August 27, 2004

All Around Ubuyama: A Guide To My Corner Of Aso

higoblog.jpg
This entry marks the end of my life in Ubuyama-mura, and so I am retiring my old banner for a new one. I think it is a good image for the blog up until now, but it is time to move on and to start afresh.

windmill.jpg
I have been meaning on posting pictures from all around Ubuyama with the purpose of making my own guide to the village for a long time, and today I finally sat down and did it.

ubusign.jpg
I was pleasantly surprised to find that the great majority of signs in my village are labeled in Japanese and English. I do wish that they kept the sign as "Pubic Office" for the picture's sake.

Ubuyama is a really small village with a population under 1,800 and falling. There just aren't an abundance of jobs and young people tend to move out of the village in pursuit of employment, relationships (there just aren't many young people around), or entertainment. Lacking these staples of life, many would ask "Why would you choose to live in some place so remote?". Well, I can tell you that the reason why I stayed 2 years were for the children, the natural setting, and being in the center of Kyushu. I loved teaching here because the younger children were so enthusiastic about learning and because I felt that I was making a difference in their lives.

I enjoyed teaching at middle school too, but I didn't get to set curriculum and the students tended to lose their enthusiasm for English due to the radical change in lessons. From nursery school until elementary, the lessons were full of games and conversational English, but from their first day in junior high school without any transitional period, they were pushed to learn by rote memorization and much of the fun and spontaneity instantly vanished. Luckily, some of the kids retained their interest, and I tried to keep their attention by making unconventional lessons and incorporating games whenever I had the opportunity.

But this post isn't supposed to be about my teaching experiences, it's about introducing Ubuyama from my perspective. For this, I will examine the village as a whole and then break down Ubuyama into three main areas: Hokubu (Northern Ubuyama), Yamaga (Central Ubuyama), and Nambu (Southern Ubuyama).

Ubuyama-mura

Ubuyama is located North of the Aso mountains and South of the Kuju mountains, next to the largest caldera in the world (Aso Caldera). It is surrounded by Oguni (Northwest), Ichinomiya (Southwest), Namino-son(Southeast), and Oita-ken's Kuju-machi (Northeast). Being in the center of Kyushu is a double-edged sword situation. It means that you are exactly in the middle of the mountains away from civilization, but being here allows you to explore the whole of Kyushu much easier than if you lived on the coast. Ubuyama is 2 hours East of Kumamoto City and 1.5 hours West of Oita City, if you drive Route 57. Beppu is 2 hours Northeast and Takachiho is 1.5 hours to the South. If you are interested in coming to Ubuyama the easiest way is to ride Route 57 to Namino, and to turn onto the 40 (there is a traffic signal). From there, the signs are clearly marked in English so it should be pretty easy to find where you're going.

The economy of Ubuyama is dependent on two things: agriculture and tourism. The farmers in Ubuyama have maximized the available amount of arable land by creating terraced plots of land and scalloped rice fields. Crops grown include onions, cabbage, daikon, shiitake mushrooms, spinach, takana, and other vegetables. Sake and shochu are also locally produced.

Tourists generally come to Ubuyama for the spring water, to visit Ubuyama Bokujo (farm), to eat the beef at Ubuyama Farm Village, or to visit the ryokans and the onsen in Hokubu. The three main things that people know Ubuyama for are 1. Ubuyama's water, 2. Ubuyama beef, and 3. The windmill at Ubuyama Bokujo.

Ubuyama has 1 nursery school, 2 elementary schools, and junior high school. There are plans to combine the elementary schools and the junior high into one school in the future, and plans are in the works to build a completely new and expensive set of buildings to allow this (around Ubuyama JHS), but funding for the project is questionable at present.

Kyushu doesn't generally get as cold as Honshu, but Ubuyama (as well as the mountainous regions in Aso and Kuju) is an exception. Here are some examples of what I mean by this:

I was able to snowboard around town last winter.
Some friends from Hokkaido say that living in Ubuyama is colder than living in Sapporo (because houses in Kyushu are constructed without insulation and kerosene heaters are the main source of heat).
My sink grew an icicle, and all of my pipes have frozen on several occasions.
Everyone has snowtires in town, and chains are highly recommended during the winter.
During my first winter, I wore 3 layers of winter clothes under my parka when I went to bed to avoid freezing to death.
I went snow hiking on Kuju in April.
As a side note, Kuju is the coldest area in Kyushu, and has (small, over-priced, and crappy) ski resort. If you plan on driving on the Yamanami (last picture in the series) during the winter, I highly recommend bringing chains along.

However, summer is the best time to live in Ubuyama because it doesn't get too hot, and no matter how hot it gets you can rest assured that the people in the city are drowning in their own sweat! This is one part of Japan where you won't need more than a fan to keep cool during the summer.

By far, my favorite season is the spring because this signals the end of the brutal cold and that hanami, or cherry blossom viewing parties, are right around the corner. If you ever plan on visiting Japan, the hanami party is something that you must experience. You will know you have come during the right time because you will see flowers exploding into full bloom all around you.


Hokubu

Hokubu was my favorite part of Ubuyama because it was the most scenic area, had the most restaraunts, and because I loved teaching at Hokubu Hoikuen (nursery school). The residents of Ubuyama are fiercely independent and proud of their village, and within Ubuyama, people from Hokubu, Yamaga, and Nambu are even more proud of their individual turf. Until last April, this village of roughly 1,800 people had 3 nursery schools for about 60 children. The main hoikuen had about 45 kids, Nambu had 8, and Hokubu had only 7. I loved teaching such small classes, but it just didn't make economic sense for there to be 3 nursery schools (class size has dramatically decreased in recent years and shows no signs of stabilizing).

At the Undokai (sports festival) you can still see the rivalry between the three main areas of Ubuyama. The teams are divided into 4 teams comprising of Hokubu, Yamaga, Nambu, and an extra for the Yakuba (the public office). The competitions are all in the spirit of comeraderie, but nonetheless the areas remain individual social circles with complex ties to one another.

One strange thing about Ubuyama is the abundance of the Surname "I" (the Kanji for "I" looks like "#"). I would estimate that about 50 percent of the population are "I" followed by Takahashi, and Kudo. There are a few Yoshida's residing here, but they use a slightly different kanji for "Yoshi" the lower line on the "tsuchi" kanji is longer than the upper one. Kanji is friggin'- difficult sometimes.


Driving Hokubu

drivinghokubu.jpg
With the exception of the latter part of the 40, and the alternate route to Hokubu branching from the 131, the roads in Hokubu are quite narrow, windy, and range greatly in their steepness. This is just one of the countless country roads (this one is coming from Yamabuki Suigen- the better of the two springs in Ubuyama in my opinion) that wind through Ubuyama around Hokubu. Hokubu boasts the best views in the village, and is located close to the Yamanami Highway (the 11).

abovehokubu.jpg
This is taken on a dangerous gravel road close to Higothai Koen, leading to the Herb Garden (where you can buy all sorts of dried herbs). The ridges in the distance are the Aso mountains. The Aso Range is said to resemble a sleeping Buddha (the head is to the left, the feet to the right).

abovehokubu2.jpg
This picture is from the same area on a different day. It is amazing to see the landscape change with different conditions in foliage, lighting, and weather. My favorite seasons are during the winter when there is snow (although it is very dangerous to navigate the steep, windy roads in these conditions) and spring. The grass grows with such speed and vigor, as if the soil itself was pure Miracle Grow.


Higothai Koen
Higothai Koen is located past Ikeyama suigen, next to the campgrounds and the Yamanami Highway. It commands a great view of Kuju to the North, and Aso to the South. Here are some previous posts about Higothai Koen:
Higothai flowers
Thistle
Lavender flower and a bee (3rd picture down)


Bathing in Hokubu

Hana no Onsen is a nice spa located right next to Ikeyama-suigen. Also on the premises are a greenhouse flower garden, a bakery (I recommend the deserts here), a gift shop with all sorts of special food products, and a restaraunt.

If you are uneasy about taking a bath with strangers, you can rent out a private bathroom (called a family onsen) for 1,000 yen an hour. My favorite time to go to the onsen is during the winter, when you can bathe in the outside bath and experience the cold air and hot water as snow falls all around.

If you are really into onsens, there is another near the Yamaga region. I never went because my predecessor, Harvey Haynes, described it as a "mud pool".


