Kumamoto Orientation: Teacher information and getting drunk. Part I

I could feel that school was fast approaching, things at school had started getting serious. Teachers were sleeping less at their desks, and many of them were meeting with students already (Japanese students are so studious). Yamaga was the last event of the summer, the following week was Kumamoto Orientation which is where all of the new JETs get together in Kumamoto and discuss what we will be doing in the coming year. Orientation was for three days: August 18 - 20. The two days after orientation were also filled with many activities at school. Yes, school was officially getting into full swing.

The first day of Kumamoto Orientation was...eventful. The meeting was at a department store in downtown Kumamoto, so it was easier for me to get there than other JETs. I woke about a half-hour before I had to be there and got there in enough time to stop at a convenient store and get something to drink. I saw many JETs that I had not seen since arriving in Kumamoto. It was good to see Chris, a guy that I befriended in Tokyo. I also talked with a few other people that I had spoke with either on the plane to Kumamoto or in Tokyo. We were able to chat a bit before the meeting started. The first day was filled with fun lectures about getting adjusted in Kumamoto. There was also a Japanese language test, which was going to gauge where we should begin in the language courses set up by CLAIR, the Japanese ministry that manages the JETs. Of course, I only filled in 3 questions out of 50, so I would be starting with the beginning course.

After the meetings, Kumajet, the social organization for JETs, set up a tour of Kumamoto Castle. The tour was guided by some Japanese high school students who had been practicing their English. I wanted to check the internet, since my internet had yet to be installed. I went to my friend Chris' hotel and we changed for the dinner and drinking marathon that would commence after the tour of the castle. After changing, we went down to the internet cafe in the lobby for an hour or so. As I look back, I probably should have gone on the tour because the children had done a lot to prepare for the tour.

The restaurant was on top of the building where we had the meeting during the day. The building is a really posh department store with a level that has many nice restaurants. It was a beautiful night, the sun was just starting to go down as we toasted (kompai), and the food was brought out on large platters. There was a wide variety of food, everything was really good. I felt bad because I was sitting near a couple of vegetarians who were unable to eat anything but edemamme. Japanese don't really understand the concept of vegetarian; usually, it is more reasonable to say you are allergic. There was a lot of really good conversation through the night. The beer was left at the table in kegs, and as the drink flowed, so did conversation. We talked about our journey so far, we talked about music and politics, and we talked about how we had all been changed slightly by our journeys.

The party's attendance was near 80 people or so, many of them new JET, but some were members of the prefecture office or JETs on their 2nd or 3rd year, and there were others who were former JETs wanting to get a taste of the exceptional experience we all had in common. I have come to realize how truly unique my experience is, if only because the former JETs, much like people with whom I attended High School, they still are trying to live in moments they can't quite grasp because they have passed.

When people finished eating, things were getting louder and many people started mingling around. I talked with one of the men who worked at the BOE (Board of Education) for quite a while and he gave me my first Kirin Stout, which has become my beer of choice. Kirin is one of the popular breweries in Japan, and they make a really good stout. He wanted to know about where I was from and he wanted to know if I enjoyed my life in Japan. I told him of my home, and I reassured him that my life in Japan was wonderful. The conversation moved from America, to Japanese beer, to linguistics, and finally ending with him talking about how much he liked our conversation and his desire to talk more with me. He is a really great guy, with a very jovial Japanese attitude and the same weakness to alcohol that is common among the Japanese (He couldn't keep up with me.).

While I was talking with the guy from the BOE, people started to talk about the plans for the rest of the evening. A bar crawl was planned from the beginning. We were going to go to three different bars. I was already feeling pretty good.

We walked to the next bar, which was a reggae themed bar. Reggae and Rastafarian's are really popular in Japan. The bar had a nice group of people in it already. There were two levels to the bar, the second floor had much more room than the ground floor, so most people stayed upstairs most of the evening. Getting drinks was atrocious, because of the number of people crammed into this bar. Upstairs there was a DJ table, and we were all waiting for the house music to be put to a rest and get some real music going on the turntables. After about 30 minutes, the DJ appeared and started playing some pretty good music. The foreigners started to mix things up on the dance floor and we must have been quite the site to the Japanese regulars at this small bar. I cut it up for the better part of an hour, until we moved onto the next bar. As we were leaving, I exited the reggae bar with one of the guys who works for the BOE.

On the way to the next bar, I walked with Saleem, a former JET who works at the BOE. He came with his girlfriend and a couple of his friends, who I have since ran into in other spheres. Saleem is a really interesting guy. Takeshi and Toru, Saleem's two friends, are two of the coolest Japanese guys that I have met since coming to Japan.

The next bar we went to was a gaijin bar called Jeff's World Bar. It is run by an expat. This bar was pretty small, as well, but our group was starting to thin out and there weren't as many people at the bar before our group arrived. The bar was still packed, after we piled in. I started drinking double Makers Mark on the rocks. The bar was packed with people and I remember talking to a few girls and my friend Dan, but the whole experience was pretty uneventful and didn't really conjure any great memories. This was because of its rather calmness or because my memory had started to become hazy. We didn't stay at Jeff's very long, so I don't think I am the only one who didn't seem to think it was that great.

After leaving Jeff's, we started walking to the last bar. The last bar a small bar that was underground. It was just one large room. There was a large screen on the wall showing different images, and there was some really good music. Behind the bar there were rows and rows of CDs, but my vision had started to blur. This bar was pretty chill, we had all started to feel the effects of the evening. We were congregating on the couches and trying to talk over the music. We only stayed at this bar about an hour, it was about two in the morning. There was talk of another after-hours event going on in one of the groups that I was bouncing between, and it was decided that we leave.

