What's the diff? Japanese school culture vs. American school culture

We've been here about five months now, so I've had time to reflect on some of the key similarities and differences between American public school culture, which I've been a part of most of my life in one way or another, and Japanese public  school culture. I realize that some of the comments I make may not reflect the reality of junior high schools up on the mainland of Japan, since Okinawa is truly its own place with its own history, norms, and ways of life. What I'm going to share is based on personal experience and reflection only! Regardless of location, however, I do hope to shed some light on some American stereotypes of Japanese schools and students. I will try not to be too wordy so that my American students can read and appreciate some of these points.  :)

SIMILARITIES

• Forget your ideas that Japanese kids are studious, quiet, and perfect! Kids are kids everywhere. Some of the junior highers I work with here are--shhh!!--not perfect. Some have really tough home situations. Some are mouthy and rude sometimes. Some love to get a rise out of you by saying crazy stuff in English, probably picked up from TV shows, music, and movies. Some sleep through class or blow off the assignment entirely.  Of course, many are fantastic students who love English and are doing great. I only get to see them in this one setting: English class, which for some is just not their best subject, so they act out. They're kids. 
• Kids here love pop culture, whether from their own country or various others. This is another universal, I think! They cover their folders with pictures of rock stars, boy bands, actors, and beloved characters. This is one cool way they can express themselves in a sea of identical uniforms.
• The process of gradually separating from family and immersing oneself in the life of friends and activities really kicks into high gear in junior high. (I'm listing this as a similarity because this also happens in the U.S. around this age, but here it's far more pronounced.) These kids are often at school until 7 or 8 p.m., and on weekends they're back at school for club activities and sports or doing other school-related activities like taking special English tests to help them get into good high schools. Family time diminishes more and more as the child goes through the three years of junior high.

DIFFERENCES

• Community, community, community. (No, not the TV show. Can't wait for more episodes, BTW! 6 seasons and a movie!!) Anyway, a class of students here has an entirely different level of teamwork and togetherness than a typical class of middle schoolers in the U.S. In general, classes stay together throughout the three years, instead of getting a new group of classmates every year. And while a "class" of junior high students in the U.S. may be together for homeroom and possibly nothing else, a class of students here is together all day long for pretty much every subject. (Some students might be pulled out for special ed services occasionally, and in P.E. they might separate boys and girls for some activities, but that's it.) These kids sit together at assemblies and events, serve lunch to each other every day, clean up their classroom and the entire school together daily (no janitors at schools here!), plus go to every class together. That builds a very different kind of class community than what I'm used to seeing and experiencing back home.
• Shoes. That says it all. Well... OK, I'll elaborate on that a bit! People here are incredibly particular about shoes, and that goes for the kids as well as everyone else. The kids come to school in whatever street shoes they want. Then they place those in a shoe locker for the day and wear their school-issue slippers most of the day. (These slippers are like deck shoes.) Now, you'd think those slippers would be fine throughout the school since they're never worn outside, right? Wrong. When they actually enter most classrooms, they have to again remove THOSE shoes and enter the class in their stocking feet. Most teachers here (and by most I mean every single Japanese teacher; the only exception is me) teach an entire 50-minute class in their stocking feet since they have to remove their inside shoes as well before entering the classroom. Because of my back and foot pain, I have a separate pair of shoes I have to wear in class. I also have to remember to bring them to taiko class in the community center, conferences, and other places since there are tons of places where you must remove your shoes. This adds another layer to the whole passing period thing since you have to have shoes stowed in the shoe locker before you come to class and sit down. (How they keep track of whose shoes are whose is a complete mystery to me; they look 100% identical.)
• The level of trust placed in students here, and the way that trust is usually deserved by the kids, continues to astonish me every time I see it in action. While every club or sport has at least one faculty coach or advisor, the kids basically run their own practices in many instances. I've observed a few clubs when no teacher was present, and everyone was more or less on task and engaged. The teacher might set the day's goals, but in many cases they're not the ones running those clubs. (I can't think of a single sports practice or club activity where the teacher wasn't essential to the flow of activity and the use of time.) For special events like the Culture Fest as well, classes decide on their own how they're going to exhibit, whether with a whole-class dance, just a few kids presenting a skill or talent, or some combination of both. Student leaders start and end every class period, often without teacher involvement. Most regular days and even special events just run like clockwork because the students are so well prepared--and trusted--to take the ball and run with it. 

There are plenty more observations I could make, and I'm sure I will before our time here is up! Are you teaching elsewhere in Japan?? If so, you probably have plenty more insights and can touch on how mainland Japan differs from Okinawa in the points I've mentioned. Do you teach in the U.S. and also have opinions and insights?? I've love to hear all in the comments below. Thanks for reading!

How Animal Crossing: New Leaf Prepared us for Japan

Written by Eric & Kelly Farrow in cooperation: 

About a month before Kelly and I left for Okinawa, I purchased the most recent release in the Animal Crossing series, "New Leaf"(AC:NL). I originally thought this could be a cute game we could share, and Kelly really liked the monotonous errand quests in Ni No Kuni; so I thought it would be a slam dunk on the 12+ hour plane ride Kelly was in for.

Dōbutsu no Mori, or Animal Forest (branded Animal Crossing in North America), was conceived when the creator moved from Nintendo's offices in Tokyo to their offices in Kyoto. He missed interacting and playing with his family and friends, he realized how important this was to his life and decided to form a video game around his family and friends in Tokyo. (source)

We were surprised how accurately this game represented our new daily life in Japan in many many ways:

-Omiyage: Gift-giving is a vital part of Japanese culture. "Omiyage" are gifts it's pretty much obligatory that you buy for many people when you come to their home, go on vacation, or get a new job. Just like how all the characters in the game are constantly giving you gifts and reciprocating when you give them anything, people in Japan are gift givers right up there with hobbits. One example that blew me away recently was when I came in to work and found a beautifully wrapped gift on my desk. I couldn't read the handwritten banner attached to it, so I asked a co-worker what the deal was. One of our fellow English teachers and his wife recently had twins, so the English department threw them a shower, which I attended only because it was also a party to welcome me to the staff. (I didn't contribute to his gift in any way or even really know him at the time.) Well, flash forward a few months, and this family, whose life is already crazy with new twins, now is socially obligated to give all of us who attended the shower (and anyone else who gave them a baby gift) a return gift! Not only does this happen with showers; it's the same deal with weddings and even funerals. Yes, the gift industry here is going like gangbusters.

