Festivals and Holidays January-March

Omatsuri or festivals, are numerous in Japan. There's a national holiday monthly (and sometimes two of them), which provides both a day off from work/school and a cause to celebrate. I was fortunate to partake in many of the festivities, which made me more enlightened in both customs and culture.

JANUARY: 
Oshogatsu (Japanese New Year)
The New Year is celebrated from January 1 to 3. Homes are cleaned, traditional food, osechi, is prepared, and people visit temples or shrines. Instead of sending out Christmas cards, the Japanese send out New Year postcards called nengajo. It's also custom to hand out money to children on New Year's Day called otoshidama. My students would return to school bragging about how much they pulled in from the holiday!

A traditional decoration, kagami mochi, or mirror cake, is made with mochi (rice cake) and a Japanese bitter orange called daidai. This is generally displayed on the Shinto altar in homes. On January 11, the kagami mochi is broken and eaten.

The mochi represents the coming and going years.
The daidai symbolizes the continuation of families
from generation to generation.

Seijin no Hi (Coming of Age Day)
Celebrated annually on the second Monday of January, this festival is for all 20-year-olds. Twenty is the age of majority in Japan, and this ceremony commemorates these young men and women becoming adults. On this day, both the men and women dress in kimonos, although it's acceptable for the men to wear suits. Government officials usually give a speech, small gifts are handed out, and then the newly recognized adults attend parties with their friends.

A couple of my private students decided to dress me in a kimono. It took quite a while to dress, the kimono consisting of no less than 12 pieces, which have to be donned in a particular fashion. I have no idea how they are able to dress themselves without an aide. Some older women still wear kimonos on a daily basis, but most save them for special occasions. I think the kimono is beautiful, especially the obi sash. The shoes are called geta and despite resembling a flip-flop, they are much more difficult to walk in.

FEBRUARY: 
Setsubun (bean-throwing festival)
Celebrated on February 3, Setsubun is the day before spring according to the Japanese lunar calendar. To mark the division of seasons, the Japanese throw beans inside and outside of their homes while chanting, Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi! Out with demons! In with happiness!

People also throw beans at temples and shrines, then eat the number of beans that correspond with their age. The purpose of this holiday is to pray for good health and fortune for the year.

National Foundation Day: celebrated on February 11, marking the day of the first emperor's enthronement. This holiday held little meaning to me other than a day off work.

Valentine's Day: celebrated on February 14, but the custom in Japan is for women to give chocolates to men. There are two types of chocolates they hand out. The first is called giri-choco, which is considered an obligation. These would be distributed to friends, colleagues, and bosses. The second is honmei-choco, which is given to their boyfriend or husband. These chocolates are often handmade instead of store-bought to show how much they care for their true love.

MARCH: 
Hinamatsuri (Doll Festival)
On March 3, young girls dress in kimonos for this festival, while families pray for their happiness, prosperity, and good health. There's a tiered platform in homes, covered with red cloth and hina dolls that represent the emperor, empress, attendants, and musicians. The dolls are taken down immediately after the festival, as there is an old superstition that those slow in putting away the dolls will have trouble marrying off their daughters.

Shiho wearing her school uniform before kimono;
Hina dolls represented on a tiered platform.

White Day: celebrated on March 14, one month after Valentine's Day. This holiday is for men to reciprocate gifts to women who treated them to chocolates in February. Gifts include flowers, candy, or chocolate (usually white to match the name of the day). This custom is unique to Japan...possibly a ploy on the part of chocolate and candy companies to make a little extra money?

Spring Equinox Day: celebrated on March 21. No cause to celebrate, just another day off of work.

Stay tuned for the next post featuring more holidays and festivals.

~MT

Tis the Season

Being from Canada, I'm accustomed to experiencing four distinct seasons. Winter lasts longer than I'd like some years, but we definitely have four.

When I arrived in Japan, it was June. I knew summer was starting and it would be hot. What I wasn't prepared for was rainy season, known as Tsuyu. Japan's fifth season lasts from the beginning of June until mid-July. It's necessary for cultivating rice, but for the people living there it's a hot, sodden, waterlogged month and a half.

