Saturday, November 04, 2006
Bright and shiny and pointy things! WHEE!
Yesterday was Culture Day, aka Yet Another Holiday That the Japanese Government Randomly Made up to Keep Japanese People from Working Themselves to Death, and pretty much every temple in the country had a festival. It was hard to choose between them, but eventually I decided on Meiji Jingu's celebration of the Emperor Meiji's birthday.
First there was an archery competition, which ruled. But little did I know the day was only beginning. After that was a martial arts demonstration that ran most of the day and included demonstrations of karate, aikido, kendo, nunchucks, throwing knives, samurai battle techniques, and even horseback archery. Horseback archery! Let me just say, if I saw one of those guys charging at me on a horse with a bow and arrow pointed at my head, I'd wet my pants. Those guys were awesome! Everyone was in costume or traditional clothing. Have I ever mentioned that I find hakama dead sexy on a man?
I also got to see a bit of the ceremonial dances, which were actually rather boring. Less dancing, more standing around and occasionally taking a step or waving an arm, while a cat dies in the background. I've tried--really, I've tried--to appreciate gagaku, traditional Japanese court music, but it really sounds like howling felines. There's a taiko drum, which beats a beat which bears absolutely no relation that I can fathom to the beat the other instruments are playing to, and various types of flutes and stringed instruments that twang in a way that put country musicians to shame. There's nothing that bears much resemblance to a melody, or a tune. I really enjoyed the other music that followed, though--there was a taiko group, and a folk dance group, and a dancing-Chinese-lion-puppet group. The taiko group was amazing--half their musicians had to be less than 10 years old.
After that I hung out in Shibuya in Tokyo with my friend Liz. Shibuya is the real hip, young area of Tokyo, with lots of teenage clubs and clothing boutiques with shirts that cost more than my monthly salary. In Liz's words, "There's no words in the English language to describe the kinds of girls that hang out in Shibuya. Actually, there are: skanky hos. There just aren't any polite ones." I saw my first ganguro gyaru--a girl that deliberately wears five layers of makeup about 10 shades too dark for her, often compounded with big white or black facepaint circles about their eyes. They're known for sitting in 'gyaru circles' in the middle of a busy sidewalk and applying makeup and chatting for hours at a time. One of the stranger subcultures in Japan. There were also a fair number of goths and gothic lolitas wandering around, too.
It was fun wandering around all the shops and people-watching. But after walking around the shrine all day I was exhausted, and we headed back to Ikuta around 7. I felt rather silly, being in the center of Tokyo's nightlife and heading home by 7 PM. Ah, well, that's the price you pay for being a hopeless nerd. :P
Work is continuing to go well. Today for Voice we played Hangman. The students had a lot of fun with it. Can you imagine getting paid actual money to play games with really nice people? Okay, one or two of the students is really, really annoying, but most of them are darling beyond all belief. And I'm getting paid. To play Hangman. The higher-level classes are a lot of fun, too, because they're all discussion-based. You just throw out a topic like, "What do you think about the death penalty?" and sit back and watch the fur fly. These debates often provide a unique look into the Japanese mindset. The other day I had a student tell me that the government should do more to step in and censor 'crude' comedians on TV-- their opinions are insulting, he says, so the government should take them off the air. The other students nodded in agreement. Can you imagine the American government trying something like that? Note to self: 'freedom of speech' means something slightly different over here.
I mentioned earlier that I always have trouble teaching the lesson on tactful criticism. The students, particularly the male ones, JUST DON'T GET IT. We try to teach them the 'Sandwich Method': First, say something positive. Second, define the problem. Third, phrase the solution as a request (e.g. "Would you mind...?" or "Maybe you should consider...?"). Not so difficult, you think?
So, I review the steps and explain the situation. "Now, one of your employees works very hard, but has been late for work twice this week. Please tactfully correct him."
Student: "Don't be late again or I'll fire you."
Me: "Remember, step one is to say something positive. Maybe tell him that you're pleased with his work performance?"
Student: "Um... Do you have an excuse for being late?"
Me: "Something positive. A compliment?"
Student: "You work very hard... But don't be late again or I'll fire you."
Me: ::facepalm::
I've had two students UTTERLY FAIL this lesson, because by the end of 40 minutes they still don't remember they need to compliment and make suggestions instead of issuing a direct order. The women are better than the men--they're used to more indirect ways of speaking--but whoever told the West that the Japanese were a polite and reserved people obviously didn't know what the heck they were talking about.
