Sayonara Nippon!

I leave Japan this afternoon at 4:05 and return to SFO this morning at 9:18 a.m. -- thanks to some serious movement through time zones and across the International Dateline.

I've had a great three weeks here and can't wait to share more of my experiences with my students at Media Academy, my friends and family. Thank you Fund for Teachers for making this possible. Thank you Hisayo and family; Midori, Hiromichi and Yoko; Sumire and family; Kosaka, Kazuko & juku students; Kazumi; Kyoto Gals; Ena Shiyakusho English Conversation Circle; the Katos; Tsuge Hiroko; WORM; and Ena High School staff for making this trip meaningful, wonderful and educational.

Due to technical difficulties posting photos and limited time on the Internet while in Japan, please continue to look for more postings on this blog after my return to America. Thanks for reading!

Best Changes in Japan

This man is smoking in a designated smoking section outside Shinjuku station. Although it is not evident from the photo, all the other people around him are also either smoking, lighting up or just putting out their cigarettes.

Perhaps the best change I have noticed in Japan since my last trip is the emergence of smoking sections and non-smoking zones. I used to be angered that students in Japanese schools had to clean their teachers' ashtrays during o'souji, or cleaning time. Now, at least in Gifu prefecture high schools, teachers may not smoke anywhere on campus. Apparently at junior highs and elementary schools, teachers may still smoke on campus, but they have to go to separate smoking rooms. There are far fewer vending machines that sell cigarettes on the street. Now, both beer and cigarette vending machines are only located near shops that have a special license, according my my host Mr. Murai. Right now, I am in an Internet cafe and I was gｉｖｅｎ the choice of a smoking or non-smoking cubicle. Okay, so I still can smell the smoke from the first floor up on the second floor, but at least I don't feel like I am in an ashtray.

Another positive change I have seen in Japan is a greater concern for the environment. Next to the ubiquitous vending machines known as jidohhanbaiki now are special recycling bins. Nevertheless, Japan still goes crazy with wrapping up consumer goods, often with items getting wrapped up first before they get put into a plastic bag. But I am convinced even this will change by the next by the next time I return to Japan ... the green movement is growing!

What Kind of Hairstyles Do You Like?

That's a question Cesar of Media Academy had for Japanese teenagers. So far in Ena, I've noticed that the boys take great care in their hair, sometimes adding clips! These two boys at Ena High School had some of the more fashionable hair. I am sure to see some crazy hair when I go to Harajuku (Violet's favorite part of Tokyo!).

Win A Free Gallon of Gas!

These are the prices for gasoline in Ena.

The middle sign is RE-GYU-RAA, or regular. The price is in yen and per liter, not per gallon.

A free gallon of gas to the first reader of this blog who tells me the equivalent price of regular gas in gallons and in dollars.

Rest assured, you'll feel great when you get the answer and realize American fuel is still totemo yasui (totally cheap!).

Sushi Lovers -- A Lesson from Midori & Hisayo

While eating and drinking in a cute mom-n-son restaurant called Piccolo's last night, my host Hisayo and her sister Midori opened up with me, sharing their horror over a faux pas of foreigners when it comes to eating sushi -- we don't know how to use our soy sauce properly.

The proper way to use soy sauce with your sushi, they tell me, is to make sure you dip the fish side into the soy. And, by all means, make sure you do not dip the whole piece of sushi into the sauce. Just dab the end of your sushi, fish side down, into the soy. Foreigners tend to soak their sushi, rice side down, into the sauce. This collects way too much soy, overpowering the delicious fish.

Midori and Hisayo are experts in soy, by the way. Their family runs a soy sauce (shoyu) distribution business in downtown Ena.

And another tip: Make sure the fish side goes onto your tongue so you can fully savor the fatty tuna, eel or whatever is featured in your nigiri.