My umbrella became an appendage, and I quickly learned that even if it was only cloudy in the morning, rain would soon be coming. A sea of umbrellas was visible everywhere. When you entered a business or store, you inserted your umbrella into a stand at the door, encasing it in plastic wrap so as not to drip water all over the floor. Some places just had a stand where you deposited your umbrella, and this is how I lost a few of them. Riding a bike in the rain proved difficult at first (riding with one hand), but I soon became a pro.

Even with my wellies, a 3-layer Gore-Tex jacket from Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC), and my umbrella, I always felt bisho bisho, which describes someone or something that is sopping wet, soaking wet through. I felt like this for the first few weeks of my stay. Wearing rubber boots and a raincoat in that heat just made me sweat on top of being soaked from the rain. Laundry and airing out my futon were next to impossible during this season, as both clothes and the futon are hung outside. I was happy when the skies cleared and we officially moved into summer.

Living in Windsor, Ontario, I'm used to heat and humidity. The other day, the temperature was sitting at a balmy 93°F or 34°C. I'm fortunate to have a pool in my backyard and A/C at home, work, and in my car. In Japan, the department stores and businesses blast cold air to near Arctic temps, but then stepping back outside, you feel like you're entering the fires of hell. One word to describe Summer: sweltering.

My students would enter the classroom and drop like flies, exhausted from the heat. Another expression the Japanese use is "heto heto," which describes being so tired that one has no strength left. My students would remain like this until it cooled off. It was common to see people with sweat towels and fans, doing anything to stay cool.

Despite the heat, summer is a wonderful time in Japan. There are many festivals, the beaches and pools are open, and you can enjoy matcha aisu (green tea ice cream). I discovered the most delicious drink, and I'm not sure why I sampled it in the first place since its name, CALPIS, sounded like cow piss. Its logo is Happy Refresh, so that may have been the selling point. It looks milky and tastes a bit like vanilla yogurt. For ¥100 (about $1.20), I drank it often. It came in both soda and water versions, but I preferred the water.

Calpis Water: a refreshing drink

As Summer turned to Autumn, my students told me about the foliage and the best places to visit to see the beautiful leaves. I took a weekend trip to Kyoto, which was the capital of Japan for most of its history. Kyoto is a gorgeous city, and experiencing it in the fall should be on every tourist's list.

Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion, is a Zen Buddhist temple and one of the most famous places to visit in Japan. The surrounding trees are splendid, bursting with colour, and the temple is mirrored by the pond in front, known as Kyoko-chi. The Japanese gardens surrounding the temple are beautiful, and although there are many visitors, you still feel a sense of peace and tranquilly.

All too soon the leaves fell, temperatures dipped, and it was apparent winter was coming. I had very few complaints about winter in Japan. I didn't need a heavy coat, toque, or mitts. I didn't see snow until I travelled north to Nagano (host of the 1998 Winter Olympics) for cross-country skiing. Even without snow and temps rarely dipping below 2°C, my apartment was often chilly. To keep warm, I got a kotatsu. The most common heater in Japan, the kotatsu is a low table with a heating element attached to the underside. You put a kotatsu buton, a blanket, between the table frame and the detachable table top. You sit with your legs underneath and gradually warm up.

Some people put another blanket, a kotatsu jiki, on the ground, but I was fine with mine sitting directly on the tatami mats. I often fell asleep at that table. It was also nice to sit around sharing drinks and laughs with friends.

Another plus to winter in Japan is seeing Mount Fuji covered in snow. Fuji is an active volcano but hasn't erupted in quite a number of years. The glorious mountain was located only 35 km from where I lived, just a quick 30-minute train ride. Most days I would see Fuji-san while riding my bike to work or from the roof of my apartment. Winter was the best time to view it. In hotter months, Fuji is often covered with clouds, and visibility is poor.

Finally, my favourite season in Japan is spring. The main reason I loved this time of year was because of the cherry blossoms. O-hanami means flower watching, but is more commonly used to describe a spring picnic under the cherry-blossom trees. Groups of friends and colleagues gather to eat, drink, sing, and admire the pink splendour.

Sumpu Koen (park)

Competition for top spots is fierce, and the main reason is the life of the cherry blossoms is only about two weeks depending on the weather. Sitting under the cherry blossoms with friends, listening to the susurrus of the trees while sipping on a beverage is a great way to spend your day off.

