Ginzan Onsen- Northeast Japan's Living Snowglobe

Step back in time with me. Come crunch and slide down ancient paths where all signs of life are constantly eroded and white-washed over with snow. Where time freezes in a snowglobe of serene calm. Such is Ginzan Onsen, one of Japan's truly well-hidden treasures.

We drive through an endless maze between towering walls of white beckoning us forward. Soon, soon, they whisper. My 2001 Toyota Vitz cranks through the powder, also desperate for respite from the 2 and a half-hour drive from the coastal town of Nikaho in Akita prefecture. The drive had been pleasant with warm sunshine cascading through the windshield and glistening off blacktop roads. Tires hummed over smooth asphalt as easily as on a spring day. Once we turn off the beaten path, however, things got a bit interesting.

The road narrows and the snow spilling over into the middle of the street make for precarious passage. Orange mechanical giants whir down the street in a desperate attempt to clear away the white menace. Old buildings and houses line the way forward, not a conbini or supermarket to be seen. It's not the out-dated nature of the architecture or the utter lack of any signs of life besides old men and women wandering the street. It's how long the street seemed to continue forward. GPS and street signs desperately keeping their heads aloft above the drifts promise our destination is ahead, but my belief soon begins to fade as do the houses and other dwellings. Farther and farther back we go through time in a wormhole of ice and snow.

Finally, curving around one last bend, we breath a sigh of relief as a tiny hamlet materializes out of the valley. As we try to get our bearings and locate our ryokan, we are told that only foot-traffic is allowed down there. We're directed to go back up the hill to the parking space around the corner and wait for the van they will send for us. Back to the parking lot we go, gather our luggage, and the van arrives shortly as promised.

Down the hill we go, into the snowglobe where only feet and designated vehicles are allowed to tread. I'm reminds me of Disney Land and how all efforts are made to maintain the feeling of a self-contained universe completely separate from reality. Indeed, the only modern technology I see there outside the buildings are the occasional cellphone (which miraculously still get a signal way out there).

Kosekiya Bekkan

We arrive at Kosekiya Bekkan (古勢屋別館), one of the many gorgeous buildings lining the edges of the valley. The interior is warm and inviting with a golden glow. A professionally dressed smiling face is there to greet us. We are invited to take our valuable items with us and leave our luggage there so we can freely explore until check-in at 3pm. Finally, we've arrived at out home away from home.

Eager to stretch our cramped legs and start our adventures, we go to meet up with fellow JETs outside. We call out to greet them, but the perpetual thunder of the crashing river below drowns our voices. Thick, fluffy whiteness falls softly and gently to constantly remind us we are in true snow country. It covers everything, clinging to hair, melting into fabric, coating the bridges and windowsills in garland. In  Nikaho, the icy wind rips into your flesh and chills to the core. At Ginzan, it settles slowly and gently onto the skin and vanishes.

snow falls gently on Ginzan Onsen

There are many dining options ranging from little cafes specializing in sweet manju filled with red bean or edamame paste or curry bread and coffee sets to places with more hearty offerings such as soba noodles. Unlike the interior the of the hotel which is actually very modern, the cafes and shops maintain a preserved antiquity. We are directed to the second floor in our cafe of choice and find a few seating options despite its small size. There are tiny private booths separated by walls and curtains while the rest of the room opens into a more free and less intimate space with low tables and zabuton. Along the windows facing the town, there is a long, low bar where one can gaze at the falling now while sipping hot tea.

the foyer in Ginzan-sou

Travelers planning to arrived early can hit up any other hot springs in the area before they close shortly after noon. Fortunately, Kosekiya has a sister relationship with another onsen, Ginzan-sou (銀山荘). Guests at either ryokan are allowed to enjoy both onsen until guest closing time at 8:30pm absolutely free! Clerks in the lobby at reception will recognize sister-patrons by the provided yukatas (and jackets during winter) unique to each onsen and allow them entry. The shuttle can also ferry people to and from the onsens

Cozy!

Kosekiya offers rooms for up to six people with 4 futons and 2 western-style beds in separate rooms. Our room was very clean and spacious. After our guide admits lets us in, he explains the features of the room and their sister-relationship to Ginzan-sou.

