MY LIFE IN JAPAN a blog from kyoto for friends and family

I got a call today from my boss at Tsuji school. She said she wants to send me to Ritsumeikan Jr. High, which is part of the rather well known Ritsumeikan schools that include everything from preschool to university. She described as a "prestige" school. This could be a very good opportunity for me. It would be roughly the same number of classes as I am teaching now, but I am guessing it would pay about 150% of what I am earning now. It would involve another commute, which I am not happy about, and it would probably be a lot more stressful than my current position, but it would also mean more opportunities for meeting other teachers, doing interesting things, and so on. I would have to quit the place I am at altogether, which I feel is a little of a betrayal, especially since overall they have been very flexible and tolerant. I would generally prefer to work for a small family business than a large bureaucratic school. It would mean working during the day, which would be good for meshing my schedule with Yukie's and doing many activities I have been unable to, like going to Sign Language class and french movie night at the French Institute. Right now I am at the 50-50 point, but time will tell.

Labels: life in japan

It has been a long time since I have posted here, mostly because my computer was down and because I didn't have the time. Diving right in, I have great news: Yukie and my dream of starting a contra dance here in Kyoto seems to be on the verge of really happening. We are going to be teaching a mini contradance workshop at a festival here in kyoto. I even have started a website devoted to the project...but it is just a working model, and the link may change.

Last week we held a trial workshop for the festival staff, and it went great. Unlike all our fears about how it would go, they were all over it, laughing and giggling so hard I had to calm them down so they could follow the directions. The language barrier was not a big problem with Yukie helping. This group was quite proficient in English, so I was lucky in that regard. I got to practice giving clear directions and noticing what kinds of misunderstandings ensued, and it was much as I expected from many years dancing. But I did learn some new things. I really owe Yukie a great deal for insisting that I pick the music out beforehand, and knowing how many potatoes to give.

For one, I observed how a mistake can become ingrained after only one instance, and how hard it is to undo it from that point on. "Walk backwards", and they walk forward. Repeat, speaking slowly. Same result. Touch them lightly on the shoulder, and guide them backwards while saying "walk backwards". Let go and say "walk backwards" and watch them walk forwards. Repeat. On the fifth try, he got it. This is not a criticism or put down of that person. It is human nature, and happens to everyone at some point. This is a cousin of the "other right" problem. (Of course, usually at a dance a caller would not have devoted so much time to correcting one person, but since there were only a few people, and we were training them to help teach others, there was a particular impetus to leaving that person well taught.)

But, too, sometimes there is another kind of lesson to be learned from this "persistence of error". I reminded one dancer a few times about ending a swing (a.k.a. two hand turn) with the lady on his right, when later after the dance he asked me isn't this just when you are swinging your partner. I realized he had misconstrued from a particular situation in a certain dance to a general rule. I mean I had attempted to explain it generally, but he had, perhaps naturally, perhaps because of language differences, applied it to just one dance.

As much as it would be nice if our human bodies and senses and brains communicated as smoothly and responsively as they were supposed to all the time, sometimes the inner gaps show through.

I also learned, or was given feedback that a circle 3/4 seems to be more difficult for beginners than a ladies chain, against my own personal intuition.

One thing that was very satisfying was the ooh of appreciation when I showed them how to smoothly go from a right hand star to a right left through. You could see the scales lifting from their eyes. Ah, how beautifully this all fits together!

The acutal gig may be different though, cause there will be a lot of children attending. I will have to do much simpler dances, but we have many to work from but it was a very good beginning, especially coming as it did two days before Yukie's birthday. Our first seedlings seem to be sprouting!!!

Speaking of which, our deaf friends Fumiko and Yasuo, are teaching us farming at the plot, and we have planted some spinach and carrots. We planted them a few weeks ago, and this weekend we went to see our sprouts for the first time and to do some weeding. They are doing really well, and it was very exciting, as was helping cut some branches off a cinnamon tree and harvesting some bark for our own fresh cinnamon sticks.

Yukie just came home and I must give the birthday girl my full attentions...