I had been hanging out with Chris and Daniel that night, but I was also trying to mingle between groups of good looking women. I remember leaving, but Dan and Chris told me the next day that they had tried to gather my attention to remind me of my suit's whereabouts in Chris' hotel room. They called after me as I was dancing down the street with two girls and another guy.

We were going to Holly's apartment for a nightcap. The other two people were going to crash at Holly's, but I said that I get my bike from school and go home. We got to Holly's place and she made us White Russians. I was flirting with Alex, this girl who I had talked to much of the night. We were speaking Spanish to each other. At Holly's, we were all talking about how much we missed home and where we all wanted to explore while in Japan. We were all pretty drunk. Ken, the other guy, passed out on the bed. I stayed for an hour or so, but then the girls were ready to go to sleep. I said my goodbyes and took the elevator downstairs.

The first mistake I made was that I didn't ask how to get to the main street that goes to my school. The second mistake that I made was wearing sandals. I went the opposite way of the main street. Let me interject, streets in Japan are nothing like streets in America. The word linear isn't in their vocabulary, I believe. In my hazy mind, if I went this way I would eventually hit the main street. But, streets kept curving and I was on the wrong side of some train tracks. I remember a point where I was about to crawl over a fence to get to the promised main street, but I would have to cross train tracks. In my condition, I somehow convinced myself to be prudent. I could not convince myself not to pee when I needed to though; I ended up peeing between an apartment complex and a park. It took awhile, I have no other reference of time to postulate, but I started to get worried that it was getting later and I needed to be up for tomorrows meeting downtown.

My impeccable sense of direction kept me on a route that didn't detour me too far, but there were many dead ends and residential streets that I stumbled down in search of my school. Finally, a couple hours later I saw the large Prefecture Office building. I knew that I was almost there. As I walked through the courtyard, my heart had started to beat normal again. I got to school and mounted my bike and started on my way home.

Twenty minutes later I arrived at my apartment. I walked upstairs, took my sandals off at the door, briefly noticing the bloody blisters between my big toe and the next toe, stripping my clothes off, and finally crawling onto my futon at 4:30 in the morning. Getting up at 8:00 was going to be hell.

To be continued...

The Yamaga Lantern Festival, just lookin' for a good time.

Towards the end of August, I was getting settled into life in Kumamoto City. I was calling home less and I was getting to know the area pretty well. Shop owners were recognizing the new foreigner and I was feeling like a community was sprouting up around me.

Little was required of me at school that I was able to go out and get acquainted with the city until late at night, and show up to school the next day in whatever condition I could muster. Most of my days were filled with searching through the treasure that was left behind for me from the previous JETs. My desk was a pinata of candy, stickers, dice, hourglasses, and any number of other items. The books left behind were helpful in giving me an idea of what to expect to teach during the coming year. There were three or four different sets of information from ALT's, who, subsequently, were from different cultures and backgrounds. One of the binders had lessons divided into alphabetical order, obviously this JET was more anal than others. Another JET had some random lesson plans with worksheets, but the worksheets didn't go with any of the plans. My predecessor, a nice guy, was more like myself in his methods of planning, had a binder with plastic sheets stuffed with cut out pictures and partial lessons that were never finished, many of his own construction.

After wading through the various types of information trying to figure which, if any, would best serve my needs, I would spend a lot of time on the internet. Even though I could not visit my social networking sites, I was able to check my mail and look at news sites. I usually check around 10 different sites for news, because you can't really trust any news source anymore. I look at both domestic and international sites. Election news and economic news was difficult to read for me, because it made me go through the multitude of reasons for my exodus. I was able to stay in communication with my family and friends through e-mail, which was helpful yet time consuming. I spent most of my day writing e-mails.

It was during this time that I got a message on one of the 5 listservs that I belong to telling me about the Yamaga Lantern Festival that was fast approaching. The local ALT in Yamaga sent a message out inviting anybody who wanted to see their first cultural event in Japan to come for the Lantern Festival. Still apprehensive about getting around by train and bus I didn't respond. Another ALT, from Kumamoto, did respond to the listserv, asking if anybody wanted to go to the festival. I responded, and we coordinated a time to meet at the international center. There were 5 JETs who were all thinking about attending the event, but when Saturday came only two of us showed up at the international center.

Holly is from New Jersey. I met her one day while riding my bike home from school. She lives on the route to my school. I remember talking to her a little in Tokyo before coming to Kumamoto. I didn't know she was the girl who sent out the e-mail coordinating our trip to Yamaga, because I am really awful with names.

We left from the international center, which is only a few blocks from the main bus terminal in Kumamoto City. Luckily, she knows a little Japanese, which helped in the purchase of our tickets. We talked at the station, not knowing whether we were going on the right bus, but we were excited to get out of the city. She had found a map of the area of Yamaga. It was all in Japanese, and she didn't know exactly what it said. Most proper nouns in Japanese are written in Kanji and since the Kanji have a multitude of meanings it can be very confusing.

We spoke a lot on the bus. We chatted about many different things. She majored in communications at Rutgers and she knew a lot about music, video games, and comics. In Kumamoto City it was overcast and it had not rained all day, but on the bus ride to Yamaga it started to rain. When we got to Yamaga it was only sprinkling, but the rain was the least of our worries because now we had to figure out how to get to the festival grounds. Luckily, I am pretty good at reading maps and Holly can read some Japanese. She told me where the bus terminal was on the map, our starting point, and then she pointed to the festival grounds. Problem #2: Japanese streets aren't linear and in most cases aren't numbered or named. The main streets usually have a number, but unlike America there isn't a sign on ever corner. I found the main street and we started down that street. We started to see some things being set up and others being taken down. We started to worry that the festival had been canceled on account of rain. We kept walking and walking but did not come to anything that looked like it would host a large festival.

