i had christmas lessons at elementary school today with 1st, 2nd, 5th, and 6th graders. i only go to elementary school once a week, i have six hundred students there, and i can't read most of their name tags, so getting to know them is pretty difficult, especially considering what a whirlwind twenty-five minute lessons are. nevertheless, now that i've been at this same school since for eight months (minus the *ahem* seven weeks i was on summer vacation), there are students that stand out in each class.
in one of my sixth grade classes is a chubby kid with a husky voice and a faux-hawk. when we do activities he usually doesn't participate, or gives up quickly, saying "this is impossible. i don't understand english." it breaks my heart when kids give up like that. of course he doesn't understand english, and i don't expect him to. i just want him to try.
today the fifth and sixth graders made ornaments to decorate christmas trees. we had one tree per grade and each class within the grade had a different color of paper (blue, pink, or yellow) in the shape of a circle, star, or square. on the ornament they had to write "I want (a) _______" in english and sign their name. they haven't officially learned the alphabet yet, but they can all write -- some of them with much more effort than others. their vocabulary is pretty limited, so i spent most of my time going from student to student translating and telling them how to spell things.
so i'm at my last class of the day and the teacher isn't there. i was supposed to leave early because i helped out with english club yesterday, but instead i'm staying until the end -- my schedule got shifted around. we've started ten minutes late because the previous class ended late. (any lesson involving crafts goes into overtime -- these kids are perfectionists.) the homeroom teacher isn't there, and this is the class with the three boys in the front row who always talk over my teaching and destroy the mood for everyone. they're not really paying attention and i know i'm short on time, so i skip 'how's the weather," "what day is it," and my christmas spiel and cut straight to, "okay, when is christmas? and what's the day before called? that's right, and santa brings presents, so we're going to decorate a christmas tree and tell him what we want, okay? let's do it."
and what happened ten minutes later made and killed my day. i-hate-english boy came up to me with his ornament. he held it close to his chest, afraid to show it to me because he was sure he'd gotten it wrong. here's what it said:
"my moTher haPy."
i wanted to give him so much more than a lousy sticker.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Saturday, September 22, 2007
time keeps on slipping
i should be blogging about the four weeks i spent in europe this summer, or my trip to okinawa, or my plans for the future, or my job. time is moving a little too fast for me to keep up with these days. i'll talk about all that stuff later, probably. in the interim, i give you this:
...
remember how a year (or even a month) felt like a really long time when you were a little kid? and maybe your mother told you, "time goes by really fast when you grow up," and you tried to imagine a future like that but it was just outside your grasp?
and somewhere in early high school, maybe, you thought back on that moment and realized you were finally beginning to starting to understand what she was talking about.
and now the seasons come in quick succession--winter arrives on the heels of the previous winter. all the events that occurred in the intervening spring-summer-fall notwithstanding, you clearly remember coming home from work in december, the feel of thick acyrlic socks over long underwear, how you felt that moment at the airport in january. "like it was yesterday."
so you wonder, what would the eight-year-old you say if you told her "in the twenty-seventh year of your life, you will spend more time on airplanes that you did in the previous twenty-six years combined"?
where are we going?, perhaps.
good question, kid.
here's the thing. you know that "when-you-grow-up" that people are always talking about? you remember--uncle rodger said you'd be a heartbreaker then, and you laughed at him? anyway, there isn't a magical "when-you-grow-up" line in time where everything changes and you suddenly become what you're going to be for the rest of your life.
time just goes faster, that's all.
we'll get where we're going. and then we'll go to the next place.
...
remember how a year (or even a month) felt like a really long time when you were a little kid? and maybe your mother told you, "time goes by really fast when you grow up," and you tried to imagine a future like that but it was just outside your grasp?
and somewhere in early high school, maybe, you thought back on that moment and realized you were finally beginning to starting to understand what she was talking about.
and now the seasons come in quick succession--winter arrives on the heels of the previous winter. all the events that occurred in the intervening spring-summer-fall notwithstanding, you clearly remember coming home from work in december, the feel of thick acyrlic socks over long underwear, how you felt that moment at the airport in january. "like it was yesterday."
so you wonder, what would the eight-year-old you say if you told her "in the twenty-seventh year of your life, you will spend more time on airplanes that you did in the previous twenty-six years combined"?
where are we going?, perhaps.
good question, kid.
here's the thing. you know that "when-you-grow-up" that people are always talking about? you remember--uncle rodger said you'd be a heartbreaker then, and you laughed at him? anyway, there isn't a magical "when-you-grow-up" line in time where everything changes and you suddenly become what you're going to be for the rest of your life.
time just goes faster, that's all.
we'll get where we're going. and then we'll go to the next place.