Labels: contra, garden, life in japan

Well, the police just showed up at my door. Impeccably dressed in their white gloves, they figured out that I didn't understand much Japanese, but I managed ot deduce they were looking for a person whose name they kept repeating. Then they asked me if my bike was stolen (Jitenshs o toraremashita ka) (a phrase I learned last week when my bike WAS stolen last week.) I tried to explain that my bike had mysteriously returned, but I couldn't remember the word for last week. I went to show them my bike, and they showed me a bike they had in a truck, which they thought was mine...but it wasn't and they were satisfied and went off apologetically and politely. What gets me is how did they know my bike was stolen? The only people who knew were my landlord, yukie, and a few friends of ours...no one who would have had any reason to report it to the police (which we hadn't either, since it came back before we got the chance.)

This is almost as good as something I think I forgot to post about, which was that Yukie and I found a wallet on the street about a month ago...with over $700 dollars in it! We returned it to the police box and the next day the owner stopped by our house. It turns out he had been on his way to buy a ticket at the airport with the money, when he found out his grandmother had died, and he had to go somewhere else. That was why he had had the cash on him.

What next, I wonder?

Labels: life in japan

Interesting week on the emotional richter scale. Monday, my bike decided to "take a vacation". That is to say, it disappeared. This was a -1, but I found I was feeling it like a -2. (Somehow I was feeling paranoid about it. Why my bike? Why did I forget to lock it, etc.)

I also had a trial lesson later that day, so I had the prospect of a new student. +.5.

On the same day, I got a call from my Tuesday night gig that they were ending the class (-1). The company that was sponsoring it decided to subsidize its employees classes individually, to give them more flexibility. I started to make me feel a little doubt about my teaching ability (-1). All in all, a -3.5 so far.

On the other hand, I had to go in and do my Tuesday gig (-.5 for anticipation), but it went really well, and they were supportive about my departure, and i felt good about my teaching again (+1). Now I was at -3.

The next day, however was a + day. For one, my bike came back from its vacation (+1). That is to say, it reappeared. No idea where it went on its vacation, except that the key was still in it (sans keychain), and the seat was adjusted to a different height.

I also got a call offering me an interview for another job. Maybe a +.5. So I was at -1.5.

Then I started thinking about the job situation, it is not a problem, really, since it was only one day a week, and it was at an inconvenient time and place, and the money wasn't really critical. So, in a way, I am already better off. So I worked myself up to a -1.

Then I found out that new position was going to be on a better day for me, and pay almost exactly as the one as I lost. Perfect (+.5).

I also had some new students at my other job this week, and they turned out to be very good (+.5), so that pretty much put me at zero again. Which is good, cause even my zero is very high these days.

On the other hand this week was that I was going to be on TV on friday...Yes, on TV in Japan. I had been interviewed a while back and it was finally going to be broadcast. We had been waiting for a while, so I was heading for a +2 for the week.

However, that ended up being slightly less than imagined...all they showed was a brief image of Yukie and I. It was still exciting though...so maybe I was at +.5.

..except, I took the job interview, which went very well (+.5). And they even offered me a position (+.5), but alas, on a day I can't do (-1.5). Oh well, back to zero.

This week was also very busy. Yukie and I were asked to do a rush (-1) translation for subtitles for a Deaf film our deaf filmmaker friend made. That was a lot of fun (+1)...thinking about the best way to phrase things, thinking about how the various languages are different and similar, and so on (+1). Coincidentally, Yukie was asked to translate some class notes for our neighbors...so she was really busy (-1 for me) doing translation, which she doesnt like (-1), usually, but seemed ok with this time (+1).

So all in all, the week was a wash. But the week is not over: today Yukie and I are going to going do some volunteer English teaching...at an orphanage! The prospect of doing that is...

What's up with you?

Labels: life in japan

It took all morning, but I finally was able to scan my "Japanese Signature" into the computer. As you can see it is quite beautiful. Next, I am going to incorporate it into a "meishi", japanese business card. I find I am always meeting new people, and I really want to have something to give them that is unique. I am thinking of doing some kind of origami/two-sided, color version. Not quite sure yet.

In other news, we spent sunday having lunch with one of my employers, Maki. We thought we were just going for lunch, which was at a very fine French Restaurant, but instead, in her usual irrepressible fashion, we ended up spending the day listening to her tell stories, especially one very long story about her 25 day stint as Mayor of Joyou.

Labels: life in japan

We went to a pizza party for the vernal equinox, which is a national holiday in Japan. The party was held by our neighbors Chuck and Yoko, whose house we had gone to for the mochi making party at christmas. He is the principal of a small school, and her father is a well-known sculptor. The word that comes to mind when I think of them is solid. They are gentle, kind, generous, but also very solid and rooted. We like them, and they have been very welcoming to us. Part of my perception of this may be that I am used to "big city" hospitality, which has a different feeling to it. This is a kind of "suburban" hospitality, which I haven't experienced as much of.

