Japan - Short and Sweet

I left for Japan in March 2007 to teach English in Koga, Ibaraki – a small town an hour and a half north of Tokyo. I knew no Japanese (except for domo arigato Mr. Roboto), bought a travel book (that I never read) and got on the plane just looking for a change. Why Japan? Why not? It was easy to find a good paying teaching job, I’d never been before and figured Japan’s about as big a change as you could get. I had no idea what I was getting into.

The transition and adjustment to such a different way of life was pretty tough. It’s a very regulated and restrained society with a surplus of rules, both spoken and unspoken. Seats are assigned at movie theaters, looking people in the eye is sometimes disrespectful, and etiquette often takes priority over logic. There’s a lot of work, very little relaxation and “the system” tends to make things (of any nature) take a while to get done.

On the other hand, Japan is incredibly safe, virtually crime-free and clean. The subways and trains are spotless and ALWAYS on time. The crowded streets are remarkably quiet and the people are polite, helpful and once they open up to you, they’re some of the kindest people you’ll ever meet.

I left Japan a year later, proficient in basic Japanese, with a Japanese girlfriend (who speaks NO English and was the main motivation for me to become proficient in Japanese), and a love and appreciation for one of the most unique and strangely appealing countries I’ve ever been to.

It’s obviously impossible to experience all aspects of Japanese culture on a vacation. However, a nice two week trip is enough to have fun, get a good feel for the country and get back home before going crazy from culture shock. Here are some tips.

Places to stay:

Ikebukuro Plaza - Capsule Hotel: Claustrophobics need not apply

• Price: 3,500 yen/night ($35) includes:
• Your own sleeping capsule which:
• Is a bit longer than a coffin and tall enough for you to sit up and crawl around in.
• Contains a futon mattress, alarm clock, radio, TV, small reading light, pillow and blanket.
• Is arranged with other capsules in rows, stacked two-high in the sleeping rooms on each floor of the hotel.
• Your own locker in an adjacent room on the same floor as your capsule.
• Bathroom (sinks and toilets) on the same floor as your capsule and locker.
• Access to the public bath/shower/spa/sauna located on the bottom floor of the hotel – very relaxing and refreshing.
• Your own kimono for the night
• Location: 2-12-3 Ikebukuro Toshima-ku, Tokyo (near the JR line Ikebukuro Station in the Ikebukuro area of Tokyo)
• Contact:
• Phone: 03-3590-7770
• Pro’s:
• Cheap
• Convenient
• Fast check-in
• No curfew - will accept guests as space permits (I checked in at 11:30pm with no reservations and no hassles)
• Location
• In the center of Ikebukuro – one of Tokyo’s most popular, fun and vibrant areas
• Clean
• Like most things in Japan
• Quiet
• It’s initially weird when you walk into the overpopulated, dark and humming sleeping room of your floor, but once you’ve crawled into your capsule and shut the curtain, you’re off to slumberland. Only in Japan can you be stacked among hundreds of people and still feel alone.
• Cool
• Very unique, Japanese experience
• Cons:
• Female guests are not permitted
• Some capsule hotels have women-only floors and take female guests, however many others (like the one I stayed at) don’t. These restrictions are definitely something to keep in mind and inquire about when planning a trip and searching for hotels of in Japan. I’ve found that it is usually the cheaper places such as capsule hotels and hostels that have this men only policy.
• Not much space – but if you have to have a big area to stretch out in:
• You shouldn’t be in Japan
• You shouldn’t be at a capsule hotel in Japan
• The front desk staff speak very little English.
• Side notes:
• Don’t be surprised – you must take off your shoes and put them in a locker in the lobby before you enter the hotel. From then on it’s all socks and slippers! Get used to taking your shoes off upon entering most semi-traditional/traditional indoor places in Japan – it’s a sign of respect. Don’t worry about it either – they’ll quickly and politely remind you of their no-shoes policy.
• Here’s for a good listing of capsule hotels in Tokyo: http://gojapan.about.com/cs/accommodation/a/tokyocapsule1.htm

Asakusa Central Hotel: Nice hotel, great location

• Price: Single rooms start at 9,135 yen/night ($90) includes:
• Single dorm-sized hotel room with your basic hotel amenities (twin bed, desk, chair, TV, closet, phone, private bathroom/shower, room cleaning)
• Internet modems are available and there’s wireless access in the lobby
• Access to public bath/shower/spa/sauna (men only)
• Location: 1-5-3 Asakusa, Taitou-ku, Tokyo (Asakusa area of Tokyo – see website for map/access)
• Contact:
• Phone: 81-3-3847-2222
• Email: ach@pelican.co.jp
• Website: www.pelican.co.jp/asakusacentralhotel/eng/index.html
• Pro’s:
• Location
• The Asakusa area is one of the most popular locations for tourists and locals alike (more details on Asakusa below).
• Comfortable and convenient
• No curfews, quiet comfortable rooms, friendly front desk staff that speak enough English to answer any questions and ensure a pleasant stay.
• Cons:
• None – maybe a tad pricey
• Side notes:
• This was the first place I stayed when I arrived in Japan and it was perfect - especially since my company was paying the tab for all us new hires.

Hotel New Otani Tokyo: Snazzy, Luxurious, Upscale Digs

• Price: Single rooms start at 36,005 yen/night ($360) includes:
• More than I have space to list here (see website)
• Location: 4-1 Kioi-cho, Chiyuda-ku, Tokyo (see website for map/access)
• Contact:
• Phone: 81-3-3265-1111
• Website: www.newotani.co.jp/en/tokyo/index.html
• Pro’s:
• Everything – brand new, beautiful hotel, great area, luxurious amenities, you name it…
• Cons:
• Expensive – way out of my league
• Side notes:
• I haven’t actually stayed here, but I had friends visiting who did and they loved it.
• When the Boston Red Sox and Oakland A’s came to Japan for the 2008 MLB season opener, this is where they stayed – big league baby!