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First there was an archery competition, which ruled. But little did I know the day was only beginning. After that was a martial arts demonstration that ran most of the day and included demonstrations of karate, aikido, kendo, nunchucks, throwing knives, samurai battle techniques, and even horseback archery. Horseback archery! Let me just say, if I saw one of those guys charging at me on a horse with a bow and arrow pointed at my head, I'd wet my pants. Those guys were awesome! Everyone was in costume or traditional clothing. Have I ever mentioned that I find hakama dead sexy on a man?
I also got to see a bit of the ceremonial dances, which were actually rather boring. Less dancing, more standing around and occasionally taking a step or waving an arm, while a cat dies in the background. I've tried--really, I've tried--to appreciate gagaku, traditional Japanese court music, but it really sounds like howling felines. There's a taiko drum, which beats a beat which bears absolutely no relation that I can fathom to the beat the other instruments are playing to, and various types of flutes and stringed instruments that twang in a way that put country musicians to shame. There's nothing that bears much resemblance to a melody, or a tune. I really enjoyed the other music that followed, though--there was a taiko group, and a folk dance group, and a dancing-Chinese-lion-puppet group. The taiko group was amazing--half their musicians had to be less than 10 years old.
After that I hung out in Shibuya in Tokyo with my friend Liz. Shibuya is the real hip, young area of Tokyo, with lots of teenage clubs and clothing boutiques with shirts that cost more than my monthly salary. In Liz's words, "There's no words in the English language to describe the kinds of girls that hang out in Shibuya. Actually, there are: skanky hos. There just aren't any polite ones." I saw my first ganguro gyaru--a girl that deliberately wears five layers of makeup about 10 shades too dark for her, often compounded with big white or black facepaint circles about their eyes. They're known for sitting in 'gyaru circles' in the middle of a busy sidewalk and applying makeup and chatting for hours at a time. One of the stranger subcultures in Japan. There were also a fair number of goths and gothic lolitas wandering around, too.
It was fun wandering around all the shops and people-watching. But after walking around the shrine all day I was exhausted, and we headed back to Ikuta around 7. I felt rather silly, being in the center of Tokyo's nightlife and heading home by 7 PM. Ah, well, that's the price you pay for being a hopeless nerd. :P
Work is continuing to go well. Today for Voice we played Hangman. The students had a lot of fun with it. Can you imagine getting paid actual money to play games with really nice people? Okay, one or two of the students is really, really annoying, but most of them are darling beyond all belief. And I'm getting paid. To play Hangman. The higher-level classes are a lot of fun, too, because they're all discussion-based. You just throw out a topic like, "What do you think about the death penalty?" and sit back and watch the fur fly. These debates often provide a unique look into the Japanese mindset. The other day I had a student tell me that the government should do more to step in and censor 'crude' comedians on TV-- their opinions are insulting, he says, so the government should take them off the air. The other students nodded in agreement. Can you imagine the American government trying something like that? Note to self: 'freedom of speech' means something slightly different over here.
I mentioned earlier that I always have trouble teaching the lesson on tactful criticism. The students, particularly the male ones, JUST DON'T GET IT. We try to teach them the 'Sandwich Method': First, say something positive. Second, define the problem. Third, phrase the solution as a request (e.g. "Would you mind...?" or "Maybe you should consider...?"). Not so difficult, you think?
So, I review the steps and explain the situation. "Now, one of your employees works very hard, but has been late for work twice this week. Please tactfully correct him."
Student: "Don't be late again or I'll fire you."
Me: "Remember, step one is to say something positive. Maybe tell him that you're pleased with his work performance?"
Student: "Um... Do you have an excuse for being late?"
Me: "Something positive. A compliment?"
Student: "You work very hard... But don't be late again or I'll fire you."
Me: ::facepalm::
I've had two students UTTERLY FAIL this lesson, because by the end of 40 minutes they still don't remember they need to compliment and make suggestions instead of issuing a direct order. The women are better than the men--they're used to more indirect ways of speaking--but whoever told the West that the Japanese were a polite and reserved people obviously didn't know what the heck they were talking about.
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Wednesday, November 01, 2006
The Japanese are NUTS
I had noticed that the cheese selection at the local grocery store was a little limited--mostly it's provolone and brie and camembert and other fancy white stuff--but I didn't find out why until one of my students told me today that most Japanese people don't like cheese.
They DON'T LIKE CHEESE.