In any event, about the pizza party: click to expand/contract

After the party, we rushed to see Nakajima-san, because his country and western band was having a concert. below is the charming rendition of "You Are My Sunshine".click to expand/contract

All in all, a nice day.

Labels: life in japan

Yesterday we ate breakfast at an American style diner, called the Speakeasy. The owner lived in the US for a while, and he missed Japanese food so much, that when he returned he felt that he should make a restaurant for Americans in Japan. A restaurant born of compassion!

Well, one of the things Yukie and I both miss the most about the Portland IS sunday breakfast at Becky's, so this is quite a find.

There is only one problem though...They don't have french fries. Instead, they have another imported dish that sounds a little too exotic for my taste...click here to see what it is

Labels: life in japan

I am not sure if it is a sign of homesickness, or just one of those things, but lately we've become addicted to "24", the TV show. I never got to see the show in the US, but last week we started watching the first season on DVD, and we've averaging about a show a day. We're even losing sleep to watch it. Isn't that one of the signs of addiction?

The other big news was that Yukie's mom, who felt about me the way, say, George Bush might have felt about Nanci Pelosi the night before the election night, i.e. one step down from the anti-christ, unexpectedly decided she "doesn't hate me anymore."
click here to expand/contract

Labels: life in japan

In Japan, people's names are written in kanji ("Chinese Characters"), which would be similar to us using a trademark or a numeral as part or all of our name. However, each kanji has several different pronunciations...a kanji like 出 can have several readings, such as da, de, deru, and more. This means that one's name, in Japan, actually has several different readings, and part of telling someone your name is telling them which reading suits their name.

As a result, it was somewhat difficult to know how my name is written in Japanese. I can always write it in Katakana, which is the syllabary that is used for foreign words, and this functions as an alphabet of sorts, but this is unusual for a person's name.

So here's the story:

This weekend we met this very interesting poet, who is a neighbor of ours, named nakajima-san. I will write more about him later, but one of his hobbies, and a rather serious one at that, is writing poetry based on people's names. He wrote a lovely poem based on Yukie's name, and then, after we told him my name, he pondered for a bit and wrote out my name in Kanji...with a lovely poem to go with it.
So I finally have a Japanese name:

出 井 美 津 土   九 麗 壽 帆

which is read:

de i bi - do   ku re su po

The "-" (dash) stands for the tsu character, usually written "ッ" but here replaced by a homonym, and is used in japanese to express long vowels as in "bi -". This makes my name have nine "syllables", which is supposed to represent the nine continents. My name, if we look at the meanings associated with the characters has a lot to do with water...five, I think, of the characters represent water in some way. Very interesting.

To be continued...

Labels: life in japan

I have been having a lot of adventures in Shuwa, which is Japanese sign language. last weekend we went to a Japanese Deaf Conference, and met our friend Fumiko and some other deaf people, including Okamoto-san. We had lunch at a very european style restaurant, and then they took us for a walk around the Arashiyama area, which is famous for temples (what else?), a huge river regulated by an ancient dam, a truly spectacular view of the mountains, and also, though we didn't see them, the famous Arashiyama macaque monkeys. One reason is:

Provisioning of Japanese macaques with food has led to special developments and fascinating observation of their "culture." One famous example of this is potato washing in a troop of Japanese macaques in Koshima, Japan. When researchers provisioned a troop of Japanese macaques by putting sweet potatos along the beach to bring them out into the open, one macaque began to wash the sand off of her sweet potatoes in the water instead of brushing it off with her hand as other macaques did. Over time, this behavior spread to other members of the troop and was passed on from generation to generation. Interestingly, this potato washing behavior became even more modified as Japanese macaques began washing their sweet potatos in salt water rather than fresh water, apparently to enhance flavor.

Many researchers in the Japanese forested mountains have also documented an unusual activity of the Japanese macaques. The animals know how to make tiny snowballs in their hands, using their opposable thumbs, and then roll them along the ground to create larger snowballs, much like human children do. While this behavior doesn't appear to have survival purpose, whole troops of Japanese macaques engage in the activity as a social process.

Interesting, ne? In the picture, I am saying "oishii", in shuwa, which means, "tasty"...