Things to keep in mind when looking for a hotel:

• Many hotels in Japan (especially the more traditional ones) have curfews and lock the front doors at a certain time each night.
• If you’re like me and are more inclined to grip-it and rip-it, finding a cheap place to sleep on the fly isn’t very difficult in the bigger cities (Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka), but if you end up in smaller cities and towns along the way don’t be surprised if you end up paying about 6,000yen/night ($60).

Places to see:

Tokyo:

• Asakusa
• Sensoji Temple
• Wandering the narrow, sometimes dark, sometimes lantern lit, sometimes neon lit streets in Asakusa you realize you are officially in Japan.
• Asakusa was the center of Tokyo a few decades back, now giving way to the more modern and trendy areas like Shinjuku and Shibuya, but still maintaining its traditional and charming character.
• Great selection of restaurants.
• Places to buy souvenirs
• Kappabashi street is full of stores selling fake food displays that restaurants show in their front windows so foreigners who can’t read the menu know what they’re getting into – real funny gifts.
• The vendors lining the walkway to Sensoji Temple (while very crowded) have lots of cool stuff to take home.
• The streets and alleyways in the Asakusa area have shops for almost anything – kimonos, swords, trinkets, clothing, food, electronics…the list goes on.
• The dollar stores in Japan (hyaku-yen: 100yen) are also clutch sources of cool, cheap, “authentic” gifts. Great for your Uncle Leo who’d never know the difference anyway.
• Ueno Park
• Located right next to the Ueno train station
• Huge, pretty, packed with stuff:
• Museums
• Zoo
• Street performers
• Concert hall
• Merry-go-round
• Baseball diamond
• Local recreational teams and friends playing for “fun” – the players take it very seriously and the result is hilarity.
• Gorgeous when the cherry blossoms (Sakura) are out – usually the last couple weeks in March.
• Shibuya
• Busiest intersection in Japan
• It’s the place you’ve most likely seen in movies or commercials with tons of people, lights and huge TV screens on the fronts and sides of skyscrapers blaring advertisements and announcements to the masses.
• Hachiko – dog statue
• Outside of the Shibuya station is the statue of Hachiko, Japan’s most famous dog. Apparently this dog would walk his master to the train station on the way to work and then meet him there to walk back with him on the way home, every day. But then, one day, his master became ill on the job and died before he could return home. The dog continued to go to the same spot every day, waiting for his master to come home, but he never did. After Hachiko’s death, a life-size statue of him was built in honor of his loyalty. Today it’s a popular meeting point for locals in Shibuya.
• Shibuya is one of, if not the most popular places in Tokyo for trendy restaurants, shopping, bars and nightlife.
• Shinjuku
• The Tokyo Government Buildings
• These skyscrapers near the Shinjuku train station provide the best view of Tokyo I’ve seen. Even better, it’s free and open late (‘till 11pm). I recommend going around sunset. Beautiful sprawling view of Tokyo - sometimes you can see Mt. Fuji off in the distance. At night the red lights speckling the sea of buildings below are calmly mesmerizing.
• Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
• Large, serene park and garden – a very Japanese experience.
• The Shinjuku area is also a very popular place for shopping, bars, restaurants, nightlife.

Kyoto:

• Former capital of Japan, located 2 hours from Tokyo via the Shinkansen bullet train.
• Cultural center of Japan with a fascinating blend of old and new

Kyoto Hotels:

• Hotel Granvia Kyoto: Really Nice
• Price: Single rooms start around 180,000yen/night ($180) includes:
• Everything you could think of and some stuff you probably couldn’t (see website for details)
• Location: JR Kyoto Station (literally connected to the train station)
• Contact:
• Phone: 81-75-344-8888
• Website: http://www.granviakyoto.com/
• Pro’s:
• Beautiful, brand new, luxurious hotel
• Great location
• Everything about it
• Cons:
• None – well I guess pricey, but that goes without saying
• Side note:
• I obviously didn’t stay here, but my friend and said it was “awesome”
• More Kyoto hotel info:
• Here’s a good website listing: http://www.japaneselifestyle.com.au/Kyoto_hotels
• There are two very helpful Tourist Information Centers in Kyoto Station that were a great help for me in my quest for lodging. One is on the 2^nd floor and the other is on the 9^th floor – very easy to find and most people speak surprisingly good English
• There are a TON of hotels in Kyoto – so if you’re really stressing…don’t.

Some places in/near Kyoto to check out:

• Gion
• Main shopping, eating and “partying” district in Kyoto. Lots of shops and restaurants, souvenirs and restaurants
• Main area to spot real life geisha
• I could try and explain where it is here, but it’s a very popular area, on every map of Kyoto and a guaranteed easy find. Kyoto is one of the few Japanese cities arranged in a grid – which is SO nice. I will say it is a good 20 – 30 minute walk from the train station, so if you’re not down for that I recommend taking either a taxi (tons of ‘em), a bus (tons of ‘em) or the subway (potentially confusing – but also another adventure in itself)
• Kiya-machi
• A very pretty river-walk and sure-fire place to find a great restaurant and/or bar
• Located just south of the Gion district
• Street performers, shops, music
• Restaurants with patios and balconies that overlook the river – really nice
• Nara
• If you’re in the area I’ve heard that Nara (a town about an hour from Kyoto) will blow your mind as well. Unfortunately I didn’t make it over there when I was in Kyoto (ran out of money) but, from what people tell me, I really wish I had.

