Tokyo Work Life: Teaching English in Private High Schools

A while ago I wrote about my experiences moving from Aomori, a quiet region of northern Japan, to the world-famous city of Tokyo. Needless to say, there have been many changes in my life since coming here. Although I’m still teaching English, my work life has changed quite a lot as well. Previously I was working as a teaching assistant in public elementary and junior high schools. Now I’m teaching solo, primarily in private high schools. I believe it’s been a really nice progression for me as I’ve gained more responsibilities, new challenges, and substantially more respect in the process.

Discussing an argumentative essay on the ethics of zoos

I’m working for a relatively small teaching agency based in the Tokyo metropolitan area. From my understanding, teaching agencies have traditionally been a middleman to help teaching find and secure good teaching jobs, I suppose like what recruiters do. My employer is a little different in this regard, as it’s basically like a permanent middleman rather than a recruiter. The agency has various connections and relationships with a number of schools. The agency hires part- and full-time teachers to work in these schools under agreements between individual schools and the agency. As for my situation, I’m working full-time for the agency and am sort of based at one school along with some less frequent, short-term teaching assignments. In addition, I do a little work in the agency office on top-secret projects (that’s sarcasm, but I still can’t actually discuss any details of this part of my work).

One of the awesome classrooms where I often teach with a great outdoor space

So far, I have thoroughly enjoyed my new job. I’ve had very positive experiences at all of my schools and agency office. Sure, I’ve had to work pretty hard and I’ve ran into a few challenges here and there. I’ve had some pretty lousy lessons at times, and had to deal with some troublesome students at one point. But I just try to have a positive outlook every single day and try to be a good, friendly teacher. As long as I do that, I always feel truly satisfied with what I’m doing.

The vast majority of my students are really great kids. And over the years I've learned that even when you have some "knuckleheads" in the classroom (usually immature boys who try to be funny), as long as you are a cool teacher with a good attitude you can make them behave and get them to learn something from you. In my first few months of teaching in Tokyo, I've taught at schools with both strict and liberal atmospheres. I respect both systems and don't have any problem teaching in either. But I still say teaching at my more liberal school has lead to some pretty interesting times. Given the extra freedom, it sometimes takes a little more effort to get the kids focused on the current task. But by the same token, it has lead to some pretty fun times!

Halloween at one of my schools, kids are allowed to and love dressing up!

 *Needless to say, in the above picture, I'm holding a toy gun--just to be clear ;-)

Moving to Tokyo!

I pinched open the curtain just enough to get a quick look outside without disturbing the other sleeping passengers. It was early dawn; the streets were quiet and peaceful. It brought back fond memories of all the early mornings I spent watching the sunrise. I thought of the elderly men who faithfully rode their bicycles out to the docks and cast their fishing lines into the sea. I would always pass by them on my way to my favorite spot to watch the sun come up over the sea. Suddenly, the bus stopped as we arrived at Aomori Station.

One of my favorites places in Aomori

I had just returned from a quick Tokyo trip with the purpose of finding a new apartment. I had already moved out of my place in Aomori and had all my belongings locked up in my old apartment’s outside storage unit. Fortunately, the new tenant was a fellow co-worker who let me to do this temporarily while I was between apartments. Also fortunate was that my upstairs neighbor, also a previous co-worker, was going to let me stay at his home for the next few days. And yet another piece of good fortune was the timing of all this which allowed me to see this years Nebuta Festival before making my final departure out of Aomori. Best of all, my mission was a great success. In just four quick days I had found a new apartment, completed all of the necessary documents, and signed everything to make it official.

Moving from Aomori to Tokyo

Before going to Tokyo for my apartment search, I had done a good amount of online research and preparation. Previously, my employer had arranged all of my apartment matters for me so all I had to do was sign a few documents and pay my rent every month. But this time, I was on my own.

My old apartment in Aomori -- I really loved this place

Renting in Japan - Process and Costs

Renting in Japan is much different than renting in the US. It's almost always done through real estate agents and companies rather than directly by landlords. I also discovered that it can be a much more challenging and frustrating process. Discrimination is part of life when it comes to renting here and many landlords will simply refuse to rent to foreigners, or at least certain kinds of foreigners.