The Springs Of Ubuyama

The two springs of Ubuyama are Ikeyama suigen and Yamabuki, both of which are located in Hokubu. The rate at which water gushes out from all around these areas is astounding, and gives a whole new perspective on percipitation, groundwater, hydrodynamics, and of watersheds in general. People come from far away and fill up all sorts of vessels at the springs (restaraunt people are usually the people that you see hauling masses of 5 gallon jugs to and fro).

Ikeyama is the more popular of the two, and the easiest to access. Always being warned about the dangers of giardia and coliform bacteria contamination, it is still strange drinking unfiltered water straight from the source with waterstriders, frogs, and minnows darting around, but it tastes excellent. There is a fishing pond here filled with farmed yamame (a salmonid not unlike the brook trout of Northern California), a restaraunt, and an unattended vegetable stand, where you pay on the honor system. The best time to go is on a late June night, when no one is there and the fireflies are out.

Yamabuki suigen is among the most rural areas in Ubuyama. It takes more time to get to the parking lot and to hike to the spring, but it is well worth it. I have seen foxes, voles, and various other wildlife here in an abundance above the surrounding area. The relatively untouched woods and meandering streamlets running through them provide a refreshing 30 minute round-trip hike. This is my favorite place in Ubuyama, and I often came here to recharge after an especially stressful or tiresome day at work.

I have never spotted any mamushi around the springs, but they are said to be abundant. I suggest not playing with snakes of any kind around here, as if you are bitten by a mamushi (a pit viper native to Japan) there is a good chance that you will have screwed yourself proper.


Dining in Hokubu

hokuburestaraunt1.jpg
I meant to take a better picture of this restaraunt, but didn't get a chance. The family of one of the teachers that I worked with at Hokubu Hoikuen runs this place. They serve wonderful steak here that comes from the farms of Ubuyama. Ubuyama beef is delicious, and has recently gotten sort of famous around Japan. But Japanese beef is expensive, especially after the BSE issues with American beef. The cheapest steak here will set you back about 3,000 yen (but I went a year ago, so prices might have gone up). However, this place does steak exceptionally well, and they have about 30 varieties of otsukemono to choose from, all made from local produce. The yakiniku is also really good here. The staff is very nice, and the fact that they don't speak English will not prohibit a non-Japanese speaker from having a wonderful dining experience. From the 40, follow the signs to Hana no Onsen (Flower Spa), and you will see it on the right-hand corner of the road that runs straight toward the onsen and Ikeyama Suigen.

hokuburestaraunt2.jpg
This place is pretty famous, and located right between Hana no Onsen and Ikeyama Suigen. Their specialty is a huge omraisu(an omelette with fried ketchup and ham infused rice in the middle), but my recommendation is the inaka tempura.

Yamaga

Yamaga is the central part of Ubuyama and has the main street, called Yamaga Street. Along here you can find 3 gas stations (Chevron, JA, and Eneos), The post office, JA(Japan Agricultural- a true sign that you live in the middle of nowhere) Bank and Insurance, an auto-garage (that services tractors, rototillers, and other farm equipment mainly), the post office, the public office, two proto-convenience-mom-and-pop stores (not that convenient and overpriced), the middle school, a community center, possibly the oldest house in Ubuyamamysummerhouse1.jpg, and the newly completed indoor pool (where they got the money for this I have no idea, but whoever talked the Japanese Government for funding this must be a financial and political stud).


The Bridge

dreambridgeroadsmall.jpg This is the road leading from the Yamanami Highway (Route 11) towards the 40 and Ubuyama Bokujo (Ubuyama Farm). Why they built the bridge is beyond me- they really don't need it, as the 40 and the 131 lead to the Yamanami already... It's a nice bridge though.

dreambridge.jpg
The gorge below is so deep that this place would make a perfect place to bungee jump. Later at night no one comes around here, and traffic during the daytime is sparse. Due to the rugged terrain and unforgiving foliage below, base jumping is not recommended.


The Dam

Ubuyama Dam is being completed as I type, and should be operational by the beginning of next year. The dam is a fairly large one, located between the bridge and the Yamaga strip.

ubudamview2.jpg
When I first heard of the dam, I was quite impressed because I thought that it was to be a source hydroelectricity. Unfortunately, this dam's purpose is to create a resovoir, and will not have turbines in place. The budget for the dam was approved during the bubble economy era, and similarly unnecessary projects (like huge bridges leading to tiny rice fields and such) were approved during this time all over Japan by the Government. The dam really not needed, as Ubuyama is blessed with two fountains that provide a constant, inexhaustable watersource year round.

ubudamview1.jpg
I think that the dam will only lead to problems including squandering a bountiful water supply (through accelerated evaporation of a standing body of water), maintainance costs of the dam (siltation and debris looks to be a major possible problem here), and the inherent risk of placing a large body of standing water right above the area with the largest population density in Ubuyama. I mean, I don't really expect the dam to fail, as it is quite expertly and robustly constructed. However, IF it ever did, the water would come rushing down along the contours of the land and flood the Yamaga strip, pictured as the clump of white structures in the distance. Not everything about the dam is useless, though. I predict that the dam will result in some awesome bass fishing for the residents of Ubuyama...


El Patio Ranch

elpatioflags.jpg
One of my favorite places to visit, the sight of five American Flags flapping against the dramatic skies of Northern Aso have always brought to the surface the proud feeling of being American. You might notice that the flags from my banner are from an older, weather-torn batch of flags of El Patio.

elpatiosign.jpg
This sign, minus the katakana and kanji, is not unlike signs that I have seen in rural, touristy areas of America. I never wanted to ride the horses here because they have one cheesy riding path for you to follow. There is one other place on the Milk Road called Reverce R Ranch where you can ride horses, but I never checked this place out either.


Golf Resort

I have never golfed here, but I hear that the course is nice. I have, however, eaten at a banquet at the hotel, which was pretty good. The road next to the entrance to the Golf Resort is really fun to drive though, and has the feel of a stretch of the World Rally Championship course (the leaf litter can make you slide on the sharp curves, and there are often fallen trees or rocks blocking parts of the road so you should take a preliminary scouting run before attempting this stretch). There are no guard rails to prevent you from launching your car over the side of the mountain, so go easy on the power-sliding.


Towards Kuju

fromkuju.jpg
By car, it is less than 5 minutes from my old house to Oita-ken via the 131 towards Kuju town. Taking this road will take you towards Kuju Hana Koen (an awesome flower park- best time to go is when the Cosmos are in bloom during mid Fall), Kuju Beer Kogen, Guersney Farm (you should see the katakana for this bokujo), the French Perfume museum, and other charming places out in the sticks that you wouldn't expect to find. This road is great to drive because there is never any traffic.


Ubuyama Chugakko

schoolview1.jpg
This is the view from the 3rd story of my chugakko, from the end of the hall. The new swimming pool is visible, just past the baseball field. I always wondered why in Aso, where grass of such lusciousness grows with such speed and vigor, everyone prefers to play on a sand lot. Much time is wasted weeding every week (if you don't do this then the weeds will be knee high within a month), and I think that grass is a better landscaping medium for sports. Way in the distance are the hills of the Nambu region.

schoolview2.jpg
This is the view that I had for 2 years in my chugakko. I don't think many teachers get a better view than this.

Yamaga Shogakko
yamagashogakko.jpg
Yamaga Shogakko is one of two elementary schools in Ubuyama (the other one is located in Nambu). This is the best place to be in the summer, as there are never any mosquitoes, it is the highest point in the Yamaga strip and, there is often a nice cool breeze. Yamaga was my favorite place to teach, as I was able to lead in the development of the curriculum here with the support of all of the teachers. The road leading up to Yamaga Shogakko makes for the best ski slope in Ubuyama during the winter.


Ubuyama Bokujo

Ubuyama Bokujo (top picture), or Ubuyama Farm, is really just a glorified petting zoo. They have rabbits, horses, a mean pony, geese, goats, ducks, and sheep in enclosures next to the main complex that you can feed. The wide grassy fields surrounding the bokujo would make a great place to walk barefoot except for the abundance of sheep pellets and dog turds, making a stroll into a real-life game of minesweeper. If you put down a tarp, the bokujo would be a nice place to picnic but the two resident overweight collies will harass you like a pair of jackals, and often bully little kids into handing over their bentos.