Holly brought her phone and the e-mail with the number for the ALT in Yamaga. She spoke with him and we found out that the festival had been canceled, but there would still be some activities. The main show, which is a few hundred un-wed woman dancing with lanterns on their heads, was canceled. Stephen, an ALT from Australia, said that he would meet us in town and we attempted to give him an estimate as to where we were in Yamaga. She an I were standing under a yellow awning, across from a large Japanese house that had a large spillway running beside it. Stephen gave us an estimate of about ten minutes.

As we waited, we started to realize that we were in one of those towns that, as a JET, you hear about often. Both Holly and I are from the city, which means that, even though we get our share of stares and glares, we are mostly left to our own devices. In Yamaga, we started to believe that we were part of the show or, at least, we had brought a new show to town.

As we stood under the awning of this tiny barber shop, tens of buses of Japanese tourists from across the country were descending upon this small town. They had most likely heard that the show had been canceled. At the cross section of this small town, we had become superstars. Old women looked out the windows of buses and witnessed two white people standing in shorts and sunglasses...talking. The women and some men even stared and watched with scientific zeal. After the first bus passed, we didn't know what to think, but as more came we did the only thing that seemed normal. We smiled and waved. Oxymoronically we stood like a couple of prom queens waving and smiling. After the first bus of pointed fingers and whispers, like good entertainers, we gave them what they wanted and what they wanted was a show.

After our 5 o'clock show, we were tired of waiting for Stephen. We started back towards where we came from and Holly called Stephen. We finally found each other and he informed us that while the main show was canceled we could do many other things. He took us to the kabuki theater in Yamaga. He then took us to a temple near the theater. Stephen knew a lot about Yamaga, and it was like we had our own tour guide to the town. He told us the history of the festival and he told us that the kabuki theater was the last theater of its kind built in Japan. Holly and I were very hungry and we became tired of the tour. We were very grateful but also very hungry, so we went to get something to eat.

Dinner was good. I ate my first basashi, which is raw horse. It is a Kumamoto specialty. After leaving, we were in better spirits and we went back to the kabuki theater which we heard was going to have a performance of the lantern dancers. When we got to the theater it was packed with people, so we decided to walk around until the line dissipated. When we got back to one of the main streets we heard music, and found that there were some groups of young girls that were performing for small groups, probably families. I was really happy to see the dancing and I was glad that I was able to see it in a less than conventional way. The girls spent a long time preparing their clothes and practicing their dance, it was really nice that they could still perform.



Holly and I got to see what we came to Yamaga for and we had a long day. We just wanted to get back to Kumamoto City. I think Stephen wanted to make a night out of the whole thing, but we needed some rest. We got back to the bus depot and waited for the next bus. There were two English-speakers at the bus stop as well, but they weren't JETs. When we got back to the city we parted ways and I got on my bike and went home. I had a good time. And even though the evening didn't turn out to be everything that it was supposed to be, it was different, which is why I am here.

First Weeks in Japan. Or, Oh Crap! There's no turning back

It has been a week since arriving in Kumamoto, and a little more than that since arriving in Japan. One would think the cultural differences would be the main point of interest to a gringo/gaijin like me, but I have been focusing on the similarities between my home culture and my adopted culture. The Japanese have similar tastes in drinks and food. They have a thirst for beer and whiskey, which is good for me, but they also like fried foods, which is bad for me. There are many differences in cuisine, but the differences are not as shocking as many Americans would have you believe. Kumamoto has been the first real Japanese experience that I have had thus far, Tokyo was completely different. I was almost always surrounded by English speakers, which lubricated my acculturation, but also kept me from experiencing anything uniquely Japanese. Landing in Kumamoto, I finally had to 'survive' as a foreigner.

My first weeks in Kumamoto have been exhausting. Waking up at 6:30 everyday, I have come to understand that the early hours of dawn do not fit my biology. Even though, I do go to sleep much earlier than I used to in America, I am still not a morning person. I usually don't wake up early enough to have breakfast, but I still have some source of caffeine all day long. I have been getting to school early enough to attend the teachers meeting, but once I start teaching I will not go to school that early anymore.

My apartment is large for just me. My predecessor left me a futon mattress, but try not to think of the over-stuffed futons of America, my futon is maybe a inch thick. But, after many years of sleeping on the floor at Mom's house, I have quickly become accustomed to the feeling of the floor once again. Most apartments in Japan have tatami mats, which are straw mats placed in most rooms. The mats are very comfortable and they have a warmth to them, but the new ones that were just installed in my apartment have a very strong, distinct smell to them; not bad, mind you, just different. William, my predecessor, also sold me a TV, VCR, DVD player, refrigerator, microwave, rice cooker, and a lot of dishes for about $250. I got a really good deal, considering how screwed other ALT's have been buying new or even buying from their predecessor.

August is the month Japanese students have summer vacation. I have been spending my days getting lessons ready for school and checking my e-mail. It takes a few weeks to get set up with internet, so, as many of you may guess, I have been going insane. I usually take my bike downtown to the international center in Kumamoto to use their internet, because the internet at school is blocked from many of my sites.

