What is “foodie” in Japanese?

However you say it… there are some truths that are international. One of them is, when someone introduces themselves to you as a “foodie”, you immediately become friends with that person.

Arata-sensei (who I now call Kazu… his name is Kazunori) told me he was a foodie, and that he’d take me on a gourmet tour at some point. I didn’t take him too seriously, because lots of folks have made plenty of offers of showing me this or that “at some point”.

Boy, was I wrong.

I visited Kagoshima City with Kazu last weekend, and he crafted a gourmet tour of epic proportions. When he said he’d take me to his “favorite restaurants”, he failed to mention that he meant ALL OF THEM. And then top it off with a dinner gathering at his English study group.

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These photos are just the highlights. We ate our way through this city over the period of two days, and I reached a degree of stuffed that is usually reserved for Lexington Burger Week and Thanksgiving Day only. Sushi, shirokuma, gyoza, donuts, manju, fresh baked “salt bread”… the list goes on and on. And now that it’s been a week, and I’m not dead, I can also reveal that I tried torisashi, or chicken sashimi, for the first time. It would have had to have been really good for me to risk my health for a subsequent tasting, and I can report with confidence that it’s pretty gross. So, no more raw chicken for me. You can breathe, Mom.

A short glossary of the “foodie Japanese” I learned this past weekend, courtesy of Kazu. The romaji is my best guess… I’m not looking it up tonight!

白熊	shirokuma	Literally, polar bear. Shaved ice with milk, ice cream, and fruit
キィーンときた	kiintokita	Brain freeze. Learned this three minutes into my first shirokuma
ツーンときた	tsuntokita	The burning sinus thing you get from eating too much wasabi
あんこ	anko	Sweet bean paste. Found in lots of traditional Japanese sweets
しおパン	shiopan	Salt bread
ポンポン	ponpon	Onomatopoeia, for when you’re stuffed. Pat your belly while saying for greatest effect

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tsuna ≠ Tuna

I like to write these posts chronologically in terms of when things happened to me, so we’ll get to the idea of ropes being or not being fish here in a little while.

Some photos from my school’s Sports Festival have been posted on the school website! The school is strict about photos with students going on social media, though, so if you want to check them out, look at the Sendai HS blog: http://sendai.edu.pref.kagoshima.jp/.

We had our post-Sports Day nomikai (drinking party) last weekend, and it was quite fun. At faculty drinking parties, you are assigned to a table by a random draw. This encourages staff who may not normally talk with each other much to socialize. I was lucky and got two English speakers at my table, but I was also able to make some new friends in the Japanese and math departments. My Japanese is still pretty abysmal, but it has been progressing. With that, Google Translate, and mandatory high school English classes in Japan, I’ve found that I can talk to most folks as long as we both have time and are determined to do so.

After the official nomikai, I was invited to koucho-sensei‘s house for the after party. It was predicable, but still entertaining, to observe how much English ability makes itself apparent after folks have had a bit to drink. And that’s not to mention my own inhibitions about trying to speak Japanese. I received some very practical Japanese lessons (including chanpon, ちゃんぽん, which is to mix your alcohol while drinking) as well as several invitations to homes, bar hopping, and other venues. I’m also fairly certain there will be a SoftBank Hawks jersey waiting for me at school next week, despite how insistent I was that that was too expensive of a gift. The faculty also finds it hilarious that they can get me to do almost anything as long as they say it is a “Japanese custom”. I knew there were several “customs” that I found questionable that evening…

The other big activity since my last past was Sendai’s annual tug of war festival – the tsunahiki. The rope making is called tsunaneri. As you might guess by now, the rope itself is tsuna, which is not the same word as tuna. The same students that make me kick and scream to get them to say a sentence in English sure don’t mind giggling at my Japanese…

Anyway… every year, hundreds of people in Sendai spend all day making an ENORMOUS rope, which is the then carried to the main street for the evening’s festival. The rope is something approaching half a kilometer long and almost as thick as a person. I joined the first year students and teachers in making and carrying the rope – and I have the sunburn, rope burn, and muscle soreness to prove it! The dudes who participate in the tug of war itself are insane… but it was a an awesome “only in Japan” moment. I’ve included a few photos of the main event, as well as my awesome festival friends for the evening. I was quite pleased to have gotten the entire crew in a picture for the first time!