Inside the bokujo is a decent restaraunt that specializes in Ubuyama beef and soft serve made from Ubuyama dairy. Here you can also buy locally produced products and rent out bicycles and mountainboards. Unfortunately, the hills are too gradual to really build up any speed on the boards.

windmillroad.jpg
The windmill is what most people remember about Ubuyama, hands down (the second, third, and fourth most recognized features being the suigens (springs), the beef and the onsens). From the windmill, you can see the haunted hotel in the foreground, if you look toward the towering golf resort hotel.


Haunted Hotel

This is THE place to go if you want to indulge your testosterone-induced impulses. Filled with bats, animal droppings, broken glass, and mold, you can go wild here and smash stuff to your heart's content. Just a tip: girls tend not to find such activities "amusing" so you might want to make this a "guy" trip.

Warning: People tend to hurt themselves here in their enthusiasm. Kelvin cut his hand while jumping and smashing a chandelier with two 2x2s and Joe Fingerhut hyper-extended his thigh when kicking down a locked door. Also, going here is "frowned upon", and local residents may get upset if you make too much of a ruckus.


Nambu

If you veer right off of the 131 after passing Ubuyama Chugakko, you will be heading towards Nambu, the Southern region of Ubuyama. This area lies between Kuju and the 57 and has many small roads to be explored. A few interesting people live here as well.


Cool Old Stuff

In Nambu, you can find some interesting things that not many people know about. One is a very old stretch of cobblestone road called the Bunkokaido Road, of which two sections still survive in Ubuyama. According to the internet (always a reliable source of information, right?), some sections survive in other places including Aso-machi and Ichinomiya-machi, and it stretched from Kumamoto City to Oita. It ran a total of 125 kilometers, back in the day. Interestingly, no one in town seemed to really know much about this road at all.

hokokaidoroad.jpg
Around this area, just off of the cobblestone road, you can find a supposedly famous tree that was struck by lightning and continues to grow. According to the Japanese signs it is of interest for some reason, but I liked this place mainly because I found a snake lounging around the precipice on which the tree resided.


People

One is a potter who moved here from Kyoto into a really old house named Hazawa-san. She makes pottery from scratch from beginning to end, using a special, fine white clay (which she grinds down from rocks into fine powder and reconstitues) and uses a signiture aquamarine glaze with zinc crystals which finely complements her elegant vessels and creations. I predict that her pottery will take off and fetch insanely high prices in the near future.

Another is a couple that hails from Hokkaido, the Akashi's. This couple support themselves by selling homemade tofu and bread, which they bake in an old-school oven.
woodoven.jpg
James Michener once described an oven that Afghanistani people used to bake their naan over camel dung (it imparted a "nutty" taste, he described) that reminded me of this one, where Mieko-san baked farewell pizzas for me:
woodovenpizza.jpg
They produce everything that they eat without the use of agrichemicals of any sort (although they do use gas to power rototillers and some other equipment). The view from their house is extraordinary.
mi-chan.jpg
This is their cat blocking the view of their organic fields. Maybe Yoda will look like this (except for one eye) in a couple of years.
It is interesting to note that Nambu was a tense area about a year ago, due to the breakout of Avian Flu (Tori-infuruenza in Japanese), as the largest poultry farm is situated here. This was almost as scary as the possibility of a SARS outbreak to the residents of Nambu, I think. To live in Nambu is to live in the inaka-est part of a place which is already extraordinarily inaka (inaka means country, boondocks, the sticks, the opposite of urban, etc...).
nambuview.jpg


Closing Thoughts
To interact with the people in Ubuyama is to live out an anthropological case study on remote areas in Japan, where the true culture of old Japan has been well insulated against McGrand sandwiches, 50 Cent, and a high-speed internet connection. Here is a place where nature resides in such abundance that it regularly invades your house, where the sounds of a million mating frogs that live in the adjacent rice paddywindowview.jpg (a view out of the kitchen window) keep you up instead of the sounds of a womanizing neighbor beating his wimpering wife (a common experience among those living in apartments in the cities). Here you can remember what fresh air tastes like only to be reminded of the yellowish-brown skies of Southern-California. And at night you can see more stars than you could ever count, and see everything at midnight under a full moon as if it were still dusk. Here is a place where you want to be when you grow old and long for a peaceful patch of nature where you can savor the memories of a full and happy life.


Ubuyama Links:
The official page of Ubuyama mura
My predecessor Jane's site

Wikipedia's article on Ubuyama
Ubuyama Farm and Higothai Festival information(via the Kumamoto Prefecture webpage)
The Ubuyama Plateau Beef Festival
An example of inaka ryouri (the local foods)
Yahoo weather for Ubuyama
Camping facilities in Higothai Park
Ubuyama Junior High School
Yamaga Elementary School's page
Kasetsart University Laboratory School (Ubuyama JHS's sister school in Thailand)
Ikeyama suigen (spring)
An example of clamshell rice paddies in Ubuyama at The Asian Rice Foundation
Mountain boarding Ubuyama (now defunct)

Posted by Adam at 6:09 PM | Comments (9) | TrackBack

August 13, 2004

Higothai Koen Pics

Earlier, I erroneously posted a thistle that I thought to be the village flower of Ubuyama called the Higothai. These are pictures of the real flower, which should right now be coming into full bloom. The first two were taken in the Hokubu region of Ubuyama and the last one was at Daikanbo on the Northern section of the rim of the Aso Caldera.

higothaikoen1.jpg

higothaikoen2.jpg

higothaidaikanbo.jpg

Posted by Adam at 11:58 PM | TrackBack

July 22, 2004

The Souring Of A Bittersweet Goodbye

I am frustruated with my Board of Education and with a principal with whom I work with, as they are putting me in the worst sort of position. I feel an obligation to help prepare my successor for her new life in Ubuyama-mura and to prepare the village for her. Everyone is very concerned about having a female ALT (all three previous JETs have been male), and so there is a flurry of last minute preparations being made in order to make sure that she will not be scared away by the living conditions in Ubuyama.

I understand and support their decision to fix everything that has been broken in my apartment for these two years, and feel good for the next JET. I initially felt jealous for the great efforts they are making to renovate this place, but I am glad they are doing it, because it is hard enough acclimating to living deep in the inaka as it is.

Lately, the BOE and principal have been making many demands of me to meet the hastily devised renovation plans in my apartment, including giving me short notice to get my stuff out and to clean the apartment. I was irritated, but I understood their concerns, and so have gone along with it as best as I could. However, I find myself feeling angry, disappointed, and regretful at a time where I should be enjoying the rich pains of leaving behind the kids who I have come to love, and other good friends.

The principal and the BOE have shoved me into a corner regarding my car. As I am trying to help out in any capacity that I can, I have been providing any information that they ask for without hesitataion. Last night at the farewell enkai, the principal asked me what I planned on doing with my car. I explained that I was going to sell it, and had notified my successor of the cost, condition, and improvements made to the car. He told me that she should not have to buy my car, and so I explained that I recently paid the vehicle tax and inspection tax (shakken) to the tune of 40,000 yen and 130,000 yen respectively, and was asking a fair price considering the money that I put into the car. After all, the shakken is good for 1 and a half more years! In addition, I have spent money on improving and keeping the car well maintained, so that it is running better than when I first got it. He argued that no one drives cars that old in Japan, and I pointed out that almost all of the JETs drive cars that old. I told him that my intention was not to take advantage of my successor, and that I was open to suggestions, and he replied that a friend could give her a car for free. When I said "Thats great, what type of car will he give her?" he replied "That was just an example (there is no free car).". I asked what the cheapest price that my successor could hope to buy a used car for is, and he replied 200,000 yen. I pointed out that the price that I was asking for (70,000 yen) was less that the other JETs had offered their old cars for, but this didn't make much of an impression on him. I ended the conversation by suggesting that we further discuss the matter.

This afternoon, I got called into the BOE by the new supervisor, a man whom I get along with rather well. It became aparent that the principal had taken the liberty of going behind my back, and telling my supervisor to talk to me. He offered me two options: junking my car (at most likely a loss of income- cost of junking the car but getting a partial refund for the car tax) or handing over ownership to my successor with a suggestion that asking for any money would be an unacceptable course of action. Because of this, I may have to sell the car to a friend instead of selling it for a reasonable price to my successor (who will need a car to stay sane in this village. now, she will probably just have to pay three times as much to get one.).