Places to eat:

• Yoshinoya
• Japanese fast-food. The first place I ate in Japan. They’re everywhere and serve rice bowls with mainly pork and a few other options. It’s cheap, it’s fast, and it’s wonderful.
• Gyu-Kaku
• A chain of Korean-style barbecue restaurants that are all over Japan. If you’re at a train station, odds are there’s a Gyu-Kaku within 500ft. At these Korean-style barbecue (yaki-niku) restaurants you have your own little charcoal grill at your table. The meat/veggies/whatever is brought to your table raw, for you to cook. It’s a blast, though tough if you’re a vegetarian. Most parties with friends or co-workers will at one point or another (and usually more than once) involve yaki-niku. The Gyu-Kaku restaurants have a relaxed, friendly atmosphere and good prices.
• Izakaya
• Japanese bars. They’re different than most bars I’ve been to in other parts of the world. More along the lines of what I would consider a restaurant anywhere else – everyone’s seated at their own tables. Izakayas have cheap Japanese food that is usually served in appetizer portions and a wide selection of alcohol as the main attraction.
• Brief Japanese alcohol guide:
• Beer – (bee-ru) – Asahi, Sapporo, Suntory, Kirin – they’re all good
• Sake – (nihon-shu) – Japanese rice wine – not too strong, very good, very Japanese
• Sho-chu – (sho-chu) – distilled from barley, sweet potato or rice – weaker than whiskey, stronger than Sake and wine – it’s got some bight to it – be careful with this one
• Cheers – (kam-pai!!!) – say this loudly and often
• Tskukiji Market
• The Japanese like their fish. Located in Tokyo, this is the biggest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world. It’s also where you can get some of the freshest sushi you’ve every eaten. Surrounding the actual market the streets are lined with sushi restaurants of every variety. I must’ve eaten there at least 5 times, which is a lot since I lived 2 hours away.
• Kaiten zushi
• A type of sushi restaurant where the sushi is paraded past the tables on a conveyor belt – yet another cool Japanese experience. If you see something you like, you grab it and eat it. You can also place special orders with the sushi chefs on hand (e.g. you’ve been hoping for a plate of octopus (tako) and all you’ve seen for the past 10 minutes is tuna (maguro) and squid (ika)).
• Kappa Zushi is a chain of these “spinning style” sushi restaurants. I’m pretty sure they’re located all over Japan – each plate is 100yen ($1).
  
  Things to keep in mind when eating out:
  
  
• It’s perfectly acceptable to call (sumimasen=excuse me) any server over at any time to take an order, clear things away, bring the bill, whatever. Many times your table will have a button for you to press that will ring throughout the restaurant alerting the staff that you need something – they’ll be at your table in 3.2 seconds (maybe not literally that fast, but you get the idea).
• Tipping is neither expected nor practiced.

Further Insight on Japan:

• Karaoke
• It’s huge in Japan – usually costs about 1,500yen/hour ($15). You get your own private room that will range in size depending on how many are in your party.
• Good selection of music from all over the world. You lose your inhibitions (if you had any to begin with) real quickly and next thing you know you’re singing the Backstreet Boys at the top of your lungs and losing your voice for the next couple of days.
• Matsuri
• Japanese festivals are a unique look at some traditional and pretty strange, but fun Japanese customs. There are so many national and local festivals that it’s impossible to list them all. Most of the ones I saw, I stumbled upon by chance.
• Wikipedia has a good listing of major festivals throughout Japan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matsuri
• I also recommend searching the internet for any listings of festivals in the places you plan on visiting. They’re a lot of fun and a seldom seen side of Japan by the average tourist.
• Helpful Websites:
• The Japan Times - http://www.japantimes.co.jp/
• Metropolis - http://metropolis.co.jp

7 Days of Pain - The Nightmare of Obtaining a Japanese Driver License

This was the breaking point for me. I'm sharing this so others in the same situation will know what they're getting into and hopefully minimize the pain.

Back in March, I was planning on teaching for another year in Koga. I hadn't set up anything anywhere else yet and I had a relatively new Japanese girlfriend that I'd put a lot of time and effort into and wanted to maximize my return on the investment. I liked her too. Things were starting to take shape for my next year of teaching and that included the miles of red tape and hours of paperwork that went into it.

My next school was going to be located about 20 minutes away by car from my apartment - with no train or bus access. Therefore I would need to drive to work. Therefore I would need to get a Japanese drivers license. Even though I'd been driving on an International Drivers License since August of last year with no problems, the system wouldn't accept a renewal of that one, and required that I get a new official Japanese Drivers License. The driving center is located in Mito, the capital of Ibaraki. Living in Koga - I was literally as far away from Mito as one could be while remaining a registered Ibaraki resident. Figures. Koga is much closer to the driving center in the neighboring prefecture of Saitama, but rules are rules and all residents of Ibaraki must go to the Mito driving center. The gaping holes in the systems over here swallowed me up. Everything was taking forever, nobody was giving me straight answers, the processes were completely inefficient and horrible.

My 7 days of pain went like this:

Friday - Got out of school early to go to the immigration office in Mito to extend my Visa. Two-hour train ride one-way. The Visa I was issued by Interac expired two weeks before my working contract did, so there was a gap that needed to be filled. The only way to fill that gap was by purchasing a year-long visa extension. After waiting 3 hours and barely getting in before the office closed (at 5pm) I submitted all the necessary paperwork only to be told that I needed to come back next week to pick up and pay for my new visa when I receive a postcard from them telling me it's ready. Back to Koga.