I was fortunate that I could ride my bike year-round, in any season. Riding past a rice paddy listening to the frogs at night, or riding by a green tea field inhaling the distinct smell of the leaves, became a familiar part of my day. Riding through a park in spring watching the cherry blossoms fall like snowflakes was an occurrence I won't forget. Although I could have done with less rain, it was still incredible to experience the different seasons.

~MT

Domo arigato

Before moving to Japan, I thought it might be beneficial to try and study a bit of the language. I visited my local library and took out a few books. Trying to teach yourself a foreign language is extremely difficult (although I never tried Rosetta Stone). Without hearing the pronunciation, you have no idea how to even say 'hello' properly. Plus, Japanese has four separate alphabets. Luckily, one of them is based on the English alphabet, so I had a slight advantage there. The only Japanese I knew prior to studying was from STYX.

I started taking Japanese lessons soon after arriving in my new hometown of Shizuoka. For ¥300 an hour (dirt cheap since I was charging more than ¥3000 for private lessons), I learned with a group of other foreigners with varying levels of the language. Being a beginner, Tanaka-sensei had to spend extra time with me. She was in her 60s, very strict, loved tennis, and had a wicked sense of humour.

For an hour and a half a week, she would review introductions, the alphabets, verbs, and conversational Japanese. I did little studying when I wasn't in her class. I was too busy working, settling into my new surroundings, making new friends, and singing karaoke. Although I loved Tanaka-sensei and her style of teaching, I also learned quite a bit from the kids in my classes. They always spoke to me in Japanese, just assuming I could understand. The topics were minimal (how much can a 5-year-old talk about?) and very repetitious. I would learn most of my vocabulary from them in the first few months.

My sensei told me I had to learn the Japanese alphabets, hiragana and katakana, within the first two weeks of study. Kanji is another alphabet adopted from the Chinese, but I would come to learn these characters later. Japanese use approximately 2,000-3,000 of these characters, and children start learning them in elementary school. Japanese also use romaji, which are Roman letters derived from Latin (the English alphabet).

HIRAGANA 

With the use of cue cards, I had this alphabet mastered in a week. Hiragana is the basic Japanese phonetic alphabet. It is used mostly with kanji to write all Japanese words. There are 46 characters, and they represent each sound in the Japanese language. There are only 5 vowels and 13 consonants, making pronunciation easy. The written form proves to be the most difficult aspect of the language.

KATAKANA 

By the second week, I was able to memorize this alphabet as well. Katakana is used for words that are loaned from other languages, like English. Many signs, menus, company names, and billboards are written in Katakana.

KANJI

This would prove to be the most difficult for me. Kanji are Chinese letters or words. The whole character is a meaning, not just a sound like hiragana or katakana. The stroke form is precise, and I took a calligraphy class to improve my skills.

After learning these alphabets, life became a bit easier. I could now read signs and order off a menu. I understood what I was buying at the grocery and convenience stores. I could write out my name, as it was extremely difficult for students to pronounce. More importantly, I could enter the appropriate washroom (not every country uses those stick figures!).

After residing in Japan for a couple of years, I took a proficiency test, which tests your writing, listening, and grammar.

Although I didn't ace the test, all I cared about was the result: PASSED. There are four levels of this test, but I stopped after the first one. I just wanted to prove I could pass and make my teacher proud.

I would have a few teachers during my stay in Japan. The last was a surfer boy named Isao, and although his style was quite different from Tanaka-sensei's, I still learned a lot. Each teacher helped make my stay that much better, and I am thankful for that.

The most important lesson I learned was not pronunciation, word order, or writing kanji. I learned that language is much more than words. We communicate with expression, gestures, a look, or a smile. I made friends with a girl named Yuko, and although her English was impeccable, her family didn't speak it at all. I spent a lot of time at her family home and always felt welcome.

Yuko's ojiisan (grandfather) always smiled when he saw me. One day he followed another foreigner around the grocery store and bought the same items as they did, hoping I would like them as well. This kind gesture touched me, and my bow and smile were all he needed to understand my gratitude. I also said, "Domo arigato"...thanks to STYX.

The best way to learn another language is to immerse yourself in it. The books I studied did little to prepare me for what I would encounter when travelling to Japan. When I visited other countries, I discovered English is more common and many people are able to speak it. That being said, I think learning the basics of another language when visiting a foreign country, such as hello, how are you, please, and thank you, is just a common courtesy, and the effort will be appreciated.

Sayonara for now!