The mind boggles.
This is the same nation of people who see nothing wrong with drinking mayonnaise straight from the bottle, and they DON'T LIKE CHEESE. They say the texture's not quite right. The Japanese. Who eat NATTO. And they criticize the texture of cheese.
I would kill for some decent colby jack right now. Or even Kraft American cheese. I made myself a provolone grilled cheese sandwich last night, the first time I'd had cheese in a month, and it was HEAVEN ON EARTH. I never realized before the simple pleasure to be found in eating a decent plate or nachos or a quesadilla. With avocado, and tomato, and sour cream... ::weeps::
[Update: As I was posting, I was thinking that I really like the word 'boggle'. It's quite fun to say. I'm not quite sure what it means, and why only minds do it, and not... socks... or whatever. But it's still lots of fun. And I've officially passed sleepy and hit punchy, haven't I?]
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They DON'T LIKE CHEESE.
The mind boggles.
This is the same nation of people who see nothing wrong with drinking mayonnaise straight from the bottle, and they DON'T LIKE CHEESE. They say the texture's not quite right. The Japanese. Who eat NATTO. And they criticize the texture of cheese.
I would kill for some decent colby jack right now. Or even Kraft American cheese. I made myself a provolone grilled cheese sandwich last night, the first time I'd had cheese in a month, and it was HEAVEN ON EARTH. I never realized before the simple pleasure to be found in eating a decent plate or nachos or a quesadilla. With avocado, and tomato, and sour cream... ::weeps::
[Update: As I was posting, I was thinking that I really like the word 'boggle'. It's quite fun to say. I'm not quite sure what it means, and why only minds do it, and not... socks... or whatever. But it's still lots of fun. And I've officially passed sleepy and hit punchy, haven't I?]
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Monday, October 30, 2006
A Note on Place Names
I imagine a lot of people are very confused by my descriptions of the places I live in. First I say I'm in Kawasaki, then in Ikuta, then in Tama. The problem is, people give directions differently in Japan that in America. First you start out by saying you're in Japan, then you describe your position as a series of progressively smaller concentric circles until you get to the exact location of your house.
For example, I live in Kanagawa-ken (province). Then I live in Kawasaki-shi (city). Kawasaki is further subdivided into wards, so I'm in Tama-ku. After that, I'm in the Ikuta district. Ikuta is further divided into several sections and, confusingly enough, I live in the Ikuta section. After that is a series of numbers, my chome (area), me (neighborhood), and bangou (house number). If you write out my address in full, the post office or a taxi driver could find where I live down to the exact house.
So I live by Ikuta Station in Ikuta, Ikuta, Tama-ku, Kawasaki-shi, and I work by Mukougaokayuen Station in Mukougaokayuen, Noborito, Tama-ku, Kawasaki-shi. Confusingly enough, Noborito is simultaneously the name of a district and a section and a train station.
Tokyo is also divided into 23 'cities' or wards. My train goes from Kawasaki to Shinjuku, so most of the time when I'm in Tokyo I go through Shinjuku. My bank's there, and my computer store, and one of Nova's head offices. I also like to visit Ueno, Asakusa, and Akihabara, used of which have their own unique character and flavor. Akihabara has Electric City, a huge maze of discount electronic stores. In the south-west corner is the Kanda used book market, with about 200 used-book stores in a half-mile radius. Asakusa has historical stores that sell The Most Random Junk in the World. If you want to see stores devoted entirely to rice crackers, or plastic food, or cell phone decorations, head to Asakusa. And so on.
Just in case I've just confused everyone more, I'll try to remember to be more careful about how I describe where I go. :P
So, anyway, Tokyo is THE AWESOMEST CITY IN THE WORLD. I'm not much of a shopper--I'd always prefer an hour in a Barnes & Noble over an hour at a department store. But there is SO MUCH RANDOM CRAP HERE!!! I'm turning into a total shopaholic. I can spend hours wandering around the booths at Asakusa, or browsing through the discount book stores in Kanda (I found one with manga for 105 yen. That's right--I can get a comic book for less than a dollar! I can't wait until payday!). And there's an area in Ueno that has dozens and dozens of temples--there's a temple practically every other building. There's tons and tons of parks and video arcades with random games (DDR is out, and taiko drumming games are in, apparently).