Let me say this: I understand the BOE's and principal's recent actions are the result of their deep-seeded concerns about the impression that they cast on the first female ALT to come to Ubuyama. I support their efforts, and wish her the best of luck, and I am staying for about 10 days past my contract VOLUNTARILY WITHOUT PAY to help show her around and to help the BOE get things settled. I don't think it's too much to expect the professional courtesy of receiving sufficient notice about when they want me out of my apartment, about letting me know when I am to give farewell speeches and when the ceremonies are (considering that I am the obstensibly the one for whom the ceremonies are being held), and I surely expect that I would be treated with the professional courtesy of DISCUSSING points of disagreement instead of talking behind my back and not trying to see things from my perspective. They wouldn't do this to a Japanese person, so what makes them think it is acceptable to do this to a gaijin (oh, wait... I think I answered my own question)?

I feel that I have worked my hardest to fulfill my duties as a JET, as both a representative of the United States (I don't fancy myself as an ambassador, but realize that I am one of only two Americans that these kids have met and know that they associate me with the whole of America in some ways) in Japan and as a teacher. I have gone out of my way to make myself useful, and have done things like setting up an English club run out of my house free of charge to my students. I have taken an active interest in studying about teaching methods during my free time and implementing them in class, often staying after working hours to do a good job. I have made a point of learning the customs and studying Japanese to bridge the language gap between us. Is it really too much to ask for a little consideration, professionalism, and consideration of ethical behavior in the workplace in return? As much as I will miss the students, I most definetely will not miss the treachery, insincerety, or the incompetence I have witnessed during my two years. The speeches made about how much I am appreciated for my efforts have lost all meaning, as dishonest actions have revealed the words to contain little integrety. I would have had more respect had the principal called me a worthless gaijin in front of the whole village and revealed how I was truly regarded.

These qualities are not held by the majority of those with whom I work, only by a few individuals. On the contrary, I was quite shocked by this behavior because it greatly contrasts the values held by almost all of the teachers, faculty, and others working in Ubuyama-mura.

To end on a positive note, I believe that the JET Programme is a great program that has a positive net effect both on the Japanese society in which it works as a part of the educational system and on its participants. I belive that negative attitudes and widely held false beliefs of Japanese people about foreign languages, cultures, and peoples are slowly changing. I do not regret my time on JET, as I feel that I have made a difference.

I have noticed a marked improvement on the confidence and abilities of my students. They have learned about different cultures (not just in my class, as I work with many good teachers), and have a genuine interest about people that are different from themselves. Watching the students grow and mature into the curious, enthusiastic learners that they are today has made me feel really good about investing two years into this community. The students are the ones who are greatful for my efforts, paying me back with their rapt attention. It is them, along with some of the other wonderful people I have had the honor of meeting in this small community, that I will miss. Goodbye and farewell, but I fear I shall never return Ubuyama, except for the Ubuyama in my mind.

Posted by Adam at 1:23 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

July 15, 2004

The Shogakkos of Ubuyama-mura

I translated this from Japanese last year, and just found it as I was looking through old documents. These are the elementary schools where I have worked for these past two years.

Our Village
Yamaga Elementary School is located in the northern region of Ubuyama-mura, at an altitude of 640 meters. The school was constructed in Showa 45 (1970), and the gymnasium was rebuilt in Heisei 8 (1996). Northern Ubuyama covers a large area, so it is necessary for the children, who live in the southern part of the village, to ride on the bus to and from school.

Yamaga Elementary School is nestled among the scenic mountains. A forest sprawls out to the East, South, and West. Moreover, the mountains of Kuju (Oita Prefecture) can be seen to the North, off in the distance. To the West of the school, steps made of stone descend the mountain, leading to a large road. If you follow this road to the right, you will pass many points of interest. At the bottom of the slope (after passing through the tunnel), on the left hand side you will see (in this order) Ubuyama Junior High School, The Agricultural Cooperative Association(JAA), A-Mart, the Ubuyama Public Office, the Health Clinic, and a couple of gas stations. Across the street from the public office is a JA Bank, and the Post office.

Sweet Potato Digging
Each year the children of Yamaga Elementary School, and their parents, go hiking in the local mountains. Another interesting event is the rabbit hunt, after which the rabbits are used as the main ingredient in a rice dish, and also in a stew. In back of the school building, children enjoy using the playground for all sorts of outdoor activities.
A charcoal kiln is set up beside the playground where students are taught how to make charcoal.


Hokubu (Northern Ubuyama) Elementary School
Located in Northern Ubuyama is Hokubu Elementary School. A prefectural road stretches along the front of the school. On their way home, the children often pass through the cedar forests surrounding the school. The people of Hokubu look forward to attending various school events, such as the Harvest festival and the Source music festival.

Posted by Adam at 11:52 AM | TrackBack

July 12, 2004

Thank You, Ubuyama-mura

It feels as if I have spent a long, long time in Ubuyama, but I also feel that my stay in your village has passed so quickly. These days are very busy as I pack up my house, make preparations for your new JET, and give my last lessons. Saying goodbye makes me sad and churns up a feeling of dread in my stomach, and yet, I cherish this feeling. It means that we have developed a meaningful relationship that I really don?t want to lose.

Two years ago, when I first learned where I was to teach, I knew very little about Ubuyama. I only knew that it was near Mount Aso and that it was right in the middle of Kyushu. I was concerned about what life out in the deep inaka would be like, but I have grown to love the life out here. Living in Ubuyama is a rare opportunity, especially for an American like me. I have traveled all over Japan, and I know that this place stands out as a diamond in the rough. This is most likely the last time in my life that I will live somewhere where I can leave the keys in the ignition of my car and be sure that it will be completely safe.

After spending some time in the city I have noticed that many things, ranging from the people to the food, seem more genuine in the inaka. The food has a simpler, purer, earthier taste and not fancy packaging. The emphasis on locally produced food is for nutrition and taste, as opposed to appearance and cost. The people don?t act as superficially as they do in the city, and are quick to lend a hand in a time of need. I wake up to the sounds of songbirds singing and crows scrounging for food, and go to sleep hearing the sound of rain pelting against my roof and the magnificently loud frogs calling from the rice field next to my house. Not to mention the air and water. Where I come from, you need a special filter to treat your water, and when you blow your nose, the black particulate matter from the air is visible in your mucous.

Thank you for giving me so many rare opportunities to be part of your community. Many people have expressed envy when I tell them of how I was allowed to be part of the fire brigade. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity and for spending time to help me learn how do perform the drills. Also, I know that many people, including teachers, students, workers from the yakuba, neighbors, and various other people have helped me over the two years I have been here in one way or another, and I want to express my appreciation. You all helped my life to run much smoother and I couldn?t have survived without you. I have learned much about the Japanese language and Japanese culture (especially the culture of central Kyushu and Kumamoto) and I am in your debt.

Lastly, I want to say thank you for allowing me to teach your children and to get to know them. The kids were always my favorite part of the job, and it has been especially hard saying goodbye to so many of my little friends. I have never encountered such a nice, innocent, and intelligent batch of kids before and it is them that I will miss the most. I wish Ubuyama the greatest success in its innovative plans for the future, both in development of the village and in education. Thank you very much for hosting me for these two wonderful years, and know that I will never forget the small, wonderful village hidden away in the middle of Kyushu known as Ubuyama.

Posted by Adam at 3:28 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

June 11, 2004

Go/Roku Nensei Pets

gorokunenseipets.jpg
Yoshihiro: Dad, do you remember that you said I could have a pet if I brought up my grades?

Yoshihiro's dad: Hmmmm... You have been getting good grades in school. I think you're ready for the responsibility. You can pick any cow you like. Toshiki, pass the steak would you?

Yoshihiro: Can I have the calf with the big eyes?

Yoshihiro's dad: Why not? What's her name?

Yoshihiro: Britney! She's so cute, just like my cow!

Yoshihiro's dad: Great Yoshi-kun, make sure Britney eats a lot every day, and don't make her get too much exercise. On another note, have you boys noticed that beef prices at an all time high, thanks to the BSE situation in America? We're going to Disneyland this Summer!

Yoshihiro: What's wrong Toshiki?

Toshiki: I can't find Mary. I looked everywhere, but she just isn't on the farm! It's all my fault dad. I lost her... forgive me!

