Seasons Greetings

It rained much of the day. It will almost surely rain a bit tomorrow. Also, the next day.

And while June kicks off this region's Rainy Season, ask a local if this three-day streak of precipitation is Rainy Season rain and they'll laugh you off. "It's not June!" they'll say by way of a soft, judging chuckle. "Rainy Season starts in June."

"Haha!" you'll say, until you realize it's not a joke.

I've said it many times, but I would stress here that I am not a weather scientist. However, I am willing to wager that the Rainy Season sometimes starts a bit earlier or later depending on, you know, patterns and models and Russian intervention.

Everything has an assigned season here. Last night, after a dinner of Indian curry and nan, a small group of us went down by the sea and lit off some fireworks. This is a summer activity no matter where in the world, but in Japan it's narrowed down to August.

When I told a Japanese friend via online chat what I had been up to, she admonished that it was a little early for fireworks. "We usually do it in August," she said, using "we" to mean "Japanese people." Of course we had a Japanese person in our group, and she actually was the one who suggested it.

It may not come as a surprise though that this person just got back from living a year in Australia. It's pretty clear that her season recognition abilities have been affected by her trip overseas.

Either that, or it was the Russians.

Swine

After a long vacation from the blog I though I'd try a post.

How could I not start with the Top Breaking Urgent Panic Bulletin item of the day:

Swine Flu!

In Japan, it's called shin-gata influena, with "shin" meaning "new," "gata" meaning "type," and "influenza" meaning "panic."

Japan's first reaction was to try to keep the new flu out, despite conventional wisdom among public health experts that it was too late to contain the disease.

The general murmur here was to avoid travel to infected countries, screen incoming passengers from said countries, and prepare just in case it somehow gets in.

Of course, it got in. Not long ago a some students who had been on a homestay program in Canada were found to have the new flu (since they changed planes in Detroit, however, the Japanese media decided they had come from the United States).

Since the only cases among Japanese people were those who contracted the disease overseas, Japan continued to operate under the inside outsie mentality. Xenophobia prevailed. One ALT colleage had a Japanese teacher come up to him and ask if he was going to get checked out for the swine flu, despite the fact the he hadn't been overseas or exposed to anyone else who had.

Over the weekend, a explosion of cases in two western prefectures, Osaka and Hyogo, has renewed -- and perhaps recasted -- the panic. Now there are at least 130 cases in Japan, most in Osaka and Hyogo, where more than 3,000 educational institutions have shut down for at least week.

The public schools in Mie have restricted out of prefecture travel and are strongly suggestion personal travel be put on hold unless it's absolutely necessary. A friend who recently went back to the states for a wedding is barred from going to work this week.

My question -- especially since I'm planning to go to Oregon for a friend's wedding next month -- is how the new developments might change the attitudes of panic-happy Japanese.

Logic says that since it's already here and spreading, efforts to keep Japan sealed have failed. Why restrict travel when it's already here and spreading?

But I'm not sure it works that way here. They increased panic might just inspire even stronger reactions out of ignorance or an effort to appear to be doing something about the threat.

Anyway. I'm watching developments closely.

Wow ... I set out thikning I'd try a light-hearted post on swine flu in Japan but looking back it's not very light.

More later!

Misleading headline of the day: Edge of Space Found

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20090409/sc_space/edgeofspacefound

Watarai

Today I went to my once-a-week school, in a tiny town in the topograhically diverse Watarai. The road from the bus stop to the school is lined with cherry blossom trees, which are holding onto their pink display as of today.

After a quick meeting I have learned that my class size at that school has been cut in half. Good news, that is.

On the way out, I stopped for a phone picture:

Fire!

In the middle of a time-kill workday, it was easy to get excited when sirens came whaling upon the school grounds. Nobody -- from the principal on down -- seemed to know why firetrucks and ambulances were zipping around building number 2 heading toward the the far side of campus. Had a student been injured? Did a student's errant smoke light the nearby brush?

