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Japan and new technology are 2 things which are usually mentioned in the same sentence. I have seen first hand the many advancements in technology which Australia and NZ are light years behind.  Toilets which are a  joy to visit, crazy modern cars, motorcycles and bicycles, mobile phones which do everything (I guess this is the reason that when you walk down the street here, every kid has their face buried in their mobile.) Apparently one of the features is a ‘virtual friend’ which needs your constant attention or else they will no longer be your friend. Tragic, in all senses of the word.

Another example of technology here are showers which have a special feature built into them which I thought was especially brilliant. See, you turn the water on as usual and then adjust the temperature before stepping under the water as per normal. Then around 1 minute after stepping under the water, the water turns stone cold for a minute or so before returning to normal temperature! Brilliant! Hydrotherapy built in! I wonder when the rest of the world will catch up to the marvels of modern technology and new age thinking that Japan has to offer.

Anyway I could dribble on forever about my cool shower but I have some other things to mention. Today is Monday 2nd November and I am approaching the 2 week mark since I stepped of the bus from Fukuoka after my 1o days of training.

An accurate comparison summarising my first week in Oita would be I felt like a sponge who had soaked up all possible water but was still required to soak up more but the water now just spills out rather than soaks up. Adjusting to life in Japan is pretty intense, everything and I mean everything is different  here. It is challenging enough getting through day-to-day activities like navigating your way through the city, public transport, food etc, let alone beginning a new job as an English teacher.

For those that know me well you will know that I am a man who has dipped his finger in many pies when it comes to lines of work. You name it I have done it. My last job in Melbourne and Christchurch, just before I left, was as a removalist. Removalist to English teacher is probably not what you would put next to each other on the continuum of natural career progression! So as you can imagine it took a week or so for my head to adjust to exactly where I’m at and what is required to do this job properly. Towards the end of this week my sponge started working again and I was able to take on a bit more, without too much overflow. The penny dropped you might say. Around 3 weeks of soaking up information and finally my ex removalist / waiter / account manager / restaurant manager / barman / salesperson, brain started working again.

There are several varieties of JET’s (Japanese English Language Teachers) in Japan. Aeon (the company I work for) is focused on developing English conversation skills, JET (American company) is focused on Natural Language Skill not necessarily conversation based, and then are dozens of smaller private schools teaching English in whatever way they want. Now that I have settled a little more, I am really enjoying the job. An English language instructor in Japan is automatically afforded the status of  ‘Sensei’ which in Japanese social hierarchy is fairly high up the list. So in other words the students love you. The students are an absolute open book for your information and most of them are very keen to learn English. Of course there are a few who are not as committed as others but thats par for the course in any educational institution. My goal is firstly to teach English in the most professional manner possible and secondly to have fun whilst doing so. The most challenging aspect at this stage is trying to remember the names of all of my 60 odd students. Western names are hard enough to remember. Try teaching a class to Kanako, Nanako, Sayoko, Hiroyuki, Tomoyuki and Miyuki. You get the drift. My trick at the moment is on my class list each day I write a descriptive word next to each persons name such as ‘frizzy’, ‘chubby’, ‘teeth’, ‘giggly’, etc. Eventually I hope to be able to do away with the descriptions!

Last weekend was the Aeon Kids Reading Recital day. 10am last Sunday morning my fellow teachers and I met at the Oita city hall to set up 200 odd chairs for proud parents of the Aeon kids to watch the kids recite from their English story books displaying their newly acquired English skills. For a child in Japan to be bi-lingual with English and Japanese is a huge thing for Japanese parents so this was a big occasion. Soon after things got under way I was immediately cursing myself for not bringing my camera. Japanese kids (little ones – 5 years old etc) are the cutest things you have ever seen. With around 220 proud parents looking on each child read a segment of his or her reading book. At the end of the recital each group of children in each age category was presented a certificate for their achievements. I was required to present some of these certificates. Now at this stage you would be thinking no big deal right? As I was at the time of being asked to present the awards. Now for those that are familiar with Japanese customs, presenting anything, like a business card or any type of award for that matter is not done in the same fashion as in the west. Did anyone tell me this? No. So onto the stage I went. Stood next to the microphone after being introduced as the new teacher and commenced calling each student out with as I have been told, rather questionable Japanese pronunciation. I handed each certificate with one hand and took no notice of the way the certificate was facing, as you do in the west. Big mistake. After the first round of awards I was quickly informed that my method of certificate presentation was not acceptable in terms of Japanese custom. In Japan when presenting anything (menu, business card, change at the shop, receipts, and definitely certificates) it must be done with the fingertips of both hands at the top of the item with it facing the recipient accompanied by a slight bow. So I guess I didn’t notice the horrified faces of my managers, not to mention the 100 odd parents, whilst passing the certificates in such a nonchalant western fashion! You live and you learn as they say.

So back to teaching. The best way to describe this job is that you are basically an expert charades player. Learning to communicate 80% body and maybe 20% oration is what is roughly required. As soon as you start to head into anything more than around 20 % speaking you get what I call the ‘tumble weed effect’ This is not a nice feeling when you see it as a teacher. Imagine feeling like you have explained something as clearly and accurately as humanly possible to be met by 5 to 10 completely blank faces. Then you see the tumble weed roll by…and your back is instantly covered in a slick of sweat as you wonder how the fuck are you going to explain this any more basically, when you have just done it in the most simple way you thought possible? Then you suddenly realise that you have an amazing set of charades skills you never knew you possessed! Amazing..Suddenly the tumble weed disappears and the faces spring back into life and your heart rate adjusts, as the message gets through. So I guess I am learning how to teach these guys and I’m starting to have fun doing it.

People stare at you here, it’s wierd. It’s wierd but also kind of amusing. There are people who look shit scared of you and then there the ones who are dying to try and talk to you to test their English skills. This most commonly happens when you visit an Izakawa  (Japanese pub). I have a local place I go to a couple of nights a week which is not far from my apartment. It is owned by 2 young Japanese guys both named Tepe. Each time I visit I learn a little more Japanese and the people I talk to learn a little more English. It is a healthy relationship you might say. Each time I have been there for a beer or dinner or usually both, it is a given that I will have had a laugh with every group of Japanese people in there. Even if only a few words are understood its amazing how much a few beers promotes a non verbal form of communication! It is a lot of fun!

Well thats about all have in this action packed instalment of Matt’s adventures in Japan. For those that fancy a chat on Skype or good ol Stalkbook, my days off are Sunday and Monday so I will usually be online these nights.

Till next time,

Arigato gozaimos, sayonara.