Thursday, July 05, 2007
summer vacation
it only took nine years, but i'm finally taking that backpacking trip around europe i had planned to do after high school.
the itinerary is flexible, but currently it looks something like this:
* italy: july 16-21: rome, florence, venice, various cities in between
* france: july 22-27 the riviera, the alps, paris, maybe corsica
* spain: july 28 - august 3: barcelona, madrid, seville, cadiz
* ireland: august 4-7: dublin interlaced with day trips to nearby cities
* england: august 8-12: london, oxford
* italy: august 13: rome again briefly, before flying back to japan
i'll be traveling with my best friend sarah until august 7th, and then i'll be on my own for the last six days -- though i hope to meet up with friends of friends while in england.
i'm going to celebrate my birthday in the south of france!
this is a test of the angie backpacking system. if it goes well i might travel southeast asia next summer.
but first -- i'll be home for christmas.
the itinerary is flexible, but currently it looks something like this:
* italy: july 16-21: rome, florence, venice, various cities in between
* france: july 22-27 the riviera, the alps, paris, maybe corsica
* spain: july 28 - august 3: barcelona, madrid, seville, cadiz
* ireland: august 4-7: dublin interlaced with day trips to nearby cities
* england: august 8-12: london, oxford
* italy: august 13: rome again briefly, before flying back to japan
i'll be traveling with my best friend sarah until august 7th, and then i'll be on my own for the last six days -- though i hope to meet up with friends of friends while in england.
i'm going to celebrate my birthday in the south of france!
this is a test of the angie backpacking system. if it goes well i might travel southeast asia next summer.
but first -- i'll be home for christmas.
Monday, June 18, 2007
mount tsukuba
it's supposed to be rainy season right about now. on the radio late last week they were saying that 梅雨入り (the beginning of rainy season, or, literally: entering plum rain) was upon us, but they seem to have been quite mistaken.
this is what the sky looked like on friday:
the good weather held through all weekend, which meant that my friends sam and greg and i were able to hike nearby mount tsukuba (pronounciation closely resembles "scuba") on saturday. the hike up was three kilometers (1.87 miles), consisting almost entirely of craggy rocks, roots, and steps. the view at the top (not to mention the tofu ice cream) was well worth fighting through mild asthma on the climb up:
it was comforting to spend some time surrounded by trees and ferns and mud and leaves. it felt like home, except with more people. here's a shot from the 2 kilometer hike down:
when i told my co-workers today that we went hiking at mount tsukuba this weekend, they asked me whether i took the ropeway on the way up, or on the way down. apparently most people take the ropeway one way and walk the other way. here's a shot of the ropeway station from above -- i think it's a halfway point:
in this last shot, the tiny red dot on the center right edge is where we parked:
we're going to try to do another hike before summer break. depending on the outcome, we may try hiking mount fuji in august.
this is what the sky looked like on friday:
the good weather held through all weekend, which meant that my friends sam and greg and i were able to hike nearby mount tsukuba (pronounciation closely resembles "scuba") on saturday. the hike up was three kilometers (1.87 miles), consisting almost entirely of craggy rocks, roots, and steps. the view at the top (not to mention the tofu ice cream) was well worth fighting through mild asthma on the climb up:
it was comforting to spend some time surrounded by trees and ferns and mud and leaves. it felt like home, except with more people. here's a shot from the 2 kilometer hike down:
when i told my co-workers today that we went hiking at mount tsukuba this weekend, they asked me whether i took the ropeway on the way up, or on the way down. apparently most people take the ropeway one way and walk the other way. here's a shot of the ropeway station from above -- i think it's a halfway point:
in this last shot, the tiny red dot on the center right edge is where we parked:
we're going to try to do another hike before summer break. depending on the outcome, we may try hiking mount fuji in august.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
summer vacation
it seems like most of my posts are about vacations. i guess that is the biggest perk to my job -- a lot of time off. it's unfortunate that a lot of it is unpaid, but that's something i'm willing to deal with. after all, i don't work for the entire month of august. that's pretty cool.
i'm going to europe for four weeks.
i'm going to europe for four weeks.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
getting my japanese license
a few years ago, the japanese government changed the law regarding international driver permits. previously, the law was such that if you returned to your home country and had your international permit renewed (the permits AAA issues expire in one year), as long as the license from your home country was valid, you could continue to drive in japan legally.
now when your international permit expires, you need to get the license from your home country converted into a japanese license. how difficult this is depends on what country you are from. americans have to take a driving test; canadians and brits don't. everyone has to take a very easy written test and a vision test.