-Recycle Shops: In the game, ReTail, the local recycle shop (think thrift shop), is always a happenin' place to visit. You give your unwanted stuff to the lovely pink alpaca who runs the joint, and she gives you cold hard cash in return. It's the same here! While there are places where you just donate your stuff and get nothing in return, many recycle shops give you cash on the spot. Eric and I brought the TV that came with our apartment to the recycle shop, got $100 on the spot, and put that toward a new one. Badda bing! 

T & T mart credit AC Wikia

-Convenience Stores/Combini: In Animal Crossing, these adorable little raccoons run a convenience store where you can get supplies to be a better... uh... Animal Crosser. Here in Japan, convenience stores are far better than the 7-11's so famous in the U.S. Not to knock 7-11 (who doesn't love a good Slurpee now and then?), but Japan's Lawson, Coco, and Family Mart are way too awesome for their own good. You can get a nice lunch, tons of delicious drinks, and in some places even fresh baked bread and pastries. Food aside, people visit these stores to pay bills and take care of other business as well. In Animal Crossing, there's always a machine in the combini that you can use for these purposes as well.

-Japanese Banking/ATMs/Cash: In Animal Crossing(AC) it is rather strange to find one of the two ATMs in the game at the post office. The only other ATM I know of is on the Island. The ATM in AC is also where you pay off your bank loans. ATMs in japan are located in most convince stores, post offices, and most shopping centers. I think most Japanese pay their bills in cash at the ATM or at the counter at the Convenience Store or at the Post Office. Online banking and bill pay as far as I know don't exist and on one hand is good; almost impossible for someone to steal/hack your password, when such a thing doesn't exist and on another hand bad I have to go the local convenience store every time I want to pay a bill and only in cash. Unlike in the States and in AC Japanese ATMs have banking hours, ours closes at 8pm sharp, if you absolutely need cash after 8 go to the ATM at the convenience store and pay a hefty fee of up to 120 yen (depends on the bank and the amount of the withdrawal). Most Japanese ATMs are located in a phone booth style shelter for privacy, which is great but our ATM doesn't have a ventilation system(maybe they want you to get in and get out quickly) it gets uncomfortable

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I don't think Fox Valley Mall has too many enormous beetles for sale...

 -Bug Collecting: In Animal Crossing, you just can't make serious money unless you're willing to spend time bug collecting. In Japan, I doubt you make much yen in this pursuit, but it's a big thing here! At the local 100 yen shop in the summer, you can buy nets and small holding tanks for the bugs you catch. We even saw a family catching bugs at a beautiful park once! When I walked into the mall and saw a huge sign with big, terrifying beetles on it, I knew I was in Animal Crossing country. I went up to the sign and saw enormous bugs of all types for sale! Many are pretty expensive, too. 

-Festivals/Matsuri: Throughout the seasons in Animal Crossing, festivals come up fairly often. There are fireworks shows, moon-viewing parties, and Halloween events. The only aspect of festivals that didn't make its way into the game is the abundance of fried food, cotton candy, and shaved ice!

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-Standees/Cutouts: One fun decoration you can add to your town in the game is what they call a "face cutout standee." I never knew the actual name for these little doohickeys, but they mean a wooden sign with a hole cut in it that you stand behind so your face is on the sumo wrestler, whale, sushi chef, or whatever image is on the sign. Then of course you take lots of pictures of it and laugh yourself silly for years to come.

-Town Songs: When you first start up AC:NL they ask you to create a town song that you hear when you enter stores or when you talk to a resident of your town. Well we just found out ever town/village has a Town song. The Village of Urasoe has their town song displayed along the sidewalk in front of their Library. 

-Point Cards: Briefly mentioned by either Timmy or Tommy inside their store. Almost every store in Japan including Furniture stores have a point system. Spend 100 yen get 1-5 'points' each point equals a yen. Like club cards back in the states it's a way to track customers. One of the more popular point cards T-Point, we can use to accumulate points at the gas pump (at $5-6 a gallon for regular but we get full service for that price) and at the convenience store. Points can be used to purchase concert tickets, items at the point system store or used as cash in store. We have been in Okinawa for 3 months now and I think on all our point cards we have accumulated maybe 500-600 points. 

The Results are In!!

After a lot of tallying, I finally have the results from the Japanese students' surveys about their ideas and impressions of America and American students. One outstanding surprise that I experienced while working on these was that students were happy to help me when I came across answers I couldn't read! A fairly big group of 2nd-year (meaning 8th-grade) boys has chosen the English room as their hip hangout after lunch, during their recess/break time. While I'd love to think that's because they want to practice English and learn more of it, I think it's really just my iPad they're after! (They enjoy competitive Angry Birds.) So while they'd be playing, I would be tallying up surveys. When I came across answers written in Japanese, I would ask them and they'd chime right in! Sometimes they even volunteered to help before I even asked. So that was a nice side-effect of this whole thing.

OK, let's hear what they had to say! I will give you the top 3 answers to each question, and anything else especially interesting that came up as well.  :)

1. When I think of America, I think of...

A. Sports (especially baseball)

B. Cities

C. Big. Yep, just BIG. I think that pretty much speaks for itself.

Other interesting answers: Super balls (?), Glee, the Statue of Liberty

2. When I imagine students in America, I think they are...

A. Tall

B. Big

C. Cute

Shout out to all the tall, big, and cute peeps in the U. S. of A.!!! Other fun answers: White, powerful, kind. (While I can see why they might say white, I have to say I'm glad that we leave an impression of being powerful and kind! Hopefully powerfully kind.)

3. I think American people do ____ for fun.

A. Sports (overwhelming majority)

B. Games and party (tied)

C. Eat (I'm afraid I may contribute to this impression as I eat my way across Okinawa and mainland Japan once we go up there.)

4. When I think of American food or drinks, I think of...

A. Hamburgers

B. Cola

C. Hot dogs

Aren't you thrilled that Japanese people are familiar with our haute cuisine?? Other interesting perspectives: Sweets, taco rice (Google this and make it TONIGHT), and just plain  "big food." Are you seeing a pattern here w/ the big and the eating??

