Appearance Counts

For some reason, between 1920 to 1930, Japan decided to model their school uniforms after European uniforms. The boys all wore military style uniforms, where the girls wore a sailor outfit (anyone familiar with Sailor Moon?). It may surprise you that these uniforms have changed very little. Everything from the shoes to the gym cloths are standardized in all Japanese schools. One thing I really have to laugh at is how Japanese students find sneaky ways around these authoritarian outfits. Teachers are very strict about students wearing their neckties properly, not wearing any makeup, and making sure their shirts are properly tucked in. Hair color is also not to be changed. Despite these desperate attempts to make students more responsible and prepare them for the outside world through constant reminders of dress and the immediate removal of any possible makeup on female students, students are still able to let a bit of their personality seep through with the clever ways of working around the school uniforms. I’ve never seen so many different colors and styles of socks in my life! Everything from rainbow ankle toe socks, to socks that go above and beyond the knees. Many students try to hide their colorful fancy belts with their German blazers, and it’s not hard to see the hard rock café t-shirts through the translucent white dress shirts. I’ve even seen some student’s hair grow a whole two feet from the day before! Teachers of course are to be models for proper dress conduct. With all the very somber colors that exist in the schools, I must be hurting peoples eyes with my yellow, green and blue dress shirts matched with orange, purple and red neck ties, the vibrant red Canadian neck tie from dollarama being the students favorite. The earring that I have in the top left ear is of course removed, yet there are times, depending on where I’m standing, where the light from the window shines through the hole, which students just have to examine! What I really love is when both teachers and students call me on something that’s out of line on my wardrobe. I’ve had several students and teachers adjust my collar for me, and even had one of the home economics teacher get me to stand up out of my chair so she could cut the strings that were connecting the back flaps of my suit jacket. How did she know?! Appearance seems to be everything in Japan. What kind of impression do the other teachers have of me I wonder?

Tabemasho!!!

Food is so interesting. I love how different cultures are able utilize the plants and animals which are able to grow and live within respective regions. I love how necessary it is to eat, and how everyone needs to eat in order to stay alive. Some very interesting types of dishes have come out of this necessity of daily living, and experiencing the delicacies and unusualities (new word?) that come out of different countries is one aspect of culture that is so much fun to experience. With all the traveling that I’ve done so far, and all the different types of foods that I’ve been fortunate enough to experience, I feel that I can stomach just about anything. From eating raw seal liver to over seasoned dog meat (no, I don’t know what kind of dog it was, but for the sake of this story, we’ll say he wasn’t a very nice dog who probably had it coming), I feel that a part of me has become immune to eating new and strange foods. I really have to remind myself once in a while what I’m actually eating.

This weekend, my friend Hitoshi and I had gone to Otaru, a quaint little port city on the west coast of Hokkaido. Lunch was the first stop, and sushi was on our minds. Hitoshi and his family seem to know everyone who has lived or been to Shimizu. The sushi chef at the restaurant used to live in Shimizu, so Hitoshi and the chef had a long talk. As they were talking, pieces of sushi kept magically appearing in front of me, delicately placed on a long green leaf. I’ve eaten sushi a good number of times, and anytime I go for sushi, I love to have the real thing; slabs of raw fish placed on rice held together by thin sheets of seaweed. Most of what I had eaten, I knew what it was, and could easily enjoy, yet there were a couple that I had know idea what it was I was eating. One piece of sushi, which I was particularly curious about, really made me question if I actually liked this delicacy or not. Seeing that Hitoshi and the chef were still very engaged in conversation, I decided to eat it anyways. After finishing the last piece of sushi, which must have taken at least 10 minutes to chew, (hey, you try swallowing a huge piece of raw octopus under a minute) I had asked Hitoshi about the strange sushi with the white goopy stuff. He was a little reluctant to tell me, but after I relentlessly persisted for an answer, he informed me it was fish sperm that I had eaten. Hmmm…. Another one to cross off the list, I suppose? I would be really interested in meeting the person to invent this sushi and know what he was thinking.

I really enjoy coming to my desk after classes are finished, and finding little Japanese snacks garnishing my books and papers. After someone has been on a business trip, its customary to bring back some treats from different parts of Japan, and present them to the people you work with. Some days I have 4 well-wrapped treats on my desk from who knows where, and from who knows who. The other day after class, one of my students came up to me and presented a dried flattened squid in a small clear plastic bag. I’ve gotten cookies from students before, but this squid was definitely a first. I will have it later.