Our package deal came with both dinner and breakfast served on the second floor. A little pamphlet introduced us to each dish served in Japanese and which order to eat them in. Ours started with the oh-so-necessary kampai with cherry-flavored wine in little heart-shaped cups. Dishes ranged from delicious steak pieces seared on your own little hot plate to fresh morsels of sashimi. To top it off were little cherry and pear-flavored offerings showing off Yamagata prefecture's specialty. Everyone left feeling full and ready to lounge the night away. Breakfast proved to be just as delicious and satisfying and endless refills of rice ensured everyone was prepared for the long journey home.

Renowned as an "onsen town", there are many options to choose from large outdoor "rotenburo" to a little footbath built into the walkway through town. Ginzan-sou offers a sizeable indoor bath in case of foul weather, but also connects to a bath outside the building wear you can sit in the hot water (and trust me, it will be HOT no matter what the ambient temperature) while snowflakes dot your skin with cold. To top that all off, another bath is connected via stairs with wooden seats built into the floor to lay back and lounge in to take in the the snowy vista. There is also a roof over this part of the bath in case you've had enough snowflakes falling on your head.

The other onsen I recommend is Takimi (瀧見) onsen. Like the name implies, this one boasts a stunning view of a waterfall! The building is located in the very back of the town and up quite a long,
but beautiful trek up a winding hill. Your best view of the waterfall will be on the way up. It's actually quite hard to spot from the actual bath unless you lean way out (which is very dangerous since it's on the edge of a cliff!). But after the arduous hike you'll be rewarded with a hot bath that also includes an indoor and outdoor area. The outdoor bath at Takimi is a little more "outdoors-y" in atmosphere since rotenburo at Ginzan-sou are still part of the main building while the outer wall of the pool in Takimi is made of rocks and stones giving it a more natural feel.

Fans of the world-renowned and award-winning Ghibli film Spirited Away will be delighted to know that Ginzan Onsen was one of the inspirations for the movie's mysterious, majestic setting at an enormous bathhouse along with Dogo Onsen (道後温泉) in Ehime prefecture. When the suns sets over the mountains, and the gas lamps cast soft shadows over the ancient buildings, you'll know you've entered the realm of the spirits.

Tohoku winters can be harsh and a pain to get through with lack of sunlight. Onsen are one of the best ways to keep your spirits up and your body warm and healthy. If you find yourself unable to flee to the tropical climes of Okinawa, why not look a bit closer to home? Great service, a fantastic setting, and hot, soothing waters wait for you at Ginzan Onsen.

See you there!

Physical Wellness: What I Wish They Would Have Told Me

I'm 24 years-old and around 184 pounds at the time of this writing. I am also an athlete and that still boggles my mind.

When I was in school I never imagined I'd be as active as I am now. I played soccer as a child for a bit and while I did enjoy it, I absolutely hated being center and usually ended up in the wings or in front of the goal. I hated anything to do with running- how fast everyone was compared to me, the sporadic, panting breathing (and how much my throat would hurt if it was cold outside), the stitch in my side, how fast my heart raced and how long it took for it to go away afterward. The bottom line was that it was uncomfortable and painful for me. So I avoided it like the plague.

Since coming to Japan and observing how sports and physical wellness are treated here, I've learned a lot about my own physical health and I think to myself, "Why didn't I learn this earlier?!". I've realized that due to the way our health and physical education classes are structured in the US, children aren't learning enough about how their bodies work and why exercise is so important. The ones that don't conform to the accepted standard of "physically fit" are ignored and end up feeling like they have no options open to them in high school. I've come to believe that there is something active for everyone to do no matter who they are and children could benefit greatly by being exposed to more options early on in life.

Physical "Education"

Gym class is taught as something that must be done as opposed to something that anyone should do on a regular basis. Gym teachers tell you to play badminton so you play badminton. Today we're playing basketball and tomorrow we're swimming because we say so and for no other reason. At no point was any of this physical activity connected to any actual physical "education". Why is this kind of exercise good for you and what are the physical and mental benefits? What's the difference between "aerobic" and "isometric" exercise? Why are nutrition labels based on 2,000 calories a day? How do you even read a nutrition label?

At no point do I remember learning anything about our actual bodies. All we pick up is that taller and/or more muscular bodies are good at sports. Naturally this leads to the attitude that if you don't have this type of body, you just aren't ever going to be good at or enjoy sports at all. It doesn't help that football and basketball are the standard by which all athletes are measured in the United States. The result is that many adolescents feel they just aren't "built" to do sports and aren't encouraged to look for any other options outside high school.