5. What sports do you think are popular in America?

A. Baseball (again getting the overwhelming majority)

B. Basketball

C. Football

6. TRUE OR FALSE: Most American students wear jeans to school.

192 said true; 37 said false.

7. TRUE OR FALSE: Most American people eat at McDonald's at least once a week.

129 said true; 62 said false.

I don't have exact scientific findings on whether this is true or false, but I'm sad that most Japanese kids think we eat there so much.

8. TRUE OR FALSE: All American people like baseball.

95 said true; 92 said false! Close one.

9. Do you think Japanese students get MORE or LESS homework than American students?

106 said that American students get MORE homework, while 72 said American kids get LESS homework. (You are probably wondering which is true. I didn't know myself, so I tried to find some studies or academic information online. I did find one report, which of course may not be 100% conclusive, but it said that in worldwide studies, American students actually get MORE homework than most students in other countries, including Japan. Speaking from my brief experience here, I would think that if Japanese kids do get less homework, it's because of the crazy amount of time they spend in club activities. Even when they're on summer break, the kids in sports were here before I arrived in the morning around 8 a.m., and they were still there when I would leave at 4:30. And even now during the school year, they are here well after school gets out, walking home sometimes around 7 or 8 p.m.)

10. TRUE OR FALSE: Most American students speak another language fluently by the time they finish high school.

97 said true, and 87 said false. I think that most of us already know whether this one is true or false, at least for students whose parents speak English in the home. For the many, many multilingual American students, they already speak other languages before they even get to HS in many cases. So I think this is another one that would be hard to pin down and get hard scientific data to prove it true or false. I'm just glad that at least some of the kids here think we Americans value learning languages!

I really enjoyed these little surveys and would love to ask them some more questions at the end of the year to see if their knowledge has grown or their impressions have changed based on what we learn together over the year. To wrap things up, just in case you wondered which singers and bands are hot over here in Japan, I also asked them for their favorites so I could use artists they like in class. The ones that rose to the top are: Taylor Swift, Chris Brown, Maroon 5, and One Direction. The more you know...

Getting the Moped License in Okinawa part 2

Part 1: The Beginining

Part 2: Lost in Translations

So I have edited the last post to add some smaller details I had forgotten. So after you've passed the test CONGRATULATIONS! When I was scheduling my "Inspection Class" as it was refereed to I spoke through I think the one person who was fluent in Japanese and he was one of the greeters/information booth people you see as you come into the Oki-DMV. I accidentally took the form I had filled out with all my information for the test registration, small mistake they called me on the way home saying that they needed it and don't worry bring it back on my inspection class day. I scheduled the class for Thursday and was told over and over and over again 8:15am is when the class technically starts and that I should arrive beforehand to purchase the ¥4200 stamps required for the class.

THE CLASS: Another Brick in The Wall

So just like before the teacher made sure we were at the right place and our paperwork was in order. I was given a sheet of paper with the time and place of the class(which was wrong, always ask if possible for help). Anyways we were shown an area outside which had a simple practice area with turns and streetlights setup, I assume he was explaining what he was going to cover in the practice area. After about 10 minutes of that we were shown a video of exactly not what to do with a I hope a stunt rider crashing an taking a few falls. We were then told to meet outside at the 'moped practice area' in about 5-10 minutes. I was under the assumption we were going to just do a basic; here's a gentsuki, this is the throttle, this is the break and maybe do a short 3m ride. I couldn't be more wrong what follow was everyone riding mopeds around the practice area. Make sure you wear closed toed shoes and long sleeves, I forgot this and had to wear a long sleeved jacket they happened to have.  They force you to wear a number like you're in a 5k race, you are not graded for anything at this point you will still get the license at the end of the day, they just want to make sure you're comfortable with a gentsuki/moped/scooter. So after riding around the track a few hours they give you a break, we were split up into two groups the women where given a slightly longer "ease into riding" season than the men which consisted of them pushing the gentsuki around and doing a short 3-5m ride strait. After the break we rode around, again all in Japanese so I just followed the guy infront of me and copied what he did. Good idea to learn what left and right are in Japanese. We then were told to go pay ¥2500 yen and get our picture taken back inside the Oki-DMV and were left to go to lunch. I followed the group which consisted of Japanese speakers I believe I was the only foreigner present. 

After lunch were were given a lecture on the Japanese License point system, i pulled up This Website on my phone. Basically if you X number of points over Y number of days/months you can get the license suspended(you still have it but can't ride) or revoked (taken away) for Z period of time. After that another person came in and showed a video for what I assumed was the police guild fundraiser of some sort I saw I think a suggested donation amount of ¥1000. The room is filled with people who are about to get their gentsuki license or drivers license and the gentsuki group is asked up first. The officer called us up by name and handed us our license and let go for the day. I think it was about 1:30pm. I didn't quite believe it was over. It was a rather long journey, I hope you are better prepared for the test and the process from this post. Enjoy Okinawa and keep the shiny side up.

Getting the Moped License in Okinawa part 1

So I just passed the Gentsuki Menkyo (Moped license) in Okinawa and I would like to share my experiences and Eric's Top Tips™ for passing specifically the Okinawa moped license test.

So if your in Okinawa and you're moved here for various reason and you find yourself looking for a quick, cheep and dangerous method of transportation. You're in luck the moped license test is quite cheep and easy compared to obtaining a japanese car license. First of lets explore your options:

1. Japan has a treaty with most countries that a simple drivers license is all that is needed to drive anything in japan. If you from one of these countries ignore the rest of this post : Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom (source).

2. If you are Licensed in your home country to drive a motorcycle or moped you could obtain a International Driving Permit (Which I own, but only for my regular car) which is only good for a year past your entry into japan. That cost me $30 + $9 for a passport photo at AAA.

3. if you are in the military, i believe there is a fairly easy process for this that I don't know much about.

4. If your like me and find yourself in japan and are not Licensed to dirve a moped you need to take the Moped License Test.

