October 21st 2010
I think it has once again been close to a month since I last updated my blog. I don't know why I just haven't really been up to is all that much lately I suppose. But work is still going well. I still look forward to going to work but I have been a really heavy sleeper lately so I don't like the getting out of bed so early all that much.
I took a trip to Tokyo about two weeks ago and I was able to meet up with my friend Courtney. Courtney and I both went to Konan University, and when that program was over I thought we would never see each other again but she is back in Japan studying abroad for the third time so I guess things worked out really well. It is very do-able, but it is a serious trip to go to Tokyo. It takes two hours on the bus and because there isn't a single straight road anywhere in this country, I get car sick ridding the bus very easily. So I can't read or play a game or anything, which makes that two hours seem like a lot longer. There is a train that is a little cheaper but it takes like 2 hour 45 mins. I think I might do that in the future just so I can actually do something with that time.
But I got to Tokyo a few hours before I was supposed to meet up with my friend so I decided to walk from Tokyo station to Akihabara. I have GPS on my phone, but I forgot how terrible my phone is. Granted it was cloudy that day but it was saying I was going the wrong direction when I wasn't and I ended up doing a lot of back tracking because of that.
I meet up with Courtney in Akihabara and we did some shopping. I really enjoy shopping with Courtney because no matter how much I spend, she will always spend more so I don't feel bad about it. I got some animation cells which are awesome because it is literal a piece of an anime. Each cell is unique and for the most part they are very cheap. I got a Tenchi Muyo cells for like 500 yen, a dragon ball z cell for 1500 yen and some unknown anime cells for 100 yen. Its crazy. They are kind of odd size so I haven't found a good frame for them yet though. I also got some Lucky Star figures that we on sale. I went overboard buying figures last time but this time I just wanted something to add some personality to my apartment.
After Akihabara we went to Shibuya I think and had monja yaki. Its kind of like okonomiyaki but its kind of jell like consistency. It was good. And then I had a bakudan takoyaki, it was a single takoyaki the size of a baseball. It was pretty good. We also checked out some arcades and I played a racing game that was in 3D, it was a lot of fun. I really am looking forward for 3D stuff to take over.
After that we parted ways and I went to Shinjiku to stay at a capsule hotel. Capsule hotels really aren't that bad. Its like $40 a night which is cheap considering this is one of the biggest cities in the world. The bed is not comfortable at all and I didn't get that good of a night's sleep, but it served its purpose.
The next day I went to Saitama for a BBQ. Someone forwarded the information about a church BBQ in Saitama and I asked if I could come. All things considered it was pretty far form my house but I really enjoyed meeting those people and the food was great. The fellowship with my church is my lifeline here in Japan. It is how I meet new friends, its how I meet people who worry about me and know I even exist, and it is how I get out of my house and do things. Without it I would have a much harder time living in Japan.
The whole trip to Tokyo made me realize how different Tokyo is from Kamogawa. So many people, so big. I feel like I need to get a taste of this every once in a while, but I do not want to live in Tokyo. I like my little town, I like going to a store and people recognizing me. I like feeling special because I am one of the few foreigners in town.
Besides that trip I got a little sick. This is where living on your own really sucks. Having to get yourself together to drive to the store to buy medicine is not fun. Thanks to asking my friends on facebook I found out what medicine is good here but what I got was just a powder. I tried just putting the powder in my mouth and then quickly drinking something, bad idea. I tried mixing it with water, still bad. I tried diluting it with several cups of water, still not good. So I had to guy buy pills and put the powder inside myself. It felt like I was doing something illegal or something.
Well I guess that's about it. I'll try to write more often.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Why I need a GPS
October 25th 2010
I would like to talk today about why I am going to buy a GPS for my car.
So the trip every sunday to church can be kind of tiring sometimes. It is an hour and a half through a road with a lot of traffic and stop lights. It does have some nice views of the ocean but it is mostly city which sort of gets boring to look at very quickly.
About two weeks ago someone at church recommended that I take a different road as it would cut twenty minutes off my time because there are hardly any traffic lights and the speed limit is higher. It went through really middle of no where Japan but the view was pretty amazing. That day I looked it up on my phone and some how found out how to get home really easily with only checking the GPS on my phone once or twice.
Because of conference and being sick I hadn't been to that building in two weeks so I thought I would try the mountain road on the way there. It was a little confusing and I did end up taking more time then normal but I made it just fine.
On the way home however, things just didn't work out. I don't know how but I got really lost. When you get away from the densely populated areas of Japan, things are very different. Many roads not only didn't say what road it was, they would not have any signs at all. I had a sort of idea of where to go but everything looked so different going the other direction. I kind of had an idea of what cities should be next so I followed the arrows, but things weren't going so well with that.
So I tried to use the GPS on my phone, pulled over of course, but my phone's worthlessness really shined. I could understand if it had a hard time finding my location, it was cloudy and I think the GPS antenna in those phones is smaller then a proper GPS, but this thing would tell me I am in the wrong location. Relying on this thing caused me to go in complete opposite directions and just get much more lost then if I just had a simple compass.
Then the rain really started to come down and so did the Sun. It got dark and stormy and I was driving around on swerving roads with no idea at all where I was. It was kind of scary. Like I didn't really feel like I was in any actual danger, but I felt like I was just setting up some Japanese ghost story. The inaka (japanese country side) has it's own sense of scary and I really felt it.
What was supposed to be a simple 1 hour 10 minute drive turned into 2+ hours. And if I just had a GPS that worked, I would have been home before it got dark and stormy. So I am going to go out shopping for one after work, but at least I have a little story now.
I would like to talk today about why I am going to buy a GPS for my car.
So the trip every sunday to church can be kind of tiring sometimes. It is an hour and a half through a road with a lot of traffic and stop lights. It does have some nice views of the ocean but it is mostly city which sort of gets boring to look at very quickly.
About two weeks ago someone at church recommended that I take a different road as it would cut twenty minutes off my time because there are hardly any traffic lights and the speed limit is higher. It went through really middle of no where Japan but the view was pretty amazing. That day I looked it up on my phone and some how found out how to get home really easily with only checking the GPS on my phone once or twice.
Because of conference and being sick I hadn't been to that building in two weeks so I thought I would try the mountain road on the way there. It was a little confusing and I did end up taking more time then normal but I made it just fine.
On the way home however, things just didn't work out. I don't know how but I got really lost. When you get away from the densely populated areas of Japan, things are very different. Many roads not only didn't say what road it was, they would not have any signs at all. I had a sort of idea of where to go but everything looked so different going the other direction. I kind of had an idea of what cities should be next so I followed the arrows, but things weren't going so well with that.
So I tried to use the GPS on my phone, pulled over of course, but my phone's worthlessness really shined. I could understand if it had a hard time finding my location, it was cloudy and I think the GPS antenna in those phones is smaller then a proper GPS, but this thing would tell me I am in the wrong location. Relying on this thing caused me to go in complete opposite directions and just get much more lost then if I just had a simple compass.
Then the rain really started to come down and so did the Sun. It got dark and stormy and I was driving around on swerving roads with no idea at all where I was. It was kind of scary. Like I didn't really feel like I was in any actual danger, but I felt like I was just setting up some Japanese ghost story. The inaka (japanese country side) has it's own sense of scary and I really felt it.
What was supposed to be a simple 1 hour 10 minute drive turned into 2+ hours. And if I just had a GPS that worked, I would have been home before it got dark and stormy. So I am going to go out shopping for one after work, but at least I have a little story now.
November 7th 2010.
Friday night I came home, played some sonic 4 (awesome game by the way) and started to do some reading when I just passed out. I was so tired. I love spending time with younger students but they just drain the life force right from me. They want to play tag or something but my body just can't do it anymore. I mean I am pretty out of shape to start out with but I dunno I just get really tired. So waking up the next day I was just really lazy. Except for about 2 hours I spent the whole day just sitting in my room. I played a lot of RE5 with the move controller on ps3. I like the move controller a lot. It is like the wii remote except better and without terrible graphics, but the controls for RE5 is just really lazy. You just don't get to do what you think you ought to be able to do with a shiny new motion controller.
So when I did go out I went to a place that said it was a park on the map, but looked like some sort of bike club. I really don't know. I run into things that I have no idea what they are pretty often. Its kind of awkward because I don't know if it is like pay to enter kind of thing or not. So I just took some pictures of a temple nearby. I am trying to get better at taking photos and when I think about the composition of the shot it looks good in my mind but when looking at it on the computer it just doesn't look right. Often it is too bright or not bright enough or just sort of artistically it is boring. I kind of want to take a class or something.
On a different subject I got a GPS. I bought a garmin and I really regret it. The problem is that Garmin simply took the same system for their normal one and imported Japanese data and called it a day. But both Japan and the Japanese language can not be thrown on so easily. For example my GPS can not search by kanji (chinese characters), it can only search by hiragana (japanese alphabet), so it will bring up all of the results that have the same reading even if they have different Kanji. And because it can't search by Kanji you have to enter the locations official title. The other day I needed to get to the 会館 but I couldn't find it because it was listed as 鴨川市会館。The device also doesn't seem to know the speed limit of any road or how to take back alleys, so I very often get the less then optimal route.
I take a sort of middle of no where path to get to church and it is really pretty. It sort of sums up the reason why it is awesome to live away from the big cities. I am really looking forward to seeing the fall colors, it is going to be great.
Everything at school is still going fine. I have taught at Kindergarten and it was a lot of fun. It really isn't that big of a transition from being a student to being an ALT. My job is mostly about just having fun with kids. I do give my kids a lot of stickers, and I am starting to run out. I ordered about 1000 from some company in China but I still have to watch out even 1000 can run out quickly.
I kind of feel bad for anyone looking at this blog hopping to get some great insight about what it is like to live in Japan, Japan just sort of seems normal now. Like not in a its boring way, but just that I'm not really all that surprised by things anymore. The way things are done in Japan just sort of feel like the way that things ought to be done.
well thats it for now I guess.
Friday night I came home, played some sonic 4 (awesome game by the way) and started to do some reading when I just passed out. I was so tired. I love spending time with younger students but they just drain the life force right from me. They want to play tag or something but my body just can't do it anymore. I mean I am pretty out of shape to start out with but I dunno I just get really tired. So waking up the next day I was just really lazy. Except for about 2 hours I spent the whole day just sitting in my room. I played a lot of RE5 with the move controller on ps3. I like the move controller a lot. It is like the wii remote except better and without terrible graphics, but the controls for RE5 is just really lazy. You just don't get to do what you think you ought to be able to do with a shiny new motion controller.
So when I did go out I went to a place that said it was a park on the map, but looked like some sort of bike club. I really don't know. I run into things that I have no idea what they are pretty often. Its kind of awkward because I don't know if it is like pay to enter kind of thing or not. So I just took some pictures of a temple nearby. I am trying to get better at taking photos and when I think about the composition of the shot it looks good in my mind but when looking at it on the computer it just doesn't look right. Often it is too bright or not bright enough or just sort of artistically it is boring. I kind of want to take a class or something.
On a different subject I got a GPS. I bought a garmin and I really regret it. The problem is that Garmin simply took the same system for their normal one and imported Japanese data and called it a day. But both Japan and the Japanese language can not be thrown on so easily. For example my GPS can not search by kanji (chinese characters), it can only search by hiragana (japanese alphabet), so it will bring up all of the results that have the same reading even if they have different Kanji. And because it can't search by Kanji you have to enter the locations official title. The other day I needed to get to the 会館 but I couldn't find it because it was listed as 鴨川市会館。The device also doesn't seem to know the speed limit of any road or how to take back alleys, so I very often get the less then optimal route.
I take a sort of middle of no where path to get to church and it is really pretty. It sort of sums up the reason why it is awesome to live away from the big cities. I am really looking forward to seeing the fall colors, it is going to be great.
Everything at school is still going fine. I have taught at Kindergarten and it was a lot of fun. It really isn't that big of a transition from being a student to being an ALT. My job is mostly about just having fun with kids. I do give my kids a lot of stickers, and I am starting to run out. I ordered about 1000 from some company in China but I still have to watch out even 1000 can run out quickly.
I kind of feel bad for anyone looking at this blog hopping to get some great insight about what it is like to live in Japan, Japan just sort of seems normal now. Like not in a its boring way, but just that I'm not really all that surprised by things anymore. The way things are done in Japan just sort of feel like the way that things ought to be done.
well thats it for now I guess.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
The Story of Gon, The Loyal One Eye Dog.
