ll let you make your own decision about whether or not that makes me the bad guy or part of the problem, but traditions and cultural norms in Japan – good and bad – run deep. Things change here over the course of decades or centuries rather than weeks, month, or even years. As I see it, my purpose here is to observe and reflect rather than try and change the social and culture structures in place in this country. If I can take advantage of something without stepping on someone else’s toes, that’s what I’m going to do. Anyway, back to some examples of school reflective culture.

In Japanese schools, saying good morning to coworkers is less about actually wishing them a good morning than becoming involved in a cultural norm. When teachers see each other in the morning or walk into the teacher’s room for the first time, you will hear an echoing chorus of, “ohio gozaimasu,” or, “good morning.”

However, just like in the United States, this becomes a rote response rather than an actual spoken phrase. For example in America, “good morning” becomes, “morning,” becomes, “an unintelligible version of a word that may or may not start with an m, but is generally understood by everyone.”

It is the same in Japan. “Ohio gozaimasu” becomes “gozaimasu” or “zaimasu.”

What I think is most interesting is the way the phrase has developed along the lines of societal and gender norms. When I say good morning to almost every female teacher that works at my school, I hear at least a semblance of the original phrase. The first word is usually at least partially audible, and the “gozaimasu” is usually understandable even to my foreigner’s ears. If I don’t get a full, “ohio gozaimasu,” I at least get something like, “hio zaimas.”

However, I rarely hear the first word from the male teachers, and often only get a monosyllabic, garbled response. It also seems that the longer a male teacher has been tenured at the school, the shorter his response will be. These are the awesome cases where “ohio gozaimasu” becomes “zaimas,” “mas,” or even just “su.” It’s an easy thing to laugh at, but I think it reflects the social and gender hierarchies present in Japanese culture.

Another place the structure is immediately evident is in student responses. A few weeks ago I was grading 6^th grade paragraphs as we practiced framing debates in English. We were focusing on using “for or against” to make an argument. The paragraphs were looking at the statement, “High School Students Should Wear School Uniforms.”

My favorite response (and the one I see as “most Japanese”) is:

“I agree with this opinion. High school students should know social machinery, so we should put on uniform. Also, I think students who put on uniforms seem to be clean and decent.”

Soooooo Japanese J. Japan has a saying, “the nail that sticks out will be hammered down.” Understand the social machinery, and make sure to adapt to it. Also, it is good to look the same, because it makes students, “seem to be clean and decent.” They might be axe murderers, but they at least, “seem to be clean and decent,” which is what is really important.

Another good response about the importance of groupthink:

I think that wearing uniforms shows that those who wear uniforms belong in the same group, so they mustn’t do bad things. If they don’t wear uniforms, they may do something bad. Therefore, I think high school students should wear uniforms and behave as those who belong to one group.

Clearly those in a group are not allowed to do something bad. If a kid wasn't wearing a uniform, they might go crazy, or be different than the other kids. Madness!!! 

Funny enough, that is really true here. It’s one of the reasons why Japan has less discipline issue than in America, but also has such a problem with bullying in schools. Students police each other, and teachers allow them to do it. There are class leaders in each class, and if a kid is screwing up, the leader – and usually all of the other kids – will let them know it in no uncertain terms. In some cases this can be positive, like when I saw a kid constantly nudging a boy sitting next to him in efforts to keep him awake in class, but in other cases kids will really turn on the “weak link” in the class.

This has turned into a long post, but I’ll leave you with a response that made me sad, but didn’t surprise me in the least, and is a great example of how gender roles and stereotypes run deep here.

This sentence was written by a girl in grade four (the first year of high school) as an answer to the prompt, “are you for or against co-educational schools?”:

I am for co-educational schools because girls cannot lift heavy things.

And that’s Japan. See you next time!