this requires going to the license center during reception hours (reception hour, really: 8:30-9:00 a.m. and 1:00-1:30 p.m., monday-friday), with the following documents in hand:
after a lot of waiting around, i took the ridiculously easy ten-question written test and the vision test. they then told me it was too late to take the driving test that day, and asked if i could come back in two weeks, but after a little pleading they said they could fit me in the following day -- the last day of spring break.
i failed the driving test the first time. if you've driven in japan for a few months, the course isn't too difficult, but they are very strict. the car they have you drive is a sedan, which is a little bigger than i'm accustomed to. i thought it was the tight "crank" turns that would be the death of me, but the reason for my failure is more embarrassing: i failed to stop fully behind the stop line. see, the car had a really long nose, and um, i'm pretty sure the tires were behind the stop line.... anyhow, that's automatic failure. "stark-san, do you notice where you've stopped? the test ends here."
i made an appointment to come back about five weeks later to take the test again. i had a weekday off in the interim, but there weren't any open appointments or cancellations, so i had to use half a vacation day to go the third time. fortunately, i had a friend who needed to go renew his license, so we drove there together, saving me trainfare. i bought him lunch.
and... i passed! i passed! i passed! you're allowed to back up and pull forward a maximum of three times on the crank turns, but i didn't have to do that even once. the examiner's only complaint was that i should have looked left, right, left, right before turning instead of just left, right, left.
after the test there was a lot of waiting in various rooms, and finally i was presented with my beautiful new license, valid through august 2009.
now when your international permit expires, you need to get the license from your home country converted into a japanese license. how difficult this is depends on what country you are from. americans have to take a driving test; canadians and brits don't. everyone has to take a very easy written test and a vision test.
this requires going to the license center during reception hours (reception hour, really: 8:30-9:00 a.m. and 1:00-1:30 p.m., monday-friday), with the following documents in hand:
- application form
- license from home country -- and previous, expired licenses, if applicable
- japanese translation of the foreign license
- this requires mailing the japan automobile federation (JAF) a photocopy of your license and 3000 yen postage plus 290 yen return postage via registered mail (540 yen, if memory serves). postage costs can be avoided by going to the JAF office, open 9-5:30, monday-friday.
- foreign residency certificate (600 yen at the city hall)
- alien registration card
- passport -- and previous passports, if applicable -- they will not give you a license without these!
- appropriately sized application photos (600-700 yen at a photo booth)
- money: 2400 yen for each time you take the driving test, plus a 1650 yen "issuance fee"
after a lot of waiting around, i took the ridiculously easy ten-question written test and the vision test. they then told me it was too late to take the driving test that day, and asked if i could come back in two weeks, but after a little pleading they said they could fit me in the following day -- the last day of spring break.
i failed the driving test the first time. if you've driven in japan for a few months, the course isn't too difficult, but they are very strict. the car they have you drive is a sedan, which is a little bigger than i'm accustomed to. i thought it was the tight "crank" turns that would be the death of me, but the reason for my failure is more embarrassing: i failed to stop fully behind the stop line. see, the car had a really long nose, and um, i'm pretty sure the tires were behind the stop line.... anyhow, that's automatic failure. "stark-san, do you notice where you've stopped? the test ends here."
i made an appointment to come back about five weeks later to take the test again. i had a weekday off in the interim, but there weren't any open appointments or cancellations, so i had to use half a vacation day to go the third time. fortunately, i had a friend who needed to go renew his license, so we drove there together, saving me trainfare. i bought him lunch.
and... i passed! i passed! i passed! you're allowed to back up and pull forward a maximum of three times on the crank turns, but i didn't have to do that even once. the examiner's only complaint was that i should have looked left, right, left, right before turning instead of just left, right, left.
after the test there was a lot of waiting in various rooms, and finally i was presented with my beautiful new license, valid through august 2009.
Saturday, May 05, 2007
school photos
i'm going to hold off on telling you about the driver's license test, because it's not over yet.
in the interim, here are a few photos from the school i worked at until the end of march:
these girls participated in the annual speech contest last fall. i started meeting with them before i taught my first class.
two sixth graders, me, and my co-teachers:
random boys in one of the sixth grade classes:
part of one of the seventh grade classes:
things are going well at my new schools. i'm making more friends, getting better at japanese, feeling more at home here. life is busy, as usual.
in the interim, here are a few photos from the school i worked at until the end of march:
these girls participated in the annual speech contest last fall. i started meeting with them before i taught my first class.
two sixth graders, me, and my co-teachers:
random boys in one of the sixth grade classes:
part of one of the seventh grade classes:
things are going well at my new schools. i'm making more friends, getting better at japanese, feeling more at home here. life is busy, as usual.