Our laughably terrible health classes tell us about our petuitaries and how they make our bodies go bananas, but we're taught to be ashamed of them. How are we supposed to talk about the best way to develop good physical habits if we're not even comfortable talking about our own bodies? We need to educate kids about how to incorporate more movement in our daily routines and emphasize that they still have a big impact on their health even if they are not extreme changes.

The Importance of Role Models

I met three people in high school that started to change this attitude for me:

1. The first was during my strength and conditioning class when my gym teacher was discussing my progress and remarked, "You have a naturally strong body." This simple remark kinda blew me away. Whenever I looked in the mirror, I never saw "muscle" or "strength". This got me thinking that maybe there's more potential in the human body than what can be seen.

2. When I was fourteen, my dad took me to the shooting range. Soon after, the Stoughton Archery Club was formed and I began what is probably my favorite sport. Here was something I could not only do, but not feel intimidated or discouraged from doing. People of all backgrounds and body types gather at the range. Moreover, this became a family sport that my father, brothers, and I could enjoy together.

3. The third is when I was working on a large graph for math class on the hallway floor with a friend since it was too big to draw out on the desks. Eventually, we started play-fighting with the yard-sticks as dumb kids do when tasked with mundane things. As our shenanigans ensued, a teacher walked by and casually asked, "Would you like to learn how to do that properly?"

After staring like a deer in headlights for a few seconds, we giggled nervously, shook our heads and said, "Nah." This man eventually became my fencing instructor and one of the most important mentors in my life. He emphasized invaluable concepts like true discipline and critical thinking.

I stumbled into these sports by happy accident, but too many children don't have healthy role models in their daily lives outside their gym teachers. Nobody steps up to help them find a sport or form of exercise that is right for them and they can make into a life-long activity.

The majority of my students belong to sports clubs and practice every day after school for 2-3 hours. Then they have practice on weekends. Then they have tournaments. These clubs become a major part of their lives and are viewed as almost as important as academic class. In university, these clubs and social circles become an essential part of their resumes for prospective jobs.

Then there are the multitude of physical events throughout the warm seasons. There's the annual "sports day" where the whole school participates (teachers included) to split into teams and compete in various physical activities like relay races, 100m dashes, and tugs-of-war. There's a prefecture-wide track-and-field day.

Why We Do Sports

Throughout high school I hardly ever missed archery practice. Here's the thing though: I didn't understand why. For whatever reason, I just wasn't very good at it. Both my brothers and my dad were always leaps and bounds ahead of me and I found it very discouraging. But time and again, I found myself going back and I didn't know why. If I ended up disappointed at every competition, why did I keep going?

Kyudo is the complete opposite of Western archery in many ways. One of these is that the emphasis isn't on hitting on the target so much as the shooting process and proper form. Without the pressures of racking up points and "winning", I finally realized: enjoyment doesn't have anything to do with how good you are. When it came to archery, I wanted to be better than my brothers and I wanted to win and those expectations marred my experience. When it comes to kyudo, I just enjoy doing it.

Again, this has a lot to do with role models. Part of the reason I stayed in archery was because my instructors and family were very supportive and encouraging, but they also shared my goals and mindset. My kyudo instructor told me from the get-go that hitting the target isn't important and that even the highest-ranking archers can't always do it perfectly. Every time I retrieve my arrows from around the target, I'm reminded of a Japanese saying, 猿でも木から落ちる, or "Even monkeys fall from trees."

Too many children find themselves doing sports they don't like or spending more time on it than they would like. Coaches weed out the "weak links" and leave them on the sidelines. Overzealous parents force there children into sports and then get frustrated when they show no motivation or aptitude. When their team doesn't win, they're made to feel like failures. In this environment, exercise becomes something difficult, frustrating, and not enjoyable.

There are so many things that I know now that shouldn't have taken me so many years to figure out on my own.

What Do We Get Out of Sports?

I never would have started kendo were it not for my husband. I attended his first kendo class purely as a translator, but then the instructor walked out of the storage room with two shinai and handed one to each of us. Since my prevailing philosophy as a foreignor in Japan is "go with the flow", I gave it a try. Then I came to the next lesson. And then the next one.

Whenever I watch kendo practice, I marvel at how fast and fluid they are. They almost fly across the floor and each strike is fast and precise. As I watched, I felt more and more that I wanted to be able to move like that. I wanted to be that graceful, strong, and fast.