Cultural Confusions

Many of the mannerisms and approaches that exist amongst the Japanese people are the exact ways of thinking that I had been reprimanded for using as a child. One of my Japanese/English teachers gave me three books translated into both Japanese and English on different cultural taboos and cultural norms that exist not only in Japan but throughout the world. These books clarify some of many misunderstandings that people have when traveling abroad. My favorite out of the three books is the one titled, “The Inscrutable Japanese”. This book juxtaposes American culture and Japanese culture, focusing largely on social behaviors. The beginning of the book opens with the subheading “Why won’t Japanese look me in the eye?” This segment talks about how direct eye contact is rude and can be seen as trying to challenge or intimidate another person. Children are scolded by the parent if looking directly at them, and are taught to keep their heads down when being reprimanded. Conversely, in America and Canada, a child will be reprimanded by their parent if not making eye contact.

“If an American child looks down when scolded, the parent will say, “Look at me when I’m talking to you!”

This part made me laugh out loud, and I actually had to leave the staff room when I read it to avoid making a scene. When I read that quote, I could see my dad’s eyes looking down at me, flashing with rage. Of course now, there is no more rage in those eyes, and he’s not the one looking down anymore.

One thing that really makes me feel at home in Japan is Japanese peoples approach to saying yes or no. I’ve always been told to be very straightforward when asking for something and not to be passive when asking for help. But this approach is the exact opposite that most Japanese take. Of course take these observations as a grain of salt, but many Japanese will use indirect expressions such as, “maybe” or “perhaps” in order to avoid sounding too harsh, and creating confrontation with others. There are so many cultural differences like this that exist, which many foreigners, including myself, often misinterpret. What I love is that as I read these things and as I live in a place where even the books are “backwards”, I begin to question and understand the culture that I’m from. I often forget that Canada does have more defining herself then just maple syrup, hockey, and or beloved Tim Horton’s.

Another Good Day

Yesterday was one of those days where everything was amazing (those are my favorite kinds of days, by the way). The day before yesterday, my friend Hitoshi mentioned that he was going to go to Costco in Sapporo with his family. Yes I know! I was also surprised to hear that Costco exists in Japan. I dropped a hint around wanting to join him and his family the next day, and he willingly agreed. We ended up talking an express toll way to get part way there, which was about 10 dollars each way; Japan can be really expensive if you want it to be, though despite what many people say, it does'nt have to be. This week must be autumn’s prime time because every mountain is in a frenzy of reds, yellows, oranges, greens, and purples. We had left in the early morning which allowed ourselves to be hypnotized by the plethora of autumn colors, enhanced by the morning sun. We finally arrived at Costco 3 hours later. As we walked in, I was blown away at how similar it was to the ones back home. Actually, it was exactly the same. Everything from the toilets, shopping carts, and ceiling lights were exactly the same. Even the water fountains just outside of the bathrooms have been imported from North America. I had to keep reminding myself that I was still in Japan. I ended up buying a dozen large assorted muffins, a dozen bagels, a 24 pack of Dr. Pepper and a large bag of Kirkland corn chips. Hitoshi recommended that we buy a pumpkin to carve for Halloween. You don’t often see the large orange types in Japan, but instead, smaller green ones. After shopping, Hitoshis parents treated us to the food court, which also was exactly the same to the North American Costco food courts. We had gotten pizza, hotdogs, clam chowder, and of course Costco's famous churros. We went back to Shimizu for dinner, where we met up with Hitoshis brother and several of his brothers’ friends at Torisei, a popular chain restaurant which was initially started in Shimizu, my town. None of them spoke any English, so I was forced to use all the Japanese I could remember on the spot. They all went beyond asking the typical questions of ``Where are you from?`` and ``Do you have a girlfriend?`` We actually got into some pretty intense conversations. I think I had gotten my responses across, but not without the help of Hitoshi.
After dinner, Hitoshi and I met up with our friend Yuriko, at my house, who decided to join us in the pumpkin carving. I haven’t carved a pumpkin in who knows how long, but I never remember it being as fun as last night. This was Yurikos first time, so it was fun to see her reaction when she took the first plunge into the pumpkin with her hand. I carved the top off, Hitoshi carved the face, and Yuiriko fried the pumpkin seeds to eat for later. The best part was both their reactions when I turned off the light with the candle set in the base of the newly carved Jack o lantern. The only things illuminating the room was the small candle surrounded by 3 camera phones. We ended up talking around the jack o lantern well past midnight.
Why are the simplest types of entertainment usually the best? All you need is a large orange vegetable, a large knife, and friends, and you can be entertained for hours.