So the following is a story that I translated. There is an interesting story as to how I got the Japanese version. A few weeks ago I was interviewed by a reporter for a regional paper that has about 200,000 readers. In it I mentioned that I translate anime and manga into English. The whole thing is actually kind of embarrassing but I guess there isn't anything really important happening in southern Chiba. So one day I get a phone call from one of the teachers at school saying that I have received a strange letter from someone in Tateyama (about an hour south). We both tried to figure out who it could be since I had never been to Tateyama. Once she opened it however it was a letter, a short story, and a pamphlet for an onsen. As it turns out that they wanted me to "share" the story of Gon with Americans. I've had some free time and I haven't had a good translation project for a while so I gave it a shot.
The reason I enjoy translating as a hobby is that there are so many challenges you need to address. First off is Japanese is a cute language. It is very easy to make something really really cute, I think its hard in English. Japanese cheezyness isn't as clearly defined as it is in English. The Japanese version really gives off a feeling of "Oh this poor dog, I feel so sorry for him" I don't know if I really pulled that off well in the English version or not.
The second thing is length of paragraphs and sentences. You would think that the best way to work with a story is to go sentence by sentence and keep the paragraphs the same, but Japanese can have crazy long sentences and very short paragraphs. There were a lot of parts where I split sentences and merged paragraphs, but this version still has very small paragraphs.
Another thing is quotation. There are lots of parts in the original that seemed like they should be quoted weren't and vice versa. I just went with what sounds better in English on that. One translation problem that you would see in any language though, is what if the original is just written poorly? This story would occasionally break the 1st person for a third person. I guess you have to change it for the better but you also need to protect the authenticity of the original.
Ok so enough of an intro, please enjoy the story
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The Story of Gon, The Loyal One Eye Dog.
Written by Mitsue Suzuki
Edited by Shintaro Suzuki
Translated by Benjamin Pomeroy
My name is Gon. I'm a crossbreed shiba inu. When my mother's master moved away, she abandoned her. My mother wondered around looking for a new master, when the president of a construction company saw her while he was going for a horse ride. “Well will you look at that splendid dog. Someone might be looking for it, go grab it.”His employee grabbed my mom and took her home. She was very well taken care of. And then me and my brother were born, although my brother soon got sick and died. I was given to the Watanabe couple, who worked at the same company. They loved me as much as if I was their own child.
The old man who became my master was very good at singing and would always sing a song while going for a walk. It was wonderful, and I was enchanted when I listened. I thought no one could sing better then him.
I grew up very strong and healthy, and on the day that I turned three years old, a new hobby store opened up next to the school. Three grade school kids purchased a plastic pistol and were searching around for a target to shoot. Since I never caused any one any trouble, my master let me loose in the yard. I started to go near the three of them, and just my luck, they saw me.
They caught me, dragged me out to the field, and tied me up to a tree. The three of them took the pistol and shot point plank into my left eye. Three pellets hit my eye. “Aaaahhh it hurts! It hurts! Daddy! Mommy! Help me! It hurts!”
The kids untied me and ran away. I tossed and turned because of the pain. I was scared, and I hid myself under someone's house and cried. Dad and Mom were out all night searching for me. “Gon! Gon!” They were so worried they couldn't sleep. The next day they continued to search for me after they came home from work. “Gon! Gon!”
I was in pain and I was starving, and right when I was about to go home, my master found me. My eye was dangling by a thread. They were shocked and rushed me to the vet. The doctor removed my eye. “Three plastic pellets were lodged in his eye”,they all then knew that it was the work of those no good kids.
Dad took me in under the covers, and we slept together in the same futon. “Gon, it must have hurt so much. Never go near those kids again.” Whenever Mom would say “Is it really alright to have the dog inside?” Dad would quickly come back with “What are you saying? If this was our own child, what would you do?”.
I slept with my Dad's arms wrapped around me for a week, and I started to feel a little better, so I tried practice walking. Because I only had one eye, I wasn't very good at first. I would just go around in a circle or stumble about, but Dad would do his best to cheer me on saying “You can do it Gon! Don't give up!” Eventually I was able to get back to living a normal life, which made Dad and Mom feel revealed, and they started going back to work. This time they made sure to leash me to my dog house.
After a while those same those same bad kids came back. They wanted to shoot out my other eye too. A neighbor saw what they were trying to do, and called the police. It seems Dad and Mom told them “If anything happens, please contact us” The police contacted the school, and the teachers realized how big of a problem this was. The students and parents were all gathered together, and were given a stern warning.
The parents of the children came to my house to apologize, but simply said “Well just pay the medical bill, and it will be alright.” This upset Dad and he yelled back “Fix Gon's eye! What would you do if this happened to a person?” I was very glad to hear him say that. I think even dogs have a right to live.
Once I had fully recovered, Dad would take me for a walk and sing, just like before. I was really taken away by his beautiful singing. Life was nice and peaceful, but only until that one day.
Suddenly the telephone started to ring. “Hello? Is this Mrs. Watanabe? Something terrible has happened. Your husband collapsed at work. Please hurry and come down here.” Mom had been home with a touch of a cold so she left right away. Dad was rushed off to Kameda Hospital in Kamogawa and there he began a long hospitalization.
Dad couldn't talk, he had a vacant look in his eyes, and he was paralyzed from the waist down.
The blood vessels in his brain had been severally damaged. Mom never left Dad's side, so there was only me and my older brother, their son, left at home. My brother would leave for work after lunch, so I was left all by myself to watch the house.
In an attempt to help Dad regain consciousness, Mom played the tape that Dad recorded every day. The doctor told her that it wouldn't be a bad idea, so she determined to play it over and over again.
One day, Dad suddenly work up. Tears were rolling down his cheek and Mom too was crying tears of joy. After a while his condition became more stable, and he was moved to Tateyama hospital. There he struggled everyday with his rehabilitation. Dad still couldn't talk very well, so even though Mom would come home by bike to take care of laundry or what not, for the most part, she spent everyday helping Dad at the hospital.
Some people from Dad's office were taking care of me, but they didn't seem to have the time to take me for a walk. They would say “Gon, go take yourself for a walk” and let me go. More then a year had passed since I had last seen Dad, and I wanted to see him more then anything. I found a road that had Mom's scent on it, and I followed it until I came to an intersection. The cars were honking and zooming pass so, I found some old lady and I crossed the street with her. After I had followed the road for a while, I could faintly hear Dad singing off in the distance. A human wouldn't have been able to hear it. Only a dog, like me, could hear it. Our ears are much more sensitive than human ears, so voices that humans can't hear, I can.
I eventually came to a big hospital, and Mom's scent was very strong there. I sat down at the front gate and stared, but I just couldn't see Mom or Dad anywhere. So after two hours I had no choice but to go back home. The office people I was staying with would release me after they finished lunch, so I would follow Mom's scent and go back to the hospital.
Because I would sit in front of the hospital every day waiting, some of the nurses said “Everyday that one eye dog comes to the front gate and just stares. I wonder if it is a stray. It's really gross that he only has one eye. But he does have a collar on, I wonder if someone owns him” Mom heard this while passing through the halls and though that it might be Gon. She went to go tell Dad, who as listening intently, and gestured for her to go to the entrance and take a look. Nervously she ran to the entrance, and to her surprise, she saw me sitting there waiting for her. “Gon! How did you know we were here? Did you come along with someone?”
I didn't respond, I just sat there wagging my tail. I was finally able to see Mom again. I was just so happy I couldn't stand it. I leaped up on Mom. Mom couldn't hold back, and tears started to roll down her face. “Gon, please wait right here. I'll go tell Dad. When Dad finds out that you came here, he will be so happy. It might even help him recover”
Mom went back to the room and she started telling Dad about me. A doctor, who was passing by, came in and Mom told him as well. They couldn't exactly let a dog into a hospital, but since they thought that it might help Dad recover, they let us meet in the entrance way.
I hadn't seen my Dad for a year and a half, and I was so happy that I just jumped into his arms. Dad couldn't stop the flow of tears. After our joyful reunion, Mom told me “Gon, at two o'clock Dad has to go to the rehabilitation room, so go home and come back again tomorrow. Wait out side the pathway to the rehabilitation room and watch out for cars.”
I was sad, but I just had to go home and I could come again tomorrow. Mom called the office and told them “Today Gon came to the hospital! I was very surprised. I wonder how he knew where to go. I told him to come again at two o'clock, so please let him go after lunch.” I was once again able to meet Dad and see his smiling face, so I went home happy.
Despite his rehabilitation, Dad eventually left for heaven. Mom called the office and told them “Dad passed away today, please don't let Gon go” They didn't let me go that day.
Dad came home, but not the same way. Many people came to our house, and everyone of them was crying. I was very sad too and I cried “Awwoooo” A hearse came to our house for the funeral. For a final good-bye, Mom let me go. I headed straight for the hearse and I climbed inside.
“Dad, your the one who saved me, Dad. I love you, I love you so much. You can't leave me here, please take me with you!”
Somehow, I heard Dad's voice. “Gon, no-no. There is no way I could do that. You still have something you need to do here. Now that I'm gone, I want you to watch over Mom for me.”
That's right! I still have my mom. I need to be strong for her. I have to do this, for her! My brother shouted out “Mom this is bad! Gon got inside the car!” Mom was surprised and once again leashed me to my dog house.
The neighbors and relatives all ran around busy, but I just watched in a sad gaze. After a while, Dad came home in a small box. Everyone acted as though there was a great weight on their shoulders. I just couldn't believe that Dad, who I loved so much, was inside that tiny box. I cried out again “Awwoooo”. All I want it is to go for a walk and hear him sing again. God had taken Dad to heaven. “Please let Dad come home. Please, God I'm begging you!”
Without Dad, everyday was sad. One day, Mom and my brother took me for a car ride to the grave that Dad was sleeping in. It was very far away, there was no way I would be able to walk there myself. “I came to visit you Dad. Why are you sleeping under such a cold rock? I miss you Dad. I've come to give you flowers and water, so please come out of your grave.”
Just then I somehow heard Dad's voice again. “Oh Gon, thank you for coming. I can't fix your missing eye, but I am watching over all of you so you can live happily together. I need you to watch over Mom and help her out in my place.”
That's right! I can't just let myself be sad all of the time. There is something important I need to do. I have to keep it together!
From then on, everyday after I finished eating my lunch, Mom would play the tape that Dad made and I would wag my tail. We would listen together everyday, and everyday was very peaceful. ”You can relax Dad, I am watching over Mom. And I know you are watching over both of us too. “
One day, several years later, a fine young man came to our house. I didn't recognize him, but he was one of the boys who shot out my eye. “Miss, I am so sorry. As I child I didn't quite know the difference between right and wrong and I did such a horrible thing to Gon. I couldn't imagine it being possible for you to forgive me, but I am moving away to start a new job in April and before I leave I just have to apologize to Gon.” Mom told him “Thank you so much. I'm so glad that you've come all the way here to apologize. Gon has full recovered and you have become such a wonderful young man who loves animals. I forgive you.” When I heard this, I felt very happy inside. I forgot the anger that I carried for so many years. The boy and Mom shook hands and parted ways.
THE END
This story is a dramatization of the story of the dog Gon, owned by the Watanabe couple.
Gon passed away of old age after living a full life in 1999
The reason I enjoy translating as a hobby is that there are so many challenges you need to address. First off is Japanese is a cute language. It is very easy to make something really really cute, I think its hard in English. Japanese cheezyness isn't as clearly defined as it is in English. The Japanese version really gives off a feeling of "Oh this poor dog, I feel so sorry for him" I don't know if I really pulled that off well in the English version or not.
The second thing is length of paragraphs and sentences. You would think that the best way to work with a story is to go sentence by sentence and keep the paragraphs the same, but Japanese can have crazy long sentences and very short paragraphs. There were a lot of parts where I split sentences and merged paragraphs, but this version still has very small paragraphs.
Another thing is quotation. There are lots of parts in the original that seemed like they should be quoted weren't and vice versa. I just went with what sounds better in English on that. One translation problem that you would see in any language though, is what if the original is just written poorly? This story would occasionally break the 1st person for a third person. I guess you have to change it for the better but you also need to protect the authenticity of the original.
Ok so enough of an intro, please enjoy the story
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Story of Gon, The Loyal One Eye Dog.
Written by Mitsue Suzuki
Edited by Shintaro Suzuki
Translated by Benjamin Pomeroy
My name is Gon. I'm a crossbreed shiba inu. When my mother's master moved away, she abandoned her. My mother wondered around looking for a new master, when the president of a construction company saw her while he was going for a horse ride. “Well will you look at that splendid dog. Someone might be looking for it, go grab it.”His employee grabbed my mom and took her home. She was very well taken care of. And then me and my brother were born, although my brother soon got sick and died. I was given to the Watanabe couple, who worked at the same company. They loved me as much as if I was their own child.
