Spring!

Spring is in the air and it is a great time to be in Japan. Winter can be pretty tough up here in the Alps and it is bleak with the lack of color. This winter we had very little snow to cover the gray, leafless trees and rice paddy soil. Usually the dusting of white makes my valley a beautiful winter wonderland, but not this year. So after the cherry blossoms have come and gone, everything starts to come to life in Japan. The green starts creeping up the mountains, and the rice is planted make the terrain beautiful again. The flowers bloom in amazing colors and the sparrows nest everywhere, flying to and fro trying to provide for their screeching little ones. At night the frogs croak out a rhythm that is soothing to some and annoying to others while the wood pigeons wake you up at dawn with their hooting. It is pretty awesome for me because where I come from we have 2 seasons; warm and hot. We have green around us all year long and the flowers are amazing but there is little variety and is never seems as the magnificent. Below are some pictures I have taken over the past few weeks.

The garden just outside my apartment door. 

Wild daisies and a funny bug they attracted. Japan has A 

LOT of bugs I have never seen before. Little creepy. 

A rice paddy recently planted. 

My friend Charity poses in front of an old waterwheel we 

found while on a road trip in the mountains. 

Bugs! Japanese children like to keep them as pets! 

My friend Tom found a frog while we were at a temple 

This is an actual size photograph of the spider living near

my car. Spiders in Japan are not poisonous but they are big,

creepy and everywhere! 

While on a random road trip we came upon this bug

chilling on a mushroom. That day in the woods we also 

saw 2 tanuki's (Japanese raccoon-like animal), and 2 GIANT

scarlet colored birds that seemed to be in the finch family.

My friend Matt took this photo. 

Things that suck in Japan

I have had a great day but while driving this lovely, warm evening I accidently forgot my iPod and ended up listening to Japanese radio. On rare occasions this can be okay, but 90% of the time it sucks. Japanese radio sucks. The DJs talk most of the time, and about every 20 minutes they will play a song. Half way through they start talking about the song, while it plays in the background quietly. I turned off the radio because in my city of 100'000 people, we get 1 station, and began to ponder other things that suck in Japan. This is not meant to be a cold-hearted thing, just facts people. I will try to put a good spin on each. 

- Home insulation. They don't have it. Your inside wall is often the outside one too. There is no stuffing in the middle. Often times it is hotter in my house than outside, or colder in my house than outside. I love A/C and heaters but I could do without them here if I had insulation. The good part - I know what the weather is like when I wake up and am still lying in bed. 

-Garbage. I have thirteen categories of garbage. My friend who lives 10 minutes away has more and must sort his garbage with totally different categories. We live in the same city. I have 6 feet of wall and floor space dedicated to garbage cans in my small apartment. Throwing away anything requires a map (I am not joking) and the intelligence of James Bond. Good part - I am more likely to buy something with less packaging even if it costs me more. I am VERY aware of the waste involved with everything I buy. This however does not stop Japan from wrapping every cookie in a pack in its own packaging. I kid you not. 

-Zero tolerance drunk driving. Now I am an advocate that you should NEVER EVER EVER attempt to drive a car while intoxicated. BUT Japan has gone to the extreme. They have a 1 drop rule. If you have taken a sip of booze then you can not drive for the day. PERIOD. If you get caught, consider your self up a creek without a paddle. I have accidently eaten a chocolate with booze in it and had to walk home or call a taxi for fear of this rule. Good point - as a result of this rule there is a system which allows you to call a taxi service. 2 drivers come in the taxi. One drives your car home with you in it, the other follows and picks up the driver at the end. It is cheaper than a regular taxi! 

- ATMs. This is the land of technology. My school toilet sings to me and washes my butt then air dries it afterwards. My microwave can bake, microwave, grill and toast to perfection. ATMs in Japan close at 8PM on weekdays and noon on Saturday. Do not even think about getting money on a Sunday or holiday. Also do not consider getting money out of an ATM if you are not in your state. This is a cash based society. Finding a place that accepts credit cards, or anyone with a credit card, is nearly unheard of. I frequently carry 2-400$ on me at all times and do not think twice about it. The reason, if the ATM is open that means there is someone waiting in an office just in case it breaks. They will rush over and fix it. If it is closed, the person has gone home. Good point - I have never encountered a broken ATM in Japan. 

- Coffee. It sucks. I love little coffee shops with personality but if I want a good cup of jo then I head to Starbucks. Japanese coffee is like motor oil. They use Vietnamese strength but unlike Vietnamese they do not cut in with thick cream. It is pungent, bitter, tastes burnt always and smells awful. Good point - if I need a pick me up, 1/2 a cup of Japanese coffee will keep me going for a long time.