Labels: life in japan

Labels: life in japan

Well, the last few weeks have been spent in convoluted discussions with various potential employers about work. The main problem was trying to get hours that matched each other (I failed) and matched Yukie's hours (partly succeeded). On the first issue I was hoping that I would be able to work mostly days at one place and evenings at another, so that I could work fewer days and have more time with Yukie. I finally recahed a compromise with one employer, called IMEX, that I thought was going to work with the other, called shogakukan. I was a little reluctant to work for IMEX for two reasons; one, I was already working for them one day a week, and they were paying me very little, and two, the owner is a it of a know it all, and a little intrusive and pushy, so i was leery of entering into a long term relationship with him. So I drove a pretty hard bargain, and I leveraged the fact that I had to work at the other place in the evenings and weekends, to get a schedule that met more my needs than his. When he finally got down to making me an offer, though, he came in much higher that I expected, which ended up being very good, because when I presented the final arrangement to shogakukan, they decided they couldn't take it after all. But with his offer it is not as necessary that I work a second job. I still feel a little like a heel for driving such a hard bargain on what turned out to be false pretenses (or could be taken as such), but I was acting in good faith. I know that when he finds out he will press me to work evenings, but in the meanwhile Yukies schedule at work has turned out such that we really want those evenings to be together, so there may be some friction when it comes to that. In addition, because of Yukies schedule, I had to turn down other people that I had led to believe I would be available for, so I ended up with a few burnt bridges, I am afraid. Maybe singed..

In any event, the important thing is I am really working at long last. I have landed, with both feet, in Japan. I have been extremely fortunate in the past year or two of my life; may all sentient beings benefit...I feel as if a certain malaise that I have been carrying around has subtly vanished, like a chest cold (which I am currently suffering from; into every life a little rain must fall) when it finally recedes in the night (tonight I am sleepless due to constipation, which I am taking as a sign that I need to blog).

This week I got to meet my new students, and it is nice to meet new people. I feel ready to socialize and get to know people properly. Not having a livelihood was making me feel very inhibited. I feel like I can relax more finally, and be myself.

I feel a little sleepiness coming on at last. more later...

Labels: life in japan

So a few weeks ago we went over to our friend Diane's house to help her move some large stones for her garden, where we met Kenta, a college student soon to be teacher, a family friend of theirs. It turns out Kenta's parents are tearing down his grandparent's house so they can build themselves a new one on the larger lot. Diane told us they are trying to get rid of "a table and a dishwasher and some stuff," and we were invited to "go over and take a look at it, and see if it was anything we wanted."


Being the scroungers (or is that scoundrels?) that we are, we gladly accepted, and Monday we went over. First, where we were expecting to find an old, perhaps crumbling, house that had somehow gone past its prime, instead we found a beautiful looking 40 year old house that seemed wholly without defect or visible blemish. I couldn't believe they would think it made sense to tear it down, but according to my sources, it gives you an idea of how "disposable" modern Japanese housing is, apparently.


And instead of the table and dishwasher, what they were offering us soon became such a litany of items of great value, in pristine condition, that I soon lost track of everything. We made a list, and even then we forgot to put things on the list that we only recalled later. It included another bookcase, a kitchen cabinet, a kentatsu (heated table for winter -- a Japanese tradition), a sofa and two matching sofa chairs, some more tables, curtains, the dishwasher, and a host of delicate and possibly antique or collectible Japanese dolls. I am sure i am missing something in this list.


Oh, yes, I am. A HUGE hi-def TV.


All this for the taking.


We were completely overwhelmed and I completely lost my ability to speak coherently. I didn't know how to react gracefully. It was interesting to be the recipient of so much generosity. I am usually not a person to put much value in material objects, arguably to a fault, but this definetely began to touch some of my hot buttons: greed, avarice, covetousness, envy, selfishness and so on. I had to consciously think about my avidous (?word?) feelings, and I am still thinking about it.


Thinking back on other times I've had to accept gifts, I think I feel like I am lucky that I have found ways to respond gracefully when I need to (and likewise when behaving generously). Never as well as I would like, but enough to keep from unbearable embarassment over not having "great stuff". But this time, especially because of the slimness of our acquaintance, and of the cultural ambiguities I felt around the meeting, I began to feel growing embarrassment as they kept showing us more stuff. It got really bad when they led us into the bathroom and offered us a wispy metal towel rack. Were they having us on?????