Monday, April 23, 2007
spring break
I spent a little over a week in the Kansai region for Spring Break. Most people take the bullet train when they go from the Kanto ( Tokyo) region to the Kansai (Osaka) region. Some people fly, and some people take buses. Very few people take the local train all the way there, but I did just that. Every spring, JR (Japan Railways) sells something called the "Seishun 18 Kippu," which allows you to ride JR trains as much as you want on five separate days during a specified time period. The days do not have to be consecutive. This year the pass was even cheaper than usual – only 8000 yen – and I had time to kill, so I gave it a try. It took about eleven hours and seven transfers to get from my apartment to Osaka Station. I like riding trains and I don't mind traveling for long periods of time, but the scenery wasn't much, and I was exhausted and useless both upon arrival and when I returned. I don't regret the experience, but next time I'm taking the overnight bus. It's almost as cheap.
So. Kansai. I arrived on a Saturday night and my friend Joe met me at Hep 5 (a huge shopping center and amusement parlor topped by a big red ferris wheel) and kindly hauled my suitcase back to his apartment, where he even more kindly let me stay for most of a week. On Sunday I had lunch with my friend Miyuki, who I hadn't seen in five years. We had okonomiyaki and wandered around Umeda. I first met her when I was on the overseas program at Kansai Gaidai in 2001, and then stayed with her family in Mie Prefecture and with her in Osaka when I was in Japan doing research for my senior thesis in 2002. It was good to see her again.
Me & Miyuki:
I spent Tuesday through Thursday with my host family, which was nice. My host sister (Kanako) got married just after I left in 2001, and she has two kids now. The oldest, Kotoha, just turned four. She's really, really, cute:
And here is Kazuha, who was born in November:
My host family's older daughter, Yukie (who is I guess technically my host sister, but she lived in the States when I lived in Japan), was also in Japan visiting with her Taiwanese husband Yushan and their baby boy, Elvin:
Needless to say, it was hard to do much going out with the munchkins around. That was actually nice, though -- it was cool to just hang around the house with them and do family stuff for awhile. Hopefully I'll get to do it again in a few months. I didn't take any photos of the adults, but here are a couple shots from a quick trip to Tofuku-ji in Kyoto:
A good chunk of Spring Break was spent walking, walking, walking with Joe.
We walked around Shinsaibashi/Dotonbori. Here's the famous Glico man:
And one of the famous crabs:
We walked all over Ikeda, hiked through a park, and saw the ruins of a castle destroyed by Nobunaga:
We explored Joe's neighborhood without our cameras.
We went to the aquarium (kaiyukan):
I figure all that walking may have justified gorging ourselves on all-you-can-eat sushi. Between the two of us we had fifty-four plates. The couple behind us did a triple take as we walked out in slow motion. Here's my stack:
On Friday Joe and I met up with our friend Trane and spent hours taking photos at what is probably my favorite place in Japan – Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto:
Then on Saturday, my last night in Osaka, I caught up with my friend Erik for the first time since graduation. We had both the same major (East Asian Studies) and minor (Japanese Language & Literature), so we had a ton of classes together. He currently runs a website about the party scene in Osaka, so when he invited me to the club he was bartending at, I couldn't refuse. My trip ended perfectly – with seven hours of dancing. Here's a party light at the club:
In sum, it was a great trip and I took way too many photos. You can see the rest of them here.
So. Kansai. I arrived on a Saturday night and my friend Joe met me at Hep 5 (a huge shopping center and amusement parlor topped by a big red ferris wheel) and kindly hauled my suitcase back to his apartment, where he even more kindly let me stay for most of a week. On Sunday I had lunch with my friend Miyuki, who I hadn't seen in five years. We had okonomiyaki and wandered around Umeda. I first met her when I was on the overseas program at Kansai Gaidai in 2001, and then stayed with her family in Mie Prefecture and with her in Osaka when I was in Japan doing research for my senior thesis in 2002. It was good to see her again.
Me & Miyuki:
I spent Tuesday through Thursday with my host family, which was nice. My host sister (Kanako) got married just after I left in 2001, and she has two kids now. The oldest, Kotoha, just turned four. She's really, really, cute:
And here is Kazuha, who was born in November:
My host family's older daughter, Yukie (who is I guess technically my host sister, but she lived in the States when I lived in Japan), was also in Japan visiting with her Taiwanese husband Yushan and their baby boy, Elvin:
Needless to say, it was hard to do much going out with the munchkins around. That was actually nice, though -- it was cool to just hang around the house with them and do family stuff for awhile. Hopefully I'll get to do it again in a few months. I didn't take any photos of the adults, but here are a couple shots from a quick trip to Tofuku-ji in Kyoto:
A good chunk of Spring Break was spent walking, walking, walking with Joe.