The old man who became my master was very good at singing and would always sing a song while going for a walk. It was wonderful, and I was enchanted when I listened. I thought no one could sing better then him.
I grew up very strong and healthy, and on the day that I turned three years old, a new hobby store opened up next to the school. Three grade school kids purchased a plastic pistol and were searching around for a target to shoot. Since I never caused any one any trouble, my master let me loose in the yard. I started to go near the three of them, and just my luck, they saw me.
They caught me, dragged me out to the field, and tied me up to a tree. The three of them took the pistol and shot point plank into my left eye. Three pellets hit my eye. “Aaaahhh it hurts! It hurts! Daddy! Mommy! Help me! It hurts!”
The kids untied me and ran away. I tossed and turned because of the pain. I was scared, and I hid myself under someone's house and cried. Dad and Mom were out all night searching for me. “Gon! Gon!” They were so worried they couldn't sleep. The next day they continued to search for me after they came home from work. “Gon! Gon!”
I was in pain and I was starving, and right when I was about to go home, my master found me. My eye was dangling by a thread. They were shocked and rushed me to the vet. The doctor removed my eye. “Three plastic pellets were lodged in his eye”,they all then knew that it was the work of those no good kids.
Dad took me in under the covers, and we slept together in the same futon. “Gon, it must have hurt so much. Never go near those kids again.” Whenever Mom would say “Is it really alright to have the dog inside?” Dad would quickly come back with “What are you saying? If this was our own child, what would you do?”.
I slept with my Dad's arms wrapped around me for a week, and I started to feel a little better, so I tried practice walking. Because I only had one eye, I wasn't very good at first. I would just go around in a circle or stumble about, but Dad would do his best to cheer me on saying “You can do it Gon! Don't give up!” Eventually I was able to get back to living a normal life, which made Dad and Mom feel revealed, and they started going back to work. This time they made sure to leash me to my dog house.
After a while those same those same bad kids came back. They wanted to shoot out my other eye too. A neighbor saw what they were trying to do, and called the police. It seems Dad and Mom told them “If anything happens, please contact us” The police contacted the school, and the teachers realized how big of a problem this was. The students and parents were all gathered together, and were given a stern warning.
The parents of the children came to my house to apologize, but simply said “Well just pay the medical bill, and it will be alright.” This upset Dad and he yelled back “Fix Gon's eye! What would you do if this happened to a person?” I was very glad to hear him say that. I think even dogs have a right to live.
Once I had fully recovered, Dad would take me for a walk and sing, just like before. I was really taken away by his beautiful singing. Life was nice and peaceful, but only until that one day.
Suddenly the telephone started to ring. “Hello? Is this Mrs. Watanabe? Something terrible has happened. Your husband collapsed at work. Please hurry and come down here.” Mom had been home with a touch of a cold so she left right away. Dad was rushed off to Kameda Hospital in Kamogawa and there he began a long hospitalization.
Dad couldn't talk, he had a vacant look in his eyes, and he was paralyzed from the waist down.
The blood vessels in his brain had been severally damaged. Mom never left Dad's side, so there was only me and my older brother, their son, left at home. My brother would leave for work after lunch, so I was left all by myself to watch the house.
In an attempt to help Dad regain consciousness, Mom played the tape that Dad recorded every day. The doctor told her that it wouldn't be a bad idea, so she determined to play it over and over again.
One day, Dad suddenly work up. Tears were rolling down his cheek and Mom too was crying tears of joy. After a while his condition became more stable, and he was moved to Tateyama hospital. There he struggled everyday with his rehabilitation. Dad still couldn't talk very well, so even though Mom would come home by bike to take care of laundry or what not, for the most part, she spent everyday helping Dad at the hospital.
Some people from Dad's office were taking care of me, but they didn't seem to have the time to take me for a walk. They would say “Gon, go take yourself for a walk” and let me go. More then a year had passed since I had last seen Dad, and I wanted to see him more then anything. I found a road that had Mom's scent on it, and I followed it until I came to an intersection. The cars were honking and zooming pass so, I found some old lady and I crossed the street with her. After I had followed the road for a while, I could faintly hear Dad singing off in the distance. A human wouldn't have been able to hear it. Only a dog, like me, could hear it. Our ears are much more sensitive than human ears, so voices that humans can't hear, I can.
I eventually came to a big hospital, and Mom's scent was very strong there. I sat down at the front gate and stared, but I just couldn't see Mom or Dad anywhere. So after two hours I had no choice but to go back home. The office people I was staying with would release me after they finished lunch, so I would follow Mom's scent and go back to the hospital.
Because I would sit in front of the hospital every day waiting, some of the nurses said “Everyday that one eye dog comes to the front gate and just stares. I wonder if it is a stray. It's really gross that he only has one eye. But he does have a collar on, I wonder if someone owns him” Mom heard this while passing through the halls and though that it might be Gon. She went to go tell Dad, who as listening intently, and gestured for her to go to the entrance and take a look. Nervously she ran to the entrance, and to her surprise, she saw me sitting there waiting for her. “Gon! How did you know we were here? Did you come along with someone?”
I didn't respond, I just sat there wagging my tail. I was finally able to see Mom again. I was just so happy I couldn't stand it. I leaped up on Mom. Mom couldn't hold back, and tears started to roll down her face. “Gon, please wait right here. I'll go tell Dad. When Dad finds out that you came here, he will be so happy. It might even help him recover”
Mom went back to the room and she started telling Dad about me. A doctor, who was passing by, came in and Mom told him as well. They couldn't exactly let a dog into a hospital, but since they thought that it might help Dad recover, they let us meet in the entrance way.
I hadn't seen my Dad for a year and a half, and I was so happy that I just jumped into his arms. Dad couldn't stop the flow of tears. After our joyful reunion, Mom told me “Gon, at two o'clock Dad has to go to the rehabilitation room, so go home and come back again tomorrow. Wait out side the pathway to the rehabilitation room and watch out for cars.”
I was sad, but I just had to go home and I could come again tomorrow. Mom called the office and told them “Today Gon came to the hospital! I was very surprised. I wonder how he knew where to go. I told him to come again at two o'clock, so please let him go after lunch.” I was once again able to meet Dad and see his smiling face, so I went home happy.
Despite his rehabilitation, Dad eventually left for heaven. Mom called the office and told them “Dad passed away today, please don't let Gon go” They didn't let me go that day.
Dad came home, but not the same way. Many people came to our house, and everyone of them was crying. I was very sad too and I cried “Awwoooo” A hearse came to our house for the funeral. For a final good-bye, Mom let me go. I headed straight for the hearse and I climbed inside.
“Dad, your the one who saved me, Dad. I love you, I love you so much. You can't leave me here, please take me with you!”
Somehow, I heard Dad's voice. “Gon, no-no. There is no way I could do that. You still have something you need to do here. Now that I'm gone, I want you to watch over Mom for me.”
That's right! I still have my mom. I need to be strong for her. I have to do this, for her! My brother shouted out “Mom this is bad! Gon got inside the car!” Mom was surprised and once again leashed me to my dog house.
The neighbors and relatives all ran around busy, but I just watched in a sad gaze. After a while, Dad came home in a small box. Everyone acted as though there was a great weight on their shoulders. I just couldn't believe that Dad, who I loved so much, was inside that tiny box. I cried out again “Awwoooo”. All I want it is to go for a walk and hear him sing again. God had taken Dad to heaven. “Please let Dad come home. Please, God I'm begging you!”
Without Dad, everyday was sad. One day, Mom and my brother took me for a car ride to the grave that Dad was sleeping in. It was very far away, there was no way I would be able to walk there myself. “I came to visit you Dad. Why are you sleeping under such a cold rock? I miss you Dad. I've come to give you flowers and water, so please come out of your grave.”
Just then I somehow heard Dad's voice again. “Oh Gon, thank you for coming. I can't fix your missing eye, but I am watching over all of you so you can live happily together. I need you to watch over Mom and help her out in my place.”
That's right! I can't just let myself be sad all of the time. There is something important I need to do. I have to keep it together!
From then on, everyday after I finished eating my lunch, Mom would play the tape that Dad made and I would wag my tail. We would listen together everyday, and everyday was very peaceful. ”You can relax Dad, I am watching over Mom. And I know you are watching over both of us too. “
One day, several years later, a fine young man came to our house. I didn't recognize him, but he was one of the boys who shot out my eye. “Miss, I am so sorry. As I child I didn't quite know the difference between right and wrong and I did such a horrible thing to Gon. I couldn't imagine it being possible for you to forgive me, but I am moving away to start a new job in April and before I leave I just have to apologize to Gon.” Mom told him “Thank you so much. I'm so glad that you've come all the way here to apologize. Gon has full recovered and you have become such a wonderful young man who loves animals. I forgive you.” When I heard this, I felt very happy inside. I forgot the anger that I carried for so many years. The boy and Mom shook hands and parted ways.
THE END
This story is a dramatization of the story of the dog Gon, owned by the Watanabe couple.
Gon passed away of old age after living a full life in 1999
Thursday, September 23, 2010
A month later.
Its just about a month since my last post and things are still going pretty good. I really enjoy what I do. I teach at elementary and middle school and I really love elementary. The kids are adorable and think I am the coolest thing in the world. They all run up to me when I enter the school screaming "Ben-sensei!" Middle school is a little different because while elementary kids are very out going and full of energy, high school students are very quite, and even the best students act like they don't want to be at school or listen to anything you say, so middle schoolers are kind of in the middle of that. The teachers are all very happy that I can speak Japanese and I still feel very welcomed and wanted everywhere I go.
My town is a really nice place but it is kind of far from everything. If I want to go to the Tokyo area it is 2 hours or so on a bus. That isn't really all that bad but it is an hour and a half drive or an hour train ride to get to church every week. Because it is every week it gets very tiring. If I go up to Tokyo on Saturday, it just kills me to go to church on Sunday. I mean I absolutely want to go to church and my week feels like it is missing something if I don't go, but its tough. My church is something I am really grateful for though. It is small but there is a strong fellowship and so many people who want to help me out. I often just receive random food from some mother who is worried about me.
I really want to get a girlfriend but it is really hard with how busy Japaneses people are. I have tried to set up a date with a few girls from church but it is like the one day they have free I don't. And there are plenty of cute young teachers at the schools around town but I barely get enough time to talk about the lesson let alone get to know them.
I really don't like living on my own. Its too quite, too much time just playing video games, and it really sucks to cook for just one person. I waist so much food because I either make too much or I can't eat the food I buy before it goes bad.
As far as events there were three things. There was field day at the middle school which was kind of cool because I've never seen one in real life. They did a lot of running and some other games but they had this cheering troupe that was just awesome. There was a small festival in my town and they had a couple mikoshi (portable shrines carried on poles) around town. It was nice and had that Japanesey feel. And I also went to Tokyo Game Show. This is a big event where all of the video game companies show off the games they are working on this year. So I got to see lots of neat things but it was crowded. I have never seen more people in one spot in my life. It was a pretty big expo center but it was just solid walls of people.
I guess thats it.
My town is a really nice place but it is kind of far from everything. If I want to go to the Tokyo area it is 2 hours or so on a bus. That isn't really all that bad but it is an hour and a half drive or an hour train ride to get to church every week. Because it is every week it gets very tiring. If I go up to Tokyo on Saturday, it just kills me to go to church on Sunday. I mean I absolutely want to go to church and my week feels like it is missing something if I don't go, but its tough. My church is something I am really grateful for though. It is small but there is a strong fellowship and so many people who want to help me out. I often just receive random food from some mother who is worried about me.
I really want to get a girlfriend but it is really hard with how busy Japaneses people are. I have tried to set up a date with a few girls from church but it is like the one day they have free I don't. And there are plenty of cute young teachers at the schools around town but I barely get enough time to talk about the lesson let alone get to know them.
I really don't like living on my own. Its too quite, too much time just playing video games, and it really sucks to cook for just one person. I waist so much food because I either make too much or I can't eat the food I buy before it goes bad.
As far as events there were three things. There was field day at the middle school which was kind of cool because I've never seen one in real life. They did a lot of running and some other games but they had this cheering troupe that was just awesome. There was a small festival in my town and they had a couple mikoshi (portable shrines carried on poles) around town. It was nice and had that Japanesey feel. And I also went to Tokyo Game Show. This is a big event where all of the video game companies show off the games they are working on this year. So I got to see lots of neat things but it was crowded. I have never seen more people in one spot in my life. It was a pretty big expo center but it was just solid walls of people.