Things you need: 

• Jūminhyō ¥300
• Alien Residency card
• Passport photo of yourself  ¥700
• Rules of the road  ¥1000
• Test Fee ¥1500 (every time you take it) 
• Gentsuki inspection class ¥4200
• Licesence (Menkyo) Fee? ¥2500 

The first step is to obtain a Jūminhyō (your proof of residency) from you local town hall, this cost me ¥300 @ Haebaru Town Hall, you might already have one. Next you need to get some photos for the application and as this is japan you might already have a few. When i took the test I had some from a job interview a week before. 

Depending how you like to prepare for tests I like studying and there are a few resources you can use. I purchased the English translation of the Japanese driving manual published by the local Japanese Automobile Federation(JAF). I have been told you can send away for a copy or go to one of their offices and they happen to have one in Okinawa in Urasoe. (source) Just ask for an Eigo (english) Rules of the Road. This book reads like drying paint but it helped me understand and prepare for the test. you could also use the manual the military uses to which has been published as a PDF publicly and is free. 

 So once you've studied and ready to take the test. prepare a few days off because if you pass the test you have to take the 7 hour inspection class that is 100% in japanese and there is no translation, but you must attend and pay  ¥4200. The Okinawan Prefectural DMV is in Tomigusku (google maps link). You cannot take the class on the same day as the test, since the inspection class starts at 8:00am and goes to about 2pm. So you have to arrive sometime before 12:00 to take the test, because the "Okinawa Prefectural Police Driver's License Center" is closed between 12:00-13:00(1pm) for lunch and the test is at 1pm every weekday M-F. I would suggest getting there around 11:30 to get you application in to 'register for an appointment' for the test @ 1pm. At 1pm you will be shuttled into a classroom on the 2nd floor room A where a officer will check you application and make sure you've filled it out correctly. It would be handy to know your birth year in the Japanese era format, for example I was born in 1984 or Showa 59 all paperwork in Japan uses this for the year. Once he double checks and stamps your paper work you're moved into yet another huge classroom (with seats for about 450  btw) where yet another person will check you paper work and give you your test number 005, 009, etc. Your test number is very important because this is how you know if you passed the test or not.

The Test is 48 questions true/false with the last two questions are 3 separate T/F questions. Learn the kanji for True (正) and False (誤). You must get a score of 90% or better to pass this test. Something I learned the first time I took the test is:that they never change out the english moped test. The questions on my test were the same questions on the test that I passed on. A vast majority of the test focused on driving in general. You should know drinking and driving is a bad idea. Driving in Japan with a cellphone is illegal. A solid yellow line means you cannot overtake or pass a vehicle ever. Know your turning hand gestures. Know how far equipment can extend 30 cm total 15 cm on either side, beyond the size of your moped/scooter. You cannot park your moped anywhere 5m near intersections, etc, etc. No you cannot have a passenger on your moped. I strongly suggest reviewing the Rules of the Road before taking the test. I met people who said they had taken it 3-4+ times without passing.

After I finished taking the test I left the room and waited for the announcement which takes place around 2:15 pm, your test number will displayed on the TV screens in the DMV waiting room area on the 2nd floor if you have passed.  If you do not pass they will post the failing scores with the test # a few minutes later. They make a general announcement before they displace the results. If you pass you go downstairs and do a vision test in 1C. Next they schedule your gentsuki inspection class which I believe they have twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays from about 8am-around 2pm. So that is everything I have gone though so far, I post part two after I take the class. From what I hear its a safe driving lecture, and they tell you over and over and over again you are going to die. The kanji they use for blind spot translates roughly to DEATH ZONE.  

Part 2: Lost in Translation

Practice Tests:

• http://gentsuki-japan.blogspot.jp/
• http://www.mediafire.com/?tb1h5ftdtfcfit5

A Memorable Exploration - Churaumi Aquarium and Ocean Expo Park

Before I begin my post, I'd like to invite you to see the many new photos I've uploaded to my Flickr page! There are lots more from today's post topic as well as plenty more from our other explorations and adventures.  :)   And while you're at it, don't forget to check in on Giga-San. He's been getting out and about.

 One of the nice things about having a longer school calendar in Japan is that you get more mini vacations spread throughout the year. We also get days off for national holidays, of course. In September, there are two Mondays off: one for Respect for the Aged Day and one for the summer solstice. During "Respect for the Aged weekend," Eric and I took a wonderful and memorable trip up to one of Okinawa's most famous attractions, Churaumi Aquarium and Ocean Expo Park. The whole Expo Park includes five or six attractions (including the aquarium) and is the kind of place I would live in permanently if I could. The aquarium is famous for having the largest underwater viewing tank in the world, and let me tell you, this thing is amazing. We loved our visit here so much that we came back the next day, even though it's about an hour and a half away. (In Okinawa, that's considered far!)

One wonderful aspect of the Expo Park is the parking situation. It's FREE. Yes, that's right. A famous attraction with tons of places to visit and a captive audience, and the parking is free. (Are you listening, Chicago??) You pay separately to get into three of the attractions, but only the aquarium is what I would call a bit expensive (about $18 per person); the other ones give discounts with aquarium ticket stubs and are very modestly priced. The eating situation is also pretty nice. You can buy food at the main entrance in a little cafe, right in front of the amazing ocean viewing tank at their restaurant, or at the beach area's snack bar, or you can pack a picnic and bring your own food. They don't force you to eat their food, and even if you do, it's not too outrageously priced.

Sea turtle flippin' his flippers like a champ

OK, on to the attractions! The aquarium is the headliner of the show, and it deserves the praise it receives. While the enormous tank, which contains two sea creatures that I think are just about the coolest in the world (manta rays and whale sharks), is jaw-dropping, the other parts of the museum are great, too. You can even go "behind the scenes" and go up above the huge tank, walking on catwalks while the huge creatures swim beneath you. There are various lectures and feedings you can attend as well. Another area that I loved (when Eric tore me away from the rays and whale sharks) was the Shark Research Lab. This room had tons of specimens of various sharks and one exhibit that I thought was amazingly creative: a life-size plastic shark with about fifteen cross-sections that you could pull out like little drawers and see all of the shark's insides, just like you were dissecting it. Outside of the museum, you can see a dolphin show (no extra fee!), manatees, sea turtles, and other cool critters.