I have been getting to know many of my co-workers. They have taken me out to eat, and my supervisor has helped me get all of the things I will need in the coming year; i.e. bank account, internet, and phone. I got him a bottle of Jack Daniels (He said it is his favorite.) to thank him for helping me get everything set up. Presents are almost a requirement in Japan, for many occasions. My first week in Japan, I went out to have dinner and drinks with some of my co-workers. It was a going away party for William-sensei, my predecessor, and a welcome party for me. The food was really good. I tried everything, even the raw chicken that was served. Yes, it was supposed to be raw. It is specially prepared and it was actually very good. I had a lot to drink and so did William-sensei, he called me the next day to tell me that his morning started with his face in the toilet. He was sure that he drank more than me because I didn't start my day the same. I told him how much I drank though and he realized that my Irish heritage beat his Mexican heritage in a contest of drinking. I wish we would have gone out after dinner, because I have not gone out with them again since that night. I work with a lot of young teachers and also a few really beautiful teachers, hopefully I will have more opportunities to have fun this year.

I ended up taking the air-conditioned train to work because of the heat, which works out well because my long sleeve shirts and slacks are soaked in sweat just from walking the block to the train station.

I am a little apprehensive about travel. My supervisor showed me how to use the train during my first week, but I was not shown how to get to school by bike. But, I also did not have a bike yet either. I really do not want to be the usual stereotypical American, who expects to be understood and expects to be led by the hand by the locals. Also, I am a pretty self-sufficient person, so I will usually try to figure things out for myself, especially when confronted with difficult tasks. My predecessor took me downtown one Saturday to get a bike, it was kind of expensive but it has everything a person in Japan needs on a bike: a basket, a light, and a sweet bell. My supervisor drove me home one night when we were out and about getting some things for my house, so I finally figured out how to get to school from my house.

Many students still come to Kumasho (Kumamoto Shiyogo) everyday for clubs and to study for entrance exams, but since there aren't classes, I walk around the school property and watch the students play tennis, baseball, or kyudo (Japanese archery). A few students have come up to me and used the English that they know to start a conversation. I usually try to keep my parts very limited to keep up with their abilities, it is amazing how excited some of the students are to use their English.

It was “hotter than balls” for the first month I was in Kumamoto. Much like Omaha, the humidity percentage usually nears the temperature , in Fahrenheit. These crazy people keep trying to get me to learn metric, and I can't wrap my head around it. I guess I should have paid more attention in science class, maybe I wouldn't have had to take Biology twice in college.

Like most ALTs, I get home from school, strip down to my underwear, and sit in my apartment in front of my air conditioner. Most Japanese apartments and homes do not have central air, but only room air conditioners. The Japanese usually only run them for a few hours a day, and it is unheard of to run the air conditioner all day long. Running it 24 hours a day, would also cost you an arm and a leg because of the high cost of utilities. I have become quite accustomed to Japanese ways, they are very conscious of the environment and our impact on nature. It is very popular to live an eco life, which means that you are very careful about the products you buy, the things you eat, and even, in some cases, where you live.

Since I don't have internet, I have had to watch TV to entertain myself. I have been watching the Olympics on TV, because it is the only thing that makes sense without paying attention to the broadcasters. Japanese TV broadcasts more Japanese friendly Olympic sports; like judo, badminton, table tennis, and judo. I know that I mentioned judo twice, but they not only watch the live events but they replay the judo matches over and over again. I don't usually care about the Olympics, but this year I was pretty interested in the USA men's basketball team. I was hoping that they would find their way out of the gutter, and take their place, once again, on top. I had to check their progress on the internet, because most Japanese don't watch basketball and I'm not even sure if they have a national team. There are a couple of nights where there are movies in English, but I usually watch movies on my computer or play video games. I get about 10 local stations just from the antenna, so there is actually a lot to watch and once I start picking up more Japanese I will watch local TV more.

Next week there is an orientation in the city, for all of the JETs in Kumamoto-ken (ken means prefecture). The first two days are workshops and the third day is an intensive language course. The first night has an enkai (business outing where eating and drinking are involved) and a pub crawl afterwards. I am really excited to see some of my JET friends and compare stories of our journey so far.

Kumamoto, I have arrived! We will never be the same!

We woke up early to get on our perspective planes. We were all going our separate ways, and we each had separate agendas and plans that brought us to Japan. There were many friendships formed, and, in some instances, there were old predjudices that were validated or amplified. I left Tokyo with more resolve, for the reason that I came to this country, and even found other reasons for my exodus. I also realized that my country needs change, and I must change if I have any hope of changing my country.

The bus ride from the Keio Plaza Hotel in Tokyo to the airport wasn't as life changing as the bus ride from The Curtis hotel in Denver to the airport. The plane ride to Kumamoto was short and it felt like a step over a stick in the road, instead of a swim through a rushing river. The girl that I sat next to on the plane was nice enough, but she seemed to be looking for some kind of validation that I could not give her. She kept going on about conversation being dead and our dependence on technology being the reason for its death, this was happening while I was watching a movie on my PSP (a game device that also plays movies). I just wanted to be left alone, I love to have conversation, but this flight was something different for me than it was for her. I needed to stew in my thoughts, which I need to do often when confronted with change. She needed somebody to talk to, a person who could help her understand the decision that she made, but we were all experiencing a tumultuous shift. We all deal in our own ways. So, I compromised without her knowledge, I spoke with her for about an hour then I turned on my PSP and offered her the other side of my headphones to watch the movie with me. I'm not sure if this sated her needs, but it shut her up for a while, so I could think.