I guess thats it.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
I have peanut butter
I love my life right now. I love it, because I now have peanut butter. I was feeling very frustrated with food because I know so little and I was growing very tired of Japanese take out. I was walking around Besia (almost exactly the same as walmart) hoping to find something different to eat, and then I found it. A jar of peanut butter! Peanut butter is one of those rare import only foods in Japan and its not everyday you find it. Even at around $5 for a small size, I was overjoyed. I then had one of those, wow my life is awesome moments. 5 minutes from my house and I have peanut butter. How many English teachers in Japan can honestly say that? I could have been placed anywhere in Japan and I got Kamogawa. I got a place that has two used Game/DVD rental stores, two large grocery stores, several different Karaoke places, and all of the odds and end stores that I need. All within 10 minutes of my house. On top of that my schools really aren't far away at all. I am only going to one school tomorrow and it is only about 5 minutes away. Kamogawa has everything that I honestly need. And Tokyo is just right there. 2 hours on the bus and I'm there. I've been to Chiba city a few times and it really isn't all that bad of a trip.
And then the people here are so nice. All of the teachers and the BOE people I have meet have been fantastic! Taking me out to lunch, helping me clean my apartment when I first move in, bringing me random vegetables to bring home. I feel so unworthy to receive such kindness. And it goes beyond work too. I've been invited over for lunch with church members and I just got back from a little english conversation circle and they already are making plans to go Karaoke and eat bbq for a welcome party for me. It's wonderful.
And I love being called Sensei. It is weird. I mean I have no education training, I have no experience, and yet I am given the same respect as someone who went to school specifically for this job and has been doing it for years. I think the kids look up to me and I just feel wonderful being able to help them.
I really love my life right now. I am looking forward for school to start proper and I hope it is just as rewarding as helping with the speech contest has been.
And then the people here are so nice. All of the teachers and the BOE people I have meet have been fantastic! Taking me out to lunch, helping me clean my apartment when I first move in, bringing me random vegetables to bring home. I feel so unworthy to receive such kindness. And it goes beyond work too. I've been invited over for lunch with church members and I just got back from a little english conversation circle and they already are making plans to go Karaoke and eat bbq for a welcome party for me. It's wonderful.
And I love being called Sensei. It is weird. I mean I have no education training, I have no experience, and yet I am given the same respect as someone who went to school specifically for this job and has been doing it for years. I think the kids look up to me and I just feel wonderful being able to help them.
I really love my life right now. I am looking forward for school to start proper and I hope it is just as rewarding as helping with the speech contest has been.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Review of Torne for PS3
Japanese TV is sort of a puzzle, you know that Japan makes awesome anime, but actually finding anything but B list celebrities eating different food and saying how delicious it is, can be a challenge. That's why I was really excited when I heard about a Japan only DVR add on for the PS3 called Torne. I picked one up, set it up and got a chance to play with it for a bit and here is what I think.
For 10,000 yen (around $110 now a days) you get a very small box, some cables, and an install disc. You insert a BS card into the machine (sort of an ID card that all Japanese TVs use to pull a digital signal over the air), run the coaxial cable from the wall into it and that into the TV. And then a USB into the PS3. That is all there is to physical installation. Since the Torne box sits in between your TV signal you can use your TV like normal.
Installation is a snap, pop the disc in, run all of the updates you need and when you are done you will have a new icon on the XMB, "TV". From there you eject the disc and never use it again. Clicking on the Torne icon under the TV tab launches the program. You do all of the basic set up that you would if this was a new TV, choose a few settings, tell it where you live, and let it scan for channels. I was able to find all of the channels I have on my TV normally without any problem.
Once set up you have a couple different options, you can watch live TV with a nicer TV guide then my new Sharp, you can look at the schedule for the next couple of weeks, you can search for a particular show by genre, title, or keyword, watch recorded video, surf the web (with a split screen so you can still watch TV), and manage your content. Everything that you would possible need a DVR to do it has the function.
Torne also does a lot of things that I am surprised about. You can choose full or compressed recordings. Since this records everything in HD, files can get big. It is about 6 gb an hour on full setting, and 2 gb an hour of compressed. Compressed still looks good and unless you were looking for bits of compression you wouldn't notice the difference. Having this option is very important because it gives people options on storage. You can connect an external hard drive to the PS3 for additional storage or you can use the PS3 hard drive. I am using the PS3 hard drive so I need to keep an eye on it because with a 120 gb I get about 90 gb I can access. Considering I need to share that with games and downloads as well, I can't let my list get too big.
The big thing for me, but I doubt many other people, was the fact that you can turn subtitles on or off on recorded videos. My Japanese is not at the level where I can just tackle any anime without some help and subtitles really helps. Not every show broadcasts with subtitles and of course they are Japanese subtitles, not English.
Torne also connects to the internet to see which shows other Torne users are recording. Kind of a silly idea but it is kind of neat to see what is actually popular that week in Japan.
But the single best thing about Torne is that it can do all of this recording without getting in your way at all. The PS3 does not need to be fully turned on to record, it can do it from its sleep mode. Torne will not interrupt games or movies, you just get a little message saying that Torne will be starting soon.
So I know have a set up where anime basically comes to me in my sleep! This little magic box does it all for me, no more waiting for someone to release it and then tormenting it, blah blah blah. And considering regular DVRs are really expensive in Japan the fact that Sony was able to just add that functionality to the PS3 is amazing. With this the PS3 really does become the end all home entertainment machine. Its just awesome.
As awesome as Torne is, there is one problem. It is Japan only, and the TV signals are different so you can't import it. Sony has yet to make any plan to bring it to the states. I can understand a little. In Japan basically everyone has the same set up. There really isn't a cable box or anything like that. It is all based off of that BS card. In the US they would either have to make a Torne that could only do your broadcast channels (which who would be happy with just that?) or make a special Torne for each cable company. I hope they do, but we'll see.
All in all, if you live in Japan and own a PS3 or are even slightly interested in a PS3, get Torne. It is well worth the money.
For 10,000 yen (around $110 now a days) you get a very small box, some cables, and an install disc. You insert a BS card into the machine (sort of an ID card that all Japanese TVs use to pull a digital signal over the air), run the coaxial cable from the wall into it and that into the TV. And then a USB into the PS3. That is all there is to physical installation. Since the Torne box sits in between your TV signal you can use your TV like normal.
Installation is a snap, pop the disc in, run all of the updates you need and when you are done you will have a new icon on the XMB, "TV". From there you eject the disc and never use it again. Clicking on the Torne icon under the TV tab launches the program. You do all of the basic set up that you would if this was a new TV, choose a few settings, tell it where you live, and let it scan for channels. I was able to find all of the channels I have on my TV normally without any problem.
Once set up you have a couple different options, you can watch live TV with a nicer TV guide then my new Sharp, you can look at the schedule for the next couple of weeks, you can search for a particular show by genre, title, or keyword, watch recorded video, surf the web (with a split screen so you can still watch TV), and manage your content. Everything that you would possible need a DVR to do it has the function.
Torne also does a lot of things that I am surprised about. You can choose full or compressed recordings. Since this records everything in HD, files can get big. It is about 6 gb an hour on full setting, and 2 gb an hour of compressed. Compressed still looks good and unless you were looking for bits of compression you wouldn't notice the difference. Having this option is very important because it gives people options on storage. You can connect an external hard drive to the PS3 for additional storage or you can use the PS3 hard drive. I am using the PS3 hard drive so I need to keep an eye on it because with a 120 gb I get about 90 gb I can access. Considering I need to share that with games and downloads as well, I can't let my list get too big.
The big thing for me, but I doubt many other people, was the fact that you can turn subtitles on or off on recorded videos. My Japanese is not at the level where I can just tackle any anime without some help and subtitles really helps. Not every show broadcasts with subtitles and of course they are Japanese subtitles, not English.
Torne also connects to the internet to see which shows other Torne users are recording. Kind of a silly idea but it is kind of neat to see what is actually popular that week in Japan.
But the single best thing about Torne is that it can do all of this recording without getting in your way at all. The PS3 does not need to be fully turned on to record, it can do it from its sleep mode. Torne will not interrupt games or movies, you just get a little message saying that Torne will be starting soon.
So I know have a set up where anime basically comes to me in my sleep! This little magic box does it all for me, no more waiting for someone to release it and then tormenting it, blah blah blah. And considering regular DVRs are really expensive in Japan the fact that Sony was able to just add that functionality to the PS3 is amazing. With this the PS3 really does become the end all home entertainment machine. Its just awesome.
As awesome as Torne is, there is one problem. It is Japan only, and the TV signals are different so you can't import it. Sony has yet to make any plan to bring it to the states. I can understand a little. In Japan basically everyone has the same set up. There really isn't a cable box or anything like that. It is all based off of that BS card. In the US they would either have to make a Torne that could only do your broadcast channels (which who would be happy with just that?) or make a special Torne for each cable company. I hope they do, but we'll see.
All in all, if you live in Japan and own a PS3 or are even slightly interested in a PS3, get Torne. It is well worth the money.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
feeling dumb
In Japanese culture complimenting someone about something is very important, so as a foreigner you are often complemented on your Japanese, regardless of how good you are. Which as a sign of modesty you are supposed to reply �iee mada mada desu� which means �No I still have a way to go�, lately I have realized just how �mada mada� I really am. I have been studying Japanese for 5 years and have spent a year living in Japan before, so I can speak Japanese. While the word �speak� has very broad implications, I am at a level where I can be a contributing member of Japanese society, unfortunately I am a very stupid one. Normal conversations for the most part aren't any problems but stuff like setting up an internet account, buying car insurance, and figuring out the cell phone bill have really shown me just how little I actually know. I try and try but I just get so lost and there is so much vocabulary that is really never used outside of certain situations that I just don't know. Church today was especially difficult to follow because there was a talk about the Japanese festival of Obon, its history, it's connection to Buddhism and Shinto, and how Japanese Mormons approach a holiday that is so ingrained into Japanese society to transcend any religious belief. And then it some how got even harder in sunday school when they were talking about the old testament. The old testament is hard enough to understand in English!
But a bit of back tracking, let me talk a little bit more about church. Last week I wanted to go so I looked up on the computer when I was at work and got the address for the church. I found out that it is �near� Yatsumi station so I spent about $10 in train fare to get there and realized, I couldn't find it. I walked in circles all over the station but couldn't find anything. I was all hot and sweaty and since I didn't have a cell phone, I had no way to look it up. This week however I got a cell phone and was able to look up that it was actually about a kilometer in the opposite direction I was heading! So I after I finally got there, I was warmly greeted by everyone. I had forgotten how wonderful it feels to be so welcomed like that. Yatsumi is a pretty small nothing area so, of course, there are really only older people there and a few young families. But I did able to make some contacts and I'm now in the know for all of the single activities happening in the Chiba area so that's a good start on my quest to build up a good social life. But after church brother Sugimoto invited me over for lunch with his family. It was wonderful. It was a big (for Japan) house full of energy. I really felt the love that everyone had for each other and I was able to have lots of really good food. It was a fantastic day. It made me realize how much I really don't care for living on my own as compared to living with a family.
Besides that work has been good. I have done actual work lately, not just sitting around the office not doing anything. Since school is currently out for summer I am helping a handful of students with their speech contest practice. This is more work then it sounds like. You have to repeat the same short speech over and over again, really exaggerating everything. My tongue and throat actually hurt at the end of the day. You also don't realize how hard it is to explain how you make a sound. Native English speakers just naturally know that to make an L sound you push your tongue against your upper teeth, first year English students have to constantly think and adjust their tongue to make the right sounds. Sometimes you hear a word and it doesn't sound right but you just for the life of you can't figure out how to explain it to make it better. And then you have a balance you have to keep where you need to make practice but don't want to push the kids too hard. It is actual work. I think some times we think of the JET program as just such an easy gig that we assume that there isn't any real work involved, there is. But it feels really good to finally be salary. There is a new level of trust you are given by your employer. You don't need to be timed for exactly how long of a break you take, under the right circumstances you can leave a little early. There are times when I'll have to stay late but I enjoy this much more.
Driving in Japan requires a lot more concentration then it does in America. The whole left side right side thing becomes natural very quickly, but what gets you is how small the roads are, how much people will block traffic, and how much old people just don't care about any sort of traffic safety.
On a side note, there are a bunch of little frogs outside my patio right now. I don't know how they got there, I'm on the second floor. I almost want to catch one and keep it as a pet.