Monday - Got out of school early to drive the boring 2 hour drive to the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) office in Mito. JAF is where I had to go to get the Japanese translation of my Arizona Driver License. I got lost - had a horrible map - couldn't find the place until 6:30 - they closed at 5:30. Turned around and drove the 2 hours back to Koga.

Tuesday - Got the afternoon off to drive back to JAF in Mito. Paid 3,000 yen, slept 30 minutes in their lobby and received my official Japanese translation. Drove back to Koga - another 2 hours in the car.

Wednesday - Got the whole day off for my big trip to the driving center in Mito. Woke up at 5am. Got there at 8 - with all my paperwork - rules of the road memorized - wearing a suit - ready to kiss some ass. I was one of the first in line - submitted my documents - paid my fees (4,500yen) - bowed to the guys - smiled at the girls. The processing windows are only open from 9 - 10 am and at 10 they shut those babies down and process all the paperwork they just received in that hectic hour of exposure to the masses. At 10:45 they called me back up and asked me a bunch of questions about my driving history, any classes I'd taken, occupation, background. It's best to paint as pretty and clean a picture for them as possible (i.e. lie your ass off). After another half hour of waiting, they called me back again asking for a certificate that shows the original date that my Arizona drivers license was issued. I didn't know such a document existed - either way they needed it and I didn't have it. Apparently I had to prove that I was a licensed driver in America for at least three months. In my case, my current license was issued in 2006. I've traveled quite a bit and have stamps from all over Europe in my passport. When they looked at those stamps and my license from 2006, they had no way to prove that I had been legally driving in America for a full three months. I laughed at them when they requested this - they didn't smile when they handed me back all of my paperwork (and none of my money) and told me they couldn't accept my application that day. Right then I decided I was done with Japan. Drove back to Koga - empty as ever.

Thursday - My postcard from the immigration office in Mito arrived Wednesday - so it was back to Mito on Thursday to pick up my new visa. Took the train this time - didn't hurt as much knowing it would be my last. I was able to jump ahead in line - my visa was ready - and I was officially cleared to work another year in Japan. Train back to Koga spent chewing on the annoying irony of it all.

Even if I had submitted all the required documents at the driving center - the odds are I would have failed my practical driving test. Many times the administrator fails you just based on appearance or personal grudges. I understand Americans have the most difficult time with this test. Sometimes they'll fail you just to make sure you're taking it/them seriously. After the test they'll tell you you did great, but then when you recieve your grades, you failed. The course looks nothing like roads in Japan. The rules they watch for are rarely used in everyday driving and far from a practical assessment of the driver's ability. It's there just to make you work for it. Just to inflict pain upon you so you will appreciate your license once you get it and so they can say they've thoroughly tested you. Most people I talked to had to take the test at least twice. When I went to the driving center on Wednesday, there was a Russian girl there who failed for the 5th time. You also have to pay your application fee every time you go. Absolutely ridiculous.

Here's my advice if you have the unfortunate task of applying for a Japanese Driver's License. Keep in mind that my only experience with this process is the driving center in Mito, Ibaraki.

• Wear a suit when you go to the driving center.
• Arrive early - at 8am - since they are only open from 9 - 10am.
• Be as polite as possible - speak as much Japanese as you can - "yoroshiku onegaishimasu" goes a long way
• Bring a lot of cash - at least 10,000 yen to be safe - actual application costs around 4,500
• Bring these documents:
• Current foreign driver license
• Japanese translation of foreign driver license
• Certificate of Alien Registration
• Passport
• Photos (3x2.4cm - if your photos are the wrong size or if you forget them - they have a photo shop right next door that can take your picture right there - the one convenient thing about this place)
• International driving permit
• Copy or certificate of your original driver license from your home country that shows the original date of issuance.
  
• If you are going to JAF to get the Japanese translation of your current foreign license - be careful - the map I got showed its location (in Mito) on the intersection of the 50 and the 50 - so confusing - make sure you know exactly where it is before you drive out there - you won't be able to just look around and find it
• Be flexible and plan in advance enough so that you can weather a few failed attempts.
  
• Click here for a site with some great info and advice

State of the Gaijin - Losing Credibility - Leaving Japan

It's done. I'm leaving Japan 3/25 and will be home indefinitely. I just quit Interac, telling them I've once again decided that I will not be renewing my contract. I wasn't thinking straight when I originally decided to stay for another year and it took a terrible week of Japan crapping on me for me to realize that I need out.

I spent 4 of the past 7 days driving 2 hours one-way to Mito (capital of Ibaraki) to get my Japanese driver's license and my visa extended. I still have to go back once more to pay for and receive my new visa. If I was staying, I would have to go at least one more time to the DMV to get my license - but that wouldn't even be a sure thing since the driving test is ridiculous and most people have to take it 2 or 3 times before they are passed.

It's going to be hard to say goodbye - in a Stockholm Syndrome kind of way.

Officiating Japanese Junior High School Basketball

This whole year I've been half-assedly participating in the basketball team's activities. I say half-assedly because they practice every day - literally - with no weekends or holidays off. They do the same drills that they've been doing for the past two years - every day and get yelled at for the same reasons every day. So, since I don't want to submit myself to that kind of punishment, I go the slacker route and show up about twice a week, depending on the week. At the beginning of the year I made the all too common mistake of taking the advice of my peers and trainers to heart and felt the pressure to go every day along with the pain of their resentment if I didn't show up one day. I had to learn not to get too worked up over it and not to feel like I have to apologize or explain myself if I don't go. Now, I go if I have time (which I always do), or more importantly, if I don't have to rush home for my after-school b.m.