I thought Tokyo would just be another city--a lot of concrete and pigeons and gum on the sidewalk. And, true, it is pretty grim and drab sometimes. But there's so much to DO, and everywhere you go has its own unique personality and character. And you never know when what you think is a gap between two ratty, run-down office buildings, will turn out to be a tiny, mysterious, quiet little shrine.
So every day I have off I pick a random spot on the map, take the train over there, and wander around for hours exploring. Thursday I hit Kappa Bashi Doori in Asakusa, which is a street devoted entirely to accoutrements for restaurants: entire shops of plastic food, or waitresses' uniforms, or old-fashioned street-side ramen carts. Friday I wandered around the temples in Ueno. Thursday I think I'm heading into the Meiji Jingu shrine at Yoyogi Park in Shibuya in Tokyo, because this week is a festival dedicated to the birthday of the Emperor Meiji.
I wasn't bored BEFORE I got the Internet, and now that I have Net access I have about ten billion things I want to do. Don't be surprised if I update LESS now than I did this past month. I'm probably catching up on my TV shows or wandering around the parks along the Tama River or spending far, far too much money at the 100 yen store down the hill (hey! It only costs 100 yen! Who can turn down a deal that good?!).
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For example, I live in Kanagawa-ken (province). Then I live in Kawasaki-shi (city). Kawasaki is further subdivided into wards, so I'm in Tama-ku. After that, I'm in the Ikuta district. Ikuta is further divided into several sections and, confusingly enough, I live in the Ikuta section. After that is a series of numbers, my chome (area), me (neighborhood), and bangou (house number). If you write out my address in full, the post office or a taxi driver could find where I live down to the exact house.
So I live by Ikuta Station in Ikuta, Ikuta, Tama-ku, Kawasaki-shi, and I work by Mukougaokayuen Station in Mukougaokayuen, Noborito, Tama-ku, Kawasaki-shi. Confusingly enough, Noborito is simultaneously the name of a district and a section and a train station.
Tokyo is also divided into 23 'cities' or wards. My train goes from Kawasaki to Shinjuku, so most of the time when I'm in Tokyo I go through Shinjuku. My bank's there, and my computer store, and one of Nova's head offices. I also like to visit Ueno, Asakusa, and Akihabara, used of which have their own unique character and flavor. Akihabara has Electric City, a huge maze of discount electronic stores. In the south-west corner is the Kanda used book market, with about 200 used-book stores in a half-mile radius. Asakusa has historical stores that sell The Most Random Junk in the World. If you want to see stores devoted entirely to rice crackers, or plastic food, or cell phone decorations, head to Asakusa. And so on.
Just in case I've just confused everyone more, I'll try to remember to be more careful about how I describe where I go. :P
So, anyway, Tokyo is THE AWESOMEST CITY IN THE WORLD. I'm not much of a shopper--I'd always prefer an hour in a Barnes & Noble over an hour at a department store. But there is SO MUCH RANDOM CRAP HERE!!! I'm turning into a total shopaholic. I can spend hours wandering around the booths at Asakusa, or browsing through the discount book stores in Kanda (I found one with manga for 105 yen. That's right--I can get a comic book for less than a dollar! I can't wait until payday!). And there's an area in Ueno that has dozens and dozens of temples--there's a temple practically every other building. There's tons and tons of parks and video arcades with random games (DDR is out, and taiko drumming games are in, apparently).
I thought Tokyo would just be another city--a lot of concrete and pigeons and gum on the sidewalk. And, true, it is pretty grim and drab sometimes. But there's so much to DO, and everywhere you go has its own unique personality and character. And you never know when what you think is a gap between two ratty, run-down office buildings, will turn out to be a tiny, mysterious, quiet little shrine.
So every day I have off I pick a random spot on the map, take the train over there, and wander around for hours exploring. Thursday I hit Kappa Bashi Doori in Asakusa, which is a street devoted entirely to accoutrements for restaurants: entire shops of plastic food, or waitresses' uniforms, or old-fashioned street-side ramen carts. Friday I wandered around the temples in Ueno. Thursday I think I'm heading into the Meiji Jingu shrine at Yoyogi Park in Shibuya in Tokyo, because this week is a festival dedicated to the birthday of the Emperor Meiji.
I wasn't bored BEFORE I got the Internet, and now that I have Net access I have about ten billion things I want to do. Don't be surprised if I update LESS now than I did this past month. I'm probably catching up on my TV shows or wandering around the parks along the Tama River or spending far, far too much money at the 100 yen store down the hill (hey! It only costs 100 yen! Who can turn down a deal that good?!).
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