The vice principal got on the PA and asked any nearby teachers to check out what was going on. Then he and and few others rushed toward the scene themselves.

Eventually Nick and I decided to venture out as well. We joined a growing group of students watching a light plume of smoke rise above the bamboo trees just off campus. A fire! It didn't look to big, and with almost no wind it didn't appear to threaten school.

I joked with some students about whether they started it, as bamboo trees exploded with occasional muted pops and bangs. The firefighters scrambled to get into position. As the smoke thickened, teachers sent the students back to their classrooms as we all continued to watch.

It was impossible to tell what caused the fire, or what was burning, at least from our vantage point. After a few minutes the smoke cleared and the fire appeared to be under control.

Now, I'm back at my desk, killing time, waiting out the next mini-adventure.

In Brief

SUNDAY was the Nanaimo Hanami BBQ party at the Isuzugawa Park area. This is always an entertaining afternoon involving meat, beer and playing catch with a football. A nice crowd turned up after a slow start ... the first hour was just the owner, another bartender and myself. As noted before, this kicks off the barbecue season. Photos to come.

...

TODAY we had school-year opening ceremony in the morning. As usual, plenty of standing and bowing and boilerplate specchifying. More interesting was the entrance ceremony for new students in the afternoon. Since high school is not complusory in Japan, it's considered an acheivement to be accepted into one. So parents (mostly moms) show up for this formal ceremony of standing and bowing and boilerplate speechifying. All day long we ALTs dispense with a normal casual wear for suits. I'm sporting a brand new red tie.

...

JUNE is fast approaching, meaning I'll spend a week in Oregon for the wedding of Andrew and Ellyn. While I'd like to have a chance to see everyone, I'm afraid I'll be stuck mostly on the west side, much of that spent down the valley. My next trip to Oregon might not be for a while, since I'd really like to put some travel dollars toward new places. No friends or family have made it to Japan so far, and my second year is almost over. Anyone?

Pushing Softly

It's the middle of spring break for Japanese students. They get about two weeks off before their new school year kicks in. But teachers and staff get nothing off. You'd think maybe just one week, or even a long weekend. But no. Every day.

I guess in Japan, it almost makes sense. They only get two weeks to get ready for a new school year, a crop of new students, changes to the curriculum, new responsibilities. For the most part, we ALTs do not have anything to do. We could clean our desks (will do this week) plan lessons (tricky because we don't know our schedule) or come up with games for the occasional free day (not a bad idea). But overall there is very little to do.

Usually, to kill time we sit at our desks and browse the Web or study Japanese. Often we do this with our own laptops brought from home. But I have grown tired of bringing it, and today I am starting a spring break experiment.

After checking in down at the staff room and stamping the attendance book, I quietly moved to the third floor of the international building, a computer lab. Here, I can study or surf in peace and quiet and relative freedom.

I have done this without asking, because I feel in this case asking would only shift responsibility to someone else, who would in turn have to ask someone else, and pretty soon there would be a mini-conference about whether or not I can be here.

If someone comes to use this room, I'll leave. If someone needs me for something, I'll find out as I check in occasionally throughout the day.

This is the plan.

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Another plan was to visit the gym for a workout after school, but I have been thrown a curve ball. My main bike has a flat tire which I have yet to fix, so I am using our Backup Auxiliary Bike, which is old and crappy and falling apart.

Well this morning, the Backup Auxiliary Bike decided to make a tremendous whaling sound for each revolution of the pedals. This means anyone from rice farmers to toddlers playing in the front yard can here me coming from meters away.

I am not sure I can handle the 20-minute ride to the gym with the bike making all this noise. I could try another experiment -- seeking out the use of the school's workout equipment ... but can I really break that much new ground in one day?

Barbecue Season is Upon Us

Oops. Another period of blog neglect.

Rather than looking back, I'll look ahead.

It's spring, but one last grip of cold air has settled in.

It will give way soon, which means cherry blossoms in bloom and the beginning for one of my favorite times of year here: barbecue season.

