In / Out ?

Recently there was a lesson in the 9th grade textbook about family rules and discipline. It introduces the idea of "time-out", or sending a child to his/her room when they behave badly. In Japan, the common punishment is to lock the misbehaving child OUTSIDE the house. I wasn't sure I believed this, so on the last exam, I asked the question "Have you ever been locked outside the house by your parents?" About half the students replied affirmatively; one even said "Yes, I have, but only as a small child."

Switched on

Since returning from winter break, I've been teaching 2-3 elementary school classes a week, rather than the 2-3 a month that is normal. It has been rather refreshing really. The lessons are always in the afternoon immediately following lunch. Thus my energy level is pretty low when I leave the JHS. But, as soon as I arrive the school, the fun starts. The genki kids always make me feel like a superstar (Last week alone I signed over 100 autographs.) and fill me with energy from the moment I get out of my car (they are usually on the playground). Walking from my car to the school, they barrage me with the same questions (height, shoe size, etc.), call me Michael Jackson-teacher repeatedly, and challenge me endlessly with Rock, Paper, Scissors (one day I won 13 in a row, they couldn't believe I would keep throwing scissors time after time).

Standing beside a display constructed for "Hina Matsuri" / Festival of Dolls (March 3)


The different grades rotate each week, so I dont see the same class very often. So, I've settled on a few name games and introduction activities that all seem to enjoy. Last week however, was my last class of the school year at one school, so we did a culture lesson and "shitsumon kou-naa (corner)" otherwise known as question time (all in Japanese). Unbelievable how quickly kids can rattle off questions. One kid wanted to know whether I liked spicy curry or sweet curry. Another if my hair is a perm (no one believes that it is natural). Several ask if I have a Japanese girlfriend and giggle when I tell them its "top-secret". Yet another kid, perphaps not listening before, asks about my curry preferences. Another about my favorite Japanese TV entertainer (gasps when I tell them I dont watch TV). Then more standards about my age, my family, likes/dislikes etc., before one asked something I thought rather insightful for a 6th grader: Why do Americans show their emotions so freely (especially during sports)? It was difficult for me to answer this in Japanese, but the homeroom teacher helped me a bit in explaining the cultural difference, without really giving a reason as to why it is natural in the West to show anger, pride, disappointment, joy, etc....If you've never seen a sumo bout, the winner and the loser leave the ring with the same face, without a single shred of emotion.

So, I have been enjoying my elementary school visits immensely, though I don't know if I have the energy to keep up with the kids all day. They seem to be built with super-charged batteries...

Genki boys
Genki boys outside
Happy 4th graders

Shinto on a mountaintop, and then a backside 180

Ride

Last week I had no time to post something about my recent snowboarding trip to Niigata Prefecture (more specifically the mountains of Naeba, Tashiro, and Kagura) but I am finally getting around to it a week after.

Taking advantage of the recent three-day weekend, fourteen of us (all snowboarders) living in Miyagi Prefecture, representing 8 countries (South Africa, England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, and America), piled into four cars at 3a.m. with an array of snow gear, accents, and Ipods, and made the 5-hour journey south to Niigata-ken (on West / Sea of Japan coast, and well known for its snow/powder).



I rode in a car with a fellow American, though with Japanese heritage (Aki), a Scot (Stuart), and an Aussie (Lisa). Unbelievable how often we had to ask eachother to repeat what he/she just said. Some very amusing miscommunication due to the various slang, accents, etc. Yet, we all made it safely, checked in to our two large rooms at the ryokan (Japanese Inn), and were on the slopes by 10:30 Saturday morning. The weather and snow were a bit disappointing the first day (foggy, warm, and slushy), but the good company and an all-you-can-eat curry house more than made up for it. Most of us were "knackered" (a word I've picked up from one of these other countries) by mid afternoon and ended a bit early so we could have a nap and rest up for the "night-ah" (what the Japanese call night skiing). The genki South African managed to stir us all from our slumber, and talked us back into our gear. However, due to my blockheadedness, I ended up at a different ski-hill than ALL 13 others for the night-ah. While they were all playing in the snowboard park, I found a nice, empty, mostly-ungroomed run, and rode until my weary legs could take no more.