Yoshihiro's dad: There, there son. I forgot to tell you that I had to send Mary away to Bovine University. You want her to be happy, right? Wow, this steak is awesome!

Toshiki: Yeah... I do, but I don't understand...

Yoshihiro's dad: Great! Glad that's settled. Yoshihiro, can you pass the A-1?

Posted by Adam at 5:17 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

June 10, 2004

Higothai

higothaibee.jpg

This is the Higothai flower, the flower of Ubuyama village. As some of you may know I used to hate bees. They used to sting me quite often. even though I avoided them, they would regularly land on me and jab me with their stingers. One time, I had to take a Tae Kwon Do orange belt test even though I had been stung on the sole of my foot- I passed, but it hurt like hell. I have since overcome my fear, and so I was able to get really close to this one.

higothai.jpg
The Higothai is a symbol, representing the friendship that has been created between Ubuyama and Thailand, thanks to the bi-yearly exchange program at the Chugakko. Supposedly, Ubuyama is one of the few places where the Higothai grows. I think the Higothai is a pretty fitting symbol, as the Thai students' uniforms are a similar shade of purple.

higothaireplica.jpg
This model of a Higothai is just so ugly, I had to take a picture. It looks like it could blow a hole in the side of a battleship.

Posted by Adam at 7:24 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

June 4, 2004

Ultraman Attack

ultramangirls.jpg
Makiko, Waka, and Sayuki prepare to whoop some ass.

Posted by Adam at 2:36 PM | TrackBack

June 2, 2004

Thanks, I think...

Today, I walked in to the lunch room and heard the nursery school teachers mumbling my name. They collectively looked up, all of them wearing the same conspiratorial grin and called me a "Casablanca dandy". Now what the hell does one make of that?

Posted by Adam at 2:32 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

May 25, 2004

The Last Undokai

The undokai is described as a "sports festival", and that's exactly what it it. I had a hard time accepting this term at face value, because the concept was foreign to me, but that's exactly what it is. The whole community comes together to participate in the festivities, and play wacky Japanese-style group games. Undokai are an important social event that brings everyone together for one whole exhausting day.

akagumipose.jpg
This year, I was on the victorious red team. The kids are gettin' their kung-fu poses on, Big Trouble In Little China style.

shirogumiodori.jpg
My students put in hours practicing a really cool dance, but I think that the dude on the right (Chiyuki) blew it, judging from the looks on Tomoyuki's (center) and Masaoki's (right) faces.

redbacks.jpg

akagumi.jpg
I really like my student's paintings this year. The red team's character wielding the wakizashi looks "Sassy" (Sprechen sie sassy?).

shirogumi.jpg
Now that's sassy!

Posted by Adam at 6:56 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

April 3, 2004

Japanese Fire Drill

Today I woke up at 7:00, donned my blue firefighter uniform, stepped into my shiny black rainboots, and drilled until noon with all of the men of the Ubuyama Fire Brigade. As the token foreigner in the force, it is usually my job to hold my regiment's flag, and present it whenever the command "kiritsu!" is ordered, and retract it when "naode!" is yelled out, meaning that I push and pull the flag up and down quite a few times on these mornings. Today, they let me try simple drills with everyone else, as well as being flag monkey.

The orders are actually quite simple, as are the movements, however they are hard to learn at the same time when order after order is bellowed in quick succession. I observed and mimicked the others, but this was my first time doing these drills. After many mistakes, and asking the instructing officers from the elite Aso/Kuju Fire Department how to correctly perform the drills, it all came together pretty well. I felt humiliated for not knowing the slightest thing about marching drills, but not embarrassed.

Surprisingly, I was not the only one screwing up. You can probably blame it on a nice Saturday morning, and the fact that everyone was forced to give it up to drill over and over again, and many people were obviously hungover. The second in command could not figure out how to run and stop properly when moving from our regimental formation to the inspecting team, and so he was laughed at and drilled many more times than I was. Also, it was interesting to see that the Fire Department does not tolerate the use of strong Higoben (the oldschool Kumamoto accent). The regimental sub-leader summoned a strong "Iiyussha!" and was reprimanded several times after this for continuing to use this corruption of the word "Yosh(i)", meaning "A-OK".

What perplexes me about "Fire Brigade Practice" is that at no point is there any fire or fire drills. This time I didn't even get to watch the other firemen shoot the waterhose because today was devoted to marching and formation drills. I'm not sure what the average resident of Ubuyama feels, but personally I want the firefighters in my area to be trained professionals and wise old hands. That is, I want them to be specifically trained to deal with real life situations involving fire-based problems, and for performing other rescue operations such as but not limited to the use of the fire hose and water pump (remember, fire hydrants and cisterns are not cost effective or particularly useful in the deep country), various fire extinguishers, shovels, picks, rescue axes, fire (in case they need to make a fire line), fire retardants, ladders, ropes, climbing equipment, use of special suits and masks, educating the general public about fire avoidance and mitigation techniques, first aid and CPR, and being able to save cute little fluffy kittens and puppy dogs caught in all sorts of perilous situations. I don't particularly care if they march to the scene in a tight, professional formation in cadence, or if they can snap off a crisp salute. In fact, when that alarm bell rings, I want those guys to drop their instant ramen, quickly and carefully don their equipment, and haul ass over to the problem. I don't want them marching at double time, I want them to drive at three times the speed limit, obliterating any inanimate objects that dare to be in the path of the fire engine!

However, I am not complaining about the Fire Brigade. I am merely baffled and find myself asking many questions. Why don't they devote at least as much time to practice putting out fires as they do marching? Why do they want me on the squad just to hold the flag? Why do they want to award me with a Fire Cheif commemorative patch when I leave Ubuyama? Why are they going to take me to Okinawa for the second time in one year later this month? No, I am not complaining.

Wait, what? The Fire Brigade is paying for me to go to Okinawa again? That's right! On the last trip after hearing that diving was one of my hobbies, everyone decided to try it and they all immensely enjoyed themselves. And so this time, we're diving off of a boat close to one of Okinawa's smaller islands!

So what does a token gaijin learn when he is in the service of the Fire Brigade in the cho inaka? He learns how to march, he learns how to present the flag, but most of all, he learns about the best omiyage to buy from the other firemen on his trips to Okinawa.

Posted by Adam at 9:37 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

March 26, 2004

Life In Transit

stormymood.jpg

This picture is how I have been feeling for the past two weeks. The weather has been improving and the buds on the sakura trees are about to bust open, but I am in a cloudy mood. There are beams of light piercing through the ominous layers, but they are in the background and overwhelmed at the moment. This week I have gone to too many graduations in Ubuyama. Monday was Ubuyama Chugakko, Wednesday was Yamaga Shogakko, and today was Ubuyama Hoikuen and Nambu Hoikuen.

To me Japanese graduations are about three things: tears, bows, and boring speeches (there are good speeches too, but these usually fall under the "tears" category). I stopped counting how many times I bowed, but 100 for this week seems like a good guess. Sometimes when I'm not thinking I look at the person's face to whom I am bowing, a vestigal habit from taking Tae Kwon Do when I was 5 (my Sensei explained that one should NEVER take their eyes off of their opponent at ANY time. now that man was truly a badass!) and sometimes I do the proper deep immersion eyes-cast-to-the-toes bow. I wish that they would just adopt the handshake to replace bowing at these events. It just seems silly to have each person giving a speech bow a minimum of 6 times, especially when others must also bow unless, of course, the flag is being bowed down to.It has been an ordeal, having to listen to the same speeches over and over by the same old men, and sit quietly watching and empathizing with the children who are trying their best not to fidget. I have used much of this time to meditate, leaving my body and mind on auto-bow mode.

As for the crying, I am just not used to seeing so many people- students, teachers, parents, and spectators both male and female- cry with such intensity and with no shame at expressing these feelings. I think its cool how they are so open to everyone on this special occasion, but I can't relate. Sure, graduations are sad but I was always overjoyed to be freed of the classes and homework with prospects of a summer spent at the beach in the immediate future. I have to admit, I got a little misty and had a couple of lumps in my throat as I heard the little girls trying to give speaches on how greatful they were to the teachers who they were leaving behind. I suppose this was a very gratifying experience for everyone, in a sad sort of way.