When I was at each real estate office browsing through pages of properties for rent, the real estate agent would have to phone the landlord's agent to confirm availability. In my experience, the usual order of questions was first, "Is the property currently available?", which if yes was followed by, "Are foreigners allowed?" Sad to say, the answer was often, "no," but even when foreigners were allowed it was usually dependent upon nationality and occupation.

Learning about this process from the initial stages of research all the way to signing the lease documents was stressful. I had to do nearly everything using Japanese and it was time consuming, not to mention expensive. When it comes to finally signing for a new apartment, there are many extra fees and costs associated with renting in Japan. The most common fees include: chūkai tesūryō (仲介手数料, broker's fee), shikikin (敷金, security deposit), reikin (礼金, key money), hoshōnin kaisha (保証人会社数料, Guarantor company fee--for foreigners), and tetsukeikin (手付金, reservation deposit). Of course these do not include yachin (家賃, monthly rent), kanri-hi (管理費, monthly maintenance fees), or mandatory fire insurance fees. Just how much each of these costs depends on many factors; it's common for many of these to be equal to at least one month's rent but may not be the case in certain situations. In my situation I got a relatively excellent deal on my place, but admittedly the total startup costs still crippled me financially for the following few months.

My Apartment Search

When I arrived in Tokyo I had already had a full schedule planned out. My first day I had scheduled times to meet with people at some of the biggest real estate agencies in Tokyo. It was the most exhausting day but it paved the way for everything else. 

After figuring out what features were most important to me and discussing locations and other factors, they showed me dozens of available places. After selecting many which I was interested in, the agent contacted the landlords' agents to confirm availability. As I explained above, I had to sit there as the agent crossed off listings that wouldn't rent to foreigners and circle those that would. This was the process at each of the four places I went on the first day. For available properties I was especially interested in, I was able to make quick visits in person to check them out. 

At the end of the day, there was one place that easily stood out above all others. I spent a lot of time thinking about it and realized I better go for it. I knew that good places get rented out very quickly in Tokyo, and I didn't want to lose out. I also remembered something a friend told me earlier; he said, "don't look for a place that checks every box on your list; look for a place that checks most." I took out my phone and sent an email to the agent explaining that I decided to commit to the apartment.

North view from Nakano Station, my place is just 10 mins walk from here

The next morning I got a confirmation email and the rest is history. I cancelled all of my other planned visits and went back to the agent to start the process, which actually took three days to complete. On my last day I signed the final papers and with some hesitation brought a big pile of cash to the agent. Six days later I would get the key and move in.

By the way, these real estate agents will harass you constantly to rent through their company. I kept getting calls and my email inbox was flooded daily with emails trying to persuade me to broker a deal through their agency and not the others. It was extremely annoying, and even after I told them I had made a final decision, they still have the nerve to send a few more emails asking me if I was sure about it and/or to recommend them to friends.

My New Home

My new apartment is located in the Nakano Ward of Tokyo. It is one of 23 such special wards, which make up the most populated, core areas of Tokyo. I chose the location based on time and ease of commute to work, proximity to the major Tokyo areas, and several specific features like availability of nearby gyms. Nakano is known to be a pretty expensive area to live in, but I got a truly great deal on my place.

One of the streets near my home

I'm living on the second floor of a new two-story building, in a good location near the train station. Since the building is only about 10 years old, it was built within the most modern construction regulations (earthquake-safe) and is very clean. Since I'm living on the second floor, I have no upstairs neighbors to worry about either. Everything I need is easily within walking distance, including grocery stores, shopping, the library, a couple good parks, gyms, and so on. It takes me about 10 minutes to get to and from the train station, and everything else is mostly between the station and my home which is very convenient.

Not much to look at from the exterior, but it's a pretty new building

The apartment is considered a "1K" which basically means it has one room plus a kitchen. However, it's not quite as basic as that description might lead you to believe. When you walk in there is a small entrance space for shoes and such. This space is connected to the tiny kitchen area. It's small size is pretty much an unavoidable part of life for apartments in this location and price range. Nonetheless, I've adapted quickly and it hasn't been a problem. Off to the side of the kitchen is the bathroom area which is one of the amazing features here. The bath, toilet, and sink are all separate and quite nice. The bath section and toilet sections have windows, and the sink has a fantastic vanity. Straight from the kitchen area is a sliding door which leads to the main room. This is my living room, and has a huge closet and loft where I have my bed. I'm not able to decorate my place yet so it may look simple, but that will come soon enough.