While I would definitely pack up and move into the aquarium if they'd let me, I would also like to put in a request to live permanently at the Tropical Dream Center, another star attraction of the Expo Park. If you've ever been to the Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago, you know that places with tons of exotic plants can be fascinating and engaging, even without lots of animals or petting zoos or whatever. The Tropical Dream Center goes beyond being just an interesting place with beautiful flowers. The architecture of the entire facility is worth the trip alone. As you walk through the exhibits and see all kinds of special orchids, fruit trees, and local and exotic plant life, you're immersed in this lovely little world that you never want to leave. There's even an awesome twisty-shaped observation tower that gives you a beautiful view of Ie Island, the nearest large-ish island, and the ocean and area all around. What makes a museum or cultural location great is the details, and this place has them in spades. (One example is the stamp rally for kids; see the photos for more information about that.)

The Ocean Expo Park is situated right on the ocean, so one other great place to spend some time while you're there is Emerald Beach. They have three swimming areas and lots of room for picnicking and generally enjoying the ocean. In Okinawa, the ocean is actually warm, due to a giant current that makes it such a spectacular place for diving and snorkeling.

After the beach, on to some culture and history! I don't know if it was because it was toward the end of visiting hours or what, but Eric and I basically had the entire traditional Okinawan village to ourselves. I don't know why there weren't more people enjoying this amazing gem of a living museum! It's like a mini history of Okinawa dating back to the days of the Ryukyu kingdom before Okinawa was claimed by Japan. You can see various eras of farmhouses in Okinawa (absolutely nothing like farmhouses in the U.S.!), plus see the areas of worship a typical village would have, a priestess's home, and the home of a village leader/chief. Each building is full-size and contains all the features that homes, stables, and other buildings of the day would have had. You can go right in, unlike many museums or historic homes in the U.S. where you have to stay behind velvet ropes. Here you just have to take off your shoes, and you can walk through every single building and touch whatever you want. They have buttons on the side of each home that you can press to hear information in Japanese, English, or Chinese while you walk around. During different days and events, you can see ceremonies performed, take classes, and hear music in these beautiful homes. The craftsmanship of this nation is just gorgeous. Everything is so beautifully and carefully made.

The Ocean Expo Park has one more big attraction that we couldn't squeeze in during our two days there, and that's the Tropical and Sub-Tropical Arboretum. We will save that for another visit since we want to see everything again! If there's ever any way you can get over to Okinawa, please don't miss this amazing place. You'll never forget it!

Discuss: Tattoos and Japanese Culture

So Kelly and I were watching the news a few days ago, when this news story aired. A woman from New Zealand was refused service at a public bathhouse (Onsen) in Sapporo in northern Japan because of her Maori facial tattoo.  (link)

Back home in the states tattoos have a deep meaning and many people get them. Once a symbol of gang affiliation and toughness now seen as body art and many people get them. Most Japanese connect any tattoos with the tolerated organized crime syndicate known as the Yakuza. 

Often elaborate yakuza tattoos

Yakuza tattoos are beautiful but strike fear in the hearts of many. Many employers will not hire anyone with even the smallest tattoos. Most onsens (public bathhouses)  will turn away anyone who has a tattoo. 

Sign

in the context of the upcoming Olympic Games in 2020 in Tokyo in 7 years; Should the Japanese just adapt to a world that has embraced Tattoos or should the world adapt to Japan? In the author's opinion the bathhouse is a private facility. In the USA private business can refuse service to anyone at anytime for any reason. If someone give a store owner a weird look they can turn them away, without legal repercussions. I don't have the legal right to visit a business in Japan or in USA. This is what real discrimination is and isn't necessarily a bad thing. A bartender discriminate a patron who has too much to drink an refuse service. There are onsens that allow tattoos and this woman didn't seek one out or directed to one. I say big deal so you can go to onsen, I will never (outside of a janitorial job) see the inside of a woman's bathroom. What do you think?

Okinawa City Eisa Festival 2013

So Kelly heard about a Eisa Festival that we could go to in Okinawa City about 35 minute drive from us. It was near gate 2 of Kadena military base. I was worried about finding parking and we found some parking less than a mile away from the event near gate 2 street. I think we paid ¥350 which is about $3.50 for parking. I think the last time Kelly and I paid for parking in downtown Chicago it was about $36 for an event that lasted several hours. We also got to see an awesome laser / fireworks show after the last group preformed on the soccer field.

Taxi ride from Naha International to Haebaru

So I just landed in Okinawa and this is my first experience with japan. I did visit narita first and, as nice and clean as Narita was it didn't prepare me for this.

Because, Japan! Episode 1

So on my first day in Okinawa one of the first things I noticed was kinda how shabby, yet strong looking in buildings they have here. One of many things Kelly and I were never informed about living in Okinawa, was being a tropical island, Okinawa is subject to frequent typhoons. Or what they call them in the Atlantic "Hurricanes". If you look up Okinawa in Google maps the pin is larger than the island itself. Living on an island we are not protected by mountains or miles of american southeast to protect us from "dangerous" weather. So almost everything here is built to survive the typhoons the cell phone towers here look like something that should be atop a battleship.

Most every building here is built out of reinforced concrete (concrete + rebar). Some apartment's we have visited on the outside look huge but inside are rather small. I wonder why this construction technique hasn't been adopted back in the U.S. for certain Tornado stricken places. Why build your house out of sticks and get it blown down every year when you can build once. Reanna Kelly's JET predecessor says she's never lost power in the five years she's been in the apartment we inherited from her, which isn't common from what we have been told. Shortly after we arrived we were told to assemble a Typhoon kit with some food and water for a few days incase we loose power. Kelly and I have to be reminded that people have lived here for thousands of years and we will be fine.

Gettin' schooled

Many people have been asking me about school and how my first week went. It was pretty exhausting, I'll tell you! I had to give my self-introduction to eleven middle school classes, so that alone wore me out a bit. At the elementary schools, I have only two sections of sixth grade per school, so my shorter self-intro was a welcome change from the longer one I did at the middle schools. To give a first impression, I loved the 6th graders right away. They were super fun and genki (a special word here that means plenty of things, one of which is enthusiastic and gung-ho). At the middle school, I did get at least a few kids per class that were genki, but like middle schoolers the world over, many were a little hesitant to participate or raise their hands! I did give them the reverse of the little survey many of you took on this blog about what Americans think of Japanese people, so the results of that will be coming soon. I also got to show them what you all said about Japanese people, schools, food, and culture, and they definitely liked that.  :)  Thanks again to all who participated in the survey. 