But a bit of back tracking, let me talk a little bit more about church. Last week I wanted to go so I looked up on the computer when I was at work and got the address for the church. I found out that it is �near� Yatsumi station so I spent about $10 in train fare to get there and realized, I couldn't find it. I walked in circles all over the station but couldn't find anything. I was all hot and sweaty and since I didn't have a cell phone, I had no way to look it up. This week however I got a cell phone and was able to look up that it was actually about a kilometer in the opposite direction I was heading! So I after I finally got there, I was warmly greeted by everyone. I had forgotten how wonderful it feels to be so welcomed like that. Yatsumi is a pretty small nothing area so, of course, there are really only older people there and a few young families. But I did able to make some contacts and I'm now in the know for all of the single activities happening in the Chiba area so that's a good start on my quest to build up a good social life. But after church brother Sugimoto invited me over for lunch with his family. It was wonderful. It was a big (for Japan) house full of energy. I really felt the love that everyone had for each other and I was able to have lots of really good food. It was a fantastic day. It made me realize how much I really don't care for living on my own as compared to living with a family.
Besides that work has been good. I have done actual work lately, not just sitting around the office not doing anything. Since school is currently out for summer I am helping a handful of students with their speech contest practice. This is more work then it sounds like. You have to repeat the same short speech over and over again, really exaggerating everything. My tongue and throat actually hurt at the end of the day. You also don't realize how hard it is to explain how you make a sound. Native English speakers just naturally know that to make an L sound you push your tongue against your upper teeth, first year English students have to constantly think and adjust their tongue to make the right sounds. Sometimes you hear a word and it doesn't sound right but you just for the life of you can't figure out how to explain it to make it better. And then you have a balance you have to keep where you need to make practice but don't want to push the kids too hard. It is actual work. I think some times we think of the JET program as just such an easy gig that we assume that there isn't any real work involved, there is. But it feels really good to finally be salary. There is a new level of trust you are given by your employer. You don't need to be timed for exactly how long of a break you take, under the right circumstances you can leave a little early. There are times when I'll have to stay late but I enjoy this much more.
Driving in Japan requires a lot more concentration then it does in America. The whole left side right side thing becomes natural very quickly, but what gets you is how small the roads are, how much people will block traffic, and how much old people just don't care about any sort of traffic safety.
On a side note, there are a bunch of little frogs outside my patio right now. I don't know how they got there, I'm on the second floor. I almost want to catch one and keep it as a pet.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
catch up
Friday 23rd of July 2010
I am sitting in my hotel room of the marriot waiting for the orientation to start. This is it, the last day in the united states. At the orientation I will get some more information, have a nice dinner, receive my passport back and the final instructions that I need to know for tomorrow.
We left pretty early this morning, around 4:30 because we were planning on picking up my friend Sam on the way. About 4:45 we get a call saying that she wont be ready and she will get someone else to give her a ride. About 7am I find out that she isn't going. This upsets me because I really enjoyed spending time with Sam and would have liked to have someone I knew to come to LA with, but also because it is a big mistake not only will she have to repay the JET program a lot of money, she is going to miss out on so much. The JET program is this amazing once in a life time adventure that only a select few get to enjoy. It's funny, I have been thinking a lot more about a friend missing something wonderful then I am about what I am about to do.
We got to the air port on time with no problems and then we sat around for a bit talking. I quickly meet up with the other JETs at the terminal and we formed a group. This helped a lot because there was no one meeting us there at the air port so we had to figure out how to get to the marriot and check in on our own. Not really that big of a deal but when you are going on a big adventure like this you already have way too much on your mind and you don't want more things to worry about or have more things to go wrong.
I have to say I feel very grown up at things like this. Fancy hotel, black suit, high paying job, I feel really important. I still sort of think of myself as that little teenage boy but I guess I really am an adult. All I need to do now is get married.
Well I have a few hours to kill so I think I am going to try playing fallout one on my little netbook, well see how well that works.
Wednesday July 28th 2010
I am writing this on the bus on my way to meet my supervisor in Kamogawa, it has been a crazy past couple of days.
The orientation in LA was fine, our recruiting agent talked way too long and it got a little boring with that but we had a nice mexican dinner party. It was kind of a bad descision though because it was hard to eat dripping fajitas while wearing a fancy suit. Sam did in fact show up. She bought a plane ticket from Tucson to LA at the last minute and made it, I was really happy to see her and she said that I really helped her out.
We got the the airport really early the next day and waited around a bit for the plane. The plane ride was actually kind of comfortable, even though I didn't get any sleep. Once we got off the plane we were hit with a wave of heat and I remembered just how hot it was there. We were greeted by all of the JET staff and that was really nice. It took a long time to get to on the bus and then it was about an hour and a half drive until we got to Tokyo.
I actually stopped here because we arrived at our location, I'll get to that in a little bit.
So the first night we were greeted by more JETs in this fancy hotel and they gave us a bunch of books and what not and our keys. After getting situated I went out to shinjiku to get something to eat when I just bumped into Emily Love from Konan. We had some ramen with this guy I found a little annoying. Now that I think about it I guess I can see a lot of myself in his annoyance. He had only studied a little bit of Japanese but acted like he knew more then I did, I can do that too because I have relatively had little Japanese experience.
The next day was tough, I got dressed in my suit which made me feel very grown up. The meetings were very boring and not all that much new information. In themselves it wouldn't have been so bad but that jet lag, (JET lag, if you will) made all of it really painful. The workshops were mostly useless. There was a banquet that night but I was feeling really light headed so I just wanted it to be over. That day I did get to meet up with Juliene Fang who is also a friend from Konan and we went out for ice cream afterwords. After that I came home early and got some sleep.
The next day was much better, jet lag was now that bad, the meetings were much more energetic and useful, got me a little worried about the actual teaching part of the job. We had a meeting with the prefecture advisor and got some more specific information about Chiba. That night we went out to eat with everyone from Chiba, we went to an izakaiya place. At these restuarnts you order a bunch of small plates that everyone shares. The amount of food you get is really small and people only go here because you can get all you can drink alcohol for a set price. I really hate paying $15 and still feeling hungry. I then just headed back to the hotel from there.
The next morning it was just packing, checking out and waiting for the bus. We rode a bus to Chiba city something something center. We had a very small meeting where the ALTs meet the contracting organization. Much like the meeting when I studied abroad. I was meet by HXXXX san and a coworker of her's that I do not remember his name. Even though I was really nervous at first, I quickly felt very relaxed and felt a real connection with them. I was able to carry on a decent conversation the whole way in Japanese and the guy treated me to a sushi lunch. HXXXX san is really wonderful she is so friendly and seems to be more like a best friend rather then a boss to Niji and Chris. She has even gone as far as to have me stay over at her family's house. They are so nice and friendly it is simply amazing. There is also a little kid in the house who is adorable and really wants me to come to his kindergarten. This is going to be the best job in the world and I can not believe how much the lord has blessed me.
Friday July 30th
I will not be posting the names of people I work with because Japan is very worried about privacy.
Well it has been a week since I left Tucson and started on this JET program. It has been a very long week and I want nothing more right now then to be in my own place and try and make it my home. Don't get my wrong I am very grateful for the accommodations I have received from the Japanese people (directly the HXXX family) but I want to unpack. I want to sprawl out on my bed and just take a big sigh of relief. Tomorrow afternoon I should be moving in, finally.
Yesterday was my first real day at the office and well I didn't really do anything. There isn't anything for me to do so I've been reading up on the JET manuals that I have received but Chris came by and he got on his computer, and he said it was alright, YXXX even offered her computer while she was gone. It just feels really weird to not be doing anything and getting paid for it. Like I am wasting tax payer money, and I get paid a lot. I get around 36,000 USD a year, tax free! Because I am making so much I bought a new TV. I ordered it on Yodobashi.com and I think I got a great deal. Now normally TVs are much more expensive in Japan then they are in the US but I got a 40” Sharp 1080p LCD TV for 89,000 yen with free shipping and 20% back on Yodobashi points. So I have about $180 credit at Yodobashi which I can use on an electric dictionary and almost get it for free. So $1000 for a 40” TV and an electric dictionary isn't a bad deal even in America, maybe not the BEST but I still feel good about it. I found out that Japanese TVs have two things weird about them. The first thing is that they have three broadcasts going on, the first two are simple analog and digital broadcasts like the states went through and the other is this thing called BS where you have some sort of card inserted into your TV and you get channels that are more like little programs then anything else. I have no idea how that technology works but it is probably why Japanese TVs are more expensive. The second thing weird about them is that a lot of the ones I look at don't have component ports on them. They have this D5 terminal thing, which I guess is supposed to be the same quality as component but who knows. This means that all of the cables that I thought I wouldn't need in Japan, I actually do. Xbox VGA, ps2 composite, and HDMI -DVI cable. I sent an email to Dad asking him to mail them, we'll see how long the shipping takes on that I suppose.
Any rate it is really nice staying at HXXX's house. It is very Japanesey. There are tatami rooms, slidding doors, caligraphy, etc. I am enjoying it and I am enjoying getting all of that free food, some nice Japanese home cooking. There is a little boy there who is hilarious and that really makes me feel more at home.
So I am enjoying Kamogawa and it isn't a Inaka (very rural town) but I think it is proof that the JET program isn't for everyone. It is a good distance away from everything and there really isn't much to do. The town has what I need, there is a game store, a book store, a video rental store, a walmart like store, karaoke, McDonalds, train station, but I am very distant from the life I had in Kobe. I think it lacks the excitement Kobe had. Which isn't that bad but I think I am really going to have to put a lot of effort into building a social life and finding what really makes me happy here. I guess what I am trying to say is that if you just want to be a long term tourist (like I was before) I don't think you could make it here.
Another thing I have learned is how bad and good my Japanese is. I can talk to just about anyone no problem, but I make mistakes. In the office I hear Japanese all of the time and sometimes I am like “wow I understood that whole thing” other times I am like “wow I didn't understand a word of that”. But this certainly is the total submersion that I had wanted. There is no gaijin bubble that I need to escape from, rather I will have to find chances to have a natural conversation in English. I think I will definitely improve my Japanese by leaps and bounds. In fact I will probably be studying a lot at work since there seems to be a lot of down time. I really just need to get my hands on a good JLPT level 1 book.
One thing that is a little uneasy right now is how helpless I am. Everything is dependent on getting the alien registration card. I need that for a bank account, for a cell phone, to take ownership of my car, for internet (maybe), just everything. Everyone is really nice and has helped me out a lot but still I want to get my own life started already.
I really hope I didn't come off as negative in any of this, I am grateful beyond measure. This job is going to be a lot of fun, I am really going to love spending time with my students, I have wonderful co-workers and just a breathtaking view of the beach. The town is good distance away from a lot of things but I love it all.
I am sitting in my hotel room of the marriot waiting for the orientation to start. This is it, the last day in the united states. At the orientation I will get some more information, have a nice dinner, receive my passport back and the final instructions that I need to know for tomorrow.
We left pretty early this morning, around 4:30 because we were planning on picking up my friend Sam on the way. About 4:45 we get a call saying that she wont be ready and she will get someone else to give her a ride. About 7am I find out that she isn't going. This upsets me because I really enjoyed spending time with Sam and would have liked to have someone I knew to come to LA with, but also because it is a big mistake not only will she have to repay the JET program a lot of money, she is going to miss out on so much. The JET program is this amazing once in a life time adventure that only a select few get to enjoy. It's funny, I have been thinking a lot more about a friend missing something wonderful then I am about what I am about to do.
We got to the air port on time with no problems and then we sat around for a bit talking. I quickly meet up with the other JETs at the terminal and we formed a group. This helped a lot because there was no one meeting us there at the air port so we had to figure out how to get to the marriot and check in on our own. Not really that big of a deal but when you are going on a big adventure like this you already have way too much on your mind and you don't want more things to worry about or have more things to go wrong.
I have to say I feel very grown up at things like this. Fancy hotel, black suit, high paying job, I feel really important. I still sort of think of myself as that little teenage boy but I guess I really am an adult. All I need to do now is get married.
Well I have a few hours to kill so I think I am going to try playing fallout one on my little netbook, well see how well that works.
Wednesday July 28th 2010
I am writing this on the bus on my way to meet my supervisor in Kamogawa, it has been a crazy past couple of days.
The orientation in LA was fine, our recruiting agent talked way too long and it got a little boring with that but we had a nice mexican dinner party. It was kind of a bad descision though because it was hard to eat dripping fajitas while wearing a fancy suit. Sam did in fact show up. She bought a plane ticket from Tucson to LA at the last minute and made it, I was really happy to see her and she said that I really helped her out.
We got the the airport really early the next day and waited around a bit for the plane. The plane ride was actually kind of comfortable, even though I didn't get any sleep. Once we got off the plane we were hit with a wave of heat and I remembered just how hot it was there. We were greeted by all of the JET staff and that was really nice. It took a long time to get to on the bus and then it was about an hour and a half drive until we got to Tokyo.