It's pretty basic but works for me!

Kitchen and bathroom spaces

For months I didn't have any furniture to speak of, but suddenly one of my buddies was moving out of Tokyo and I was able to make a deal with him. As such, I felt like I could finally get this post done! So that's my moving experience and new apartment. My Aomori life has finished, but my Tokyo life has just begun :-)

Finishing JET & Final Months in Aomori

Posted 10/5/2014 (Backdated 7/15/2014)

This was a big summer for me. After three full years working on the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program (JET) and living in Aomori City, I decided to move forward and take on new challenges. I very much enjoyed my experiences in Aomori, but I knew in my heart that it was time to leave and start something new. So earlier in the year, I opted out of renewing my job contract and starting looking for new work in Tokyo. I felt like I was overdue for a change of environment and I knew that it was important to continue improving my skills. I applied to a dozen job openings and after a few busy months of emails and interviews I secured a great job (details in a future post).

Fond memories: a look back at the start of my journey, July 2011

Now as you may expect, the whole process of changing jobs and moving to totally new city in Japan can be incredibly overwhelming. It wasn't necessarily the individual responsibilities that were so intense, but rather handling each of them within the constraints of a clock that was ticking more quickly with every passing day. I knew exactly when my contract would finish, and I knew that I had to have everything sorted out by that date. An immediate concern was my expiring visa, a very strict matter in Japan. I also worried about finalizing the details of my new job so I could finally get going on my apartment search. I had many responsibilities to consider during this time. But as important as these mandatory tasks were, I also had so many great people to see and thank before taking off.

Several of my last meet-ups with friends in Aomori

Throughout my three years in Aomori I received an amazing amount of support and kindness from people. Thus, I made it a priority to show my gratitude and sincere thanks to these people before departing. I also had to thank my students for welcoming me to their schools and I wanted to say a final goodbye to all my friends and other colleagues. Lastly, I had an real desire to enjoy Aomori's best qualities a few more times before leaving—relaxing by the sea, watching the beautiful sunsets, going on bike rides on quiet streets. Aomori can be an incredibly peaceful and beautiful place, and I knew I would really miss this aspect after moving to Tokyo.

One of my favorite things to do in Aomori, relax by the sea

So without further ado, here are some of the highlights of my final months in Aomori.

Final School Visits

With so many emotional farewells and important goodbyes in my final weeks it's hard to know which to start with here. But I think it has to be about my schools and final visits because so much of my time and energy was invested these places. Thankfully, I believe they were very good investments which left me with many precious memories.

Final class at my junior high school in Aomori

In my final two years, I had been regularly visiting two elementary schools and one junior high school in Aomori (previously I visited six schools). As the months passed and my final visits approached, I never allowed myself to believe it. I had grown comfortable with my daily routine and familiarity with the schools. I was emotionally attached to some extent, and I suppose I just didn't want to accept the reality of the situation. Despite the feeling, I still prepared for the final visits.

I always enjoyed teaching young children, always so much fun!

I bought good quality American-made chocolates for each school's teachers and staff. I wrote thank you messages in Japanese for teachers. I also created message cards for all of my students; when possible I included pictures I took with each particular class. In the messages, I told students to dream big, have confidence in themselves, and try new things as they grow older. Hopefully, some kids will actually save this small token and be inspired by those words.

The message card I made for my students

Once the final day at each school arrived, I gave speeches in Japanese to all of the teachers, expressing my gratitude for them welcoming me to their school and supporting me. I also gave quick speeches to students in their classrooms when I passed our the message cards to them. At my base school (the junior high school), I also gave a big speech in front of all students and staff. It was a lot of work but I felt all the time and effort I made for these gestures of appreciation was well worth it after I was given so much.

Giving my final Japanese speech at my junior high school

This all occurred weeks before I actually moved out, so although there was a real somber side to the farewells it was countered by my optimism that I would probably run into them a few more times before I moved out of Aomori. Truthfully, the reality didn't seem to hit me until my first day of class at one of my new schools in Tokyo. Today, I still think of the memories I gained and I look back with a smile because I was able to be part of something unique and as interesting as working in the Japanese public school system. I smile because I'll never forget all the happy faces I got to see every day, and the cheerful kids I had the pleasure of meeting.