I also hit the ground running with events; I have to help out with an English spelling contest and an English speech contest later in September, and practices started this week. The spelling kids are fabulous; one group stayed late just to go over pronunciation and improve their accents. I will begin working with the student going to the speech contest next week.

The English teachers have been really great to work with, providing advice and insight where needed and helping translate so the students can understand my presentation and what was on the survey. We all meet once a week to plan upcoming lessons, and it's nice to see the teamwork that goes into making sure each lesson not only "covers the material" but is comprehensible for the kids and reviews past lessons. They've responded well to my ideas, such as using video to enhance the kids' reading segments.

Last night we had our first enkai, a party at a restaurant with food and drinks. Speechmaking is a huge tradition, and no party is complete without several speeches. All the new student teachers had to make speeches, so that meant I did, too! Good times. The food was great, too. :) I couldn't stay too long because we sat at a Japanese-style table, meaning you sit on the floor with your legs under the table. That's not a big winner for someone with a bad back.

In other news, here are just a few more photos since our last photo post-a-thon. Check them out!  I really wish Flickr put the most recent at the top of the list, but for some reason they're going from oldest to newest. Just scroll down to see the new ones.

And don't forget to see what Giga-san's been up to. 

How to use Netflix or any other video service in Japan.

So you've arrived in Japan and you miss your home streaming media service (Netflix, BBC iPlayer, etc), and most of these will not work with our of the box Japanese internet. Netflix region locks it's content, so it will not work unless you know a work around. You can access Netflix, without breaking any laws that I know of. There are two ways of accessing Netflix or Netflix like services:

1. You can pay for a VPN service that has a sever in the country video streaming has content locked its service Netflix->USA, Hulu->USA , BBC iPlayer->UK. This does work and actually is the only option for many, but it would only work on one device at a time, is more expensive than the other solution. If my second option does work here are a few VPN Services I have used: ProXPN.com, privateinternetaccess.com.

2. Without having to sacrifice your high speed internet (we have fiber!) and at a considerable cost savings compared to using a VPN, is a DNS proxy service. You will have to change a few settings on it and in minutes you will have unfettered Video streaming goodness. At around $5 a month or about $60a year, I use unblock-us.com. They have great customer service and a great setup guide for the non-tech savvy. 

I hope this is helpful, and  if you have any questions please leave a comment below.

First weeks, first impressions

Hello to all! Below you will see a small smattering of photos and videos from our first weeks here in Japan. It took so long to upload these that we decided to keep Flickr sets instead of uploading tons of photos and videos right here to the blog. I think Eric will be starting one of his own, and mine is already bursting with fun photos and things I think you'll like. Please click on each photo if you'd like more information or to see where it was taken. Here's my photo set, which I'll upload regularly and link to in each upcoming post. Enjoy!! I look forward to your comments.

109 JETs depart from O'Hare Airport on July 27th, 2013! The Chicago group of JETS is the second biggest in the world (not sure which city sends the biggest group). The total number of new JETs this year was around 1,100.

All my baggage. None of them were overweight, no extra charges!! Awwww yeah!!!!

Outside our hotel room in Tokyo. If you ever go there, I highly recommend the Keio Plaza Hotel. It was lovely to be treated to a stay and some meals there.  :)  This building is the Tokyo Metro Center. I wish I could have seen more of the architecture there; we will go back for sure. 

Hittin' the Tokyo streets in Shuinjuku

This is the adorable mascot of a group of apartments in the Haebaru/Yonabaru area, one of which Eric and I live in. He's a shiisa, a mythical creature that looks like a dog but is actually a lion. You see him a lot in Chinese art, and versions of him are on just about every building here in Okinawa!

More shiisa. Only the Japanese could make road cones/barriers adorable and a joy to behold.

A sunset view from our balcony

I read an article about these little mini-libraries in Japan and other countries, and I was so surprised and thrilled to come across one in Yonabaru!!! It's just a little  cart-like thing that holds shelves, and the sliding doors aren't locked, so you can take and give books as you please. I'm lovin' it!!

Eric's time in Cali

After having to rush packing up in Chicago, I landed in LAX for a rather relaxing week, at my former home. My mother who was diagnosed with cancer about two months ago is doing well, with having changed treatment from chemo to hormone therapy. While I didn't get to see everyone I wanted to, it's nice to hear how everyone is doing. About halfway though my stay Kelly informed me about the rather small space we have in Okinawa, and so a Desktop computer would be hard to manage. I had spent some time preparing a computer for Okinawa and was saddened that I couldn't bring it. Where was I going to keep it? How would I get it back to Chicago after our stay? So monday evening  I met up with my friend Mike who mentioned he wanted to buy a new computer, I offered him my machine and he accepted. This was the pattern of my stay,  revelation and God stepping in and providing. It seem all so unreal as I'm writing this the morning before my flight to Japan. I hope to be reunited to Kelly very soon. 
 

The Old LA Zoo

So I got a new fancy camera (Cannon 60D) and I have been sitting on my tookous all day and I though I gotta start using this thing today. Before LA build the big LA Zoo in Griffith Park there was a Griffith Park Zoo that existed from 1912-1966 it had 15 animals and was in the style of old zoos with big black iron bars that separated the animals from the people. The Zoo now sits as ruins and was turned into a picnic area 2 miles from the LA Zoo. So I decided to walk around and take some photos of this relic of days gone by, trying to imagine how it looked in its glory days. Was this were they kept the apes? Is this the bird enclosure? How did the animals feel in super small enclosures compared to our modern zoos? Flickr Set

Background on the JET process

I've been wanting for awhile to post about the lengthy and somewhat grueling process that led us to this point. I hope that someday this blog (or even just this post) can be helpful to someone, like the many JET participant blogs and vlogs Eric and I read/watched along the way! One blog post by a JET applicant about preparing for the interview was particularly helpful, so this post is an explanation for all readers who may be interested and a kind of thank you to all the JETs whose blogs benefited us and got us here today!

I realize it's ridiculously long, so feel free to skip it if you're really just here for the awesome pictures!