The first such event will be this Sunday, when the Nanaimo (our regular bar) crowd comes out for an afternoon "hanami" party which literally means flower-viewing. Really it just means we set up a big barbecue in a park full of cherry trees and eat and drink and throw (or kick) the ball (or disc) around.

Spring, in all its moderate-temperature glory, quickly fades to summer, and its loathsome heat. Throughout, the barbecue season continues. A saving grace of sorts, a reason to get outside and be social despite the unhealthy addiction to the powerful air conditioner in the living room.

Drape a damp towel around your neck.

Sweat, drink and be merry.

The 'Curse of the Colonel" ... or ... Kentucky Fried Tigers

Let's start with the hook: Yesterday in Osaka, construction workers recovered a statue of Colonel Sanders from the Dotonbori River, where it had been resting and collecting muck for 24 years.

How did he get there? In 1985, the Hanshin Tigers -- the most popular baseball team in the area -- won the Japan Series, throwing fans into a frenzy. Fans dressed to resemble players from the Tigers' roster dived into the very dirty river in central Osaka. But there was nobody around who looked like American slugger Randy Bass.

Nobody, that is, except The Colonel, who like Bass was not Japanese and had a beard.

Naturally, the horde of fans elected to uproot a statue of The Colonel from a nearby KFC chain store (of course they have KFC) and toss it into the river.

But ever since that victory nearly a quarter century ago, the Tigers have fallen flat, failing to win another championship. It was dubbed the Curse of the Colonel, becoming a major sports urban legend in Japan.

Now, with the chicken baron's resuce, diehard fans are predicting a turn of fortune for the Tigers. A KFC Japan spokesman even wants to erect the statue somewhere in the team's famed Koshien Statium (maybe left field?).

Now, looking ahead to the start of the proper baseball season, we can watch closely to see if the Curse really is over. I'll go a step further. If the Tigers don't win it all this season, I say the statue goes right back into the river for another 24 years.

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Here now is a Japanese news report on the events:

Puffy and Potent, Delicious but Deadly

There aren't many dishes that could kill you if prepared incorrectly.

Sure, a lifetime of fast food and soda will kill you slowly, but I'm talking about something more sudden.

I'm talking about paralysis. You can't move or speak, but you're still awake, until you die from asphyxiation.

The meal is question if pufferfish (alternatively blowfish), called fugu in Japanese.

Naturally, the fact that it could be lethal only adds to its popularity.

The poison resides in the fugu's internal organs and skin. Only licensed chefs who have undergone rigorous training can prepare fugu for the general public.

Last week, at the end-of-school-year party for the English department, we dined on this potentially-deadly delicacy.


It was an all-fugu, multi-course meal, washed down with beer and a Japanese liquor called schochu.

We started off with a small bowl featuring heavily flavored fugu skin. Keep in mind the skin is poisonous. We're pretty sure there was a little poison in there, because we felt some tingling after this first course. Sure enough, Wikipedia confirms that sometimes a little poison is left in on purpose to give this tingly sensation.

Next was the raw slices (pictured above), which are clear enough to see the pattern of the plate they're laid upon. This sashimi course was excellent. Now, I've had a lot of raw meat since moving here. Some is good (I like the squid), some I can barely stomach (chicken. Yes, raw chicken). The fugu, however, was quite tasty and the best raw meat I've had to date. Each of those little slices are made into a small little roll with some small vegetable add-ons, dipped in a nice sauce and consumed.



Next came the fried course. As expected, it was good, but the bits of bone were a bit difficult to deal with and I think I preferred the raw stuff (never thought I'd say that).

Finally came fugu nabe, which is a big pot of veggies and meat that you cook right at the table. This was also very good, and what was left over was combined with rice to make a wonderful soup-like final dish for the meal.

At the end of the night and $70 later (fugu isn't cheap), we rode the train home full, a little buzzed and glad to be alive.

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For more information, please watch this video: click here!

