Sorry for the delay. I've actually sat down multiple times to enter a new post but I've been too busy to finish something worth reading.
Since my last post I've been to Nara, Osaka and a popular shopping district here called Kurashiki. Here are some photos. Remember to click for larger versions:
[Kofukuji Temple]
[Deer in Nara park]
[The 2nd tallest pagoda in Japan!]
[Todaiji Temple, the largest wooden structure in the world!]
[The Daibutsu Buddah inside Todaiji Temple]
[Sarusawa Pond]
[One of my high school senior students]
[One of my freshman classes at the OUS festival]
Galen also visited last week. We had a great time in Nara and since he had to spend so much money on a plane ticket, he stayed for about a week. Aside from Galen's visit, I've been very busy teaching at all my various schools. The weather has also FINALLY started to cool down. Lately we've had a high temperature of 75F. The trees are also just starting to show slight autumnal shades. It's odd to think that as of this coming Monday, I will be at the halfway point of this internship. Here's a look at my regular work schedule:
MONDAY --> Junsei Nursery 10:45am-11:15am
TUESDAY --> Kurashiki University 11am-4:30pm
WEDNESDAY --> Okayama University of Science 10:55am-11:30am and Kibi International University 3:50pm-8pm
THURSDAY --> Eisugakkan Junior High School 10am-2:30pm
FRIDAY --> OUS High School 9am-12pm
Occasionally I help with English classes on Saturdays at Eisugakkan. My favorite classes are the university classes by far. Surprisingly, I'm also having a bunch of fun with the Junsei 5 year-olds!
Here are a few interesting or odd things that have happened to me:
- I bought milk that was lemon flavored on accident at the store...
- I spent nearly three hours desperately trying to find an internet connection in Osaka with Galen. Japan really is the place of no wifi, even if the restaurant says it provides free wifi.
- I witnessed some high school boys get in a fight at my school. The fight was actually a little unnerving since I couldn't really understand what the two were yelling at each other. The two boys sounded like monsters!
- Almost everything imaginable went wrong in one of my middle school classes a few weeks ago. The students wouldn't listen to anyone, they made the Japanese teacher irritated and one girl had an asthma attack at the end of class while the other students proceeded to make fun of her. Young Japanese students can be very cruel to each other I've learned.
- I've experienced the remnants of two typhoons but not one full, healthy typhoon.
- I've mastered riding my bike while holding an umbrella in one hand! This is extremely common in Japan.
- While Galen was here, we ate at a Japanese McDonalds. To me, the food tasted the same but Galen swore he could taste soy in his hamburger.
- I've rode the shinkansen (bullet train) a few times in order to travel long distances faster. The inside of the shinkansen is really similar to the inside of a really nice airplane.
- I've also stayed in a ryokan or a traditional Japanese hotel!
Next week Hannah and I have a trip planned to visit Hiroshima and Miyajima Island. We are also registered to attend a kayaking tour around the island!
***
[Some methodical thoughts that are not based on proper surveys or samples]
On an anthropological note, the is a stark difference here between young adults and older citizens here. I mean, of course there is a difference between age groups anywhere but in Japan, the difference in behavior is quite vast. Most young adults are what people refer to as Westernized. Instead of following more Buddhist or Confucian values (I suppose), many people are more interested in adopting Western patterns of behavior. For example, many Japanese people aren't getting married until their mid or late twenties. Some Japanese are also abandoning the idea of marrying in order to please parents. One of my university students told me that many Japanese couples will get married out of high school or early in college but then perhaps divorce three years later. The majority, according to studies I've read, are marrying later in age but this trend of impulsively marrying and then divorcing is becoming more common. Though it's not a recent change, eating meat aside from fish is also due to Westernization. Something that still perplexes me about young Japanese students is that the students can be very shy but also very mean at the same time. After observing my high school and middle school classes, I'm amazed at how cruel some students can be to other students.
Also, it seems that most Japanese people aren't exactly monogamous. Extra martial affairs are very common and accepted, according to one of my students. Most Western people would find this shocking, at least, I did. It seems to me that Japanese have a more scientific understanding of the world around them unless of course the Japanese person in question is a serious practitioner Buddhism or Shinto especially. Though it is not often talked about, people don't care here if a same sex couple wants to be together. I'm not sure if a couple is allowed to be legally married though. Japanese people are also not ashamed of the human body. Things like nudity or even discussing more personal body parts are not treated with the same kind of sensitivity you see in the USA. To me, it seems that Japanese see the human body and its desires as something that is just there and they accept it as opposed to fighting it or hiding it.
***
Something I've enjoyed while living in Japan is actually being able to use my Japanese language skills. While there are many kanji I can't read and many things I do not know how to say, I still really love being able to communicate at a very basic level. I can often understand what people say to me but finding the right words and arranging them into the proper sentence structure is difficult! Being able to understand what a waitress or sales clerk says to me makes me feel like the culture I'm immersed in currently isn't so different than my own. I'm also finding that I am too busy to read all the books I wanted to read while I am here! I'm only 72% finished with the towering 1Q84 and which means I don't have permission to start my book about Zen, Thoreau's Walden and 20 something Nietzsche books. GAH! Hopefully this will change. OH! Quickly before I go, here's a video of me riding the train in Japan. Almost everyday I ride the train to work so here's a snippet for you:
To any reader and everyone at home, take care and enjoy the rest of this blog!
-J
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