~MT

Eigo no sensei (English teacher)

After graduating from university with a BA in English and zero job prospects, I decided to head overseas to teach English. Moving to Japan provided the opportunity to both travel and teach while attempting to put a dent in my rather significant student loan. From what I had seen, Japanese students were well disciplined and would be eager to learn. I was in for a surprise, not only in the behaviour of my students but also in what my teaching job would entail.

See how cute they are? Plus, they could figure out the train
system all on their own...much to my chagrin.

The company I worked for was an after-school program for children that wanted to learn English from a gaijin sensei, a foreign teacher. Or rather, their parents wanted them to be taught by a foreigner. Our classroom had no desks or chairs; we sat on cushions on the floor. Class times were one hour a week, generally from 3-6p.m. My students were aged 2-12, and for the younger ages, the mothers would join in the lesson. In Japan, English is taught in public school, but similar to the way I learned French in elementary school, it did little to improve language skills.

I only taught 1-3 hours per day so the rest of my time was
spent doing office hours. I would make posters like the ones
in the background, or flashcards. 

After being at school all day, the last thing these kids wanted to do was learn more. They could barely understand a word that came out of my mouth, and their lack of concern was evident. I had a bilingual Japanese teacher with me in the classroom to help translate and discipline.

Repetition was paramount, and we would repeat the same sentences over and over: "Hello, my name is Aya. I'm six years old. I like bananas." That was pretty much the extent of Aya's English. The goal of the school was to perform at HappyOkai, a presentation for the parents. The kids would say the few sentences they memorized and sing a couple of songs (usually Disney), and the parents would be happy their money was well spent.

We sang a lot of songs and played a lot of games. Uno anyone?

After my first year, I switched companies and took on a managerial role. This took me more out of the classroom, and I focused on training and evaluating new teachers. In my spare time, I took on a number of private lessons. Any foreigner will tell you that this is the easiest way to make money, and people are willing to pay a lot to spend an hour a week with a foreigner.

Teaching adults was not much easier but somewhat more entertaining. Whether I was teaching "business" English to employees at Mitsubishi or meeting bored housewives at Staba once a week to gossip, the money was good, and I couldn't complain. "Staba" is a short form for "Starbucks." Many names are shortened in Japan. Brad Pitt is referred to as Brapi. It seems the phenomenon of nicknames has caught on in North America as well. I've heard couples such as Ben and Jennifer being referred to as Bennifer. Cute or just lazy?

Teaching English was not an easy job, mostly because the English language is so hard to learn. The Japanese have great difficulty understanding grammar, pronunciation (the R and L are particularly tough), and word order. The word "phonics" should be spelled "fonix." Try explaining why certain words are spelled the same but have different pronunciations, or why some words sound the same but are spelled differently (to, two, too). I grew to appreciate being born in Canada. Plus, I had Schoolhouse Rock! to guide me.

Hooking up words and phrases and clauses.
I got "and," "but," and "or"; they'll go pretty far.

How, where, or when; condition or reason—these questions
are answered when you use an adverb. 

Since Japan is relatively isolated, being an island, there is minimal need for English in daily life. When Japanese people travel, they often join tours consisting of other Japanese tourists, complete with a translator. If they want to see a western movie, they can do so with Japanese subtitles. When I watched Goodwill Hunting, Matt Damon had a line in the movie, "How do you like them apples?" which was translated to "Do you like apples?" This explains why only a few of us were laughing in the theatre. The English language contains too much slang, idioms, and phrases simply beyond comprehension for the Japanese.

There are a number of English words adopted by the Japanese, which have become a part of their vernacular. A sandwich is referred to as a sandoitchi; a salad is a sarada. A love hotel (more on those later) is called a rabuhoteru. Pronunciation is difficult; love becomes rub. Fresh is pronounced as "flesh," which could be especially awkward when discussing food. Signs often have English phrases on them, which usually create more confusion for an English-speaking person.

Huh?

Note the spelling at the top of the sign.

I feel lucky to have been given the opportunity to teach overseas. I didn't possess any skills before going, and although my job title was "teacher," in reality, most lessons involved me simply entertaining a group. I grew to appreciate my native tongue while sympathizing with my students who struggled to learn. I doubt I had the impact that Robin Williams had on his loyal scholars in Dead Poet's Society, but I hope I made a bit of a difference, even for a few of my seito (students).

~MT