We walked around Shinsaibashi/Dotonbori. Here's the famous Glico man:
And one of the famous crabs:
We walked all over Ikeda, hiked through a park, and saw the ruins of a castle destroyed by Nobunaga:
We explored Joe's neighborhood without our cameras.
We went to the aquarium (kaiyukan):
I figure all that walking may have justified gorging ourselves on all-you-can-eat sushi. Between the two of us we had fifty-four plates. The couple behind us did a triple take as we walked out in slow motion. Here's my stack:
On Friday Joe and I met up with our friend Trane and spent hours taking photos at what is probably my favorite place in Japan – Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto:
Then on Saturday, my last night in Osaka, I caught up with my friend Erik for the first time since graduation. We had both the same major (East Asian Studies) and minor (Japanese Language & Literature), so we had a ton of classes together. He currently runs a website about the party scene in Osaka, so when he invited me to the club he was bartending at, I couldn't refuse. My trip ended perfectly – with seven hours of dancing. Here's a party light at the club:
In sum, it was a great trip and I took way too many photos. You can see the rest of them here.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
fifteen seconds
a photo i took on the rafting trip i did last summer was used in the oregon environmental council's cleaner rivers report! you can check out the report here.
here's the photo:
yay!
here's the photo:
yay!
Monday, April 02, 2007
cherry blossoms and changes
a good friend of mine from michigan once told me that the first time he visited portland (which was during spring preview week at reed college) he felt like he'd stepped into a doctor seuss book -- there were fluffy pink trees everywhere! apparently they don't have those in michigan. anyhow, now i know how he felt, because there are cherry blossoms everywhere you look! if only they'd stick around a little longer -- but i suppose some of the magic would be lost if it weren't so short-lived. thankfully the warmer temperatures are here to stay for awhile. i've had enough of wearing long johns, thick socks, and four shirts every day.
in addition to the weather, there are a few other changes underfoot:
the board of education announced what school i am going to next. as i expected, they are sending me to the school that is farthest away. i'm a little disappointed that biking to school is not really going to be an option for me anymore, because i enjoy (and, er, need) the exercise. still, i understand this placement is best for everyone -- the other ALTs don't have cars, and would either have to bike an unreasonably long distance (about 10 km each way on dangerous roads) to and from work or spend a lot of time (about an hour a day) walking to and from train stations.
the closing ceremony at my old school was on march 23rd. i gave a speech in english and japanese, but i was crying so much by the end of it that i'm a little unsure how coherent the japanese was. the most intense part of the speech for me was telling everyone that i never planned to be a teacher, and i was really pretty petrified when i started this job. thanks to the teachers i worked with, i became a lot more comfortable with teaching and essentially was able to do something i wasn't sure i could do. one teacher in particular was incredibly helpful and inspiring. goodbyes are tough.
i'm starting classes at the new school on thursday. i'm a little worried out about the stress of beginning all over again, but ultimately i think a fresh start will be nice -- and this time i'll have a much better idea of what i'm doing.
another change this semester involves the adult english class i teach at the community center. instead of teaching half of the beginner classes, i will be teaching all of the intermediate classes. on the plus side: i should be able to have some pretty interesting conversations with this class, and going every week means i'll get to know them pretty well. on the minus side: my schedule is getting increasingly busier and busier, and i'm going to miss my old students.
i went to the driver's license center today. i'm going back tomorrow. i'll tell you more about the process when it's finished. also stayed tuned for school photos and a spring break recap!
in addition to the weather, there are a few other changes underfoot:
the board of education announced what school i am going to next. as i expected, they are sending me to the school that is farthest away. i'm a little disappointed that biking to school is not really going to be an option for me anymore, because i enjoy (and, er, need) the exercise. still, i understand this placement is best for everyone -- the other ALTs don't have cars, and would either have to bike an unreasonably long distance (about 10 km each way on dangerous roads) to and from work or spend a lot of time (about an hour a day) walking to and from train stations.
the closing ceremony at my old school was on march 23rd. i gave a speech in english and japanese, but i was crying so much by the end of it that i'm a little unsure how coherent the japanese was. the most intense part of the speech for me was telling everyone that i never planned to be a teacher, and i was really pretty petrified when i started this job. thanks to the teachers i worked with, i became a lot more comfortable with teaching and essentially was able to do something i wasn't sure i could do. one teacher in particular was incredibly helpful and inspiring. goodbyes are tough.