The people from our schools met us at the airport. At the baggage pickup area, we all grabbed our luggage and it was hard to not notice the large groups of people standing outside the doorway with signs. I became utterly afraid that somehow I made a mistake, and that somebody would find me to be a fraud or just a crap teacher. I have rarely been so scared in my whole life, but looking back I was just nervous...crap your pants, nervous! But, there was a reason that I got this far. I just needed to take a few more steps.

When my baggage finally came around the carousel, what felt like hours later, I walked out to the main area to my new life. Three teachers and my predecessor were standing there with a welcome sign, at least mine didn't have one of my nasty passport pictures stuck on like some other unlucky JETs.

Miyajima-sensei, the balding man in his fourties is my supervisor, Komorida-sensei, an English teacher of Mexican and Japanese ancestry, Matsukawa-sensei, a young teacher who spent time in California, and William-sensei, my predecessor who married a Japanese woman and is starting up a sandal business in Kyushu.

Like most introductions, I am always warm but reserved. Everybody was really interested in me and I tried to ask as many questions of each of them. It was a long drive to Kumamoto City from the airport. I found that Komorida-sensei was born in Mexico and was fluent in Spanish, so I knew that I could practice my Spanish while I was in Japan. The teachers wanted to take me out to get something to eat, so I said that I would like a good sushi restaurant. The sushi restaurant was empty. Everybody ordered for me, and since I am not picky, everything was very good. Halfway through the meal, they all wished me a happy birthday.

I looked up in the air, as though I was carrying the 1, finished my tally, and said, "Yeah. You're right." With everything was moving so fast in Tokyo and then with my trip to Kumamoto, I forgot about my birthday. They all seemed pretty suprised that I forgot, but I haven't placed much emphasis on my birthday for years, I know it is more a celebration for my parents than it is for me.

At lunch, Miyajima-sensei asked me whether I wanted to have a host family. I didn't know how to respond. So I danced around the issue, which English is wonderful for, because I didn't want to make the wrong choice. In the end, I was able to convey that, even though it was a very nice offer, I would rather get settled into my place. Luckily, my predecessor was already moved out, which other JETs weren't as lucky to experience. My compatriots had great stories of their host families, but they all agreed they just wanted to get settled in.

We went to Kumasho (Kumamoto Shyogo Kouku), my school. I met the principal, Kocho-sensei, and some of the other staff. The principal, is a very commanding figure, but he also has a warmth about him. In Japan, the principal takes it upon himself to look after all of the teachers. Even if you don't talk to him or see him very much, you know that he has your interest at heart. I prepared a short introduction for the Kocho-sensei, and my tantosha interpreted everything. The next day was my first day of work, so that would be my real introduction. We stayed for a little while at school, but we left and went to get some things that I would need for my house.

Later that night, we went out to eat again. Miyajima-sensei, Matsukawa-sensei, William-sensei, and another teacher at Kumasho who teaches Chinese. We had a buffet style dinner, in Japan they call it biking (Viking-style eating). It was good, and I was able to get my first idea about what food was like in Kumamoto. Japan is distinct because, for how small the country is, each region is known for some kind of delicasy and each region's food is different. Kumamoto is known for bashashi...I will speak more of bashashi at another time (same bat time, same bat channel).

My first day at school was interesting. I gave a traditional Japanese greeting to the teachers. I was placed in front of the teachers at the morning meeting, and when I was done I was shuffled back into the rest of the faces. I spent my first few week at school trying to figure out what I was supposed to do. I figured out that I wasn't supposed to do much, besides look busy. I had a month to get situated before the students returned. I went out to lunch with some of my fellow teachers and they made attempts to use their English to communicate with me and I made my own attempts, these attempts have been pretty fun, thus far. I have been able to communicate pretty well with everybody, either through English or my training in ESL. Communication is one of the hardest parts of being in Japan, but the challenge has added to my resolve to learn Japanese.

Tokyo Orientation: Part II

During orientation breakfast was the best meal of the day. Lots of eggs and pork products which made me very happy. I usually would fill up on a ridiculous amount of breakfast food, sometimes gorging myself on enough food for three people. The food was pretty plain but a few things were very interesting. The scrambled eggs were more gelatinous than runny or firm, they had the consistency of those mashed potatoes in a box. Even more queer is that they served cheese, which in itself isn't odd, but it was two kinds of cheese. On the bottom was a slice of Kraft cheese, or whatever processed cheese is your choice, and a wedge of brie placed on top. I'm not really sure if this is a Japanese taste or a poor attempt at accomodating the Western guests.

There were three different rooms where food was served everyday. Breakfast was a really good time to talk with other JETs. I didn't have the forethought to decide beforehand where I was going to be and where other people that I met were going to be, so each meal was unique because I usually ate with people that I had never met before. There were some cute girls that I would look for before I chose my eating arrangements, but I usually woke up with enough time to get downstairs, slam some food, and ride a packed elevator back to my room to change into a suit.

On my second day in Tokyo, there was two events during the morning for all of the ALTs: a keynote and a panel presentation. They were more laid back than the first days speeches, and they didn't last as long either. The keynote speaker was even funny and interesting at points which was a breath of fresh air, considering the stuffiness of most speeches. After the large group presentations, we broke into our respective teaching levels (i.e. elementary, junior high, and senior high) for team teaching demonstrations. After a lunch break, there was another level specific workshop over teaching materials and designing language activities. I was tired. I had my fill of workshops, so I went back up to my room to take a nap. There were three workshops that afternoon, but I was supposed to go out with my prefecture later that night, so I wanted to rest up.