Autumn in Hokkaido

Hokkaido is now experiencing its seasonal change into Autumn. I have to say that Japanese maples have to be some of the most beautiful trees in the world, especially in Autumn.Feel free to check out the rest of the shots:http://joeygoertz.smugmug.com/Nature/Autumn-in-Hokkaido/9948546_MSNqj

The Influenza

October 12, 2009

Ok. So this influenza thing is getting out of hand. Already both the elementary school and junior high have been closed for the past week. Also, one student in the 10th grade had caught the virus, so now the entire 10th grade has to stay home. On top of that, all the grade 10 teachers are asked to wear facemasks to prevent the possible spread of this virus. This last week, at least half the school had facemasks. It looks somewhat humorous to walk into the secretary office and see every single person wearing these masks, along with the principle and vice principle. The 11th grade hockey team was also asked to wear them because they have a big game coming up. It seems as though everyone in this town is sick. My friend Chris who works in the Junior high is sick in bed with a fever of 103 degrees (we’ll go fehrenhight because he’s American). He also managed to give this flu to his girlfriend, who is now in the hospital. I admittedly have a bit of a cold, but refuse to wear a facemask. I really hope this influenza/sick streak leaves very soon. Every year, the 11th grade goes on a school fieldtrip to Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara, and Hiroshima. It would be a shame for that to be canceled because of one student getting mild symptoms of this influenza.
On a completely different topic, I’ve experienced two natural phenomenons this week, which are quite new to me. Late this week, Japan was hit by a typhoon. It didn’t hit too hard in the Tokachi district, but we did get a lot of wind and rain. I am glad that it hadn’t canceled my weekend plans. The second phenomenon took place in Obihiro, the nearest city to Shimizu, my town. A couple of us were hanging out on the 6th floor of our friend’s hotel room, when our friend Matthew noticed his bed vibrating. At first I thought there was a button he had pressed to make it vibrate, but we quickly realized that his room was not one of the love sweets, and was actually an earthquake we were experiencing. I was sitting on the floor at the time, and felt my butt being massaged by the vibrations coming through the floor. It only lasted about 10 or 15 seconds. I actually experienced one earthquake before this, but I didn’t notice it. I was standing at the front of my 11th grade class, when my Japanese/English teacher pointed out that we were experiencing an earthquake. I thought he was joking, because I couldn’t feel anything. I think that this week has taught me how vulnerable people are.

Thriving Thursday

This Thursday, both students and teachers were absent from school. It appears to be rare that there isn’t anyone at school, even on the weekends. Both teachers and students stay late after classes for club activities or preparing for the next day. Some teachers have stayed until 2 oclock AM doing who knows what. What’s even more insane is that they don’t get reimbursed for staying extra hours; a wonderful contrast to life in the west. For this wonderful gift of a day, one of the English/Japanese teachers I work with, Tominaga Sensei, and the official school yearbook photographer, Seiya San, met up in Shikaoi town, around 16km from my town, to take a nice 70km bike ride around the Tokachi Plain. Its great to finally meet some people in Japan who are into cycling. Although bicycles are one of the main means of transportation in Japan during the seasons that aren’t winter, long distance cycling doesn’t appear to be as popular as you might think. Oh well… more room for me! The roads in Hokkaido are some of the best that I’ve seen. I suppose it doesn’t take much to impress me, considering the state of the roads back in Winnipeg. The Hokkaido government receives a large amount of cash for keeping the roads here in good order. Most of the roads appear to be only a couple of years old if not much newer. Out in the country here, you would expect the back roads to be gravel, yet everything is paved, which really makes exploring this island a lot easier. I suppose the one drawback is the copious amounts of construction that takes place on the main roads. Before I continue with this Thursday cycling extravaganza, let me tell you a little bit about construction in Japan. It has to be a cutest thing ever (for the record, I only reserve the word cute for anything Japan). Rather than having regular roadblocks used to redirect traffic, they have smiling green frogs holding up the word “Sorry” (in English) with every 50th frog winking as you pass by. Some of the tractors are pink and purple, and to match, the construction workers are fitted with lavender hardhats. How could you possibly get frustrated or annoyed with that?! What I really love is that there is always someone at the end of the road who will bow to let you know that you’ve passed through the end of the construction zone of cutesy confusion.
So back to our Thursday morning of cycling bliss. The three of us ended up taking around 3 hours to cycle the 70km ride, taking fairly regular brakes. Although cycling the country roads of Hokkaido is a great way to get away from many of the luxuries that most big cities in Japan are known for, frequent rest stops with heated toilet seats and bade are some of the comforts that seem to be difficult for Japanese people to give up. We made a quick stop at a soft ice-cream place in Shihoro town, where I was able to purchase green tea ice-cream and cookies-and-cream in the same cone. Not a bad combination, I suppose. For the rest of the way, all 3 of us were going at a pretty decent rate, until a pack of wild dogs started chasing us, where our speed readily increased, and I nearly wiped out in a ditch, trying to defend my legs from getting chewed off. Ahhh Hokkaido, what a beautiful place.