The club activities are a good time though. Participating in these activities is one of the most important/beneficial things an ALT(gaijin english teacher) can do. One of the best moves I made at the beginning of the year was going to one of the basketball team's practices on a Sunday. I told the coach that I liked/played bball and he said, if you're free this sunday, please join us. I did. I barely knew any of the kids or teachers, and was still in that shy fearful state that being around shy and fearful people puts you in. It wasn't fun. Nice to play basketball though and it was my first structured practice in a few years (10). The practice didn't mean much to me. It was raining that day, and I was without a car at that time, so I didn't have anything else to do. I road home in the rain, pissed off at myself for moving to Japan and missing home.

A week or so later, I hear from my company that they heard about my appearance at the practice - all the teachers at the school were talking about it - and all of a sudden I'm a great teacher. I hadn't taught a class yet. This is one of many examples of how complete bullshit this job is - and shows you the kinds of things that make impressions in this culture. Cleaning with the students for 15 minutes a day makes you a hard worker. Going around and introducing yourself to each teacher on your first day means you have good character. Teaching English (improving my students' abilities to converse and comprehend the English language) is not anywhere close to my list of "Important Things To Do To Do A Good Job."

Aside from a good "career move" - going to the club activities is fun. It gives the kids a chance to goof off a bit without getting yelled at. The basketball club is a good choice because in the gym there are three different teams practicing - boys/girls bball, volleyball, and boys/girls table-tennis - so you can go to each team and screw around a bit and then move on. Keeps it fresh. It's also indoors which is a prerequisite for me here - no way I'm weathering the elements like the poor kids/coaches in the baseball, soccer, track and field clubs. If it's raining really hard, the baseball team sometimes does laps through the halls for two hours - all in perfect formation and every time I've seen em they've smiled at me when they ran by.

The boys basketball coaches are nice, but pretty cold and quiet. They like it when I go, but they put off that air of indifference (maybe because I go when I want to). The girls coach is a lot cooler/friendlier, and he also knows a lot more about basketball from what I've seen. The girls team is one of the top three teams in the state and regularly score 80 - 100 points. I couldn't believe it either, but he showed me the scores from the paper and video of some games and I believed it. They fast break and launch 3's all day.

So we're talking at the Christmas party and he asks me if I ever ref? Of course (lie), I say. He asks me if I want to ref some of the girls games when they play other schools on the weekends? Hell yeah. The next 30 minutes of the conversation was spent going through and mimicking every possible call you could make - very funny - I had the basics down, but I got a lot wrong and some of the details and motions are a bit different over here. I could tell that he knew what he was doing too.

The first time I reffed was the girls tournament. It was at our school. I think the way it works is that about every weekend there's a tournament (a bunch of games - no champions) at whatever school's turn it is to host that week. About 5 - 7 teams go and they play each other all day.

It was hilarious. I was terrible. Blowing calls, mixing up teams, forgetting time-counts, out of position, trailing the plays. When I called a foul and ran to the scorers table to report it to the kids manning the books/clock - I'd say one thing/number/team and motion something completely different - like I'd call a shooting foul on blue #7 - but I 'd hold up the number 8 with my hands and the only colors on the floor were yellow and red. Nobody said a word. During breaks in the action or in between games the coaches would come up to me and say Ohhh, you're so good - thank you so much for helping us today - you're really a great ref - please come again. It got to a point where I'd see a play developing and already decide in my head what the call would be - or see a team just getting trounced on and start calling a ton of reaching calls to help out the team down 37 - 14 getting eaten up by the full court press with 2 minutes left - they never call off the dogs. I got pretty emphatic/entertaining towards the end - I'd put some juice into my charging and traveling calls - the kids on the sidelines loved it and for the next few weeks at school they'd run up to me in the halls and call me for the offensive foul and throw their arm going the other way.

At the beginning of the games the starting five line up across from each other and bow. If a sub checks into the game they go to the scorers table and bow before coming on to the court - the player leaving the court bows upon arriving at the bench. There is no whining about any of the officiating - by the players, coaches, or the few parents that are watching. Absolutely none. I'd make the worst calls and the kids would apologize to me. I'd call a foul on #7 and #7's hand goes straight up in acknowledgment. They hand me the ball when it goes out of bounds saying onegaishimasu "please take this." Not one perplexed look or notion of opposition. A little different than the scene at some of the basketball tournaments I've been to - and I've been to a few.

Every game whether the team is up by 20, down by 20 or tied - a player is getting chewed out. The coach's voice gets really loud all of a sudden and the gym gets silent - some poor kid whose time has come gets reamed in front of everyone. I don't know what the various surface level reasons are that they get yelled at - maybe they didn't switch on a screen or box out or missed a lay up - but that's a tenth of the meaning behind it - the rest is establishing the coach as the pack leader and instilling/maintaining that level of fear that is needed for control and order. It's so sad sometimes. I'll be screwing around with one of the scorer's table kids or talking with one of the coaches one minute, the next there's screaming, veins popping out, kids crying quietly on the bench into their towels, hiding their faces as the game goes on. Every coach/teacher yells at kids the same way with the same intonation and rhythm. The kids don't respond really, and just stand there taking it - like nothing I say or do can stop this furry-eyebrowed man from screaming at me for the next 10 minutes - which is true - they could have DNA evidence and blood stains and 10 eye witnesses proving them innocent for the crime in question - but the sensei is never wrong and if they try to prove otherwise then they're guilty of that too.