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On a broader note, I continue to be amazed at the warmth and friendliness of the community in Sendai. I won’t pretend it’s universal… maybe about 10% of the folks want nothing to do with me. But they are mostly grumpy old people. Usually, though, people are very excited to interact with me. One of the cashiers at the supermarket I go to always seems to have one new English sentence to say to me when I see her. (I try to have one new sentence in Japanese, too). Students are always interested in asking about Kentucky and my hobbies. Although, one of my male students has already admitted that he likes talking to me mostly because it gets him attention from the girls!

This upcoming week, I’ll be spending three days at my second school, Satsumachuo HS. My first few visits there were a little lonely, since I didn’t know anyone yet and was used to the new friends I’d made at Sendai HS. That didn’t last too long, though. The English teachers there have warmed up to me pretty quickly. I also met Arata-sensei, one of the teachers in the engineering department, who is the first Japanese person I’ve met who’s visited Kentucky! His English is really good, so we’ve spent a few lunches talking about Mammoth Cave, Ale-8, and Ramsey’s. Best of all, he is a self-described “foodie” and randomly sends me pictures of delicious Japanese food, with a mini-lesson about the dish’s preparation and origins. Yup, a pretty good friend to have! I just wish this school wasn’t so damn HOT all the time!

Whoa buddy, this post has gotten a big long. About time to rope it up! I mean, wrap it up! Haha!

Rope puns > rope burns.

 

はい, どうぞ (Hai, dozo!)

 

In Japanese schools, teachers don’t have classrooms. Instead, the teachers’ desks are all housed in a big staff room. At Sendai, there’s one huge staff room and several smaller ones for special departments (P.E., career counseling, etc). Satsumachuo has a medium sized “main” staff room and smaller ones all over the building.

When students need to come into the staff room, they have to knock on the door, stand in the entryway, and give a little speech in Japanese before they enter. From what I gather, it’s essentially apologizing for interrupting, saying “excuse me” twice, naming the teacher they need to speak with, and then saying excuse me again. They then have to wait for that teacher (or another one, if that teacher is gone) to acknowledge them (with はい, どうぞ, or something similar) and invite them in. If the student isn’t acknowledged, they will just stand there. I’ve seen several of the more aloof senseis just make kids stand there awkwardly for no reason I can discern. (This background is important for my story, stay with me).

I sit near the door in both schools, and students come in and out frequently, so I don’t really pay attention to who is coming in. If I’m busy (which admittedly isn’t very often), I don’t even look up from what I’m doing. Which is why I was caught off guard yesterday when I heard “(Japanese Japanese Japanese) Spencer-sensei (Japanese Japanese Japanese)”.  I look up, shocked, and just say “Uh… me?” before I regain my proud sensei persona, puff out my chest, and say “はい, どうぞ!” I was excited for the rest of the day! 私はせんせいです！

Sendai High School also had it’s Sports Festival last Saturday. I was dragging my feet on talking about it, because I didn’t take any pictures and I was hoping that the school’s website would put up a few. Alas, it hasn’t happened. So, I will have to paint a picture of the scene with my words.

The Sports Festival is a school wide event where the three grades compete against each other. Parents are invited, and there is still plenty of Japanese formality and procedure, but it’s one of the more fun and laid back events of the year. There are plenty of relays, one of which the teachers join in and race against the first-year teams. I was fortunate enough to be asked to participate on the teacher team. The less fortunate part is that I was asked after the race had already begun. Nevertheless, thanks to my efforts (and a small contribution from a young, very physically fit P.E. teacher), the teacher team did not come in last!

My two favorite parts of Sports Day were the tug-of-war (綱引き) and ouendan (応援団). The tug-of-war is somewhat similar to what we know in the States, with the added wrinkle that the teams have to dash 15 meters or so to their side of the rope… meaning that if they are quick and coordinate well, they can begin with a massive advantage. This competition was cutthroat! The ouendan are the Japanese cheer teams, but they are not all that similar to cheerleaders in America. The male/female split is around 50/50, there are special clothes and props, and they perform to the beat of specially chosen songs and a dedicated drummer. It’s difficult to explain, so maybe check out a YouTube video of it if you’re interested. The performance was extremely impressive!