I'm not gonna lie: it wasn't all fun and games at first (I read in an article somewhere that said, "If you're enjoying kendo, you're not doing it right"). One thing I didn't notice before was how aerobic the sport is and I could barely get through the warm-up at first. I hated how hard my heart pounded and how my calf muscles hurt. But I knew that it would get better and I now had a better reason to fight through the beginning excrutiating struggle. Every time I saw my fellow kendoshi fly across the dojo I saw my reason for continuing.

Before, I could barely walk up the stairs at school without my heart pounding. Now it takes an hour at practice to do that. Before, I looked in the mirror and saw room for improvement, now I see power and muscle hiding under all that cellulose. Although I can't really say I see huge physical changes, I still somehow feel and look "better". People have tried to tell me what self-esteem is and that I should have more of it, but it took more than words for me to fully understand.

You will be surprised how much momentum you can build once you start exercising regularly. A body at rest wants to stay at rest and a body in motion wants to stay in motion. If I'm at my desk with nothing to do all day, I'll start to feel terrible unless I get up and move. Before, I couldn't get myself to exercise. Now, I can't seem to get enough. Instead of going home and collapsing into my bed after practice, I want to hit the gym instead.

Something for Everyone

People who look down on "gamers" really bug me. Everyone plays games. The only difference is what kinds of games and how much we play them. When I was little, my family used to play all sorts of board games. I loved them. I grew up playing Halo with my twin brother. The growing popularity of murder mystery games amuses me to no end since it's basically Dungeons and Dragons with a different setting and no dice. With so many different ways to play out there, I sincerely think that we are all gamers at heart and there is a game for everyone to enjoy. If you don't believe me, watch Will Wheaton's show Tabletop and tell me there isn't something in there you want to try.

In the end, games are all about make-believe no matter what medium you do it through and sports are no different. For a period of time, like-minded individuals come together to pretend that how we throw a ball around a field to reach a certain goal matters. In the end, it really doesn't. The value we put in sports besides the physical is like the value we put in money- socially constructed and meaningless in reality. A dollar bill isn't worth anything unless enough people agree that it's worth one dollar and throwing a ball around doesn't really have any value until enough people think it's interesting enough to charge money for and invest in.

With so many different options available, there has to be a sport for everyone out there.

"Sports" vs. "Martial Arts"

As I mentioned above, the problem with sports in high school and college is that the barrier to entry is pretty high. Even if you make the team, there's a chance you'll be warming the bench almost every game. This makes overweight people lacking the ideal "athletic" body extremely discouraged from joining a mainstream sport at all.

This is why I'm an archer and martial artist. These haven't fallen victim to the institutionalization and commercialization of mainstream sports (even if movies still tend to perpetuate the image that fencing is a sport for uppity rich people. Believe me, it's not!). Anyone can join, your skill level doesn't matter, and the emphasis is on your own self-improvement instead of whether you can "make the team". There can be financial hurdles, but most martial arts clubs allow students to borrow equipment until they can afford their own. Students progress at their own pace and often have more personal attention from trainers since clubs tend to be smaller.

And the rest of world's beginning to notice. The Stoughton Archery club went nuts when The Hunger Games came out and now Arrow is causing huge waves.

Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

Since coming to Japan, I feel like I've found my niche in the physical activity world. I'm starting to drop pounds and I respect my body so much more than before. I've found ways to be active that are both enjoyable and continually motivating with instructors that are patient and welcoming. I feel so lucky to have found this great environment to start my wellness journey and I sincerely think we should fight to make something similar available to everyone.

History and Myth: Yamatai

It seems there are a lot of good progressive leaps forward in geek culture these days. More and more woman are given their chance to shine in the spotlight and contribute more than just a pretty face (or voice). As a result, games are starting to portray female characters in a more realistic fashion as both strong, developing people, and possible role models for a younger audience.

Naturally, I was pleased to hear Tomb Raider was getting a much-needed new coat of paint in terms of both visuals and overall content. Moreover, I was a child of the mid-90's that kind of missed the window to play the original, but was just in time to see the first movie. I was hoping for a game that was both modernized and progressive while also remaining true to the overall spirit of the original game.

I was glad to hear it didn't disappoint on all accounts. However, this game sat on my computer for the longest time. As great as it was to have another game to join the growing library for the progressive, feminist woman, I couldn't help but feel like this game was a bit too close to other series for me: Uncharted and Assassin's Creed (both of which are basically gritty versions of Prince of Persia with guns and archeology). Both amazing series in their own right, but I automatically lumped Tomb Raider together with them and put it on the backburner as something I'd get to eventually.