I've reffed at three tournaments so far. Two of them girls games and one boys. The boys coach saw me reffing at the girls first tournament and used that as a lead in to inviting me to one of theirs. The girls games were a lot more fun - I think mainly because the coaches were generally nicer - which made the kids nicer/funnier too. Also, the level of play with the girls is significantly better than that of the boys. Maybe because of the coaching too. Most teams (boys and girsl) have 8 - 12 players on the roster - but some are stacked 15 - 30 deep - since everyone is accepted (no tryouts/cuts). In these cases about half of the kids don't play all day and spend their time on the bench cheering and singing. The teams are made up of 1st and 2nd graders (since the 3rd graders finished their club activities in the winter and now spend their hours after school studying for the high school entrance exams). The 2nd graders play and 1st graders support - they (the 1st graders) bring the players (the 2nd graders) their water bottles, fan them during time outs and, never look like they've ever had a complaint in their heads.

My third time reffing, I'd gotten my motions and positioning down and the coach said I'd moved up a level - I'm now at 3 of 5. All of the refs are coaches for the teams that aren't playing that game - so it's not like these are paid officials - which takes some pressure off. I'm probably still more of a 2 - but the boldness of him not telling me that I was a 5 was appreciated. You don't see that kind of honesty much.

State of the Gaijin - Another Partial Retraction

There's been a change of plans.
I'm now renewing my contract with Interac and continuing my Egnlish teaching tenure in Japan. Due to my last minute decision and the rigidness of Japanese companies, I won't be teaching in the Koga area and will instead be posted at two elementary schools in Sakai machi, which is a small town about a 20 minute drive away. I'll still live in the same place since it's so close and there's not much in Sakai. Ideally I would have liked to continue at one of the Koga area junior highs and/or elementary schools because I've gotten to know a lot of the teachers - but there was no budging due to all of the spots being filled up. Ironically, when my placement was defaulted to Koga when I first signed with Interac a year ago, they used the excuse that the position I was originally slated for in Maebashi (a much bigger/cooler city) was no longer available as the ALT there decided to stay at the last minute. Go figure. Not the end of the world - and teaching at elementary schools will be a lot more entertaining than the waves of boredom that bludgeon you at junior highs.

I'll still be going home on 3/26, but am only going to be in town for about a week. Staying on with Interac makes the most sense right now - financially, logistically and personally. Mental, emotional and social states are another depraved story.

State of the Gaijin - Nearing the End.......(?)

My last day of school is 3/24. I'm not renewing my contract with my current company (Interac) for the following reasons:

• Contracts begin at the beginning of April (when school starts) and I need more of a breather than just a week back home
• Contracts are for a year and I'm not ready to commit for another full lap
• There are enough teaching jobs in Japan that there's not much pressure to lock in to something when the timing's off
  
• I was pushing hard to get transfered to a bigger city like Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Nagoya or Tokyo, but didn't get it. With most Japanese companies - you don't get what you want - only what the system dispenses. I don't know how the placement process "functions" but it hasn't worked well for me. I think this is an issue with most of these ALT supporting type companies in Japan - so it's not unique to Interac - but something to be prepared for if you're thinking about signing up. On the other hand I do recommend Interac to anyone looking to teach English in Japan. It's currently the biggest and one of the most well respected company's of it's kind

Moving Forward: I'll be returning to the blessed, blessed soil of the United States of America - the greatest country in the Universe - on 3/26 - hopefully early enough to catch some March Madness and maybe a spring training game.

Bridging the Gap: The current plan is to bum around AMERICA for a month - stock up on the things I've been missing like freedom - genuine laughter - friends - sincerity - coolness - debauchery - fun - hamburgers - individual thinking and justice. After I've gotten a nice fix - I'd then, come back to Japan for another teaching stint - and have all of those things sucked right back out. This move back to Japan would be only for a few months in order to save money before I pursue the long-term goal of balancing everything out by moving to Chile in August or September. I'd like to work/volunteer as a journalist at one of the English newspapers/media outlets in the country. If that doesn't pan out, I've heard the English teaching market is pretty strong and it's not too difficult to find a job if you've got training and experience (which I do - wa'sup?).

Economic Outlook: Bleak - either way I wouldn't be making much money - so if anyone's hiring in April - pretty much just for April - let me know.

Entertainment: I've been told numerous times by various Japanese locals that I have a "Japanese heart." This compliment has been the result of a wide range of acts from helping sweep during the daily school-cleaning time (where the entire school - students and teachers - take 30 minutes to clean - no janitors/outsourced cleaning crews - all in-house baby), to speaking broken drunken Japanese with a few drunken Japanese at a drinking party. The Last Samurai 2: The Last Samurai.

Health care: I banged up my knee teaching these kids how to ball and have been on the DL for the past few weeks. I did think of a nickname if I ever made the AND1 mixtape tour: Ghostwipe.

Midori

Went to a concert in Tokyo at the Liquidroom in Ebisu. A smaller place, maybe the same size as the Marquee in Tempe for those that are familiar. Not a dingy place, but dark and unimpressive. Fits a few hundred people - bar in front - $30 to get in - then once you're in you have to buy a $5 drink, served in a tiny plastic cup - smaller than the ones used in beer-pong, for those that are familiar - and filled up 3/4 of the way. They didn't search my backpack at the door - so it could've been byob, but I'm an idiot. Now I know, and knowing is half the battle.

Three bands played: The Zoot16, Midori and Radio Caroline. Japanese bands. It wasn't packed - maybe 200. Strange scene. When you first get there, there's a big set of stairs partitioned off so that you have to walk all the way up to this empty lounge area, where a couple staffers direct you down the other side of the same stairs you just hiked up - to the entrance. This is the only way in. No side doors or fences to help you save $30.

This was the young adult 18 - 30 something cross section of Tokyo - a sample of it at least and something I've only experienced in small bights. They dress like they're complete dorks in cool-costumes for Halloween. Weird 80's - early 90's hair styles, bleach streaks, spikes, leopard cowboy boots and black leather jackets with lots of silver buttons and straps, terrible teeth, lots of smoke.