STAGE ONE: Thinking and praying

Eric and I spent time even before we got married talking about how much we wanted to go to Japan one day. We even set up a savings account for a vacation there. As time went on, though, we realized that we wouldn't be satisfied with just a short trip. If we went on a two- or three-week vacation, we'd just come home frustrated we couldn't stay longer! A number of years ago, we were at the Japan Festival held yearly in Arlington Heights. Some former JETs had a table there and gave us some information about JET and answered a few of our questions. I think this was truly the planting of the seed that would lie dormant for a little while, at least for me. Eric already knew about JET through a blog he followed, but this was my first exposure to the program, and it stuck with both of us and came up a lot in conversation. At some point, those conversations turned serious, accompanied with lots of prayer about what direction we should take with this idea that had been presented to us. In the fall of 2011, before I went back to school, we spent most of a day in prayer and exploration of JET and other possible options that might get us to Japan for longer than just a vacation.

STAGE TWO: Planning and praying

That day of prayer didn't yield any immediate results, but as with all prayer, it was answered! By the beginning of the following school year, meaning the fall of 2012, Eric and I decided that we would indeed apply to the JET program. (Can I add that that simple sentence represents a whole world of if's, and's, but's, fears, worries, and doubts? Simply getting to the point of applying was a BIG DEAL. And I mean BIG.) We talked over every possibility: What if both of us made it but we were stationed far from each other? What if only one of us made it? What if neither of us made it? Would that mean God wasn't leading us to Japan? Would we try again the following year, as many JET applicants do when their first attempt doesn't work out? In the midst of those talks, we kept checking the JET Web site, awaiting the day when the application would be available. Finally, around September or October, the app went up, and we got to work!

STAGE THREE: Applying and praying

The JET application is, in my opinion, more rigorous than any application I ever filled out for colleges, jobs coming out of college, grad school, or any school district I applied to after completing my master's. It requires two letters of recommendation; I strongly advise anyone applying to consider very carefully whom you ask to write these!! You want really strong ones from people who know you well and can vouch for your skills, whether as an educator, someone with international experience, or whatever aspects of yourself you're trying to stress. The "question answering/filling in blanks" part of the application isn't necessarily hard, but it certainly is thorough and requires you to gather a lot of information! If you're still in college or just coming out of college, as most JET applicants are, you may not have tons of information about classes you've taken and professional development you've done; if you've been teaching for seven years and in the working world for four more years, however, you may have TONS of education to enter into those blanks! Same goes with transcripts; someone just finishing college might have three or four transcripts, if they went to more than one college or took classes at different colleges while attending their main school. Someone with not only a master's degree but tons of graduate-level classes could have ten or fifteen to gather! (And that costs quite a bit of money to get all those transcripts, too.) So with the deadline looming before us, we followed the incredibly exacting instructions for the letters of recommendation, the transcripts, the two-page essay (also very challenging for someone as wordy as I am), the application itself, and the proper number of copies of everything. Exhausting, huh? This process is not for the faint of heart. You've really got to want it.

STAGE FOUR: Interviewing and praying

Thinking back to the weeks of waiting to see if we'd gotten an interview, that time was like a wonderful dream!! The only stress we were under was just waiting and wondering... Ahh...! I miss those days. :) All along the way, we lifted up this entire experience in prayer, asking for direction, guidance, and clear leading on how we should proceed, whatever the outcome. We knew that if neither of us got an interview, then this year's progress toward our dream of Japan would be on hold, maybe for good. Finally, around the end of January, I got the long-awaited email: I had been granted an interview! I requested a personal day and set up my interview on a Friday. I honestly had no idea what it would be like, except that our good friend had warned me that these interviews are tough!! She told me that the judges often try to frazzle the interviewees with tough or puzzling questions in order to see how they respond under pressure, like the pressure you're sure to face in a foreign classroom with forty kids staring up at you! So I went in fairly warned, and to increase my level of knowledge of what to expect and what to wear, I looked up JET blogs and found one in particular that was truly excellent. This JET listed a bunch of sample questions, things to consider, things to study in advance (like your own essay and letters of recommendation so you could speak intelligently about them!) **NOTE: You're not technically supposed to have seen your letters of recommendation, but my two fabulous writers were kind enough to send me copies after they were turned in. ;) If you can't read yours, don't worry about it. So I began asking myself these practice questions, going over them with Eric, and going over them with a marvelous co-worker with lots of international and overseas teaching experience. One piece of advice from the blog I ignored; the writer said that as you get closer to the interview, you should pretty much put your TV shows, movies, and video games on hold in order to prepare better, because you're not going to get into that room with the panel of judges staring at you and wish you'd spent more time catching up on Mad Men. Well, I see her point, but for me, continuing with the activities that relax me and in some strange way still keep me focused on the task at hand was absolutely essential. I needed those things! Otherwise, I really would have driven myself crazy with preparing and working too hard. So we kept up with Guild Wars 2, Doctor Who, Grimm, and whatever other media we were consuming at the time, albeit in slightly lesser doses!

Before the interview, I had to buy a suit. This really wasn't something I was looking forward to. As an elementary school teacher, I just don't have much occasion to rock a suit. Plus, my approach is usually: How far down can I dress for this particular occasion and still get away with it?? But of course, in the case of JET, the answer to that question is always: about as far down as you'd dress for a wedding, corporate job interview, or a night at the opera! So I had to step it up. I called on a friend yet again, and this helpful soul went shopping with me and we picked out a really nice suit jacket. I already had a passable top to wear underneath, pants, and shoes. Done and done.

I originally thought I would drive down to the interview, which was on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, right near Water Tower place. So, since that's a super fancy part of town, I changed my mind after getting advice from a few people and decided to take the train. (This was an excellent choice, BTW!! If you live far enough away from your interview location where you can choose between public transportation and driving yourself, go with public. It will cost you less and generally be less stressful.)