Until one day, when my husband was playing it, I heard one word: "Yamatai".

And I was hooked. One of the ingenuities of recent games that I enjoy is the usage of real history as the main plot or setting of games. Running through Renaissance Italy is almost a seperate game from Assassin's Creed II and could hold its own without the modern-day sci-fi parts (in fact, you spend so little time out of the Animus that I often forgot about that part of the game entirely). Uncharted takes the player to realistic settings in search of mythological locales rife with history. I am both excited and inspired by these games that compell the audience to play these games and then flock to the internet to learn more and sift through the realities and myths.

But Yamatai holds a particularly fond place in my heart.

To explain why, all we need to answer is this question, "What is Yamatai?"

In the third century, there was a region of Japan that was ruled and united by a hegemon by the name of Queen Himiko who regularly sent missions to China. The name of this region was called "Yamatai".

And that's it. That is, that's all anyone actually knows about it with any level of certainty. We don't even have solid records of Yamatai or it's ruler since the Japanese people hadn't fully adapted Chinese writing to the Old Japanese language until the eighth century. With no definite Japanese accounts to go by, scholars have to rely on the impressions of Chinese people. In Sources of Japanese Tradition by Ryusaku Tsunoda, William T deBary, and Donald Keene, one citizen recounts:

[Himiko] occupied herself with magic and sorcery, bewitching the people. Though mature in age, she reamined unmarried. She had a younger brother who assisted her in ruling the country. After she became the ruler, there were few who saw her. She had one thousand women as attendants, but only one man. He served her food and drink and acted as a medium of communication. She resided in a palace surrounded by towers and stockades, with armed guards in a state of constant vigilance.

So it seemed this Queen Himiko was an enigma surrounded by mysticism. Women play in important role in Japan's native Shinto religion. Shamans were mostly women and in most mythological stories, the victims of demonic possessions were often women. Even today, the all-female miko can be seen tending their shrines and performing ritualistic duties. The head deity of Shinto, Amaterasu, is also a woman and all reigning sovereigns of Japan are thought to be descended from her. In modern times, the emporers of Japan still act in a traditional and ritualistic role.

Himiko's mysticism and solitude are well-portrayed in popular culture. In the most excellent Legend of Zelda-style Playstation 2 classic, Okami, you play as the head deity Amaterasu herself in the shape of a pure-white wolf (okami can be translated as both "Great God" (大神) and "wolf"(狼)) playing through a plethora of Japan's colorful mythology and folk tales. In this game, you get to meet with Queen Himiko and in her grand palace, you encounter only a few hand-maidens. Then, when you make it to her throne-room (part of which involves swimming through LAVA), you find yourself in a gigantic room empty only except for Queen Himiko.

                                          Photo: IGN.com

 



                                                                Photo: SplitPlaythru

 

She likes her space...

The other part of this story that continues to elude historians is the location and size of Yamatai. If you were to follow the Chinese directions to Yamatai, you'd end up somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. However, part of the directions lead to modern-age Kyushu- a prime location from which Himiko could send her missions. In fact, a seal was found in Kyushu which fit the description of those bestowed by Emporer Kuang-wu of China to Japanese missions.

So it's probably safe to assume that the location of Yamatai in Tomb Raider is probably unrealistic considering the game takes place on an uncharted island in the middle of nowhere. Furthermore, ancient Chinese records relate that Himiko's people were "kind and peace-loving" and though she was thought of as a strong and extraordinary ruler, there is no account of her people being ruled by fear as portrayed in the game.

Besides a few minor liberties taken as expected in any mainstream media, I thoroughly enjoyed Crystal Dynamics' portrayal of a long-forgotten ancient civilization. The backgrounds and visuals are beautiful with true-to-life Japanese architecture and symbolism. The game is chock-full of references and tibits to actual history from Hanya masks to drink flasks used by Japanese aristocrats. For those looking for an excellent archeological adventure into ancient Japan, I can't recommend this game enough.

References:

Ryusaku Tsunoda, William T. deBary, and Donald Keene, eds. Sources of Japanese Tradition. New York: Colombia University Press, 1958.

Varley, Paul. Japanese Culture. 4th ed. Hawaii: University of Hawai'i Press, 2000.

Kawagoe, Aileen, Heritage of Japan. "Queen Himiko and the History of Yamatai-koku". Heritage of Japan. 31 March, 2014. web.
 