So we may be living in squalor, but we will have the nicest furniture on the block. And a little more humility than usual...

Labels: life in japan

I was going to write an entry about Japanese toilets, but I just found the definitive article. As a bonus it links to The International World Toilet History (sic). All yours at Theplumber.com.


Things here are going well. I have my visa, and I sent out several job applications today. I already have work two days a week, and I feel good about my prospects. It has been raining incessantly all day, so Yukie and I basically lounged around all day. She studied for school and I worked on applications, with occasional nap breaks. We finally pushed ourselves out of the house to go to the library, and I have been catching up on the news in the US.


My tuesday night class, for Joyo school, is at a company that manufactures human models, for med students and such. The first few classes had few students and were awkward, but yesterday I had a really good class where everything came together and I finally feel I am getting the hang of things.


My Saturday gig, for Imex, is at a school run by the Malaysian man and his Japanese wife. I have mixed feelings about them. He is one of those people that talks too much, and tries to persuade you a little too much, if you know what I mean. But he is also nice in his way, and they are both clearly intellligent and unique, which are two qualities I like. But there is a little of the shady character side to them, like the fact thaqt they didn't pay me for my "sample lesson", and they are paying on the low end of things. But a job is better than none, and I will see what happens.


I have also worked a few times for the place that brought me in for an interview and then told me they weren't hiring, Venitia International. They seem to be in some sort of upheaval, and are very perfunctory about arrangements. But I like the school, the owner is very interesting, it is conveniently nearby, and it pays very well. I would take a more permanent position if they had one.


I have been thinking a lot of Maine and people back home. I send love and warm wishes....l8r g8t...:)

Labels: life in japan

As many of you know, I was known as the Arizona Kid cause I drank so much Arizona Iced Tea. Well, alas alack, no more Arizona Iced Tea. But I have found some very wonderful substitutes, which I describe below:

1. Acerola juice
   This is my hands down favorite. It is also known under the more exotic name of Barbados Cherry, or the rather scary name of Wild Crapemyrtle. It tastes like a cross between plum and cherry juice, and I really like it. Here is a link about it. I really like the nutritional information chart on this page, (which is an interesting page in itself), as it shows how "More filling" and "nutritious" it is, as well as the clever graphic on how what nutrients are in it. It has a completeness score of 63/100 folks. Spinach, cooked, is 93. Canned Tuna is a 39, and mushrooms are a 76. Eat your spinach, which, by the way is very expensive in Japan.
   
2. Yuzu juice
   Yukie introduced me to this at a cafe called Moan, that is at the Yamada Shrine. One of the pictures on my site|AMP|nbsp; is of her eating there. It's a gloriously peaceful place deeply nestled in the woods, and the gentle but savory taste of this is perfectly suited to being there. A little pricey, generally, but one of my favorite treats. Here is a link with some recipes I want to try.
   
3. Calpis Water
   Not a lot of information on this one, but it tastes yoghurty and is very soothing on a hot, humid day. From Wikipedia:
   

   The name Calpis was actually constructed as a portmanteau, by combining cal from calcium and pis from Sanskrit sarpis (good taste).

4. Soda Ice
   This is also a big favorite on the very humid days. I haven't found any information on it, but it is basically a blue, soda flavored ice-pop. Yummy.

Labels: life in japan

Here is a Flickr site of Japan Pictures.... The ones of Kyoto seem to start on page 4. These are better pictures than I could possibly take, so enjoy.

Labels: life in japan

My Visa Came Through!!! I am a legal boy!

yes, it's true. I am finally legal and able to work. Plus today I may have lined up another day of weekly work. So things are going well.

Labels: life in japan

What does every quasi-emigre with a thousand pound of books need? Someone to donate to him three beautiful bookcases. Prayers Answered here...

Labels: life in japan

There is a new Picture Set of examples of mangled English (and French) that I have come across in my travels. English and French are considered "cool" and "modern", and so business owners try to capitalize on this in picking their names and other signage, despite an incomplete command of the languages involved. This leads to some interesting effects.

Labels: life in japan

Well, i am full of ideas to write about, but today I just did some fixes on the website, and sent out more welcome emails.

I did want to let people know that the typhoon passed without incident, though I guess China really got hit, so I dodged a bullet, perhaps.

Things I will write about soon include How to live cheaply in Japan, mangled english, and some more cultural and linguistic information. Stay tuned...

Labels: life in japan