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.