Almost all of my favorite teachers are leaving from Ubuyama in one fell swoop. One is going on pregnancy leave, one is moving to Saga-ken, and the rest have been transferred to different schools. I feel like I am being forced to repeat my senior year of high school, as all of my friends are going off to different colleges, but I am happy for the ones that didn't get shafted by the switch and sorry for the ones who did.

Also, this week is the last time that I got to chill at the separate hoikuens, with my separate groups of children and teachers. No lessons, just pure 100% playtime with the little ones, and long chats with the nursery school teachers (these teachers are not subject to switching. this is the most stable type of teaching job in Japan if one wants to work in the same place for a long period of time). No one seems especially happy about being joined into one hoikuen for the village, but it makes financial sense for them. Ubuyama hoikuen is to become more of a daycare service- some of the kids are going to be spending 6 out of 7 days there, for up to 12 hours a day! If you have kids, or have taught pre-school and kintergarten, then you know why this will 1. be rough on the teachers, and 2. not be the best situation for the children. But what do I, the token gaijin, know about anything? So I just watch and deal with it.

Some of my favorite children will be moving as well, but as much as I will miss them I am glad because they seem excited about moving (I think I would too). In a way, this is good because saying goodbye in July will be much easier. I'm pleased with my decision to not stay for a 3rd year in this village, as much as I love the children here. Its time to go, and this point continues to be driven home.

But things are looking better already. Perhaps some cool, talented teachers will replace my friends (but I can't imagine that they can fully measure up to these great teachers. it just doesn't seem possible right now). I know that I am going to have a blast in my classes in April, and have some new ideas that I want to try to get the students motivated. For now, its time to pack for a weekend in sunny Miyazaki. Finally I get to enjoy this great weather at the beach and forget about this week.

Posted by Adam at 5:54 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

March 25, 2004

Out Of The Loop

The Japanese educational system is so frusterating sometimes. It seems that the head honchos on one side and the grunts on the other are working with very different agendas, completely seperated while working on the very same projects. They call the shots based on inferences, deductions, hypothesis, research, and other forms of information processing yet keep themselves pretty well insulated from the body of the operation.

You would think that they (the kencho, the kyoikuinkai, and the other people who call the shots) would want to get to know what the grunts on the frontline think of the decisions, kind of like an engineer physically examining the physical incarnation of their sketches and talking to the test pilots who come to know the capabilities of their aircraft based on intimate knowledge as well as study of the designs. It may be the engineer who designs the plane, but it's really the asses of the pilots and planes that are on the line should anything go wrong. You would think that these people would know how valuable direct input from the teachers, who know their classes and the materials and their plans better than anyone else, really is because these same people were probably also teachers before they got appointed to their lofty positions. With great powers come great responsibility, you would think...

See, that's where you're wrong. They don't seem to care what you think. Independent thinking and any form of dissent is discouraged among the same peer groups and especially from those belonging to the lower castes, even if it may be painfully clear that a change would be greatly beneficial. The nerves may scream out in pain from being cut and rubbed in salt and lime juice, but the synapses are being jammed, the attention is directed elsewhere.

To be fair, sometimes they get things right. Sometimes they implement good, well thought out policies that work really well. Sometimes. But wouldn't it be better if they could do it faster, more efficiently, and more democratically? Keeping things the same may be orderly and produce consistent results, but how many of us would prefer a perfect McClone cheeseburger over a Fatburger (they taste a bit different at the different locations and depending on who is making them, especially when you order them with more toppings and condiments)?

The words above could be in used a myriad of contexts, by many people that you know, and probably by you too. I just wonder if any of the people who are in positions of greater power and responsibility used to feel this way, and if they still do. Have there been any significant changes recently in the infrastructure of the Japanese educational system, and will it eventually change for the better any time in the foreseeable future? I truly hope so, but I have my doubts.

Posted by Adam at 4:59 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

January 27, 2004

Snow Pics

snowy_windmill.jpg
Taken at Ubuyama Bokujo. What you can't see (to the bottom right, beyond the frame) is a big treaded set of tracks that told of multiple snow donuts on the tractor.

snowhouse.jpg
Snow.

yuutokun.jpg
Yuuto kun atop a mini-mountain of snow.

scalloped_snowcovered_paddies.jpg
Tried boarding down here, but it wasn't steep enough.

Posted by Adam at 1:22 PM | TrackBack

January 22, 2004

Ridiculously Cold

sinksicle.jpg Are you under the impression that Kyushu is a warm place. Come to Ubuyama, my friend...

I used all of my faucets this just this morning. Despite this, every one of them has frozen. There is a 4 inch stalagtite hanging from my Kitchen faucet, a 3 inch stalagmite in my bathroom sink, and my bath faucet is frozen solid. Thankfully, my toilet works, and so does my shower! Hahaha! Finally some luck! Who cares that the water in the bowls and frying pan have turned completely to ice? Not me- dishes can wait indefinetely (as proven in college), but I can not live without a shower or a toilet. I recall having to boil water last year when my shower froze- remembering such experiences puts it all in perspective.

Posted by Adam at 10:41 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

January 16, 2004

fy_iceworld.bsp

Snow is dumping down on my village right now, and the roads have been covered in a blanket of snow three inches thick. Thank goodness that I am driving the Yakuba's Nissan Wingroad with AWD and snowtires, or else I would have to break out the chains (although it sucks driving a car with no stereo!).

Between the residual snow from the blizzard from two days ago, and the resulting layer from today, everything is covered in pure white coldness. If you added a couple of AT-ATs and tauntauns, then I would indeed be living on Hoth!

If it keeps on snowing hard for a couple of days, then I will once again look for a prime spot to go snowboarding in Ubuyama, like the Bokujo or one of the logging roads (didn't quite have enough snow last year).

Yep, so I think I shall stay inside and sip on some hot tea, hibernating (or more accurately, estivating) under the kotatsu table and slowly working through the DVDs that I bought in Shanghai. It is also about time to break out with the Nabe-fu and see how my Japanese culinary skills have advanced. Still much to learn, grasshopper...

Posted by Adam at 4:54 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

December 18, 2003

Tremors

An earthquake just hit me right now. It was small and only rattled the house for about 10 seconds, and if I was asleep I would have never known.

I will take it as a good omen (hahaha, we shall see!). Less than 2 days until I leave Japan... California, warm weather, and possibly more earthquakes- here I come!

Posted by Adam at 11:59 PM | TrackBack

December 17, 2003

At The Windmill

Yesterday I went to visit the windmill at Ubuyama Bokujo (Farm) after work. The windmill stands alone, humming and whining in the wind, and becons people from all over Japan to drive up our country roads into my slice of BFE. When I tell people that I live in Ubuyama, I am always surprised to find how many people know of my village of less than 2000 people. They always either say "Ah, Ubuyama, the place with the windmill, right?" or "Ubuyama has very delicious water" and talk about how cool Kurokawa's onsens are (they really are the best I have ever been to). The windmill produces enough electricity to run the farm and is saving a lot on the energy bills, and I was curious whether more would be installed to power the rest of the village. No, they're just keeping the 1. Why? 1 is aesthetically pleasing. More than 1 constitutes an eyesore. Its too bad, I think. Our woods are all uniform trees of the same species, shape and heigth, the result of farming trees instead of managing an ecosystem, and I don't think that adding windmills to a couple of mountain peaks would have much of a derogatory impact on the view (ah sh*t, reverting to Envirotalk... quick! someone fire up the charcoal grill and Q me up a big cheap steak cut from rainforest cattle, served on a virgin white dioxin infused paper plate).

I was screwing around with my camera, and for about ten seconds, it reverted to a normal keitai camera. After I captured a beautiful sunset (over the Haunted Hotel), it switched back to "magic mode". Justin was right. My D251 is a MAGIC keitai camera.

pic_0528[1].jpg
The magic moment.

pic_0530[1].jpg
Ubuyama Windmill.

pic_0529[1].jpg
Taken seconds after the first pic.

pic_0535[1].jpg


pic_0531[1].jpg

Posted by Adam at 3:53 PM | TrackBack

December 11, 2003

Screaming Trees

I just wrote this for my village's newspaper. It will be interested to see what people think of it when I come back from Christmas break.