Reppin Oakland in Japan

Oakland A's caps in the Japanese countryside! I'm pictured above in "Kip's" store in Ena with the owners, the Katos, and three A's caps. The Katos, especially Ken, are HUGE fans of American culture, clothing and coffee. I used to tutor the Katos' two sons, Kent and Kenny, and loved hearing Ken and his store workers get excited about the Bay Area. Ken entertained both my sisters when they visited with nonstop excitement about American products, places and people, and nonstop beverages and food.

The store is named after Kip's Bar on Durant Street in Berkeley -- a place Ken loved to go while at Cal. Peet's is also repped in the store, along with In N Out, LL Bean, Starbucks, Ruehl, Abercrombie and dozens of other American companies.

Students Clean School -- And Actually Like It!

This is one of the most amazing parts of the Japanese education system to me. Every day, students grab mops, brooms and rags and give their school a thorough cleaning called o'soji. Teachers, principals and other adults at the school also help out. In this video, you'll also see Bill, the Assistant English Language Teacher at Ena High School, pitching in with the garbage. I was an Assistant English teacher in Ena's junior highs and elementary schools 15 years ago, though I was treated more like a guest and did not participate in o'soji. Media Academy students, if you're reading, how about starting this at our school this coming year?

Can You Use Cell Phones in Class?

I visited Ena High School today through the help of my host, Mr. Murai, and his connections at the school. Here Madako, a third year student (senior), answers my questions about cell phones in class. Her homeroom class had just finished preparing for the school festival and was getting ready to do school cleaning before the end of the day.

Izu Maari Maaridu?

My sister visited me in Japan in 1993 and her name created quite a challenge to my friends and co-workers in Ena. The Japanese do not have an "l" sound -- the closest sound is something between a "d" and an "r." So "Molly" becomes what you hear above in the video. Those people in the video and the photo above are my fantastic friends who took English classes with me one evening a week for two years. We met last night at a restaurant in Ena for about three hours of catching up and nostalgia. And, of course, when one of my friends asked me if Molly was married, I just had to have fun with Molly's name. (Konnichiwa, Molly!)

Do you like school uniforms?

Students from Media Academy gave me an array of questions to ask Japanese teenagers during my trip. One of Emely's questions was "Do you like to wear school uniforms?"

So far, every student I have asked has said "Yes." They tell me that they think their uniforms are cute, it's easy to get dressed in the morning and they like wearing what their friends wear.

One boy, Ryohei of Ena, said he liked to wear uniforms in the winter but that they are too hot in the summer. It's been close to 100 degrees recently and the humidity is like none I've ever experienced in America, even in the Midwest. If you want to say "it's hot" in Japanese, say "atsui desu." And "it's hot and humid" is "mushi atsui desu."

Japanese Juku Students Learn About Oakland Teens

Students who showed up for their cram school (juku) class tonight with Kazuko Sensei had no idea they'd be getting a special lesson in Oakland teen culture. Saki, Akane, Yukina, Kota and Ryohei at first seemed quite reluctant/shy to meet the surprise foreign guest (me), but soon started talking a lot when I opened up the Media Academy yearbook for them to see. They were very surprised about many things they saw, but most particularly they were shocked to learn about grills through a yearbook page featuring Media mouth bling. They pointed to students at Media who look like people they know in Japan; they thought Coach Knight looked like a gangster in his spirit week 80s costume; they said that the seniors looked like they were going to the Academy Awards in their senior photos. And one student thought Aiden looked like Orlando Bloom.

Oakland teens would be equally surprised to know that even though these students are in the first week of their one-month summer break, they still go to cram school three times a week and don't finish their classes until 9:30 p.m.

I showed the students video of Media students who had recorded special questions for me to ask Japanese teenagers during my trip. The questions were on topics ranging from hairstyles and school uniforms to samurai swords and Japanese culture. The juku students gave answers to almost all the Media questions while their teacher videotaped them. I'm excited to show Media students the answers to their questions and also look forward to setting up some penpals between Media Academy students and these Ena teens.