i'm starting classes at the new school on thursday. i'm a little worried out about the stress of beginning all over again, but ultimately i think a fresh start will be nice -- and this time i'll have a much better idea of what i'm doing.
another change this semester involves the adult english class i teach at the community center. instead of teaching half of the beginner classes, i will be teaching all of the intermediate classes. on the plus side: i should be able to have some pretty interesting conversations with this class, and going every week means i'll get to know them pretty well. on the minus side: my schedule is getting increasingly busier and busier, and i'm going to miss my old students.
i went to the driver's license center today. i'm going back tomorrow. i'll tell you more about the process when it's finished. also stayed tuned for school photos and a spring break recap!
Friday, March 09, 2007
my car and the japanese bureaucracy
i've gone through a lot to be able to drive a car in this country, and i'm not done yet.
in oregon, transferring ownership of a vehicle is pretty simple. you need one document: the title. i've always used a bill of sale in addition to this, but according to the dmv's website, that part is optional. i think the bill of sale for the first car i bought (1975 volvo 244, green) was handwritten on notebook paper. anyway, the person selling the car releases their ownership to the person buying it by filling in his or her name and address and signing the appropriate place on the title, and also on the bill of sale if there is one. the person buying the vehicle does the same, and then takes these documents to the dmv or, if they can't get there in person (even though they are open on saturdays), they can mail the documents. the dmv will issue a new title reflecting the changed owner.
simple.
in japan, transferring ownership of a vehicle is anything but.
you have to go the department of transportation in person, or you can pay someone to go for you. they close early and they are not open on saturdays.
but let's back up. there were a lot of things i could do before i went to the department of transportation (for which i had to take a vacation day). the documents required are a bit of a blur, but let's see if i can get a list together.
first, you need a document certifying that you have a place to park the vehicle. to get this document, you need :
documents in order, i drove them back to the police station the next business day to turn them in. then i drove back a week later to pick them up and give them some more money.
still with me? that was all to get the parking certificate, which is one of the twelve pieces of paper i ended up taking to the department of transportation.
here are the other eleven:
aside: one of those restaurants had tomato ice cream. it is as weird as it sounds.
so, when you get to the department of transportation, you give them your documents and wait a half an hour. then you go to the building next door and buy some payment stamps and bring them back to the first building and wait a little longer. then they give you your paperwork and you go next door again and give them some more money and they give you new license plates. good thing i brought my screwdriver.
luckily for me, the person who gave me the car has a host brother who used to work at a honda shop near where i live. i took my car there for it's biennial (one thousand dollar!) inspection and the people there helped me through this complicated process for free -- their normal fee is about $300.
finally, i own the car. now i just have to get a japanese driver's license before august.
in oregon, transferring ownership of a vehicle is pretty simple. you need one document: the title. i've always used a bill of sale in addition to this, but according to the dmv's website, that part is optional. i think the bill of sale for the first car i bought (1975 volvo 244, green) was handwritten on notebook paper. anyway, the person selling the car releases their ownership to the person buying it by filling in his or her name and address and signing the appropriate place on the title, and also on the bill of sale if there is one. the person buying the vehicle does the same, and then takes these documents to the dmv or, if they can't get there in person (even though they are open on saturdays), they can mail the documents. the dmv will issue a new title reflecting the changed owner.
simple.
in japan, transferring ownership of a vehicle is anything but.
you have to go the department of transportation in person, or you can pay someone to go for you. they close early and they are not open on saturdays.
but let's back up. there were a lot of things i could do before i went to the department of transportation (for which i had to take a vacation day). the documents required are a bit of a blur, but let's see if i can get a list together.
first, you need a document certifying that you have a place to park the vehicle. to get this document, you need :
- car inspection certificate (equivalent to a title, but much more expensive due to the biennial inspection fees)
- parking space application form (four pages)
- permission form from your landlord (with appropriate formal stamp)
- map of the general area where you live with your building and parking area marked
- map of your parking space with width and length measurements
- payment stamps
documents in order, i drove them back to the police station the next business day to turn them in. then i drove back a week later to pick them up and give them some more money.
still with me? that was all to get the parking certificate, which is one of the twelve pieces of paper i ended up taking to the department of transportation.
here are the other eleven:
- the aforementioned car inspection certificate (title)
- a transfer form
- a certificate for my seal (they use seals instead of signatures here) -- acquired at the city office, also only open during regular business hours.