Americans are generally very impressed at the Japanese traditional arts and their complex sense of aesthetics (or they pretend to be in order to appear "cultured"). Many people marvel at how a simple tree can be transformed into a graceful, highly stylized caricature through tireless pruning, shaping, and nurturing. Ah, the bonsai tree lives a tragic life. It?s branches are endlessly broken and set, cut off and cast aside, and it?s roots are confined by a small vessel to keep it stunted as long as it lives. Can you imagine if someone constantly broke your arms and legs, or kept you in a small box (because they thought that it made you look beautiful) in order to make you look different from what you naturally should become? I think that bonsai is a beautiful form of art, and I have nothing against the practice. But what if trees can feel pain, and can suffer (which I don?t believe, after all trees and humans are completely different)? I think that they might choose death as a Christmas trees instead of life as a bonsai.
In America, the average family celebrates Christmas (Chaunakkah and Kwanzaa are for a whole different article). The tree is the most important symbol of Christmas because everyone has one in their house, and more importantly it serves as shelter for the presents. The tree is what everyone sits around on Christmas morning to open their gifts. The tree is where all of the torn wrapping paper, opened boxes, and Christmas cards sit waiting to be cleaned up. The scent of pine always reminds me of Christmas.
Usually, families go to pick out a Christmas tree from a Christmas tree farm or vendor. The characteristics of the Christmas trees are given much consideration, for example: is it the right height? Does it look good from every angle? Is it big (small) enough to fit all of the presents, or to make it look like there are a lot of presents, underneath? Is it too dry? Is it too expensive? Is it the right species of tree? Is that guy about to buy the Christmas tree that I want? These are just a few of the thoughts that we consider before making a decision. Once the decision is made, the defenseless tree is sawed down and carried home on top of the car (another good scenario to anthropomorphisize and ponder).
Inside the house, the tree is carefully groomed, placed in a stand with plenty of water, and then it is decorated. It can take up to a day to fully decorate a regular tree, in order to get it looking just right. Lights, ornaments, and streamers are hung with great care, and are constantly adjusted to make it look good from all angles (like ikebana). I feel a great sense of relief and satisfaction when we finish with the tree (or any other pain-in-the-ass activity).
So why do I think that trees would prefer to be Christmas trees instead of Bonsai? The Christmas tree dies quickly, so although its life is shorter its death is also less painful. The bonsai tree often lives a long life full of being cut, cracked, and deformed, while the Christmas tree is cut just once (and slowly dies of thirst). If you feel sad for the trees, then my suggestion is to buy a fake Christmas tree or bonsai. I don?t feel sad for the tree (because it is a tree!), but I still say ?thanks? to it for being an important part of my Christmas. Merry Christmas everyone, and have a happy New Year!

Posted by Adam at 5:20 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

November 20, 2003

Kindergarten Keikan

Yoroku? Nashi! Musuko wakakata? Nashi! Yabakatta? So, Amerika! (American coffee the bandits explain, is ridiculously weak. Like a stolen piece of junk, it does not do anything for one).


Aitsu jibun o nani-sama da to omotte yagarun da? Taka ga eda hagi da ze. (Who the fuck does he think he is? He's nothing more than a two bit panty theif!)
Japanese complements of Peter Constantine

Today, I arrived at Hokubu Hoikuen (the Northern-Ubuyama pre-school), at 10:00, just as Nakano sensei discovered evidence of a breaking and entering. Someone had let themself in through the restroom window, leaving muddy footprints all over. All of the desk drawers were riffled through, but nothing was taken. The police were called and arrived at 11:00. They used an array of lights and dust to search for finger prints, and took an hour and a half to do a complete sweep. It would seem to be the same burglar who, last week on Monday, broke into Hokubu Sho (Northern-Ubuyama Elementary) and stole the kyoto-sensei's laptop and Fukuda sensei's digicam.
The search yeilded no leads.

The CSI dude on the right with nifty light, supervised by the Ichinomiya Police Seargeant. These dudes were total dicks when I tried to talk to them, but became friendly when the teachers told them I was a Nikkei Yonsei (4th gen. American).
pic_0499[1].jpg

Point of entry.
pic_0501[1].jpg

Inside close-up. The glass was punched out precisely next to the lock. This window is made of an opaque glass and thinner than the other windows.
pic_0500[1].jpg

Outside close-up. Obviously the theif used tools to open the window, as a finger could not safely pass through the hole. Like a monkey using a twig to snag ant larvae.
pic_0503[1].jpg

Footprint (next to my foot) outside the window. The robber has feet smaller than mine. Luckily for him, it was raining last night, and so any other footprints were washed away.
pic_0502[1].jpg

It is a sad thing, when robbers try to rob nursery schools. What was the guy thinking? Hmmmm... That place must hold gallons of milk and a fortune's worth of cookies, not to mention the juice and crayons! And just think of all the toys... After this heist, its straight up naptime. Jackpot!

About half a year ago, someone stole some shirts out of the Superintendent's car, so it seems that petty theft is becoming more prevalent in our small village. All I know is that I have a big, sharp cleaver a few feet from my bed. On a separate note, I have no problem in implementing my version of Hammurabi's code on anyone foolish enough to try and break into my house.

Posted by Adam at 6:43 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

October 8, 2003

Blackboard Impressionisms

The whiteboard is over-rated. Back in the day, we learned on chalkboards, and we liked it. Chalk has many more merits than the erasable marker. First of all, chalk (AKA CaCO3 as the nerds like to say) is environmentally benign and there is no shortage of it. Also, sniffing chalk will not give you a buzz (trust me, Chris Dempsey has tried this)- it will only give you milky looking snot and make you sneeze . Also, there is nothing in the classroom that lends itself to harmless fun as a fully loaded blackboard eraser. In addition, chalk can be used to write graffiti anywhere there are bricks or concrete, which is pretty much everywhere in a regular school, and if you get caught taggin' they oftentimes don't care since its isn't permanent. Lastly, the blackboard was a rare, useful, effective instrument, efficient in its every use. When a teacher was pissed off, and could take no more noise from a crazed class- thats when she formed her right hand into a claw, bringing her talons of wrath chinking down and then screaching across the murky blackish green void.

pic_0428[1].jpg

Anyhow, I now teach mostly using blackboards now that I am in Japan. Last week I drew this portrait of this student, and I think it came out rather well. I am yet to use my fingernails to get attention, but now that I remembered it I am bound to use this dreaded technique in the future (you think your Wu-Tang Style can defeat me!?!).

pic_0427[1].jpg

Posted by Adam at 4:56 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

October 6, 2003

A Case of Lazy Espionage Or Honest Invasion Of Privacy?

pic_0444[1].jpg

Those bastards! They killed Kenny!
No they didn't but they did open my mail and made it really obvious. The top of the envelope was roughly ripped open, stuffed into a plastic bag containing a note that said basically "uh, we opened your letter"- duh! I couldn't tell this from the disgustingly violated state in which it was received. And all it contained were a letter and some pics.
I understand that the post office has concerns about delivering drugs, explosives, chemical, and biological weapons, but I still don't like the way they opened my letter. They could have steamed it open and I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference, or they could've used a letter opener, but no- some guy used his hooked index finger to eviscerate my letter! I hope you got a bad papercut, and that it gets infected with gas gangrene, forcing you to use a letter opener like a civilized sneak in the future!

On a different note, I scared my students into using English today. My 2nd year JHS students refuse to verbally answer questions in class, so I forced them to change their ways. I explained that we were going to debate why I should or shouldn't give them more homework, everyone against me and Mr. Sato. This worked much better than I anticipated, and almost everyone came up with a counter-point to every point I could think up. They also displayed their potential for creative and critical thinking, which I have rarely encountered at school. The points that they brought up were actually very good, and they questioned the validity of some of my points! The debate went up until the last minute, and I had them scared, because we were tied. I argued the last point for their team, and they enjoyed a victory. If you make the stakes higher, they will step their game up a notch!
Also I believe this worked by putting things into perspective. It is a bit embarassing when you first start to speak in front of any group of people, but being assigned more mind-dulling work is a worse fate. I think this approach has many applications for others as well. For example, if you drop a group of rich self-centered Newport Beach kids into the heart of South Central at nighttime, they will work together and solve problems instead of throwing a fit and demanding that they deserve a new BMW instead of the old Mercedes that was handed down to them. If you stick a middle-class obese systems administrator in Guatemala, eating too much food will not be a problem anymore, nor will not having the time to exercise as they slave in the banana plantations to earn enough food to keep them alive for the day. The opportunities are endless, and at the end of the day you have real solid results.