There are definitely stressors to life in Japan, though, and I won’t pretend they aren’t there. It’s frustrating when someone at school or in town has warmed up to you enough to try to talk to you, but the Japanese skills just aren’t there. It feels like a missed opportunity to do what I came here to do – interact with people from a different culture. The language barrier also means that no errand is mindless – I actually rehearsed today for five minutes prior to going to the gas station.

It’s tough to complain too much, though. The Japanese progress is slow, but it’s steady, and I’m not here to compulsively study every free moment of my life. I’ve also stumbled into an awesome group of English-speaking friends here in Sendai… not only is my Japanese improving, but I’m also learning all sorts of delightful British slang!

The obligatory “friends cheesing for the camera picture” follows! (Stuart has thus far evaded a photo with me, but he can’t hide forever…)

And this was taken before the cheese fondue arrived!

Now, if you’ll excuse me… I’m going to pop off and find some biscuits. I’m feeling a mite peckish. Probably just a bit knackered from a busy day… I wasn’t able to have a nap. Look, would you just bugger off already?!?!

Nashi-ventures

Maybe not the best title for a blog post. But really, I’m tired because I spent most of the day pulling weeds and moving chairs in preparation for tomorrow’s Sports Festival. Rest assured, though, that I did those things in English. I also discovered from the students that Kentucky is delicious, I am Johnny Depp, and that the Hulk attends Sendai HS (he has a “very good body”).

Tomorrow is Sendai High School’s sports festival! Though I wouldn’t take every idea from Japanese public schooling, I really like the idea of school-wide festivals and competitions. Even just preparing for this festival is a lesson in school community. Students were setting up tents, the vice principal was raking leaves, and the principal was going to town with a weed-whacker. I’m quite excited to see the final product tomorrow (excited enough not to mind going to school on Saturday).

My introduction lessons at Sendai have gone very well. The English teachers there are almost all very enthusiastic about having me there, which is a relief. They are really an awesome group of people (check them out in the photos at the bottom). We had my welcome party (nomikai) last week and it was a blast. The restaurant featured some outstanding seafood, which was brought out raw, and we cooked it at the table (where you can find many delicious sauces and seasonings… thought about you, little bro). After some delicious fish and oysters (and more than a little shochu), several of us made our way across the street to the local “American” bar. One does not divulge details of the enkai, but I’ll remember the “I am kouhai!” argument for a long time.

This week, I also managed a short visit to my second school, Satsumachuo High School. While Sendai is pretty exclusively a college-prep high school, Satsumachuo is a rural school with lots of different academic “tracks” – most students are working on technical skills, agricultural skills, or other job preparation. I didn’t get to meet many students (those that I did meet did the standard “giggle and run away” with one exception – a girl that just saw me and went “Ohhh”). I did get to the meet the English department and principal. The principal talked a bit about their festivals, and I told him I was excited for the agricultural festival, where I could buy some of the school’s fresh produce.

Yeah, I should know by now what happens when you show interest in something in Japan. He asks me to wait one minute, dashes out of the room and returns with several pairs of big rubber boots. Next thing I know, koucho-sensei, me, and my two supervisors (Nagi came along, and I met Homan-sensei, my supervisor at this school, as well) are trudging through the school’s farm to pick nashi, Asian pears. I leave with a big bag of fresh fruit and several mosquito bites (though Nagi had it way worse than me… the little bastards loved her). My first lesson at Satsumachuo is on Tuesday.

Hopefully, I’ll remember to post again after a busy weekend!

Sendai HS English department.

You can’t tell from the photo, but I’m sweating and speaking Japanese.

Student Council president welcoming me in English.

 

Alive and Swell

It’s pretty crazy to think that I’ve only been in Kagoshima for a little over three weeks. I could leave now and still have so many stories and experiences to talk about.

Of course, I’m not leaving now. The school year is about to begin in earnest, we’re slowly putting the hellish Japanese summer in the books, and my level of Japanese ability has risen from “zero” to “almost zero”. So, there’s plenty more to come!