I had my first Irish moment in Japan. I'm not even sure that I would chalk it up to anger, but instead it was a moment where I spoke my mind at an apporotune time but it wasn't seen so by the other party. During the keynote speech, two girls behind me talked for the first 15 or 20 minutes of the speech. I finally turned around and said, "If you guys are going to talk during the whole speech, could you go outside." It was a packed auditorium, and everybody was being attentive to the Japanese gentleman who was giving the keynote. But these two girls were talking about nothing even concerning JET or the keynote, and, as a fellow American, I felt I needed to tell them that they were acting like pompous idiots. I decided to make it slightly more G rated because of the situation.

I took a three hour nap. We went out to a restaurant near our hotel. I was ready for a full Japanese night of dinner, drinks, karaoke, and whatever else the night brought. There were 30 out of 45 of the Kumamoto JETs who attended the dinner, the others went to their embassies for dinner. The restaurant was the type of place where you cook your own food on burners at the table. There was a lot of beer and a lot of conversation, we were able to get to know each other in a more casual atmosphere and it was a good opporotunity to get to know the people that would be the closest in distance, not necessarily in relation, for the next year.

After dinner, I was hoping for some karaoke but, those who weren't going back to the hotel, wanted to go to the top of this really tall building. There was talk of finding a bar after that, so I went along for the ride. It was a chance to ride the Tokyo subway and check out the city from a great view. We rode to the building and when we got there Saleem, our Prefecture Advisor, told us that there was a 1000 yen ($10) charge for getting to the top floor. The poor, South Omaha boy took over and I said that I would wait on the boardwalk for the rest of the group. I brought my DS in preparation, so I played a video game and watched all of the Japanese people watch me, it is really unique being the minority because of the difference that you feel just by looks. I will never know what it is like to be a minority in the most severe, hated way but, being in Japan, I have realized what it is like to be watched at all times. It was over an hour later when the group came back. They had somehow lost one of the group, and there was a lot of discussion whether he would be left behind or if we would wait. It was decided that one of the PA's would stay to check again. The rest of us went back to the station, and got the train back to the hotel. The prolonged search for Landon, the lost JET, had worn everybody out and everybody wanted to go to bed.

While it doesn't seem like the most exciting night, it did end up establishing a view of Japan that I have tried to hold onto; it really is not that different here than America. Of course, there are many differences but I have tried to keep an eye on the similarities.

Both America and Japan are rich, buisness centered countries, but the plight of the poor is still prevalent. We were walking through Shinjuku train station, a humongous subway station, on our way back to the hotel, and I saw many people laying on the ground covered by cardboard boxes or with the boxes standing, in a shanty like way. I was grounded once again, and I was given perspective into my place in this world. A half a mile walk through a train station in Tokyo, looking at people who had given up on capitalism, or whom capitalism had given up on, I was reminded of the excess that I left behind. I thought back to Omaha and my preparations for coming to Japan. The things that I had in my possession before leaving were meager, but in retrospect, the donation of my possessions felt more like freedom from bondage than an act of generosity.

I am in a Westernized country. Japan is not Western in thought or action, but only Western in business, dress, and, to a lesser extent, excess. But, there are many differences that make them completely Eastern as well. "Oh, East is East and West is West and never the twain shall meet." Kippling actually got it right, but not in his most famous line. He was correct in the line following, "There is neither East nor West." Our differences are vast, but in the end we are all human beings getting by.

Tokyo Orientation: Part I

Flying from Denver to Tokyo was excruciating. I felt like tuna in a can. Not sardines, which I understand are the normal aquatic creature that is used in the simile, I felt like chopped up meat, cramped into a space with barely enough room for me and the 70% water in my body. I can only hope that a Japanese scientist comes up with a teleportation technique before I return to America.

I slept a lot on the plane. I didn't sleep much the night before in Denver. My excitement and my thoughts were keeping me up, both my roommate and myself sat on our computers the whole night. The pre-dawn ride to the airport was really strange, I wasn't scared of the plane trip but I was becoming cognizant that this was my last time on American soil. It felt like going through the line on a roller coaster, there is an exit for people who have reached the front of the line but get scared at the last moment. The ride to the airport was like this, I knew that I could bail, but like those people in line for a roller coaster, I had gotten this far and I just needed to make those last few steps.

I snored on the plane, but I was assured that I didn't do it obnoxiously. After waking up every few hours I would read a little of my Kerouac book, but I could not get comfortable enough to read. Mainly, I fidgeted and fell asleep, over and over again for hours. I spoke with many of my compatriots, we all seemed apprehensive, and we all were unsure about what the coming year would hold for us.

Every few hours the flight attendants would walk by with drinks and what can only be described as foodish substances, I'm not positive if the products were ever meat or vegetables at any time in their existence. I was thinking on the plane that these are hours of my life that I will never get back. On my death bed I will have been robbed of 20 hours or so, and I will hold my fist in the air and scream, "god-damned air plane ride from hell." Or, possibly, the objects that I masticated on the plane would kill me, before my life had been lived to the fullest. It could have been worse, we didn't crash and I didn't have to sit in the middle section. Those souls that were placed in the seven seats in the middle of the plane were almost like another breed of people; you didn't speak with them or look towards their direction because you might catch whatever disease had placed them in this quarantine.

When we arrived at the Keio Plaza Hotel in Tokyo, we checked in at the specific JET check-in area and we moved on to our rooms. I was in a room with two other guys, and thankfully I was the first one in the room so I called one of the beds. The fold-out couch did not seem like a sound choice after the wretched plane ride. On the plane I kept saying that I was going to spend all of my time exploring Tokyo, and I might not even sleep. I did not know the extreme of the jet lag that I would experience over the next few days. I ended up hooking up my computer to check my mail and Facebook and after those tasks were accomplished I laid down and fell asleep.