Posted by Adam at 4:03 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

October 1, 2003

The Haunted Hotel

There is an old abandoned uncompleted golf resort in my town, located right next to another swank expensive resort. This place used to be special to me, when me and Harvey were the only ones who knew of its existance.

The first time I visited the hotel was in late September of 2002. Harvey had told me that the resort was an idea conceived during the peak of the bubble economy. A local entrepreneur pitched the project, including the creation of a full golf course and luxury hotel, to his fellow villagers. They all chipped in a fixed portion of their income and watched their guarenteed cash cow coming closer to completion with every passing day. The hotel was almost complete, and the earth moving equipment had pushed around the earth to accomodate a world-class golf course- there was every indication that from this point on, the cash would come a flowin, and everyone would be rollin in brand new luxury cars, soaking in champagne filled furos, etc... And then the bubble burst! The major capital that had been seeing the project through was suddenly cut off. Only a little more money had to be raised, but this proved impossible. No one had any money to invest, and if they did, they were very reluctant to do anything other than stash it away.
The project failed and the entrepreneur felt a heavy burden. He must have felt like the spectre in "The Rime of the Aincent Mariner" carrying a decaying albatross around his neck. There was only one way to lessen the dishonor that he had brought to his family and ancestors. And so he committed seppuku (so I was told). For those of you unfamiliar with this ceremony, it involves thrusting a knife into your stomach and slicing across from one side to the other. The longer cut you make, the more shame is erased. Pain through purification.
Anyhow, I made my first trip to this place alone close to dusk. I walked around, acutely aware of the total silence, broken occasionally by the buzzing of flies and the scurrying of frightened animals. The place was straight out of a Steven King novel, and I spent an hour exploring the three levels of floors and the clutter packed basement. I remember finding a balcony where I got reception, and calling Justin. It was a truly creepy experience, and he was shocked that I had gone in by myself. The more I described the eerie deja vu vibe mixed with the feeling of being watched, the less I wanted to stay in the hotel. I hung up, and tried to find my way out. The fading light of the late afternoon, filtered through the prisms of broken windows, through the stirred up dust, making richly hued beams of gold. Dusk would come soon.
I stepped up the pace and retraced my steps, or tried to. I had explored so many places that I had forgotten where I had started. The hallway that had come from the lobby spit me out at another hallway. The stairway that led to back to another exit took me to where I had just been. This was really creepy. I had a strong urge to run away, to get out as fast as possible, but I fought this. Ah, there it was, the unmistakable rotten mattress that led to the stairs ascending to the lobby. I dashed forward into the darkness and disturbed a couple of bats who flew almost directly into my face! That way was not going to work. Finally I worked out my orientation and got out of the hotel. Walking down the eroded road to my car, I had the feeling I was being watched from one of the many darkened windows (like Scooby Doo and the gang in any given adventure).
Over the course of time, I have taken many friends to share in the experience. They often are scared or at least unsettled, at the spooky environment. Soon, word got around and now everyone knows of this place. About six months ago I took a bunch of friends on a weekend and we ran into another group that had come to check it out. So the place has lost its charm. Its still a pretty fun place to go once in a long while. My friends like to go and kick down locked doors (there are no more of those now...), break glass, and smash anything that they can. However, visiting the site is done for a whole new reason than when I started.
What was mine has become everyones'. People always feel the need assert their braveness, to illustrate the size of their testicles. "That place isn't so bad", "The only thing I'm concerned about is the bats", "I was expecting it to be scarrier", etc... These people have also never gone in by themselves, and even if they had, they're not going to have the same surreal experience that I had. They can't. On my first visit, the place was unexplored by gaijin- a virgin chunk of wonder. Now, it is merely another curious place to visit in Aso.

I do know of other crazy abandoned places near my pad, but I think I will keep their locations to myself. One of them is the ruins of a partially burnt down love hotel. Again, I visited this place alone, and had a similar experience. Inside the pitch black rooms is old furniture and dusty relics from a time not too long ago. The beds are still made in some of the rooms, and there is a strange object that looks like a cross between massage and torture equipment (you can bet it was used to facilitate doing "the nasty" in various locations). I have not been back, and plan on keeping it that way, preserving the memory for only myself. It's mine!!!

Anyhow, the Aso JETs want to have a halloween party at the hotel (thats right, its gotten that well known). I had thought about doing so when I first visited, but its a really bad idea. If they do have it there, I predict disaster in some form.

Here is a copy of the letter that I sent to help inform the newbs and those who have not thought about the challenges posed by having a party at said location:

You guys are welcome to use the haunted hotel if you like, but I think that there has to be a better place to host a party. When I made my first visit to the hotel last year, it seemed like an ideal place for a party because it was a novel, unexplored place, had lots of stuff to break, was in the middle of nowhere, was large, and nobody other than my predecessor knew of it. However, after many trips back problems became apparent. Like Mark said, there is an abundance of bat (and various other vermin) guano and dead things (we found an owl in one of the rooms!), mixed together with several years worth of mold and dust (think allergies). To be frank, the place smells like moldy rotting bat shit. In addition after going there a few more times with Kelvin, the Fingerhut brothers , Joe Debiec, and several other crazy gaijin, there is a lot of broken glass forming the paths of our destruction. Kelvin and J. Fingerhut actually got pretty decent cuts as a result (and Joe also overextended his leg muscle after kicking down a door Cochise style, puting him out of action for a month). I'm just guessing that theres gonna be drinkin goin on at this party, and mixing drunk people with multiple sharp objects coated with dusty excrement in a dark room lends itself to the inevitability of puncture wounds, creating an easy entrance into the victime for the abundance of pathogens in residence. In addition, anything you want to bring (ex. lights, beer, music, inflatable dolls, etc...) must be carried up, as you can only drive your car to about 1/2 a kilo of the entrance. So the pros, as far as I can see include: large areas and a creepy ambiance, located in BFE, stuff you can break, and a well broken in matress located on the lower level of the hotel.
Cons include: allergens, pathogens, and other disease vectors (some bats are carriers of rabies), sharp stuff.
Heh, it looks like there are more pros than cons, but you get my point. Questions? Comments? lemme know...

Posted by Adam at 4:34 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

September 22, 2003

Zou No Zou

pic_0294[1].jpg
Still trying to figure out how to make an "o" with a straight accent line over it (indicating a long o sound). The addition of a "u" to the end of the "o" will just have to make do for now.

Posted by Adam at 4:32 PM

September 1, 2003

Monkey Igloo

pic_0046[1].jpg
My kids at Hokubu Shogakko made this at the end of winter, when the snow was melting, and it was a blistering 7 degrees C during the day. It felt warmer inside of this dome than my house (and this is not hyperbole, unfortunately). Thank god for summer! Right now its nice and cool up here and everyone else is stuck sweating it out all over most of Japan. Gotta learn to cherish the moments. Then again, there are no bugs during the winter months, and none of that insidious mold!

My house.

Posted by Adam at 5:05 PM

Monkey Art

pic_0044[1].jpg
This picture was made by a former hoikuen student named Tatsuyoshi. Notice the badass romaji. and the badass fro on the hungry dude. Ta-kun knows whats up!

Unfortunately, since my hoikuen kids have gone into Shogakko, they have forgotten ALL English. Zannen na.

Posted by Adam at 4:53 PM

And So It Starts...Again (sigh!)

Summer break is officially over and classes resume today, so it is back to the same routine. The teachers forgot to tell me to come to the opening ceremony, and as I heard everyone singing the official Ubuyama Chugakko song, I was happy to be left out so that I could read about the discovery of a new order of insect in National Geographic (much more interesting than listening to meaningless speeches). Being invisible has its advantages after all!

Fear the kancho. Imagine little groping hands desperately and endlessly trying to explore the contours and entrance to your ass. Time to put the smack down once more on the preschoolers: Do you smell what the Rock is cookin'!? Gotta make them associate ?kancho? with ?pain and suffering?. But seriously, the kancho is not good for anyone involved. The recipient gets a digit up or near the anal region. The attacker gets a Dirty Sanchez, and usually won?t wash their hands before eating unless they are forced to by their parents or teachers. This is truly a lose-lose situation.

Posted by Adam at 12:44 PM