I actually stopped here because we arrived at our location, I'll get to that in a little bit.
So the first night we were greeted by more JETs in this fancy hotel and they gave us a bunch of books and what not and our keys. After getting situated I went out to shinjiku to get something to eat when I just bumped into Emily Love from Konan. We had some ramen with this guy I found a little annoying. Now that I think about it I guess I can see a lot of myself in his annoyance. He had only studied a little bit of Japanese but acted like he knew more then I did, I can do that too because I have relatively had little Japanese experience.
The next day was tough, I got dressed in my suit which made me feel very grown up. The meetings were very boring and not all that much new information. In themselves it wouldn't have been so bad but that jet lag, (JET lag, if you will) made all of it really painful. The workshops were mostly useless. There was a banquet that night but I was feeling really light headed so I just wanted it to be over. That day I did get to meet up with Juliene Fang who is also a friend from Konan and we went out for ice cream afterwords. After that I came home early and got some sleep.
The next day was much better, jet lag was now that bad, the meetings were much more energetic and useful, got me a little worried about the actual teaching part of the job. We had a meeting with the prefecture advisor and got some more specific information about Chiba. That night we went out to eat with everyone from Chiba, we went to an izakaiya place. At these restuarnts you order a bunch of small plates that everyone shares. The amount of food you get is really small and people only go here because you can get all you can drink alcohol for a set price. I really hate paying $15 and still feeling hungry. I then just headed back to the hotel from there.
The next morning it was just packing, checking out and waiting for the bus. We rode a bus to Chiba city something something center. We had a very small meeting where the ALTs meet the contracting organization. Much like the meeting when I studied abroad. I was meet by HXXXX san and a coworker of her's that I do not remember his name. Even though I was really nervous at first, I quickly felt very relaxed and felt a real connection with them. I was able to carry on a decent conversation the whole way in Japanese and the guy treated me to a sushi lunch. HXXXX san is really wonderful she is so friendly and seems to be more like a best friend rather then a boss to Niji and Chris. She has even gone as far as to have me stay over at her family's house. They are so nice and friendly it is simply amazing. There is also a little kid in the house who is adorable and really wants me to come to his kindergarten. This is going to be the best job in the world and I can not believe how much the lord has blessed me.
Friday July 30th
I will not be posting the names of people I work with because Japan is very worried about privacy.
Well it has been a week since I left Tucson and started on this JET program. It has been a very long week and I want nothing more right now then to be in my own place and try and make it my home. Don't get my wrong I am very grateful for the accommodations I have received from the Japanese people (directly the HXXX family) but I want to unpack. I want to sprawl out on my bed and just take a big sigh of relief. Tomorrow afternoon I should be moving in, finally.
Yesterday was my first real day at the office and well I didn't really do anything. There isn't anything for me to do so I've been reading up on the JET manuals that I have received but Chris came by and he got on his computer, and he said it was alright, YXXX even offered her computer while she was gone. It just feels really weird to not be doing anything and getting paid for it. Like I am wasting tax payer money, and I get paid a lot. I get around 36,000 USD a year, tax free! Because I am making so much I bought a new TV. I ordered it on Yodobashi.com and I think I got a great deal. Now normally TVs are much more expensive in Japan then they are in the US but I got a 40” Sharp 1080p LCD TV for 89,000 yen with free shipping and 20% back on Yodobashi points. So I have about $180 credit at Yodobashi which I can use on an electric dictionary and almost get it for free. So $1000 for a 40” TV and an electric dictionary isn't a bad deal even in America, maybe not the BEST but I still feel good about it. I found out that Japanese TVs have two things weird about them. The first thing is that they have three broadcasts going on, the first two are simple analog and digital broadcasts like the states went through and the other is this thing called BS where you have some sort of card inserted into your TV and you get channels that are more like little programs then anything else. I have no idea how that technology works but it is probably why Japanese TVs are more expensive. The second thing weird about them is that a lot of the ones I look at don't have component ports on them. They have this D5 terminal thing, which I guess is supposed to be the same quality as component but who knows. This means that all of the cables that I thought I wouldn't need in Japan, I actually do. Xbox VGA, ps2 composite, and HDMI -DVI cable. I sent an email to Dad asking him to mail them, we'll see how long the shipping takes on that I suppose.
Any rate it is really nice staying at HXXX's house. It is very Japanesey. There are tatami rooms, slidding doors, caligraphy, etc. I am enjoying it and I am enjoying getting all of that free food, some nice Japanese home cooking. There is a little boy there who is hilarious and that really makes me feel more at home.
So I am enjoying Kamogawa and it isn't a Inaka (very rural town) but I think it is proof that the JET program isn't for everyone. It is a good distance away from everything and there really isn't much to do. The town has what I need, there is a game store, a book store, a video rental store, a walmart like store, karaoke, McDonalds, train station, but I am very distant from the life I had in Kobe. I think it lacks the excitement Kobe had. Which isn't that bad but I think I am really going to have to put a lot of effort into building a social life and finding what really makes me happy here. I guess what I am trying to say is that if you just want to be a long term tourist (like I was before) I don't think you could make it here.
Another thing I have learned is how bad and good my Japanese is. I can talk to just about anyone no problem, but I make mistakes. In the office I hear Japanese all of the time and sometimes I am like “wow I understood that whole thing” other times I am like “wow I didn't understand a word of that”. But this certainly is the total submersion that I had wanted. There is no gaijin bubble that I need to escape from, rather I will have to find chances to have a natural conversation in English. I think I will definitely improve my Japanese by leaps and bounds. In fact I will probably be studying a lot at work since there seems to be a lot of down time. I really just need to get my hands on a good JLPT level 1 book.
One thing that is a little uneasy right now is how helpless I am. Everything is dependent on getting the alien registration card. I need that for a bank account, for a cell phone, to take ownership of my car, for internet (maybe), just everything. Everyone is really nice and has helped me out a lot but still I want to get my own life started already.
I really hope I didn't come off as negative in any of this, I am grateful beyond measure. This job is going to be a lot of fun, I am really going to love spending time with my students, I have wonderful co-workers and just a breathtaking view of the beach. The town is good distance away from a lot of things but I love it all.
catch up
Friday 23rd of July 2010
I am sitting in my hotel room of the marriot waiting for the orientation to start. This is it, the last day in the united states. At the orientation I will get some more information, have a nice dinner, receive my passport back and the final instructions that I need to know for tomorrow.
We left pretty early this morning, around 4:30 because we were planning on picking up my friend Sam on the way. About 4:45 we get a call saying that she wont be ready and she will get someone else to give her a ride. About 7am I find out that she isn't going. This upsets me because I really enjoyed spending time with Sam and would have liked to have someone I knew to come to LA with, but also because it is a big mistake not only will she have to repay the JET program a lot of money, she is going to miss out on so much. The JET program is this amazing once in a life time adventure that only a select few get to enjoy. It's funny, I have been thinking a lot more about a friend missing something wonderful then I am about what I am about to do.
We got to the air port on time with no problems and then we sat around for a bit talking. I quickly meet up with the other JETs at the terminal and we formed a group. This helped a lot because there was no one meeting us there at the air port so we had to figure out how to get to the marriot and check in on our own. Not really that big of a deal but when you are going on a big adventure like this you already have way too much on your mind and you don't want more things to worry about or have more things to go wrong.
I have to say I feel very grown up at things like this. Fancy hotel, black suit, high paying job, I feel really important. I still sort of think of myself as that little teenage boy but I guess I really am an adult. All I need to do now is get married.
Well I have a few hours to kill so I think I am going to try playing fallout one on my little netbook, well see how well that works.
Wednesday July 28th 2010
I am writing this on the bus on my way to meet my supervisor in Kamogawa, it has been a crazy past couple of days.
The orientation in LA was fine, our recruiting agent talked way too long and it got a little boring with that but we had a nice mexican dinner party. It was kind of a bad descision though because it was hard to eat dripping fajitas while wearing a fancy suit. Sam did in fact show up. She bought a plane ticket from Tucson to LA at the last minute and made it, I was really happy to see her and she said that I really helped her out.
We got the the airport really early the next day and waited around a bit for the plane. The plane ride was actually kind of comfortable, even though I didn't get any sleep. Once we got off the plane we were hit with a wave of heat and I remembered just how hot it was there. We were greeted by all of the JET staff and that was really nice. It took a long time to get to on the bus and then it was about an hour and a half drive until we got to Tokyo.
I actually stopped here because we arrived at our location, I'll get to that in a little bit.
So the first night we were greeted by more JETs in this fancy hotel and they gave us a bunch of books and what not and our keys. After getting situated I went out to shinjiku to get something to eat when I just bumped into Emily Love from Konan. We had some ramen with this guy I found a little annoying. Now that I think about it I guess I can see a lot of myself in his annoyance. He had only studied a little bit of Japanese but acted like he knew more then I did, I can do that too because I have relatively had little Japanese experience.
The next day was tough, I got dressed in my suit which made me feel very grown up. The meetings were very boring and not all that much new information. In themselves it wouldn't have been so bad but that jet lag, (JET lag, if you will) made all of it really painful. The workshops were mostly useless. There was a banquet that night but I was feeling really light headed so I just wanted it to be over. That day I did get to meet up with Juliene Fang who is also a friend from Konan and we went out for ice cream afterwords. After that I came home early and got some sleep.
The next day was much better, jet lag was now that bad, the meetings were much more energetic and useful, got me a little worried about the actual teaching part of the job. We had a meeting with the prefecture advisor and got some more specific information about Chiba. That night we went out to eat with everyone from Chiba, we went to an izakaiya place. At these restuarnts you order a bunch of small plates that everyone shares. The amount of food you get is really small and people only go here because you can get all you can drink alcohol for a set price. I really hate paying $15 and still feeling hungry. I then just headed back to the hotel from there.
The next morning it was just packing, checking out and waiting for the bus. We rode a bus to Chiba city something something center. We had a very small meeting where the ALTs meet the contracting organization. Much like the meeting when I studied abroad. I was meet by Hatanaka san and a coworker of her's that I do not remember his name. Even though I was really nervous at first, I quickly felt very relaxed and felt a real connection with them. I was able to carry on a decent conversation the whole way in Japanese and the guy treated me to a sushi lunch. Hatanaka san is really wonderful she is so friendly and seems to be more like a best friend rather then a boss to Niji and Chris. She has even gone as far as to have me stay over at her family's house. They are so nice and friendly it is simply amazing. There is also a little kid in the house who is adorable and really wants me to come to his kindergarten. This is going to be the best job in the world and I can not believe how much the lord has blessed me.
Friday July 30th
Well it has been a week since I left Tucson and started on this JET program. It has been a very long week and I want nothing more right now then to be in my own place and try and make it my home. Don't get my wrong I am very grateful for the accommodations I have received from the Japanese people (directly the Hatanaka family) but I want to unpack. I want to sprawl out on my bed and just take a big sigh of relief. Tomorrow afternoon I should be moving in, finally.
Yesterday was my first real day at the office and well I didn't really do anything. There isn't anything for me to do so I've been reading up on the JET manuals that I have received but Chris came by and he got on his computer, and he said it was alright, Yoriko even offered her computer while she was gone. It just feels really weird to not be doing anything and getting paid for it. Like I am wasting tax payer money, and I get paid a lot. I get around 36,000 USD a year, tax free! Because I am making so much I bought a new TV. I ordered it on Yodobashi.com and I think I got a great deal. Now normally TVs are much more expensive in Japan then they are in the US but I got a 40” Sharp 1080p LCD TV for 89,000 yen with free shipping and 20% back on Yodobashi points. So I have about $180 credit at Yodobashi which I can use on an electric dictionary and almost get it for free. So $1000 for a 40” TV and an electric dictionary isn't a bad deal even in America, maybe not the BEST but I still feel good about it. I found out that Japanese TVs have two things weird about them. The first thing is that they have three broadcasts going on, the first two are simple analog and digital broadcasts like the states went through and the other is this thing called BS where you have some sort of card inserted into your TV and you get channels that are more like little programs then anything else. I have no idea how that technology works but it is probably why Japanese TVs are more expensive. The second thing weird about them is that a lot of the ones I look at don't have component ports on them. They have this D5 terminal thing, which I guess is supposed to be the same quality as component but who knows. This means that all of the cables that I thought I wouldn't need in Japan, I actually do. Xbox VGA, ps2 composite, and HDMI -DVI cable. I sent an email to Dad asking him to mail them, we'll see how long the shipping takes on that I suppose.