For now, here's a little aisatsu from three of the students to Media Academy students:

Japanese English and Stupid Hair

First off, I admit my Japanese is far inferior to even the worst English I read or hear in Japan. As I struggle with this language, I am humbled by my own students who do so well speaking English as a second language at Media Academy.

Nevertheless, I still love seeing some of the funny ways English is used here. Above is a photo of a sign at Hakone that left me puzzled. How would you fix that grammar?

Here are some other phrases that have left me laughing or wondering:
1. Stupid Hair Salon -- the name of a salon in Ena that could cause some serious marketing problems
2. Please Pray for Me, My Husband is Irish -- a t-shirt worn by a Japanese man at a school festival
3. Please don't touch doubtful things -- a sign at a train station near Gora/Hakone

4. You are my hearo -- shirt on teenager at Japanese high school baseball tournament

5. Please do not touch a hand -- sign at art exhibit near Meiji Temple in Harajuku

I'm sure to add to the list. Meanwhile, I hope nobody is making a list of all the stupid things I am saying in Japanese.

Three Turns for Tea, 1000 for Coffee

My friend's parents took me to a temple for a tea ceremony, or chadoh, in Kamakura yesterday. At left, you can see the woman who served me matcha, a bitter and frothy drink made whisking green tea powder in a special ceramic bowl, or chawan. To drink tea properly, I was told, you must turn the bowl three times so that you do not drink from the front of the bowl. My friend Hisayo is now studying tea ceremony at age 52. She likely will give me more tips on how to practice tea ceremony as I am staying with her for a few days in Ena.

Drinking coffee is a little easier in Japan -- usually. For the past three days, while staying in Fujisawa City with my friend's parents, I got to help out with the coffee making. Sumire's father likes doing things the old-fashioned way, so we cranked a coffee grinder by hand 1,000 times to prepare the beans.

Tonight, the coffee drinking was easier. My friend Kosaka San treated Hisayo and me to hotto koohi (hot coffee) at a kissaten (cafe) in Ena. Totemo tanoshikatta desu!

Golden Arches and Other Changes

I arrived in Ena City at 12:30 today and soon found out the city is quite different from 15 years ago when I lived here. The first thing I noticed was a good change -- the train station now has elevators to the platforms that are handicap accessible and friendly to foreigners who have way too much luggage. Loads of new buildings, parking garages and a huge business hotel make Ena look a little less inaka, or country, than it looked 15 years ago. Not all the changes are good, however. Ena now has two Ma-ku-doh-na-ru-do-zu, otherwise known as McDonalds. But hey, at least these McDonalds offer something different and perhaps healthier than those in the US -- ebi (shrimp) burgers.

O-hisashiburi!

O'hisashiburi essentially means "long time, no see" in Japanese. And it's the start of many an e-mail and snail mail I am writing these last days before heading off to Japan.


I was in Japan teaching English on the JET Programme before e-mail was widely used, so I'm relying on snail mail to catch up with most of my friends and let them know I'll be in Japan soon. Luckily, I had the e-mail address of one of my former students, Akiko, and she has helped me get in touch with her "super-genki" mom, Hisayo. Akiko was just in eighth grade when I was her Assistant English Teacher, or AET, at Ena Nishi Chuugakkoo. Now, she is married to an American and living in San Diego. Hisayo still lives in Ena City (Gifu Prefecture) and she is welcoming me to stay with her for "many days." Hisayo is Exhibit A of Japanese hospitality ... such a sweetie!

One of my snail mails made it to Japan today, and I now have another contact! Kazumi (Hara Sensei) was one of the kindest people I met while in Ena. She taught English at Ena Nishi Chuugakkoo and befriended me early on. We went loads of places together and she even invited me to join "Rocky Top," her square dancing club that practiced a few towns away from Ena. Never thought I'd learn steps like the California Roll in Japan, but I did. Yeee Hi!