Final Elementary School Basketball Practice

One of my particularly special experiences from my Aomori life was with the elementary school girl's basketball team. Although the school didn't have a boy's team, I was happy to help out with the girls when the opportunity arose. One of the Japanese teachers of English I taught with was the head coach, and when he learned of my interest in basketball he welcomed me to the practices.

My last practice with the team, I really miss them

Throughout the years I joined practices when I could and tried to go to games when possible. My role was minor; I occasionally helped run drills for the girls or scrimmaged with them during practice. At games I simply watched and cheered them on. Yet I established a very sentimental bond with the team. I really enjoyed popping into practice unexpectedly and seeing the young players smile, laugh, and get excited to play basketball with me. When I came to their classes to teach, they often asked me if I was coming to practice later and would be so happy when I confirmed yet so disappointed when I declined. Like so many of my best memories, the most special aspect of these experiences was the bonds I made with students as a mentor and teacher. It was also impressive to see how hard they always worked and how fast they could develop their skills. I had a lot of respect for them.

Work Farewell Parties (Sōbetsukai)

I don't believe that I've ever written extensively in my blog about Japanese work parties (enkai's), but perhaps I should have because they are such a major part of Japanese culture. 

The typical Japanese work party is an essential tool for building and sustaining good relationships in the office or work setting. Every year there are welcome parties for newcomers. During the year parties take place for various reasons and key events. And every year farewell parties are held to say goodbye and good luck to people leaving or moving away. I clearly remember that at every past farewell party I had attended I felt relieved that I was not one of the people on the stage giving their final speech. My turn finally came this year, but I was ready.

I had a farewell work parties with both my junior high school (base school) and the Aomori Board of Education. My school party was smaller and bit more easygoing, where as the latter was quite large with many people attending whom I had never met prior. 

Once the parties got started I gave a fairly long speech in Japanese. I thanked everyone for their support, especially my direct supervisors and main teachers I worked with during the years. I emphasized my appreciation for gaining such a good experience in Aomori and learning and growing as a person. I mentioned my favorite things about the city and prefecture, and noted that I will be back to visit. After the speech at the big farewell party, the other leaving teachers and I were presented with small gifts (which we could request weeks earlier). I requested a smart phone case painted in the traditional local art tsugaru-nuri style so that I could be reminded of Aomori every day even when not living there any longer. I'm happy to say my request was honored and I was given a very beautiful case; I wrote about tsugaru-nuri and showed pictures of the case in a recent blog post here. After the ceremonial parts were finished the parties were pretty usual with shared plates of Japanese food, various alcoholic beverages, and casual chatting. I was starving but I hardly got to eat anything since people were talking to me constantly these nights, asking where I was going next and what my best memories of Aomori were. No worries there, I was happy to talk with everyone. I just ate a real dinner afterwards.

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures for these parties (I will try to get from someone else and upload in the future). I was so busy with the speeches and people coming up to talk with me that I never had a chance to snap photos. Nevertheless there is one final thing I wanted to write here and perhaps on of the most meaningful. At one point during the main party, everyone stood up and sang a song for me and the other leaving teachers. Every single person there sang and did to the best of their ability. I couldn't understand the lyrics well, but it was a nice song. It was this gesture that really touched my heart that night. It made me realize more than ever the kindness people had showed me. Somehow at that moment I felt like I could see through their heavy armor hiding their true feeling and emotions. I thought to myself, "it's really amazing that all of these people, many whom I've never met before, came here tonight to show their respect and appreciation for our efforts."

Japanese Club Final Party

While living in Aomori, I had been a regular member of a local club for learning Japanese, called Nihongo Club (Japanese Club). Along with my buddy Patrick, we saw many other members come and go through the years but the volunteer teachers were always there, working hard to help us improve our Japanese and support our integration into Japanese society. I wish I could have thanked them more for their efforts; I will always have such fond memories and appreciation for what they did. Our final class day coincided with a usual end-of-term party, so it was a good chance to give our final thanks to everyone and say farewell.

Japanese Club students, volunteers, and friends

Last Gym Visit (Geo Fitness)

For the majority of my time in Aomori I belonged to a gym called Geo Fitness. Due to the nature of living in a small city, I had the chance to get to know some people pretty well during my time there; and in particular I established a pretty tight-nit relationship with a several members and staff. Although I knew that moving to Tokyo would provide me with some substantial advantages regarding access to and availability of gyms, good people and relationships can never be replaced so easily. I made some really nice memories there.