Decrypting Japanese Names

It's test time again here at Nikaho JHS and we all know what that means: hours of empty time at the office. Finally got my culture board about the polar plunge done yesterday and today I want to write about something that's been bugging me (and probably many other ALTs) since I started teaching here. Remembering names has never been my strong suit in the first place and now I'm trying to memorize the names of 300+ junior high students who all wear the same uniform and 100+ elementary school students whom I see only once a week.

The main culprit here is kanji- the fancy Japanese symbols derived from Chinese. They aren't a general problem for me and it's actually one of my favorite aspects of the Japanese language. In fact, last names are pretty simple since there are so many common ones out there that I don't come across too many that stump me. For example, if you take the kanji "kawa" (川） and "moto" (本), and squish them together, you get "Kawamoto" (川本). As any student of Japanese knows, however, kanji can have many different ways to read them. When written by itself, the kanji 本 reads "hon" which means "book". Thankfully, when it comes to last names, readings of individual kanji don't change much since these have been passed down from generation to generation for hundreds of years.

The problems started when I realized that these rules are thrown out the window when it comes to first names. I should've remembered this from a story a friend from Seijo University told me. She said she knew someone who registered her child's names with the kanji "hikari" (光)- the kanji for light and "nezumi" (鼠)- the kanji for mouse. Her phonetic name? "Pikachu"...

Weep for her childhood.

 

The last kanji at least makes sense even if it is a bit strange- "chu" is actually a way to read 鼠 (Zelda fans, ever notice how the cute little "Bombchu"s in Majora's Mask look like mice?). The problem is with the first one. There are a few ways to read 光, but "pika" isn't one of them. In fact, "pika" doesn't have a kanji at all since it's technically an onomatopeia. It's usually spelled phonetically with katakana as ピカピカ ("pikapika" since onomatopeia are usually said at least twice in a row). As many otaku around the world know, it means to sparkle or flash.

 

And at last we get to the crux of the problem: first names in Japan can be whatever the imagination conjures up. Technically the same is true for non-Japanese names, but they don't have the visual aspect muddling things up and there is no official phonetic spelling. When a Japanese name is registered, you write down both the kanji and how to read them. Interestingly, kanji isn't required- you can have a name spelled with phonetic hiragana (for native Japanese words) or katakana (for foreign words and names). If you're wearing a nametag with the phonetic name はるか ("Haruka") written in hiragana, and go up to someone and say your name is "Mary", not only would they be extremely confused, but you'd also be lying outside the context of a nickname- your name is offically pronounced Haruka and forever will be until you change it.

 

English-speaking countries have the opposite problem since you can basically tell people to call you anything you want, but it's not offically recorded anywhere (unless you bother with "aliases", but again, you can have people pronounce these however you want). This can cause a problem when foreign people have to register their names in Japan since they have to pin down a pronounciation which will then be official and written in stone. What's more, you have to choose katakana that most closely reflect your name even if it contains sounds that aren't originally part of the Japanese language (such as the "ti" in my name). When I registered my name, this gave me pause since my family tends to call me "ti-AH-rah", but prefer to be called "ti-EH-rah" to reflect my Latino heritage. In katakana, the former would be spelled ティアラ("ti-a-ra") and latter would be spelled ティエラ ("ti-e-ra"). Finally, I decided to go with my preference since I told it so closely to my read identity. From then I wrote "Tierra" in English in the space for names and wrote ティエラ in the space for the phonetic spelling above it.

 

 

The result of having a language that separates the visual and phonetic component is that you have over 400 kids who can have names with identical kanji but different readings, or identical names with different kanji. For example, I'd say that the most popular name at my junior high school is Miyu, but each one has different kanji. There are about as many ways to spell the name "Miyu" as there are stars in the sky. Even more confusing, there's a girl named "Miu" and is hard to pronounce separately from "Mi-yu" or "Mi-yuu" (with an elongated "u" sound at the end).

 

 

Let's take the kanji 翔 as an example of the opposite issue. I have three boys in one class who's names consist only of this kanji. One boy's name: "Kakeru" and another one's "Takeru". The third one? "Sho".

 

 

That's it, you're all Bob. Nice to meet you.