The crowd was loud I guess - far from hostile. They cheered and jumped around - but it wasn't passionate or reckless - it was like they were doing it because it was the time in the song to do it - complying. At most concerts there's that sense of approachable chaos - like if the crowd goes crazy enough in the same direction, it could get dangerous - Unstoppable. Lawless. Not at this show. (side note: I also went to the Rage Against the Machine concert, to try and sneak in - impossible again - but felt that same void in the scene and crowd before the show - like yeah let's get all geared up to go crazy but only after we've bought our tickets in advance, filed in through the arrows and signage and halls, waited 45 minutes in line to pay $40 for a shirt after paying $90 for a general admission ticket, checking our things in for safe keeping at the "goods check" area, waiting in line for the doors to open to our huge gray square hall container where we can rage all we want.)

The Zoot16 and Radio Caroline went along with the underlying feeling of "only cool because I'm in Japan". The meat of the show was Midori. 4 person band: drums, keyboard, upright bass and lead singer/guitar. The lead singer was a girl dressed in a school girl uniform. Tiny thing (the girl) and crazy as hell. Hitting herself in the head with the microphone, slamming around all over the stage, diving off and crowd surfing mid-verse. Her guitar and pretty much every instrument up there was more percussion than anything. The guy on the keyboard spent most of his time running around the stage clapping and pumping up the crowd. The bassist would jump into the crowd with his bass -I think there's a Will Ferrel SNL skit about bassist solos - this was the exaggerated version of that, only taken very seriously by most. The whole thing was more spectacle, less music. Her lyrics were 3 parts screaming, 1 part melodic inaudible (to me at least) speaking and humming. A loud, disorienting sound, kept above water by the antics on stage. It was awesome.

The show was over by 10pm and then everybody went home.

Midori

Midori girl

Radio Caroline

Radio Caroline

video footage available through videos link

Some Tokyo Sights

Kappabashi street in the Asakusa area. It's where they sell fake food that restaurants display in their front windows so gaijin know what they'd be getting into.

Spicy Bar - Mucho Gracias
Strange place

"Excuse me. I'm not from around here. Which way is the Rage Against the Machine concert?"

Fuji-san from the train, a long way away.

From Shinjuku - government building - getting dark

Yoyogi park on a day off

Nikko and Sumo

Nikko is one of the most popular places in Japan for nature and outdoorsy stuff. Nikko is Nippon. Very traditional, lots of history, a mountain town. It's about an hour and a half away from Koga. Lots of hiking and scenery. It's really cold and snowed a bit while I was up there this time. Took a bus from the train station up to the area where the waterfall is. When we got up there six Japanese Santa Clauses greeted us and passed out presents. It was just before Christmas. They didn't know the words to Jingle Bells, but they knew the tune, so they "La La'd" their way through it.

Shrine in Utsunomiya - a city on the way to Nikko.

Same shrine in Utsunomiya.

Nikko - Kegon Waterfall

Nikko - Lake Chuzenji

Went to a Sumo match this past week. They're only held about every other month and the location moves around Japan each time, so I figured I should seize this opportunity while it's in Tokyo in January. I went because I know I won't be in Japan very long and it's probably the only time in my life I'd be able to go. After going, I know that if I lived the rest of my life in Japan, I would feel no urge to go again. The tickets are expensive, the individual matches last on average less than 10 seconds and the entire show is over in about two hours. They have some freshman and JV matches throughout the day, but the real heavyweights go from 4 - 6pm. It's a somewhat enthusiastic crowd towards the end, but not as exciting as the baseball crowds. They explained a lot of the tradition and the customs observed during the matches - kind of interesting - not noteworthy. I'd rather go to a bullfight or a Suns game.

Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo

The athletes

Warming up

Ready position

Battle

Pride and shame

Celebration

A visit from my brother

Elliot arrived on Friday night, 12/28, much thinner than the last time I saw him. Sleek. I've used that word only two other times in my life to describe men. The first instance was referring to Iceman in Top Gun (can you blame me?), and the other was uttered after a 1994 matchup between the Suns and the Pistons in which this then 12 year old was very impressed by a certain #33's ability to get to the rack. Yes my friends, I speak of the 1993 Henry Iba Corinthian Award Winner, the 1993-94 ACC Men's Basketball Player of the Year, the 1994-95 NBA Co-Rookie of the Year, the 2004-05 NBA Sportsmanship Award Winner, an Olympic Gold Medal Winner and current #33 on your Phoenix Suns - Grant Hill. So Elliot, keep doing the Crossfit thing - you're in good company.

Saturday we went to the two parks that we have in Koga and then out for dinner and karaoke with Akira, Kazumi and Asuka, my best boozing buddies and subsequently my best buddies. Most notable karaoke selections of late include, but are not limited to: Elton John - The Circle of Life; Backstreet Boyzzz - I want it that way; Aerosmith - I don't wanna miss a thing; Weezer - Say it aint so; and a newcomer to the rotation, your favorite - DeAndre Cortez Way - better known as Soulja Boy - Crankdat. There was also a solo performance by Elliot of Queen's - Don't Stop Me Now. I have some footage of this performance, but am holding onto it should I need it some day in the future for incentive/collateral/blackmail.

On Sunday, the 30th, we went to my friend Toshio's house for a mochi party. I know Toshio from the gym, and it started out as one of those gym acquaintanceships where you see the same person there every time you go and say hi or in this case "thank you for working with me." Then it grew into one of those gym friendships where actual conversations occurred. This is the stage where most gym produced relationships plateau, but not in this case. I told him my brother was coming to Japan for the winter break and he invited us to his house for this party - which, in my book, makes the jump from gym friendship to the oh-so-sought-after: friendship. Real nice guy. I had no idea what to expect.