Checking out of Geo Fitness for the last time

Final weeks in Aomori

With two weeks left before my work and apartment contracts would come to an end, everything was pretty much on track. I just came back from a successful second job interview so I could officially start my apartment search. I had just about wrapped up all of my school visits, and I had made solid progress on organizing and cleaning out my apartment. I was stressed and exhausted, but relieved to final confirm my job and have the assurances that I would indeed be moving to Tokyo very soon.

One Year Blogging Anniversary!

Today marks exactly one year since I started I started blogging. Woohoo! From day one, I set out to create a quality blog where I could record my adventures and provide a way for friends and family to see what's going on in my life once in a while. I had previously failed to take advantage of opportunities to record and share my experiences during my first two years in Japan, but I recognized that the opportunity was still right there for me to grasp. So with new determination, I began my blog exactly as the new school year (and more generally work year) began in Japan. I knew this would ensure that I could capture the entire Japanese school year in this blog, as well as all seasons, major holidays and events, and so on. Looking back, I'm pleased with my accomplishment.

If you've ever read my blog before, you'll know that I write about a variety of topics. I've written about various travel experiences, the city and region in Japan where I'm currently living, Japanese culture, work life in Japanese public schools, and more. And surprisingly, I've never been at a point where I didn't have anything to write about. Even still today, there are many topics I want to write about and am planning to publish as soon as possible.

I'll admit, I do not receive many visitors here and I have virtually no subscribers. I think most people, and especially bloggers, would agree that when you put in a substantial amount of time on something, it's nice to get recognized. Well I'm not going to lie, it would be nice to have a bigger readership. But at the same time, this isn't my goal nor has it ever been the reason for doing this.

I feel like keeping this blog has benefited me in a lot of ways throughout the past year. Writing new posts gives me the chance to reflect on my experiences and appreciate them more than I would otherwise. It often encourages me to do further research to get a better understanding of the things I've seen, places I've visited, or people I've met. And I've been able to learn a lot more about Japanese culture, as well as gain new perspectives I probably never would have obtained if I never kept this blog.

Of course I hope my blog has been equally interesting for friends, family, or anyone else that may have come across it in the past 12 months. I understand that the concept of reading is not what it used to be, especially on the internet. We have to be careful about what we choose to spend our time reading, just as we need to be mindful of how we spend our time daily. Thus for those who continue to follow my blog, whether it's for every post or once every few months, thank you for checking it out. Maybe it will inspire your to travel, learn, and try new things. Maybe, it will even inspire you to write a blog someday.

Here's to another year of happy blogging!

- Daniel

After JET Conference

Fellow JETs and I outside of the Pacifico Yokohama

In late July of 2011, I was very fortunate to join the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program (JET). Over the past few years, I've gained an special experience as an assistant language teacher (ALT) working in Aomori, Japan. Now, my time in the program is coming to a close and I'll be finishing my contract exactly three years after it began. 

For anyone unfamiliar with JET, it's a program that places native-English speakers in public schools throughout Japan to assist in teaching the English language as well as fostering multicultural understanding in the country. In addition to ALTs, two more main job positions are available in the program, coordinator for international relations (CIR), and Sports Exchange Advisors (SEA); but I think the latter is rare as I've never met a single SEA. At any rate, the JET Program began in 1987 in cooperation with government agencies in Japan and several other countries; it has now grown to over 4,000 participants coming from 40 countries. As the website summarizes, "it was started with the purpose of increasing mutual understanding between the people of Japan and the people of other nations. It aims to promote internationalization in Japan’s local communities by helping to improve foreign language education and developing international exchange at the community level."

For participants like myself, the After JET Conference is a great event to help us prepare for taking the next step in our lives. The yearly conference is held in late February and takes places at a large convention center called the Pacifico Yokohama. It spans two days and only participants in their final year are allowed to attend. I thought the conference was quite good; here's a quick summary. 

Day 1

First, it kicked off with an opening ceremony, featuring representatives from the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). One of the speakers was Shinji Urabayashi, currently the director of the Exchange Programs Division MOFA. This was followed by an introduction of the JET Alumni Association (JETAA), in which Sarah Parsons, currently the National Chair of JETAA, spoke about how to get involved with the association and the support it can offer us. Lastly, two keynote addresses were given; the first by Anne Good, the president of Eureka!, a company offering executive, career, and life coaching services, and the second by Adam Komisarof, professor at Reitaku University.

