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.
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