Shaking, then sleeping

Ten minutes to 7 and I find myself awake.

I realize the house is shaking. I find it odd that I've woken up just in time for an earthquake.

Just an illusion. The shaking woke up me, but it took a moment to realize what was happening. I could hear the rumble, enough to make you wonder if something was gonna fall off the counter (nothing did).

After it was over, I turn on the TV and get online to look for the source and size.

It wasn't a big one (or The Big One). Registered as a 5.1, centered in Fukui prefecture.

Then adrenaline finally drops. I fall back to sleep. I wake up 10 minutes late.

Earthquakes, as a alarm clocks, aren't that good after all.

Flurry Fury: Snow Day in Ise

It doesn't snow much in Ise. So when it does, people freak out a bit. Traffic jams up worse than usual. Teachers who are always on time are five, even 10 minutes late. The lunch delivery service I rely on when I don't have time to make a sandwich in the morning shuts down.

Needless to say, I was deeply affected by this morning's half inch (yes, a whole half inch!) of precipitation. And my drama spread to the ladies in the office, who had to be the ones to tell me that there would be no lunch delivery today. There would be no whatever-that-kanji-said next to the Tuesday entry on the menu.

Fortunately, one of the English teachers, upon hearing of my plight, took pity, and we went by car to the Tiger Mart. Lunch crisis, averted. Snow, melted.

This first (and maybe only?) snow-dusting in Ise is over now. It remains bitingly cold and windy outside, but the sun is shining and the teachers' room is furnace-like. My desk is right next to one of the space heaters, and I feel it's invading my personal space.

But if I try to shut it down my colleague form Singapore will probably throw something at me. And while, at this moment, the only available projectiles in her vicinity appear to be expensive electronics, I wouldn't put it past her to sacrifice an iPod for warmth.

I'll just have to periodically step outside for the rest of the day. The answer is obvious: I'll start smoking.

Halfway to Nowhere

Within my 19 months in Japan, the only foreign country I have visited is the United States of America. I went home in the spring last year and for the most recent winter break. On top of that, except for a few trips to Japan's three largest metro areas -- Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya -- I have not been out of Mie prefecture.

There are some practical reasons (read: excuses) for my lack of exploration. One is the financial factor. After sending home about a few hundred bucks for bills and loan payments, there is plenty of money for daily life and the occasional trip, but it is not as if I am raking in the dough in sums that make every free period a travel opportunity.

Another excuse is more complicated. I tend to want to travel with someone else or with a group. I certainly don't mind traveling alone, but without the travel companion(s) from the start, the planning or execution of a trip can be slow or simply non-existent. Some travel plans have been in the works but fallen apart. I was going to climb Mt. Fuji, but we had to cancel. I was going to go skiing in Gifu prefecture, but a farewell-party was a priority.

So here I am at the midpoint of my JET experience and I have yet to really explore Japan. During the back half of my time on the program, I hope to change course. I want to see some other parts of Japan, perhaps Hirosihma, Hokkaido or the mountains of Nagano. I want to visit another country or two, maybe South Korea, Thailand or China.

These things won't come cheap, and some plans might not materialize. But I hope to do what I can to get out of Mie a bit as the next several months tick away.

If I am successful, you can read about it all right here.

Decision Day

I have on my desk a completed form stating my intent to re-contract with the JET program, thus extending my current contractual time in Japan to the summer of 2010.

Mainly, I'm interested in continuing what I have here, while at the same time figuring out what I'll do next.

Broadly, I know that I'm interested in going to grad school, but I have yet to decide upon a program I'd like to try to get in to.

A friend pointed me to a grad program in journalism at a well-known university in Tokyo, and for a moment I thought it might be an English curriculum, but upon inspection, only some classes are offered in English.

There remains no university in Japan which offers an English language graduate program that I currently think would be a good fit. I'd be interested in such a program because I've long been interested in doing journalism in Japan, and I'd be interested in a productive way to further my stay here.