Sometime late Saturday night, as we were lazing about the inn after onsen and several nightcaps, heavy snow began to fall, much to our delight. By morning, there was "heaps" (from Aussie or Kiwi, not sure) of fresh powder. After a traditional Japanese breakfast (rice, fish, pickles, raw egg, natto (fermented soy beans), and green tea of course), we geared up and made the convenient 10-minute walk over to the slopes. All of us took the gondola to the top, though we soon split up into groups and explored as much of the 3 mountains as possible for the rest of the day. A few of us found some brilliant off-piste runs, with powder so deep it swallowed you if you happened to fall. The Japanese (the best rider among the group), the South African, myself, and later the Kiwi also attacked an untouched tree run, which had a spectacular 3-meter drop-off we didn't see until we had spilled in the powder below. Racing through the trees on fluffy powder is one of the best rushes I've ever experienced...

After a full day riding, it was back to the inn for another nap and then a large, delicious meal prepared by the mother and son innkeepers. I'm not quite sure how the two of them kept up with all of their guests, especially with a group of loud, unruly gaijin. Anyhow, another merry evening followed, fuelled by the wonderful combination of onsen, good company, and choice beverages.



The snow was STILL falling when we woke Monday, though the skies cleared by mid morning. We had received nearly half a meter of fresh snow in the last 36 hours. Thus, we quickly ate another hearty breakfast and raced off to the slopes. I went to the snowboard park first with a few of the others, before the Aussie convinced me (correctly) that we were wasting good powder. Thus, we returned to the main mountain and one of the sweet, un-groomed runs. The powder was a bit heavier than the previous day, but there was twice as much. So, we spent the rest of the morning playing in it, and only stopped because our passes expired and we had a long drive home ahead of us in the afternoon. An absolutely fantastic weekend, and perhaps the best snow we'll see all winter...

A short discourse of scattered thoughts

Several evenings ago I was having dinner with a new Japanese friend. We were talking about Japanese culture, and I was trying to explain, in a mixture of languages, why I find it so unique--in particular, the Japanese sense of subtlety. However, there was some confusion over the word "unique". Japanese has imported many words from other languages, though the sense of them is sometimes changed a bit in translation--"unique" being one of these words. In the West, the word has a rather positive feeling--something is especially good because of its dissimilarity to anything else. My date, however (and I assume other Japanese folks), had a somewhat negative image of the word ("weird" perhaps), especially with regard to describing people. I was puzzled for a few moments, and then I remembered where I was. Japan. To differ completely here, to stand out, is to be seperate from the whole. Un-Japanese, perhaps. My friend had taken me to mean not only is Japanese culture "one-of-a-kind", but also that Japanese people are rather egotistical about their way of life, a point with which she concurred. I wouldn't go as far as to say Japanese folks are egotistical, but as a whole, the society does seem to have a "elite" air about it, though paling in comparison to American brashness. Yet, it is exactly the delicate nature with which the Japanese regard everything about their culture that I find truly unique.

Near the end of the date, we were walking through the train station and several groups of young, drugged by the West, Japanese hipsters caught my attention. There seem to be two fashion styles for Japanese youth, what I will call Mismatched and GlamRidiculous. The Mismatched folks dress to shock-- they wear just about anything, as long as it doesn't make sense with anything else they have on -- the more colors, fabrics, prints, brands, and accessories, the better. The Glam folks dress to impress--expensive brands, fake tans, $200 nail jobs, sunglasses all the time, rhinestones on everything, lots of white and lots of tight, and fabulous (whether you like it or not) hair. Anyway, I was getting a good dose of hipster watching when the irony struck me--all these young Japanese cats eagerly trying to be different and catch eyes, and all of them looking quite similar (to me at least) and well...very Japanese I suppose.

It's not just for dogs you know...

Two of the previous three nights, I've eaten raw horse for dinner.

aka Candlemas

I wasn't sure if Groundhog-san was even going to bother coming out of his hole today in Naruko as we had our first heavy snowfall of the year last night. There was about 8 inches on top of my car this morning. However, the sun has since come out, though the snow is still falling. The groundhog is likely to be as confused (about the coming of spring) as my students were when I explained the holiday to them today...

Tomorrow, February 3rd, is 節分/"Setsubun" or 立春/"Risshun" in Japan, a day that marks the end of winter and the lunar year (February 4 is the midpoint between the winter solstice and the vernal equinox). Folks throw soybeans from their doorways to drive away evil spirits, and shout "Out with the devil, In with good fortune!". I suppose it makes as much sense as Groundhog Day.