Mochi is a sticky, mostly tasteless food that is made by putting a big ball of hot rice in a bowl carved into an old tree stump, then smashing said ball of rice with a wooden club, into the pasty product known as mochi. It is then doctored up slightly and served with complimentary foods such as bacon or anko. Anko is a bean paste that is common in many Japanese pastries and represented on the big screen and in comic books as Anpanman - one of the country's most revered heroes.

We were at his house from 9:30am to 9:30pm. Four generations of his family lived in there - and it was the definition of a Japanese farm house: Lots of animals, farming equipent, clutter, kids and activity. There were probably 20 - 30 people there throughout the day. All really nice: The sober alcoholic uncle who smoked and wouldn't stop feeding us - Bathroom breaks and trips to examine the rest of the property were extended and strategic time-outs for our digestive tracts. The big cousin who loves Jackass and the Jonny Knoxville crew - Pain, stupidity and humor - the holy trinity transcends cultures and breaks down language barriers. The grandpa who got us hammered off the house sake. The little niece who knocked over my full glass of sake soaking the table, carpet and my pants - I tried to play it off, but once the people of the house noticed and reacted to the spill, the little girl went nuts, wouldn't stop crying, I buried my face in my hands as she was escorted out of the room to calm down. This happened (by some coincidence) about 30 minutes before we were driven home. Terror and unrest to remember us by.
Japanese people don't often open themselves up to strangers, much less foreigners, but when they do, they go all in. 100% submersion on Elliot's second day.

New Year's is celebrated a bit differently here. It's more of a family holiday than the huge party it is back in the states. The family that I went on the hiking trip to Oze with invited us to their house for a new year's eve sleepover. I'd been to their house once before and knew what to expect. It'd be nothing like the marathon we ran the day before at the farm house. This would be much more relaxed, but not without some suffering. It wouldn't be Japan without some suffering. We ate a good full dinner and went to a temple at midnight, as did a lot of other people in the town, to ring a bell and make a prayer. Nothing very remarkable or spectacular, but very Japanese. We got back home around 1am and it was time for bed. This is when the suffering comes in to play. The suffering I speak of is the temperature of the guest bedroom at their house. It's a newer, but fairly traditional Japanese house. The bedroom we slept in was adjacent to the front garden. The walls of this bedroom are constructed of literally thin wood and thinner paper. They're those sliding door/walls that you may have seen in movies. It was the same temperature inside this room as it was outside. It was freezing outside. Fortunately I knew what the conditions would be going in, packed accordingly and we made it through the night.

The next day we drove to Mt. Fuji. We had a crappy folding map of Japan and a few instructions from Wikipedia on how to get there from Tokyo and hit the road at about 11. A word for the wise: don't drive anywhere on a Japanese holiday. It took us 6 hours to get there when it would have taken 3 by train. We heard the same AP news reports on the Armed Forces Network all day. Fortunately P. Harvey Sr. had the day off and we were only somewhat bludgeoned with the rest of the story by Gill Gross and P. Harvey Jr. Since we left so late, we just barely got down there before the sun set and this picture is what we got to show. The guy who took our picture asked if we wanted him to get Mt. Fuji in the background.

We went to Kamakura the day after - one of my favorite places in Japan. Saw the sights, ate curry, missed the sunset on the beach and went back to Koga. There's supposed to be a very famous train that you can take in Kamakura that gives you a nice view of the ocean and other attractions. I've been there twice and have yet to take it or even inquire about it. I think I'm subconsciously waiting for Carlos, my step-dad who's somewhat of a train nut.

The ladies of Kamakura.

The Buddha of Kamakura.

The boardwalk at the beach in Kamakura. Be careful if you decide to stop and eat. The hawks are bullies and will swoop down and snatch whatever you're eating out of your hand. They almost got Elliot's hot pockett-type lunch. Ruined the guy in the picture's day. He sat down with his girlfriend and a nice little picnic pack and they swarmed on him. He left five minutes later - poured out his beer.



We had a date to pong it out on Friday afternoon with the table tennis club at Sowa JHS. Our standard matches are the first one of us to win 6 games wins. This time it was a little different. Instead of mom coming out and messing up one of Elliot's "comebacks" it was Ebihara-sensei coming over to talk to us in between points. Instead of having to stop play to wait for Rusty (R.I.P.) to get out from under the table, we had to wait for one of the kids to clear the way. I was up 5 games to 3 when we had to clean up and help put all the tables away. So in the books it's a draw, but between the lines my empire still reigns supreme.

Class 1-1 at SOWA Junior High School.

Sowa JHS table tennis club - the boys.

The all to rare sucker serve stance.

After our visit at Sowa JHS, we went down to Tokyo for the night and the next day, Saturday.

Capsule hotel in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. $30 gets you a locker, a kimono and the space you see here. The cheapest and easiest hotel I've stayed at in Japan. No curfew and very few questions asked. Also, no girls allowed - it's kind of like a fort I built in 6th grade.

Aahhnfahhnzel.
Elephants making out at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo.

We caught the sunset from the Tokyo Government Towers in Shinjuku. If you squint you can see the top of Mt. Fuji to the right of the sun.

Sunday, Akira, Kazumi and Asuka drove us to the airport. On the way we stopped to see the world's largest statue (Guinness approved) - the Buddha in Ushiku. Yeah, it was pretty big. We got to the airport early and killed time eating in the airport restaurants, watching other planes take off and land, drudging through broken Japanenglish conversations and sweating out those minutes before saying goodbye to someone you really don't want to go.

Dang doo. Love you.