Mostly, this post is just a photo dump, since I know that’s what my reader(s) are most interested in. In just the past two weeks, I have:

• Gone to a beach so secret that even the person who invited me couldn’t find it at first
• Watched one of the most impressive displays of fireworks I’ve ever seen by the Sendai River (you need to step up your game, U.S.)
• Walked around one of the world’s most active volcanoes with Daiki, one of my new Japanese friends
• Visited the estate and gardens of some of Kagoshima’s powerful feudal lords, the Shimazu clan
• Dressed in a traditional Japanese kimono (interviewed by a local news station in said kimono)
• Tried my hand at ikebana, traditional Japanese flower arranging (my final product was… lacking… though)

Really, though, I’m at the stage now where almost everything seems fun and exciting. Eating some good pizza in a barn, on a mountain, with a spectacular view of the cityscape. Mistakenly claiming that “I am a bus” (わたしはばすです) to a very confused untenshu-san. Even six visits to Sendai’s city hall and tax office with Nagi, my supervisor (in which I taught her why she was “sassy” and we invented our victory handshake after vanquishing some Japanese bureaucracy).

So far, so good, Japan. What’s next?

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No blood or tears, but plenty of sweat

Think you know what hot and humid feel like? You don’t, shut up. Because you didn’t just move to Kagoshima, Japan in the middle of summer. I took four showers today. But everyone else is sweating, too, so nobody seems to mind. Atsui desu!

I’m no longer jet-lagged, but the busy days are still keeping me tired. I did, though, want to put a memorable encounter on the blog while it was fresh in my mind.

Yasunaga-sensei (“Nagi”) and Yamamoto-sensei (“Dai-chan”) went to the bank today to open my bank account. I had to fill out some forms, but no big deal because I had been doing that since I got here.

Except this time, the bank had some pretty specific rules. I had to fill out every part of the form myself, with nobody helping me. I hadn’t done that yet but it didn’t seem too daunting.

Except… this time I had to write my new address. In kanji. I’ll give you a second to look up kanji, for those of you even less familiar with Japanese than I am. It ain’t easy.

Yeah, roughly 17-18 of those suckers in a space tinier than two rows on a sheet of grid paper. Nagi and Dai-chan wrote it out for me, but I was having some trouble copying it. I messed up two different forms beyond recognition. Remember, this was my first time writing kanji ever. And I was doing it on a bank form while sweating the most profuse sweat I’ve ever experienced in my life.

Eventually, the two of them both pulled up big lobby chairs on both sides of me, letting me copy them stroke by stroke. The three of us are laughing hysterically almost the entire time, as all of the customers in the entire bank lobby are staring at us. It took a good 30 minutes for me to write my address twice in kanji.

And so it was that I made my first two friends in Japan. Check us out in all of glorious, bank account vanquishing glory below.

 

 

 

 

 

Standing at the precipice…

Just for continuity’s sake, I’ll mention right off the bat that I’m not in Japan right now. I’m actually sitting in the home I grew up in, in good ol’ Winchester, Kentucky. My parents have been generous enough to let me hang out the last few weeks here before making the big move.

For some reason, the thought of making my first blog post from Japan didn’t sit right with me. Really, this whole Japan thing started when a nosy academic team parent from Beaumont (who has since then become a good friend – thanks for being nosy, Julie!) discussed the idea of teaching in English in Japan through the JET Program.

Fast forward through application, interview, and a lot of anxious worrying. Then, at the end of my spring break, my mom and I were watching a Woody Harrelson movie (“Wilson”) at the Kentucky Theater when I received my acceptance message. I was moving to Japan.

Now, just a few days before heading to Nashville for the first stage of orientation, I just wanted to take a little time to reflect on my last year of teaching at Beaumont, and the summer before embarking on this new adventure. Don’t worry… I’m not going to talk about all of that at any great length. Suffice to say that supportive coworkers and students, friends who are way nicer to me than I deserve, and a family that means more to me than anything have all combined to make the past few months some of the best that I’ve experienced.

So here… look at some pictures of these great people. Also, a few of me. And one of burgers.

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If moving to Japan is a roller coaster (metaphor… I’m an English teacher now!), I’ve been waiting in line for a while now. I’ve talked about it, gotten hyped up, thought there was no way it’d live up to the hype, and then heard some more details that got me RE-hyped up. Finally, I’m ready to actually get on the ride.

さよなら, my friends. See you on the other side (of the world).

Oh, and by the way, we were so excited that Mom and I left before “Wilson” was over… so if somebody could tell her how it ended, I’m sure she’d appreciate that.