The next day was the first day of orientation. Our group was the first of three and our group had the majority of the newly arriving JETs, Group A had a couple thousand participants and we were all packed into a large ballroom. We were stuck for the next three hours listening to state speeches and JET accounts of living in Japan. I waited patiently for each person to exit the stage, after each persons exit I would jump up for a standing ovation, not because of any desire to show appreciation but only to stand and stretch my legs.

Lunch was served after this long meeting. The food that we were served everyday was very interesting, I have since had a lot of Japanese food but many of the things that we had for lunch at the Tokyo Orientation did not seem very Japanese. They were an amalgam of both Japanese and vegetarian, which is not heard of in Japan. The meals were not disgusting or inedible, only indiscernible. After this brief pause in the boredom, the ALTs (Assistant Language Teacher) returned to the same hall for another two hour panel discussion. Similar to the first gathering, there were too many people. The CIRs (Coordinator for International Relations), which only make up tens of the newly arrived JETs, went to a separate room. We had a ten minute break until the workshops started, so I went upstairs to my room and checked my e-mail.

The rest of the afternoon was spent in different workshops and panel discussions. The first workshop I attended was about how to use the JET program for professional development. This panel discussion was pretty informative for me. The two gentlemen who conducted the panel, were not very helpful in giving information about how to use the JET program, but were really there to pimp their own job fair in Tokyo. They were both JET alums, so they created a job fair for JETs that would help them get jobs in Japan with very prominent Japanese companies. Most of the information was about getting jobs in financial institutions or large Japanese corporations. The information that most interesting me though was related to video games, two of the names that they dropped were SEGA and Square-Enix, two very prominent Japanese video game developers. So, this first panel discussion was not a total wash.

The second panel discussion was about travel as a JET, which I didn't find very informative. It was all general information, and most of it we received at an event after lunch that had lots of information about travel and humanitarian work. I left early and went to my room to check my mail and my Facebook. I was beginning to feel run down.

The third panel was about Japanese pop culture. Now, I love Japanese video games, but I am afraid that I don't know very much about Japanese pop culture outside of that frame of reference. I learned a lot about Japanese music, and about popular Japanese comedians and TV. Even some Manga (comic books) and Anime (cartoons) that was discussed I hadn't even heard of before that day. I had, for the first time, realized that I was among peers and I wasn't the "dorkiest" guy in the room.

After this workshop, we all had a half an hour to get ready for the very formal Welcome Reception. At a Japanese business dinner, like any of their events, it is very formal. The first difference is that when a toast is to be given, you do not drink from your glass until all toasts are given. The second difference is there is no eating, hors d'oeuvres or otherwise, until after toasts are given. I ate, I drank (a lot in a short amount of time), and I left early to go to bed. I was completely exhausted, and one of the Japanese gentlemen who works in my prefecture found out that I like scotch and he kept bringing me more scotch and waters. After three shots of scotch and a wine bottle sized bottle of beer, I needed sleep. I got on Facebook and also checked my e-mail when I got to my room, but just crashed quickly.

I met a lot of people in a short amount of time. I tried to stay close to people from Denver, because I had gotten to know them while at the Denver orientation. But, everybody had become so scattered and I only had two girls from Denver in my prefecture, that we all started to come disjointed. I did meet a guy from Scotland on my first day, we talked about Wii and DS, so I knew that I had found somebody in my area that liked video games. Chris has since become a good friend. It is really astounding how relationships form when there is so much distance between yourself and your home.

Denver Orientation

I started my journey in Nebraska. Both in life and on this new expedition to Japan. After being stressed beyond belief for the last few weeks, the beginning of my trip was to begin my journey. I spent all of my time in Omaha scattered, between friends and family and between the man I have grown to be and the man that I have to become in Japan. It was difficult, to say the least.

The trip started at Phil's house. Mom and I drove there, while Dad stayed the night. The bagels that Phil picked up before the trip were a blessing. We all ate and drank our energy (i.e. coffee and Mountain Dew). We left later than we said we would but I am sure almost every endeavor that the Smith family has embarked on has been started later than planned. We stopped a few times on the way to Denver. After leaving Omaha, the city I love, we drove through the parts of Nebraska that I have grown to detest. Histories of rednecks and rustlers were written upon the countryside. I slept. I slept a lot.

Getting to Denver was great. We were all ready to get settled in, and get the hell out of the car. We walked to dinner at On the Boarder. The gentle rain was apropos. The general feeling I felt was sadness, but not enough to ruin my mood. The rain, just like my mood, wasn't enough to deter us from sitting outside. The food was good and when we returned to the hotel everybody was ready to sleep. Phil and Betsy went to their room. Mom read for a while and then fell asleep. Dad watched a movie on his laptop. I, on the other hand, went to the sauna to soak in the hot-tub to relax and think about the trip.

The next day, we all conviened at the pool. It was beautiful outside. Omaha was sweltering with humidity and heat, but Denver was quite cool. We found a table under a tree that gave us a good deal of shade from the sun. Towards lunch time Phil and Mom went to the grocery store and picked up a fantastic lunch. Fruits, vegetables and lunch-meat for the bagels that were brought from Omaha. It was so good. We lounged by the pool all day. I sporatically jumped in the pool throughout the day to cool off. I would not have wanted the day to go any differently. My family of academics just sat around and read or played video games or solved sudoku's. It started to rain a little, and everybody was asked to go inside. After a long walk through the downtown area, we finally agreed upon a place to eat. It was a little cafe that had really good food. Dad took a thousand pictures, and we all rolled our eyes but we really wanted them too.