- a certificate of residency (also acquired at the city office)
- a certificate for the seller's seal (a hassle for him, because the city where his seal was registered is far away)
- a certificate of residency for the seller
- a "permission form"
- a form for attaching payment stamps to
- some other application form
- a form detailing the seller's residency history (because he moved twice after getting the car -- this was also a big hassle, requiring him to come to the city office in the last city he lived in during business hours)
- i don't remember what number 11 was.
aside: one of those restaurants had tomato ice cream. it is as weird as it sounds.
so, when you get to the department of transportation, you give them your documents and wait a half an hour. then you go to the building next door and buy some payment stamps and bring them back to the first building and wait a little longer. then they give you your paperwork and you go next door again and give them some more money and they give you new license plates. good thing i brought my screwdriver.
luckily for me, the person who gave me the car has a host brother who used to work at a honda shop near where i live. i took my car there for it's biennial (one thousand dollar!) inspection and the people there helped me through this complicated process for free -- their normal fee is about $300.
finally, i own the car. now i just have to get a japanese driver's license before august.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
six months down, how many to go?
in a few hours it will be march first. march, already?!
when i left portland, of course everyone asked me how long i'd be gone. i always said maybe a year and half, but definitely a minimum of seven months because that's how long my initial contract was for. here i am at the end of that contract, and i've signed on for another year. now when people ask me how long i'm staying i say, "at least until march 2008." the question, of course, is what next? i might stick with teaching for another year after that. the reason is time: my job offers me a lot of free time to study and a significant amount of time off. the biggst con? money. much of that time off is uncompensated (60% paycheck for august, 75% for december, pro-rated in march). i could make more money elsewhere, which i could use to travel more, buy fun camera equipment, and save money for future endeavors -- including education. additionally, while shiroi is a great city to live in, i'm not sure i want to stay here two and a half years. it's too much like the city i grew up in. an hour from the big city, but nothing much to do here. maybe i could transfer to another city.
my original very tentative plan was to teach for a year and a half and then start graduate school, but i don't think i'll be ready in march 2008 (if ever). if i'm going to take graduate courses in japan, i should probably be more fluent than i can reasonably expect to be a year from now. further, i'm still not sure what i want to do with the degree i'll get, and i'm hesitant to go into debt for something without a clear purpose. there is of course the possibility that i could get a grant -- but that possiblity will improve parallel to my japanese language skills. i'm not ruling graduate school 2008 out, but it's not likely.
meanwhile, in shiroi, they rotate the ALTs (assistang language teachers) every school year, so i'll be changing schools when my new contract begins. today was my last day at one of the two elementary schools where i teach. friday is the farewell party for my 3rd year students at junior high (9th graders by the american system). next wednesday is my last day at the other elementary school. the semester ends on march 23rd. i'm both excited and sad to be changing schools. it'll be good to get a fresh start, this time with a better idea of what i'm doing. changing just when i was getting to know my students and my co-workers, though, is too bad.
the board of education won't be announcing what schools they are placing us at until spring break. i'm keeping my fingers crossed that it's a school i can bike to. i'm not keeping my hopes up, though. there are three possible teachers they could send to the only school that's not reasonably (read: safely) bike-able, and i'm the only one with a car.
speaking of spring break, i'm going to osaka! i'll be there for about nine days, visiting a few friends and my host family.
coming up: i'll tell you about the bureaucracy i had to wade through to obtain legal ownership of my car, and the steps involved in getting a japanese driver's license.
when i left portland, of course everyone asked me how long i'd be gone. i always said maybe a year and half, but definitely a minimum of seven months because that's how long my initial contract was for. here i am at the end of that contract, and i've signed on for another year. now when people ask me how long i'm staying i say, "at least until march 2008." the question, of course, is what next? i might stick with teaching for another year after that. the reason is time: my job offers me a lot of free time to study and a significant amount of time off. the biggst con? money. much of that time off is uncompensated (60% paycheck for august, 75% for december, pro-rated in march). i could make more money elsewhere, which i could use to travel more, buy fun camera equipment, and save money for future endeavors -- including education. additionally, while shiroi is a great city to live in, i'm not sure i want to stay here two and a half years. it's too much like the city i grew up in. an hour from the big city, but nothing much to do here. maybe i could transfer to another city.
my original very tentative plan was to teach for a year and a half and then start graduate school, but i don't think i'll be ready in march 2008 (if ever). if i'm going to take graduate courses in japan, i should probably be more fluent than i can reasonably expect to be a year from now. further, i'm still not sure what i want to do with the degree i'll get, and i'm hesitant to go into debt for something without a clear purpose. there is of course the possibility that i could get a grant -- but that possiblity will improve parallel to my japanese language skills. i'm not ruling graduate school 2008 out, but it's not likely.