Any rate it is really nice staying at Hatanaka's house. It is very Japanesey. There are tatami rooms, slidding doors, caligraphy, etc. I am enjoying it and I am enjoying getting all of that free food, some nice Japanese home cooking. There is a little boy there who is hilarious and that really makes me feel more at home.
So I am enjoying Kamogawa and it isn't a Inaka (very rural town) but I think it is proof that the JET program isn't for everyone. It is a good distance away from everything and there really isn't much to do. The town has what I need, there is a game store, a book store, a video rental store, a walmart like store, karaoke, McDonalds, train station, but I am very distant from the life I had in Kobe. I think it lacks the excitement Kobe had. Which isn't that bad but I think I am really going to have to put a lot of effort into building a social life and finding what really makes me happy here. I guess what I am trying to say is that if you just want to be a long term tourist (like I was before) I don't think you could make it here.
Another thing I have learned is how bad and good my Japanese is. I can talk to just about anyone no problem, but I make mistakes. In the office I hear Japanese all of the time and sometimes I am like “wow I understood that whole thing” other times I am like “wow I didn't understand a word of that”. But this certainly is the total submersion that I had wanted. There is no gaijin bubble that I need to escape from, rather I will have to find chances to have a natural conversation in English. I think I will definitely improve my Japanese by leaps and bounds. In fact I will probably be studying a lot at work since there seems to be a lot of down time. I really just need to get my hands on a good JLPT level 1 book.
One thing that is a little uneasy right now is how helpless I am. Everything is dependent on getting the alien registration card. I need that for a bank account, for a cell phone, to take ownership of my car, for internet (maybe), just everything. Everyone is really nice and has helped me out a lot but still I want to get my own life started already.
I really hope I didn't come off as negative in any of this, I am grateful beyond measure. This job is going to be a lot of fun, I am really going to love spending time with my students, I have wonderful co-workers and just a breathtaking view of the beach. The town is good distance away from a lot of things but I love it all.
I am sitting in my hotel room of the marriot waiting for the orientation to start. This is it, the last day in the united states. At the orientation I will get some more information, have a nice dinner, receive my passport back and the final instructions that I need to know for tomorrow.
We left pretty early this morning, around 4:30 because we were planning on picking up my friend Sam on the way. About 4:45 we get a call saying that she wont be ready and she will get someone else to give her a ride. About 7am I find out that she isn't going. This upsets me because I really enjoyed spending time with Sam and would have liked to have someone I knew to come to LA with, but also because it is a big mistake not only will she have to repay the JET program a lot of money, she is going to miss out on so much. The JET program is this amazing once in a life time adventure that only a select few get to enjoy. It's funny, I have been thinking a lot more about a friend missing something wonderful then I am about what I am about to do.
We got to the air port on time with no problems and then we sat around for a bit talking. I quickly meet up with the other JETs at the terminal and we formed a group. This helped a lot because there was no one meeting us there at the air port so we had to figure out how to get to the marriot and check in on our own. Not really that big of a deal but when you are going on a big adventure like this you already have way too much on your mind and you don't want more things to worry about or have more things to go wrong.
I have to say I feel very grown up at things like this. Fancy hotel, black suit, high paying job, I feel really important. I still sort of think of myself as that little teenage boy but I guess I really am an adult. All I need to do now is get married.
Well I have a few hours to kill so I think I am going to try playing fallout one on my little netbook, well see how well that works.
Wednesday July 28th 2010
I am writing this on the bus on my way to meet my supervisor in Kamogawa, it has been a crazy past couple of days.
The orientation in LA was fine, our recruiting agent talked way too long and it got a little boring with that but we had a nice mexican dinner party. It was kind of a bad descision though because it was hard to eat dripping fajitas while wearing a fancy suit. Sam did in fact show up. She bought a plane ticket from Tucson to LA at the last minute and made it, I was really happy to see her and she said that I really helped her out.
We got the the airport really early the next day and waited around a bit for the plane. The plane ride was actually kind of comfortable, even though I didn't get any sleep. Once we got off the plane we were hit with a wave of heat and I remembered just how hot it was there. We were greeted by all of the JET staff and that was really nice. It took a long time to get to on the bus and then it was about an hour and a half drive until we got to Tokyo.
I actually stopped here because we arrived at our location, I'll get to that in a little bit.
So the first night we were greeted by more JETs in this fancy hotel and they gave us a bunch of books and what not and our keys. After getting situated I went out to shinjiku to get something to eat when I just bumped into Emily Love from Konan. We had some ramen with this guy I found a little annoying. Now that I think about it I guess I can see a lot of myself in his annoyance. He had only studied a little bit of Japanese but acted like he knew more then I did, I can do that too because I have relatively had little Japanese experience.
The next day was tough, I got dressed in my suit which made me feel very grown up. The meetings were very boring and not all that much new information. In themselves it wouldn't have been so bad but that jet lag, (JET lag, if you will) made all of it really painful. The workshops were mostly useless. There was a banquet that night but I was feeling really light headed so I just wanted it to be over. That day I did get to meet up with Juliene Fang who is also a friend from Konan and we went out for ice cream afterwords. After that I came home early and got some sleep.
The next day was much better, jet lag was now that bad, the meetings were much more energetic and useful, got me a little worried about the actual teaching part of the job. We had a meeting with the prefecture advisor and got some more specific information about Chiba. That night we went out to eat with everyone from Chiba, we went to an izakaiya place. At these restuarnts you order a bunch of small plates that everyone shares. The amount of food you get is really small and people only go here because you can get all you can drink alcohol for a set price. I really hate paying $15 and still feeling hungry. I then just headed back to the hotel from there.
The next morning it was just packing, checking out and waiting for the bus. We rode a bus to Chiba city something something center. We had a very small meeting where the ALTs meet the contracting organization. Much like the meeting when I studied abroad. I was meet by Hatanaka san and a coworker of her's that I do not remember his name. Even though I was really nervous at first, I quickly felt very relaxed and felt a real connection with them. I was able to carry on a decent conversation the whole way in Japanese and the guy treated me to a sushi lunch. Hatanaka san is really wonderful she is so friendly and seems to be more like a best friend rather then a boss to Niji and Chris. She has even gone as far as to have me stay over at her family's house. They are so nice and friendly it is simply amazing. There is also a little kid in the house who is adorable and really wants me to come to his kindergarten. This is going to be the best job in the world and I can not believe how much the lord has blessed me.
Friday July 30th
Well it has been a week since I left Tucson and started on this JET program. It has been a very long week and I want nothing more right now then to be in my own place and try and make it my home. Don't get my wrong I am very grateful for the accommodations I have received from the Japanese people (directly the Hatanaka family) but I want to unpack. I want to sprawl out on my bed and just take a big sigh of relief. Tomorrow afternoon I should be moving in, finally.
Yesterday was my first real day at the office and well I didn't really do anything. There isn't anything for me to do so I've been reading up on the JET manuals that I have received but Chris came by and he got on his computer, and he said it was alright, Yoriko even offered her computer while she was gone. It just feels really weird to not be doing anything and getting paid for it. Like I am wasting tax payer money, and I get paid a lot. I get around 36,000 USD a year, tax free! Because I am making so much I bought a new TV. I ordered it on Yodobashi.com and I think I got a great deal. Now normally TVs are much more expensive in Japan then they are in the US but I got a 40” Sharp 1080p LCD TV for 89,000 yen with free shipping and 20% back on Yodobashi points. So I have about $180 credit at Yodobashi which I can use on an electric dictionary and almost get it for free. So $1000 for a 40” TV and an electric dictionary isn't a bad deal even in America, maybe not the BEST but I still feel good about it. I found out that Japanese TVs have two things weird about them. The first thing is that they have three broadcasts going on, the first two are simple analog and digital broadcasts like the states went through and the other is this thing called BS where you have some sort of card inserted into your TV and you get channels that are more like little programs then anything else. I have no idea how that technology works but it is probably why Japanese TVs are more expensive. The second thing weird about them is that a lot of the ones I look at don't have component ports on them. They have this D5 terminal thing, which I guess is supposed to be the same quality as component but who knows. This means that all of the cables that I thought I wouldn't need in Japan, I actually do. Xbox VGA, ps2 composite, and HDMI -DVI cable. I sent an email to Dad asking him to mail them, we'll see how long the shipping takes on that I suppose.
Any rate it is really nice staying at Hatanaka's house. It is very Japanesey. There are tatami rooms, slidding doors, caligraphy, etc. I am enjoying it and I am enjoying getting all of that free food, some nice Japanese home cooking. There is a little boy there who is hilarious and that really makes me feel more at home.
So I am enjoying Kamogawa and it isn't a Inaka (very rural town) but I think it is proof that the JET program isn't for everyone. It is a good distance away from everything and there really isn't much to do. The town has what I need, there is a game store, a book store, a video rental store, a walmart like store, karaoke, McDonalds, train station, but I am very distant from the life I had in Kobe. I think it lacks the excitement Kobe had. Which isn't that bad but I think I am really going to have to put a lot of effort into building a social life and finding what really makes me happy here. I guess what I am trying to say is that if you just want to be a long term tourist (like I was before) I don't think you could make it here.
Another thing I have learned is how bad and good my Japanese is. I can talk to just about anyone no problem, but I make mistakes. In the office I hear Japanese all of the time and sometimes I am like “wow I understood that whole thing” other times I am like “wow I didn't understand a word of that”. But this certainly is the total submersion that I had wanted. There is no gaijin bubble that I need to escape from, rather I will have to find chances to have a natural conversation in English. I think I will definitely improve my Japanese by leaps and bounds. In fact I will probably be studying a lot at work since there seems to be a lot of down time. I really just need to get my hands on a good JLPT level 1 book.
One thing that is a little uneasy right now is how helpless I am. Everything is dependent on getting the alien registration card. I need that for a bank account, for a cell phone, to take ownership of my car, for internet (maybe), just everything. Everyone is really nice and has helped me out a lot but still I want to get my own life started already.
I really hope I didn't come off as negative in any of this, I am grateful beyond measure. This job is going to be a lot of fun, I am really going to love spending time with my students, I have wonderful co-workers and just a breathtaking view of the beach. The town is good distance away from a lot of things but I love it all.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
The day before
Tomorrow morning I leave for PHX airport where I will go to LA for orientation, then the next day fly to Japan. My job officially starts tomorrow. I don't know why but it still hasn't hit me. This is the moment I have been dreaming of for years and years and it is at my finger tips but it just seems like a normal day. It has been stressful though, so many things to pack and store and through out. So much paperwork to worry about, so I think that has been sucking some of the fun out of it.
Or maybe it is because I have studied abroad before that I know I can see my friends again, I can skype with people, and I can visit home, that I am not feeling so anxious. It kind of like how when I went before I was like a kid on Christmas morning, and now I am like a parent on Christmas morning, I have to make it all somehow work even though I will still enjoy it.
Thinking back though I have really enjoyed my time in Tucson. I had a little bit of a rough start making friends and I had my ups and downs but I have wonderful people in my life and I am grateful for that.
I wonder what my new life will be like. Having build a social life from scratch might be a little rough at first but as long as I always try and find something to do or go to, I should be alright. Or rather I know as long as I stay true to being a good church member, it will be alright.
So I guess I'm ready to go.
Or maybe it is because I have studied abroad before that I know I can see my friends again, I can skype with people, and I can visit home, that I am not feeling so anxious. It kind of like how when I went before I was like a kid on Christmas morning, and now I am like a parent on Christmas morning, I have to make it all somehow work even though I will still enjoy it.
Thinking back though I have really enjoyed my time in Tucson. I had a little bit of a rough start making friends and I had my ups and downs but I have wonderful people in my life and I am grateful for that.
I wonder what my new life will be like. Having build a social life from scratch might be a little rough at first but as long as I always try and find something to do or go to, I should be alright. Or rather I know as long as I stay true to being a good church member, it will be alright.
So I guess I'm ready to go.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Leaving for Japan, bitter sweet.
It is now 16 days until I board a plane to LA, go to orientation then fly off to Japan the next day. It is all happening very soon. I of course am excited, I have such an amazing adventure waiting for me. But I am also a little sad. There are so many people in AZ that I really enjoy spending time with. Of course my family, I love them and they are going to be the ones I call the most for sure. But I'm also going to miss my "long time az friends" Cameron, Tyler, Heather and Rob. I've been in AZ since late 2004 and I think it was like mid 2006 that I really started to be friends with all of them. For a long time they were my only "real" friends and that didn't bother me. They are such wonderful people. But I also have my "con-nichiwa friends". All of the friends I made while working on our Tucson anime convention "con-nichiwa". I've wanted friends that I can just sit back and watch anime with for a really long time and it wasn't until I was about to move to Japan that I started making friends like that. I really hope that I can arrange enough time off next year to be able to visit everyone.