From left: Shinji Urabayashi, Sarah Parsons, and Anne Good

In Anne Good's keynote titled, "What's Next?", she focused on strategies that we could implement to discover the right career path for us after JET. She emphasized the importance of, "passion, drive, and enthusiasm," and talked about the different things we should be considering. She suggested to ask ourselves questions like, "what energizes me?" and "who inspires me?" I thought it was a good keynote address and a lot of points she made were reaffirmed in other parts of the conference.

Adam Komisarof, professor at Reitaku University, giving his keynote

Next, Adam Komisarof presented his keynote address, "Re-entry Preparation & Reverse Culture Shock." He discussed a lot of excellent points; perhaps the most interesting to me were the realities facing us when we return home. Most of us have had incredible experiences and when we go home, our first inclination is to want to tell our family and friends all about it. But in many cases, it will be hard if not impossible for these people (no matter how close to us) to relate to our experiences, and thus simply may not care. This point really hit home for me, because I've experienced it myself. For people that have never lived abroad for an extended period of time, it seems difficult for them to get truly engaged in such discussions. That would be one of my biggest fears about returning home; not having anyone to relate to about an experience that's really changed my live in a lot of ways. But I suppose this is just one of the reasons why the alumni association can be such an important community for us. Although I may not be returning home just yet, I don't see it not happening at least sometime down the road. Back to the conference...

After all of the presentations and speakers, the first day was capped off with a career fair. This included 27 organizations and businesses. One of the surprises for me was the lack of teaching-related jobs, which is more of what I'm personally looking for at this point. But it's also a reminder about how few JETs actually have teaching-specific backgrounds, and instead come from all kinds of different fields. Despite the fact that nothing particularly jumped out at me, I thought it was a worthwhile experience to talk with representatives of the various companies.

Day 2

The next day was composed of three main parts: a panel discussion, one-on-one career consultation sessions, and career field presentations.

The panel discussion was lead by four professionals and former JET participants, including Crispin Chambers (Head of Japanese at Tavistock College), Leah Gowron (Director of Alumni Relations at the Montery Institute of International Studies), Eric Korpiel (Recruiting Senior Consultant at Robert Leonard Consulting), and James Santagata (Principal Consultant at Career OverDrive!). They covered a wide range of topics such as current job market situations, possible areas of continued study, and suggestions on how to use the JET experience for our future careers. I thought this was a great session and I took lots of notes. One of the overarching themes I picked up was to "think outside the box" to a large extent. This includes things like asking professionals in the field to meet for informational interviews, or trying to go direct to employers for work rather than waiting for a specific job opening to become available. They also gave some good points on how to modernize one's résumé or CV, and how to go through the interview stages successfully.

During the one-on-one consultations, I actually met with Eric Korpiel who was part of the panel discussion I just mentioned. I had just 15 minutes, but I found it to be useful and it was nice to have the opportunity to chat individually with him about his background and hear his advice for me.

The career field presentations were the last thing on the schedule for the conference. There were five time slots so were had chances to see many of the different sessions. A few I attended were "Entrepreneurship," "Social Media," and "Finding Employment in Japan." The one I really found fascinating was the entrepreneurship session presented by Jeffrey Char (Representative Director for J-Seed Ventures, Inc.). I've already talked in length about the conference so I won't go into detail here. But basically I was thoroughly impressed with his Mr. Char's down-to-earth, honest advice and hearing about how to got to where he is now--very successful and loving his work.

Impressions

I almost always like professional conferences. I feel like I can learn new things and rekindle my career-related motivation if it has somehow faded. So it shouldn't come as a surprise that I thought the After JET Conference was great. The speakers did a nice job of giving us authentic advice and points. I felt like they were really there because they wanted to be. My only gripe was that there was a major lost opportunity to network with other JET participants. Most participants came with others they already knew, and from my observations generally just stuck together instead of trying to meet new people. Unless you were to just go up to someone randomly and strike up a conversation, there weren't any chances to meet other JETs. Despite my efforts to talk to a few new people on the first day, I was generally disappointed because I would have loved to talk with others in similar situations as me. The final thing I'll say is that the conference was a big reminder that my time as a JET really is winding down, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel some serious melancholy about it. But all good things must come to an end, and I know it's time for me to move on, keep challenging myself, and experiencing new things.