The next morning was my last day with my family. I went to the store with Phil and picked up some odds and ends. After loading everything back into Phil's pickup we left for the Curtis Hotel in beautiful LoDo Denver. The hotel was very posh and trendy. After loading my 150 lbs. of bags onto the handcart, I remember saying, "Let's get this over with..." I'm not sure why I said that but I'm pretty sure that I wasn't really ready to leave my family behind. I'm not sure I was really ready to leave Omaha and America behind. College life for me has been a constant stuggle with myself to push for change; change in me but also change in the world around me. It felt like I was leaving so much behind. I hugged my family all in turn. I felt the weight of the world teeter-totter. With every embrace I was comforted, yet I was also completely bound by the weight of my decision.

I walked into the Curtis Hotel alone. I rode the elevator up to my room talking to the attendant trying not to think about everything that was yet to come. I set everything up in my hotel room. Preparing my suit for the meeting at the Japanese consulate later that night. I figited with everything. I turned on my DS and turned it off, I had the news in the background, and I called for some $25 macaroni and cheese (For the first time in my life I am not exaggerating a number). My roommate came an hour later and we made weak small talk. I knew that we didn't have much in common, which was to be a common thread among many of the JET participants. The only sure-thing was that we all spoke English.

The orientation at the house of the Consulate of Japan was boring and stuffy in the basement. I met some interesting people and met others that conjured feelings of being in West Omaha. I guess that I am the only person who felt like they did not belong and at any moment I would be found out and asked to leave, because there were others that conducted themselves in a manner that was extremely disrespectful to the presenters at the orientation. This was to be another common theme in my dealings with Westerners throughout my time in Denver and Tokyo. I must have been the only one that believed that I could be replaced. I must have been the only was whose Daddy wasn't a rich banker that could get them another position of similar prestige. After the drawn out meeting, we went upstairs and had our first experience at Japanese ceremony. All of us were needing a drink after the long winded orientation, but Japanese custom is to not drink a drop until a toast is made or until all toasts are made. There were too many god-damned toasts! The consul's personal chef prepared sushi and sashimi. The food was amazing. The conversation got better as I was able to mix around the room. I even met another JET from Nebraska. A JET from Scottsbluff, and of course anybody from Scottsbluff knows of the Stinner family. Japanese have a way of ending events in two hours: we ate, we drank, we left. As the bus drove away, sunset was crawling behind the Rockys. It was beautiful. Many people went out for more drinks, but I felt like using the internet and getting my bags sorted. I left the room around midnight to 'blow off some steam.' I returned and fell asleep. We were to leave at 5:00 a.m. I only slept about an hour. Why not spend my last day in America as I spend most days; in a haze of sleep.

The final weeks are passing quick.

As the weeks are winding down I am getting more anxious to leave. I am walking into something totally new, but I am not scared at all. My friends and family have been really great these last few months. I am happy that I was able to be in my brothers wedding because it gave me a good view of things before I left Omaha. I have struggled to settle any tattered ends of life in Omaha, of life as a young man, but I think that getting away will give me perspective into what I already know, or think I know.


Working at restaurants is such a unique experience, there is nothing really like it in the world. The customers are atrocious. The underbelly of American culture is burrowed deep in the heart of casual dining. But, the people that work at restaurants are one of a kind as well. There are many cookie cutter type people, such as: 'all buisness', 'the complete bitch (with or w/o smile on her face), we all love the christian girl who is too obtuse to really know what is going on, as well as many other people who fit into so many other molds. But, there are also many wonderful people. People who may be your best friend for the rest of your life.

The other night I went out to dinner with a few of my friends. We had dinner and drinks at Bonefish Grill. Everybody was talking and picking at food and drinking, but the laughter is what resonates from that night. My love of comedy and jokes has matured over the last few years, but the way that we all connected that night and laughed; it was a truly amazing night to have before my exodus.

After dinner we all went to a cigar bar out West. Traveling through the streets of Omaha on one last night, howling into the night, I was not looking for anything but I found a little bit of closure to something. Was it a chapter of my life (corny, i know), was it the end of my youth, or was it just another day closer to...

When we arrived at the cigar bar it was closed. There must have been some musk in the air that foretold of revelry because two beautiful young women opened the door to the cigar bar. If my friend Alex and myself would have been there we would have accepted the invitation to stay. We walked into the humidor, four gringoes , two of whom had never smoked a cigar before and the other two just as wet. The girls, with Alex and myself, were browsing asking about flavors of tobacco and whether working out at the cigar bar was a good job. Of course, because of the city-wide smoking ban, business had slowed to a standstill. The two attendants were smoking cigarettes in the main room. While we were paying the two devils, crawling on our shoulders begged us to stay. Broken rules pertaining to fire hazards and health risks, would make one believe that many of the white mans rules would be thrown to the wayside by these two vixens.

Reluctantly, we left and drove to another West Omaha spot. We found a patio and I was marinating in Michael Collins Single Malt and an Acid brand cigar. We talked more about life and work and the comedy of the situation. Looking towards the sky, I sipped my whiskey and wondered if Japan would cater as much to my soul as this night in Omaha. I am in love with this city, but with any love there are problems and things that could be fixed. Hopefully, my time in Japan will allow me to gain a better understanding of my love for this city and how I fit in to what I love about this city.