-Train ticket prices. You can take a train anywhere in this country. They are nice too. Comfy, sometimes even have snack carts on them. Bathrooms are usually clean and it is a great way to help the environment, meet people, and see new places. It is expensive though. REALLY expensive. Enough so that often I drive, especially if there is a second person in the car. Much cheaper that way. Good point - I never feel like the employees are working for less than they deserve. 

Okay that is just a sampling. I am sure I have a lot more of these stored up. Here is a very cute picture I took while working the American booth at an International festival recently. We had a craft corner and were making pinwheels. First participants would color their paper, this girl later performed a cheer. 

I Support Driving on Random Roads

Last Friday my friend Tom and I decided to go driving in our local area after we had finished watching our schools play basketball and before we were due at a birthday party. My favorite activity in Japan is driving on their crazy tiny roads, turning when I feel the next road looks more interesting than the one I am on. The roads here tend to get windy through the mountains and can lead you to some amazing and surprising places. Even though I have been in my sleepy urban town for 3 years I still manage to find new hills to climb in my little car. 10 minutes after setting out we found the perfect road which led us to an intersection lined with English signs directing us to some new places. Of course I jumped at the chance and we found ourselves in a very old section of my town. The homes were HUGE and very traditional. Most of them guarded by high walls and inside those walls were amazing gardens. Japanese people enjoy a luxury of safety here so it is common to leave your gate open. We winded down the narrow brick street oohing and ahhing at this place which was giving us a glimpse of old Japan. I could easily picture the old rickshaws and kimono clad ladies bustling about with their daily duties. The paddy fields provided a lush green against the aged dark brown woods and dingy white stucco of the homes.

Soon we came to a temple. Few temples make me pull over anymore, they seem to run together after three years, but this one was special. For one, it was huge and that is  rare in my small town. Unfortunately the temple is being renovated so we continued on our journey. A few minutes later we came to a shrine located in a cedar forest. I had no idea this was here! I knew my town had 3 pagodas in it, and I always wondered where the two I had yet to locate where, and now I only need to find 1 more! This was a beautiful and serene place. I will not describe it, just enjoy the pictures below. We left the temple and headed further up the road which led to a mountain pass. MY FAVORITE! Soon we were following a creek and enjoying the cooler temperatures. Then we came upon a lake, well resevoir for the dam, but it was beautiful and azure blue! We drove down to the shore and waded in the water, skipping rocks and admiring the late afternoon sun. A narrow road led up another hill and boasted warnings. I naturally thought it was a great idea...Tom gripped the dashboard and prayed my little car wouldn't fail me. It was a animal reservation area. An old road abandoned because of numerous landslides. We saw a deer that seemed more in shock of us than we were of it. We parked the car when the road no longer seemed safe and set off hiking. About 1/4 mile up the trail we saw why the road was less traveled. A VERY BIG landslide. Just as we were turning to go home we heard a rustling in the hill above us. Clearly an animal on 4 legs was watching us and moving about. Tom thought that was cool, I bolted. I have always said I know my position on the food chain when unarmed and fully believe a rabbit could take me if he wanted. This being black bear cub season though, I took no chances. It was the end of our trip, we hastily made are way to the party 4 villages away. 

    

1st temple 

    

1st temple 2nd temple 

    

                                                        A creek we came upon

   

The lake  A warning about flash floods

So as  the title says, I support driving on random roads. My parents did this with my brother and I when we were children. We packed a cooler of snacks, some bottles of water and took off. The goal, get really lost. Back then I enjoyed the trips that were successful but frequently complained as any child would. I didn't like listening to my dad's music, my mom ALWAYS wanted to talk to us and we couldn't play with our Gameboys. Now of course I see the reason why my parents did this. Sometimes you need to unplug and put yourself in close proximity to your family in order to actually be a family. Those lazy Sundays taught me more than I realized. My parents did this in every country we lived in. We saw incredible stuff like a peacock farm, old bombed out shelters from WWII, amazing Thai temples no tourist had been too. If you get the chance to aimlessly drive around you town, do it. Turn off the cell phones, DVD players, and video games. Turn up the music and roll down the windows. 

It ain't easy

It's not always peaches and cream...wait scratch that, we don't have that in Hello-Kitty Land. 

It's not always mochi and ice cream in Japan. I have bad days and weeks, but the good outweighs that most of the time. This week was one that has tested my strength. I am going through the motions these days for leaving this fair country and returning home. Officially I leave July 28th, arriving the same day in Atlanta, GA, USA. After my long week I can think of nothing better than saying sayonara to Japan and a big HEY Y'ALL to the US. What happened?

1. My school is choosing to quit using foreign English teachers from my company, JET. Instead they are going with another private company due to budget constraints. I'm not happy about this for a variety of reasons but I have accepted it understanding Japan is in a recession. Then Monday morning I walk into my school which is 3 years old to discover that every TV (about 25) and the mounting is was held into which is hanging from the ceiling, had been replaced. These TVs are average to slightly large, and new. What did we have instead. Brand new flat panel, HD, LARGE fancy TVs that have all kinds of plugs and even could get Internet if classrooms were equipped for such a thing. Where are they? Sitting on top of the bookshelves. Yeah....my jaw hit the ground and that set the tone for my week. 