But that may not be a realistic idea. So for now I shall enjoy my time here, along with some other more fleshed out goals. One is to finally take the Japanese Language Proficiency Test in December. Another is to do some freelance writing for one of the English language magazines in Japan.

With those goals on board, along with the usual routine of fun and work, I expect to have a good experience over the next several months.

Perhaps I'll give the blog some more attention ... perhaps.

A wide-ranging post of things and news

When I found out I was coming to Ise way back in the early summer of 2007, I started trying to the plug in to the community here. It was part of my time-killing exercise in that pre-departure, post-graduation summer. I graduated -- one giant exhale, but I was about to move to Japan -- an inward breath for sure.

One of the ways I tried to get pre-connected with Ise was reading the blogs of the ALTs who were already placed there. At the time I noticed that most of the blogs started off with many posts in the beginning, only to peter off over time to the point where a single post in a month was not uncommon.

I scoffed at this non-bloggery and told myself I'd never fall that far. Well, I was wrong.

Now my blog looks much like the blogs of those now-moved-away ALTs who gave me my introduction to my tiny bit of Japan.

And I completely understand why.

Ise, Japan, today, is my home. I don't know exactly how long it will be my home, but for now it is everything a home is supposed to be. It does not feel foreign. It isn't strange or mysterious. It's just where I happen to wake up every morning and go to work or meet friends.

In the beginning, in a new place, there's a feeling of excitement. There's a defining period when things take shape, friendships are made, routines established.

So this is my bar. That's my grocery store. Here's my route to the post office.

But that defining period comes to an end, and things become what they are. That's not to say that new things don't occur. New people, new places and new ideas appear on the scene. But as they do, it's just like the new things you face right now back in your home in Portland or Corvallis or New York. It's your life, and it takes place where you are.

The wider point is that I want to blog about things I feel are interesting, in addition to the occasional "what I'm up to" post. And while that day-to-day stuff might be interesting to my close friends and family who aren't here to experience it, it's hard for me, in the middle of it, to pull from daily life what could be a post.

Because as I said, it's all very normal now.

No, I'm not announcing some kind of silly "suspension" of the blog. More so I'm admitting that it probably won't go back to its old form, with a few posts a week. So, for the moment, perhaps you too can ponder the novelty of what's new and the establishment of home.

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As for what I've been up to ... since returning form the winter trip to Oregon, I've been out and about nearly every weekend night. There were birthday parties, dinners out, marathon karaoke nights and movie nights that give way to late-night ramen runs. All in all that means lots of fun but also lots of cash.

Looking ahead, I'm hoping to make a ski trip some time in February.

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Looking further ahead, I'm now pretty sure that I'm going to re-contract and stay with this job for a third (and final) year. While I'm excited about moving on, to graduate school, perhaps, I'm not yet sure what school or program I'd like to try for. So instead of rushing a decision or just going home and searching for a job, I'm going to stay with what I've got here, enjoy it for a year, try to add in some other goals, and see what develops.

That pushes the end of my time at this school to the summer of 2010.

It has not been easy to decide, and 2010 seems so far off, but I'm enjoying myself here and I'm just not quite ready for what's next, since I don't know just what will be next.

So sure, I've buried the lead. Guess I'm getting rusty in journalism.

Siren Sunday

It was a piercing siren, louder for me because I live right across from the community center hosting the speakers. At first I thought it was a particularly loud police car.

Instead, a message warned of a tsunami approaching the southern coast of Japan, a result of a 7.5 quake near Indonesia. I didn't understand everything they said in the warning, but I heard the word tsunami quite clearly.

So I turn on the TV and get online.

I'm a few miles away from the coast, so it would take a monster wave to actually send water to where I am, so I didn't go into panic mode.

We're basically under a tsunami advisory, meaning a small tsunami appears to be coming our way. The highest they're talking about any area getting in Japan is about two feet.

It's good to know the emergency alert system works, and while I can't pick up all the Japanese in the message, at least I know that siren is loud enough to wake me up.