Thankfully, I seem to have picked up a pattern of what's more likely than other's. For example, when paired with another kanji, the reading tends to be "Sho" as in 翔太(Shota) or 翔也(Shoya), but there seems to be an exception when it comes to the name 大翔(Taiga). I know a few students with that name, so I'm going to assume from now on that every time I see 大翔 it's probably going to be "Taiga" (until I run into the one that isn't...). When it comes to 翔 being used alone, however, all bets are off. I have several students who's readings are "Takeru", "Kakeru", or "Sho" by itself (I also have a male student called "Takeru" who's kanji are 岳瑠）. Sometimes there's nothing to be done but shamefully consult the seating chart like the non-native-speaking gaijin I am...

 

Finally, we have gender-neutral names. Of course this happens in many cultures, but it's a bit daunting when you have to deal with a bunch of students with names you've never encountered before. This is especially true when you're trying to figure out which stickers to put on which child's feedback card. I made a huge newbie mistake in thinking that just because I'd heard a name in an anime/game that it must be strictly that gender. Since the character "Shion" in the video game Xenosaga was a girl, I assumed that "Shion" is a girl's name. And so a poor boy in one of my elementary school classes ended up with a big, sparkly flower on his feedback card and when I saw him again the next week and read his nametag, I felt like a terrible person. The kicker is that I do actually have a female Shion in a different class. I also got a couple "Kaede"s mixed up thanks to a little anime called Inuyasha. In fact, I have two "Kaede's" in the same Junior High class of opposite genders.

 

And so my adventure with Japanese names continues. I'm getting better at names and picking more and more patterns to go by and assigning actual faces to them. To all other ALTs out there, I would say it may be intimidating at first, but 我慢 ("gaman"- perservere) your way through and don't be embarassed of a few slip-ups. You're not the first ALT to be stumped by names and you certainly won't be the last. You could probably call it even since they probably still call you by your predecessor's name (I still get the occasional "Stephanie" even now). Incorporate names into your Japanese studies and have fun getting to know your students!

The Office

The reason I applied to be a CIR (coordinator of international relations) instead of an ALT was because I wanted to get some office experience. What I failed to remember is that Japanese teachers work in an office  too. In the States every teacher has their own room and sometimes departments have their own small offices. In Japan, there is one huge office where all teachers have their own desk. At the beginning of the year (typically April), students are assigned a classroom where they stay the whole day for their non-elective classes. Teachers go to the classrooms when it's time to teach or direct club activities.

The atmosphere (at least during summer vacation) is very relaxed and low-key. Besides helping children with work and coaching clubs there's not much to do. Speaking of which, yeah, kids go to school during summer vacation. That is, the serious ones do. Which is a good deal of them. However, it's important to note that summer vacation for them is mid-school year. The first two days of this semesters consists of tests to make them study over the break.

At the beginning of each semester, there is an opening ceremony. As far as ceremonies go, it's pretty strict. Almost military strict. Don't get me wrong, the teachers are very open and friendly to their students and the kids come and go freely from the teacher's room. But when it comes to ceremony and tradition, they know when to show a lot of decorum. Teachers eat lunch with the students in the cafeteria which is fun since I can get to know everyone better.

One of the nice things about the office is that it's not a cubicle farm and one of the walls (the one directly behind me is the front wall of the building with wall-length window looking out onto the front lawn and parking lot. We do have fluorescent lighting, the the natural sunlight is a great boon. I have a feeling it'll help naturally warm up the office when the infamous frigid winter gets here.

Like most non-public buildings, there is a genkan to take off your shoes and put on indoor-wear. Because of the Fukushima accident, Japan has been promoting energy conservation. As a result, buildings are no longer as warmed or cooled as they used to be. To compensate for the decreased climate control, the government has instigated "cool biz"- that is, a slackening of the dress code to allow for cooler clothing such as button-down polos, lack of suit jackets, sandals, and short pants. Many teachers that coach sports clubs will even wear their track suits in the office.

The atmosphere in the office is very positive and surprisingly relaxed. Coworkers are extremely friendly to each other all the way up to the vice principal (the principal's nice too, but nobody ever really sees him). Like I said before, students walk in and out at will looking for help from teachers and they're never ignored. The structure of the school adds to this since the hallways are large and spacious and rooms are usually never closed (most are sliding doors) and are lit by natural sunlight. The feeling created is one of openness. Most teachers get to school extremely early and stay ridiculously late, but the overall atmosphere creates a sense of comradery and you don't feel the need to bolt out of there as soon as possible.

It's nice to finally work in a place where people seem to genuinely care and you can do your work at your own pace.