The interview itself wasn't nearly as tough as I'd been prepared for. There was a panel of three judges. I'm not 100% certain of their relationship to JET, but I believe there's at least one JET alum and one person associated with the Japanese consulate in each panel. I won't steal the thunder of the other JET whose blog post was so helpful to me by giving you more sample questions, but I will just say that one question related directly to a letter written by one of my references, one really threw me for a loop, and one wasn't asked that I was certain would be!! What I mean by that is that there was something I mentioned in both my application and my essay that I was certain would come up in the interview, but it was never even touched on. So that was interesting! I walked out of there feeling like the interviewers had been nice and we'd had a decent chat, but in general I did not feel I had wowed them. I knew I wasn't their typical applicant, but I knew I had lots to recommend me, and I knew I'd done my best. That was about all I could say with confidence over dinner with Eric that night.

STAGE FIVE: Getting the news and praying

OK, if you're still with me, we're almost to the present day! The interview was in February. I knew that I probably wouldn't hear anything back until April. After what I felt had been a lackluster interview, I just wasn't sure what to expect. Did I seem good enough on paper to get the interview, but then fail to represent well to the panel? Had the interview gone better than I thought? You can imagine the conversations we had during this time of uncertainty! When I saw an email from JET in my inbox at the end of March (sooner than expected), I couldn't even open it! Eric came to sit next to me, and I was like, "What should I do?" "Open it!!!" So I clicked, saw the words "we are pleased to inform you," and immediately burst into tears! Now we knew what the coming months would look like for us. We finally had our clear direction and leading.

This is when the real work began! Think the application process was tough? That was kiddie camp compared to what came next! Since most JET applicants are fresh out of college, most of them don't have all that many loose ends to tie up. For anyone older and more established in their life and career, I warn you: YOU HAVE WAY MORE LOOSE ENDS THAN YOU THINK YOU DO. Here's an example of what Eric and I had to tackle after receiving the news:
-Requesting a leave of absence from my school district and waiting for it to be voted on by the school board
-Deciding how and when Eric should tell his company that he'd be leaving
-Getting a renter for our home (far and away the most stressful task)
-Selling two cars (and meeting with a lawyer to give family members power of attorney to sell one of them when it didn't sell in time)
-Selling or donating about 75% of our worldly possessions
-Making about 1,000 phone calls to cancel things, change things, or inform people of things
-Sending about 5,000 emails for the same reasons
-Finding out about 6,000 things didn't know or hadn't considered
-Signing about 7,000 forms

...and that's just the administrative side of all this!! Forget about the very emotional part of having to tell all my dear students I'd be missing a year with them, telling our friends and family, telling our church, telling our beloved girls at the jail, and telling our neighbors! None of these things are easy or painless. I hope you can see that doing something like JET, especially at the stage of life we're in, is not something to be entered into lightly. As I recently told my parents, "I didn't have half this much stress about my own wedding!"

STAGE SIX: Getting on the plane and praying

As I write this, I'm flying over Alaska at 36,000 feet. I've been in the air for about 4 and a half hours and still have a long way to go! On some level, reality still hasn't sunk in yet that this is really happening and we're really doing this. Did I really just leave everything familiar for an entire year at least?! Am I even remotely ready to be in a place where I can say about 4 sentences, few of which are all that practical in daily survival? ("The dog is under the table," anyone??) So that's where we are today. I look forward to taking a leaf out of the book of a wonderful missionary couple we know and writing another post one year from now, looking back at all the things that seemed so novel, so weird, or so unusual at the beginning that by then will be old hat to us. What will surprise us the most? What will we wish someone had told us? What will we have eaten that will gross everyone at home out?? Okinawa awaits us. This is only the beginning!

Stay in touch with us... the snaily way!

Several kind people have asked how they can stay in touch with us the old-fashioned way. Yes, that's right--snail mail! As someone who has spent time overseas before, I have to say that getting a real card or letter truly does mean a lot! So if you ever feel led, we'd love to receive a note from you.  :)   The address is long and goes from "biggest to smallest," so to speak; it starts with the zip code, then goes into the prefecture (Okinawa itself), then another local designation, then our town, and keeps zooming in all the way until it ends w/ our actual apartment. Cool, huh?

 Eric and Kelly Farrow

901-1103

Okinawa-ken

Shimajiri-gun

Haebaru-cho

Yonaha

548-1 banchi

Arakaki Kensetsu Mansion 301

The Adventures of Giga-San!!

Giga begins his worldwide adventure in the Big Apple! Eric and I were able to go to New York for a visit before we leave for Japan to visit my best friend and her family. We were there last weekend up through the early part of this week. Enjoy Giga's first travels in this Flickr photo set. Click on each photo for comments, and please make some comments of your own! We will update this photo set as we go. 

I need your help!!

Kelly here.  :)  One of the things I will have to do right away when I start classes with students is a self-introduction, combined with some information and discussion about America in general. I think I'd like to do a little quiz/discussion about ideas and stereotypes we have about Japan and the ones they have about us. Can you please help me with this?? I would love responses from anyone at all but especially ones from kids of all ages!!! 

I will share the responses I get in Japan once I begin classes at the end of August. I bet you'll get as big a hoot out of their answers as they're sure to get from yours.  :) 

Fill in the blanks or answer as many questions as you'd like. Use the numbers in your answer so I know which question(s) you're answering. Thanks so, so much!!

1. When I think of Japan, I think of ___________. 

2. When I imagine students in school in Japan, I think they are __________. 

3. I think that Japanese people probably do _______ for fun. 

4. When I think of Japanese food or drinks, I think of _________. 

5. What sports do you think are popular in Japan? 

6. TRUE OR FALSE: Most Japanese students get straight A's. 

7. TRUE OR FALSE: Most Japanese people eat sushi every day. 

8. TRUE OR FALSE: All Japanese people like anime. 

9. I think that Japanese students get MORE / LESS homework than American students. 

10. TRUE OR FALSE: Most Japanese students speak fluent English by the time they are in high school.

Esate Sale/Garage Sale

Today and yesterday are our Garage Sale/Estate sale. it wasn't too long ago I drove across the country in a little '96 Toyota Carolla with all my belongs stuffed inside.  While it hasn't been the most profitable adventure, we thought it would be it is nice to have someone pay to take our stuff away. Currently as I am typing this it is raining so we have a little down time from selling all (well, most) of our earthing belongings. It also appears someone has taken the liberty of freeing us of (i.e., stealing) our much beloved
JAMBOX.  Once the Estate Sale is over we can get working on the Japanese visa application which JET Programme wants by July 12th, 2013.