So leaving all of these people is starting to get tougher then I was expecting. Life is like this sometimes and you just have to move forward. It is going to be tough though. Going from having a bunch of friends to having to start up an entire new social life from scratch. I know I can do it, but it will be a little tough.
So leaving all of these people is starting to get tougher then I was expecting. Life is like this sometimes and you just have to move forward. It is going to be tough though. Going from having a bunch of friends to having to start up an entire new social life from scratch. I know I can do it, but it will be a little tough.
Monday, June 28, 2010
JET pre departure orientation
So I drove down to LA this weekend for the JET program pre-departure orientation. It was a little pricy considering getting a hotel and gas cost, but it was well worth it.
I drove down from Tucson with my friend Cameron. I brought my really old portable DVD player and we watched some Simpsons, King of the Hill, and My Name is Earl on the drive. It was nice because those are shows you can enjoy even if you can't see the screen. The driving in LA is insane. There were so many last second turns and mergers with just jammed packed traffic, I honestly feared for my life. I got a hotel a few blocks away from the hotel that the orientation was actually held at.
I had a little bit of trouble actually finding where in the hotel event was but I found a few equally lost JETs and we ended up finding it. The overall orientation was a real eye opener to both the fact that I am really going to Japan very soon and how much of an adult I now am. Fancy hotel, everyone wearing suits and ties, professional atmosphere. This isn't Wal-Mart any more. I learned a lot of good stuff like how to file taxes so I don't have to pay US or Japanese tax for two years, what sort of games and gifts I should prepare, and how to take care of legal paperwork abroad. I also got to talk to a lot of people who are going and who came back form my area, which has helped prepare me mentally.
The orientation was over at 4pm after that I went back to the hotel where Cameron was and we headed towards China town. We originally were planning on going to the California Science museum because it had free admission and both of us wanted to do this trip as cheap as possible. The traffic was just insane getting there because right next door was a huge rave/dance party where like 100,000 people showed up. And all of these kids were wearing quite frankly the slutiest costumes and just anything that they could do to be weird. Me and Cameron both felt it was funny how we wanted to go to the boring museum but there were so many kinds going to this party that we weren't able to.
China town was cool if not a little disappointing. Weren't really that many shops or restaurants. The China town in Kobe was way better. We did eat at a fancy Chinese restaurant, like the ones I see in Chinese movies.
The next day we went to Hollywood and did the tourist thing, that was fun. Just walking up and down the strip. After words we picked up Sam (who is also a JET) and headed home, which since we had three drivers really wasn't that bad of a trip either.
It was a pretty good weekend.
I drove down from Tucson with my friend Cameron. I brought my really old portable DVD player and we watched some Simpsons, King of the Hill, and My Name is Earl on the drive. It was nice because those are shows you can enjoy even if you can't see the screen. The driving in LA is insane. There were so many last second turns and mergers with just jammed packed traffic, I honestly feared for my life. I got a hotel a few blocks away from the hotel that the orientation was actually held at.
I had a little bit of trouble actually finding where in the hotel event was but I found a few equally lost JETs and we ended up finding it. The overall orientation was a real eye opener to both the fact that I am really going to Japan very soon and how much of an adult I now am. Fancy hotel, everyone wearing suits and ties, professional atmosphere. This isn't Wal-Mart any more. I learned a lot of good stuff like how to file taxes so I don't have to pay US or Japanese tax for two years, what sort of games and gifts I should prepare, and how to take care of legal paperwork abroad. I also got to talk to a lot of people who are going and who came back form my area, which has helped prepare me mentally.
The orientation was over at 4pm after that I went back to the hotel where Cameron was and we headed towards China town. We originally were planning on going to the California Science museum because it had free admission and both of us wanted to do this trip as cheap as possible. The traffic was just insane getting there because right next door was a huge rave/dance party where like 100,000 people showed up. And all of these kids were wearing quite frankly the slutiest costumes and just anything that they could do to be weird. Me and Cameron both felt it was funny how we wanted to go to the boring museum but there were so many kinds going to this party that we weren't able to.
China town was cool if not a little disappointing. Weren't really that many shops or restaurants. The China town in Kobe was way better. We did eat at a fancy Chinese restaurant, like the ones I see in Chinese movies.
The next day we went to Hollywood and did the tourist thing, that was fun. Just walking up and down the strip. After words we picked up Sam (who is also a JET) and headed home, which since we had three drivers really wasn't that bad of a trip either.
It was a pretty good weekend.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Getting close to JET
Well it has been 4 months since I last posted a blog and for anyone who didn't know I did get into the JET program and I am going to Kamogawa city in Chiba prefecture. It is a smaller town of 35,000 people but it is only a 2 hour bus ride to Tokyo! So I really can't complain about that one bit. Chiba was my first pick and to actually get it was pretty amazing.
I ended up going back to wal-mart for a few months because I could not get a job anywhere else at all. I mean it got to the point where I was applying to be a pizza delivery guy and I wasn't getting a call back. But it wasn't that bad, there are a lot of things I do not like about the job but over all it wasn't the end of the world. But that is almost over as Friday is my last day again (the third time I thought it was my last day). After that I will have about 5 weeks to prepare for Japan.
I watched a dvd I got in the mail with my JET paper work and it showed what life is like and what to expect in the JET program, I am really excited right now. I just can't believe that I will get to live in Japan, do a fun job, and get paid that well. As a single guy with little debt, I'll be pretty well off. After paying $1000 a month to student loans (for just a few months) and living expenses I'll have more spending money then I did while studying abroad. I'm going to buy a lot of gundam models! Or maybe not, well see. But I am just so grateful to the Lord for blessing me with this and the Japanese people in general. I would be willing to do this job for longer hours with less pay and yet I don't have to.
I really need to start finding more people who live in the area and start making some friends. I really need to put a lot more effort into building a social life over there. I think it is really important to understand how busy people actually are and the whole soto uchi thing. I think you need to make a lot of acquaintances and from there you will make a few good friends. I also need to not limit myself to just finding otaku friends but find things to talk about with everyone.
Not related to JET but I have been building an arcade machine. I am leaving soon so I wont be able to use it that much but I more wanted to build it then to own it. I always think I am so close and then I get hit with another problem, its just one thing after another. The goal of an arcade is to have every single game be easily accessible from one joystick without having to change settings or use a keyboard. Since each single program is different this is next to impossible. Some programs will only work one way and others another way, there seems to be no way to win with them. I really just want to have it done already.
I have been working with a translation group called KAW and we have been translating an anime called senkou no night raid (flash of night raid) and it has been insanely hard to translate. What makes it so hard is that it takes place in 1930s Manchuria where Japan does a lot of political stuff and takes over the country. I have a very loose idea of what happens but not nearly enough. When I translate there are so many people talking about so many complicated things, it drives me insane. I really want to do a simple slice of life anime after this.
We went to Disneyland and six flags last week. We went with my sister's friend's family and they had a bus and all of that stuff. It was kind of a mistake to do it that way because we had no idea where the bus was half the time, we were all dead tired and couldn't get to the hotel until late. Dad likes to really plan stuff out and have a schedule but the group all sort of played it by ear. Jessie wouldn't hang out with us though. She had her friends and she said she would spend the day with us but then would break off and just have fun with them. I kept telling her, you are upsetting dad, he wanted this to be a family day, and she couldn't understand. He never told her she couldn't hang out with her friends but it was more then obvious how he felt. Jessie still has some maturing to do if she really couldn't figure out what she ought to do. But all in all Disney land was fun, I got a little sick on space mountain and I didn't do many rides at six flags but I had fun all around.
I ended up going back to wal-mart for a few months because I could not get a job anywhere else at all. I mean it got to the point where I was applying to be a pizza delivery guy and I wasn't getting a call back. But it wasn't that bad, there are a lot of things I do not like about the job but over all it wasn't the end of the world. But that is almost over as Friday is my last day again (the third time I thought it was my last day). After that I will have about 5 weeks to prepare for Japan.
I watched a dvd I got in the mail with my JET paper work and it showed what life is like and what to expect in the JET program, I am really excited right now. I just can't believe that I will get to live in Japan, do a fun job, and get paid that well. As a single guy with little debt, I'll be pretty well off. After paying $1000 a month to student loans (for just a few months) and living expenses I'll have more spending money then I did while studying abroad. I'm going to buy a lot of gundam models! Or maybe not, well see. But I am just so grateful to the Lord for blessing me with this and the Japanese people in general. I would be willing to do this job for longer hours with less pay and yet I don't have to.
I really need to start finding more people who live in the area and start making some friends. I really need to put a lot more effort into building a social life over there. I think it is really important to understand how busy people actually are and the whole soto uchi thing. I think you need to make a lot of acquaintances and from there you will make a few good friends. I also need to not limit myself to just finding otaku friends but find things to talk about with everyone.
Not related to JET but I have been building an arcade machine. I am leaving soon so I wont be able to use it that much but I more wanted to build it then to own it. I always think I am so close and then I get hit with another problem, its just one thing after another. The goal of an arcade is to have every single game be easily accessible from one joystick without having to change settings or use a keyboard. Since each single program is different this is next to impossible. Some programs will only work one way and others another way, there seems to be no way to win with them. I really just want to have it done already.
I have been working with a translation group called KAW and we have been translating an anime called senkou no night raid (flash of night raid) and it has been insanely hard to translate. What makes it so hard is that it takes place in 1930s Manchuria where Japan does a lot of political stuff and takes over the country. I have a very loose idea of what happens but not nearly enough. When I translate there are so many people talking about so many complicated things, it drives me insane. I really want to do a simple slice of life anime after this.
We went to Disneyland and six flags last week. We went with my sister's friend's family and they had a bus and all of that stuff. It was kind of a mistake to do it that way because we had no idea where the bus was half the time, we were all dead tired and couldn't get to the hotel until late. Dad likes to really plan stuff out and have a schedule but the group all sort of played it by ear. Jessie wouldn't hang out with us though. She had her friends and she said she would spend the day with us but then would break off and just have fun with them. I kept telling her, you are upsetting dad, he wanted this to be a family day, and she couldn't understand. He never told her she couldn't hang out with her friends but it was more then obvious how he felt. Jessie still has some maturing to do if she really couldn't figure out what she ought to do. But all in all Disney land was fun, I got a little sick on space mountain and I didn't do many rides at six flags but I had fun all around.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
JET interview
I just had my JET interview so I am going to talk about that first. So I drove up to Phoenix and got to the location about 45 mins early. I wanted to get there even earlier but there was an accident on the way over. I came in and was greeted by some former JETs and they talked a little bit and I got to ask them some questions. A Japanese man came in and asked for me and started to talk in Japanese, basically just asking how good my Japanese was. I had no problems talking to him in Japanese for a bit and it turns out that he actually teaches at Pima (my old community college) and knew my Japanese teacher there. The other two interviewers were Americans. They first asked me to talk about myself and why I want to do JET and I gave them my whole rehearsed speech about wanting to use JET as a career move and how I feel grateful to Japan for all that I received last year. I forget the order but the lady there asked if I had any teaching experience and I was able to say that I am gaining some through church and volunteering. Church became a big topic during the interview. I was asked how I would react if someone asked about my religion, which I replied I would be happy to talk about religion and would ask about their religious beliefs while being very careful not to sound pushy or preachy. They asked if being in a small town, far away from a church would be a problem, which I replied that I would be willing to do some traveling to get to church. Also when the question about why I chose urban setting on my application came up I said it was so that I could be closer to a church. They asked a lot about my statement of purpose and I was able to explain how I want to do grad school but I need some time to think about what to study and how JET could help me get a scholarship for grad school. They also asked how I would run a class for middle schoolers, I was a little stumped on how to answer that, but I said I would introduce myself and talk about America for a little bit and then try and get the students to talk by asking open ended questions, the lady there said that it would be middle school students so open ended would be over their head but I responded by saying it would be things like “what is your house like?” or “tell me about your family”. I was hoping for a more specific teaching example, but I think what I said worked. Another question was how I would respond to being a part of clubs or hanging out with the school staff after work and I responded that work isn't just 9-5 there is more that goes with it and I would really enjoy doing those things. This was sort of a trick question, overtime and hanging out with co-workers is the norm in Japan. There was also the strength and weakness question.
All in all my recommendations are, do not be nervous, know your statement of purpose really well (that is why they picked you), and be willing to be flexible about anything.
All in all my recommendations are, do not be nervous, know your statement of purpose really well (that is why they picked you), and be willing to be flexible about anything.
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