2. I have a new Japanese Teacher of English (JTE) who is fresh out of college. I have been patient since she arrived at the start of the school year this past April. Her tone of speaking is rather abrupt and rude. Since English is her 2nd language I have been forgiving and try to be a good example of proper speech patterns. She is a GOOD English speaker just her style sucks. Yeah well officially she is no longer someone I like. Turns out she is just rude and inconsiderate. 

3. My passport expires  in 2 weeks. I had to go to the post office to get a money order in US dollars in order to buy a new one. This is not an easy process anywhere, Japan is notorious for paperwork and the ridiculousness of it all. There is a paper and at least 3 people to go through to get ANYTHING done. I arrive with my fancy Japanese words all prepared, gestures practiced and a BIG smile on my face. 1.5 hours later, a call to the embassy, 5 forms re-filled out because of some mistake or another, fresh tears on my face, 2 calls to a translator, and one bitching out in Japanese care of me...I walked away with my money order. It wasn't pretty. In true Japanese form they offered me a box of tissues as a gift for making me wait.

4. As incentive in my school I do not give stickers or prizes but instead E-Bucks, my own currency. I buy small things that I value from 1-5 EBs and students get to go shopping after school for their own rewards. It is a great system! Over the last 2 years I have spent 300$ on this. Not much, I make a tidy sum here, but I was under the impression that I would be reimbursed for these items, or at least the bulk of them. I also have spent 70$ on supplies for classes that were pre-approved. I got my money back this week, all 100$ and was told that is all they could afford. I looked at the new TV that no one could reach, mumbled some words of hate under my breath and left school early. 

How do I bounce back from this? I call an old friend, hop in my car and head to the lake for the weekend. With any luck by Tuesday ( I have Monday off) I'll be back to my happy place. 

Next?

Okay so clearly I am a horrible updater. Sorry for that. I find it hard to know what is interesting to other people because I have been living it for 3 year now. Ahhh 3 years...not to sound cliché but it really does seem like a few days ago I stepped off the bus in my black non-breathable suit into the sweltering heat of Nagano prefecture. Now it is that time of year again when the next crop of new and excited English teachers descend upon Japan. They are seeking advice, trying to learn Japanese before coming, and eager for any information. 

At the same time, a group of people who have come to call this country home are preparing to embark on the next chapter in their life. What I have found most interesting during this period of changeover is the questions I receive on a nearly daily basis. "What will you do after Japan?" There are more questions but ultimately this is the biggest one. It is a hard one to answer. It is not because I have not thought about it, I have been thinking since November when I had to decide whether to leave or stay a 4th year. What is life like after Japan? My life here was once described as "college but you have money and don't work weekends". This is fairly accurate. I sit in school all day doing a job that is really fun and on occasion it can be challenging to the mind. Afterwards I hang out with my friends, go out to eat, take special interest classes, or chill out at home. Weekends bring a variety of activities like hiking, camping, white water rafting, volunteering at English camps and international festivals, going to festivals, traveling, and of course partying. For holidays I travel even further and have been to a number of neighboring countries and traveled the bulk of Japan. So I leave all this, and a fat salary for.....

Home. It is hard to explain home to my friends here. Those who miss their home understand the yearning I have to go back, but still not the actual place I come from. I have lived around the world and never in one house more than 3 years. In fact the apartment I have now is the place which I have resided in the longest in my life. Again with clichés, home is where your heart is. My hometown is Beaufort, SC and it is an amazing town tucked away in the southern islands of South Carolina. After being away for 6 years, 3 in Japan and 3 in college, I can think of no other place to be right now. The smell of the ocean, the amazing sunsets undisturbed by mountains, the charming people and small shops lining a picturesque downtown area. 

I am frustrated when people seemed shocked that I have no real plan once I get on the plane at Narita. I laugh and say "sit on the beach, hang out with family". I understand that I am the type of person who usually has a plan, stays to busy and there is always some next big thing coming. But if Japan has taught me anything, it is that taking your time to enjoy the beauty of the moment, and not having a plan is okay. I think people do not take enough time these days to stop and enjoy life. Sometimes life demands that you must work hard and have little time for yourself, but sometimes you are given the opportunity to slow down, and I intend on using mine. 

So what's next? Playing at the beach with my two godsons and going to the local ice cream parlor. Learning how to cook from my grandmothers. Talking to my sister for hours about nothing to serious. Watching the dolphins play in the river and shrimping with my best friends. Traveling with friends and family. Volunteering and learning something new.