Birthday Party Time!

Enjoying a great birthday at Pent House in Aomori

Getting older scares me, but doing it surrounded by great people make it a little easier. My birthday was on February 13, and a lot of good friends were here to celebrate it with me. I'm not going to say to much in this post but I at least want to thank my friends for coming and making it such a good time. I have to especially thank my special friend, Nozomi, who organized the whole thing and prepared a bunch of fun games we could all enjoy. Lastly, I don't want to forget the various birthday messages and cards I received from other friends and family who didn't have the opportunity to celebrate with me; thank you too!

I've been trying to ask myself, "what does each passing birthday really mean?" I don't think I have a really good answer to this, but I tend to think about how I've changed and what I've learned since my last birthday. Either way, hopefully we all get a little wiser each time.

One thing I do know, is that this past birthday will most have been my last birthday in Aomori City since I'm leaving in late July. News of my final year as a JET participant is known to most of my friends and family already, but if anyone hasn't heard yet I've decided to finish my contract after three solid years working here. So where will I be on my next birthday? I'm really not sure yet, but I look forward to the new experiences I'll gain along the way.

Starting Fresh

I began teaching English in Japan nearly two years ago. LIke many young people in my position, I had real ambitions to record my new and exciting new life through a blog, journal, etc. Indeed, I clearly recall writing about my experiences in those first few days. I remember thinking how great it would be to keep my friends and family updated on my life here, while at the same time being just as useful for collecting my own memories. But as I quickly realized, this simply wasn't sustainable for me in those initial years. When I first arrived in Aomori, Japan, it was festival time and the weather was fantastic. The last thing I wanted to do was sit in front of a computer typing away. I wanted to be doing things, being outside, and meeting people. By the time things settled down, the thought of backtracking to catch up on a journal was too intimidating and I gave up on the idea.

Almost two years later, I'm eager to try again. My time living in Japan and teaching in public Japanese schools is a special part of my life and it's the perfect time to start because the new school year just started this week. Further, this may very well be the last opportunity I have to record my experiences here since I anticipate this being my last contact year before I move on to new challenges. So alas, I am starting fresh. I am starting the blog that I always wanted to do but for which I never had the right motivation.

Starting fresh, is also a widespread theme in Japan during this time of the year. March signals the end of the work year for employees and the completion of the school year for students. Rounds of work enkai (宴会, 'banquet/party') ensue as companies, schools, and organizations celebrate a job well done and say farewell to friends and colleagues who are moving along or changing workplaces. Graduation ceremonies, or sotsugyoushiki (卒業式) take place as older students complete his or her current studies and prepare for the next step. In late March, the famous sakura ( 桜花, 'cherry blossoms') start to bloom in the warmer, southern areas of Japan. And as customary in Japan culture, people are encouraged to partake in hanami (花見, 'cherry blossom viewing'); note that where I'm currently living in Aomori, this occurs in late April. Next, as April begins another round of enkai's take place in order to kick off the new work year and welcome newcomers. Likewise nervous students are welcomed into their new schools through entrance ceremonies, or nyugakushiki (入学式). I'll likely go into further detail about the various Japanese ceremonies in future posts, but for now it suffices to say, Japanese culture necessitates a ceremony for everything.

Entrance Ceremony at Koda Junior High School - Aomori City, Japan

This week marks the first week of classes at my schools. However, since it's mostly dedicated to ceremonies and various classroom preparation activities, there is little for me to do. New students are described the ins and outs of their new school, all students receive general health checkups, and students are assigned various duties for the semester, to name few things. I can work on some class preparation myself, but it's limited at this point. Usually I do more of that once the real classes start, when the team teachers I work with and I know more about the needs of the students and can tailor the objectives and goals based on such. Thus, I've have free time to work on getting every ready for my rather elaborate upcoming travel plans to S. Korea, Taiwan, and the Philippines. The free time has also allowed me to write and now complete my first blog post! Finally, I'll finish with a very useful Japanese expression meaning 'do one's best', 'keep at it', and 'good luck' which I need to successfully do this blog… ganbaru! (がんばる)