meanwhile, in shiroi, they rotate the ALTs (assistang language teachers) every school year, so i'll be changing schools when my new contract begins. today was my last day at one of the two elementary schools where i teach. friday is the farewell party for my 3rd year students at junior high (9th graders by the american system). next wednesday is my last day at the other elementary school. the semester ends on march 23rd. i'm both excited and sad to be changing schools. it'll be good to get a fresh start, this time with a better idea of what i'm doing. changing just when i was getting to know my students and my co-workers, though, is too bad.
the board of education won't be announcing what schools they are placing us at until spring break. i'm keeping my fingers crossed that it's a school i can bike to. i'm not keeping my hopes up, though. there are three possible teachers they could send to the only school that's not reasonably (read: safely) bike-able, and i'm the only one with a car.
speaking of spring break, i'm going to osaka! i'll be there for about nine days, visiting a few friends and my host family.
coming up: i'll tell you about the bureaucracy i had to wade through to obtain legal ownership of my car, and the steps involved in getting a japanese driver's license.
Friday, February 09, 2007
success!
I left Portland on August 9th, 2006 -- exactly half a year ago today.
One of the main reasons I came to Japan was to improve my Japanese language skills. Today one of the Japanese language teachers overheard me talking with the home economics teacher in the staff room. She said, "Wow, you can speak Japanese now!" While that's not actually true, I am making a lot of progress. I received a fancy certificate in the mail a few days ago to prove it:
This is to certify that the person named above has passed the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test given in December 2006, jointly administered by the Japan Educational Exchanges and Services and The Japan Foundation.
Level: 3
Writing/Vocabulary: 99/100
Listening: 96/100
Reading/Grammar: 180/200
Total Score: 375/400 <-- That's 93.75%!
I'm taking Level 2 next December. It is much, much harder than Level 3.
One of the main reasons I came to Japan was to improve my Japanese language skills. Today one of the Japanese language teachers overheard me talking with the home economics teacher in the staff room. She said, "Wow, you can speak Japanese now!" While that's not actually true, I am making a lot of progress. I received a fancy certificate in the mail a few days ago to prove it:
This is to certify that the person named above has passed the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test given in December 2006, jointly administered by the Japan Educational Exchanges and Services and The Japan Foundation.
Level: 3
Writing/Vocabulary: 99/100
Listening: 96/100
Reading/Grammar: 180/200
I'm taking Level 2 next December. It is much, much harder than Level 3.
Friday, February 02, 2007
japanese women: birth-giving machines? (news article)
This reminds me, I should reread that bachelor's thesis I wrote back in 2003:
Japanese minister wants 'birth-giving machines', aka women, to have more babies
Justin McCurry in Tokyo
Monday January 29, 2007
The Guardian
Japanese minister wants 'birth-giving machines', aka women, to have more babies
Justin McCurry in Tokyo
Monday January 29, 2007
The Guardian
Japan's health minister did nothing to endear himself to female voters over the weekend when he described women as "birth-giving machines" and implored them to "do their best" to halt the country's declining birthrate.
In a speech to Liberal Democratic party members in western Japan, Hakuo Yanagisawa said women of child-bearing age should perform a public service by raising the birthrate, which fell to a record low of 1.26 children per woman in 2005. Experts say an average fertility rate of 2.1 children is needed to keep the population stable.
"The number of women aged between 15 and 50 is fixed," Mr Yanagisawa, 71, said. "Because the number of birth-giving machines and devices is fixed, all we can do is ask them to do their best per head ... although it may not be so appropriate to call them machines."
Mr Yanagisawa's reported admission that the description had been "too uncivil" failed to silence his critics.
"It was extremely rude towards women," said Yukio Hatoyama, leader of the Democratic party. "Having children or not having children is naturally a matter that women and households are free to decide themselves."
The minister's remarks come as the government tries to encourage women to have bigger families. Many blame the cost of raising children and social pressure to leave work when they become pregnant for women's reluctance to have children.
In response the government supports proposals to increase childcare facilities in the workplace and encourage firms to introduce flexible working hours to allow staff more time to raise families.
Recent figures show that Japan's fertility rate rose slightly in 2005, but it is thought to have fallen again last year.
Experts have warned that the trend will stifle economic growth and further strain on the creaking pension system in a country where one in five is aged 65 or over.
In 2005 the population went into decline for the first time since the second world war, and the health ministry estimates it will shrink to 89 million by 2055.
(link)
(thanks to Joe for pointing me to this article)
In a speech to Liberal Democratic party members in western Japan, Hakuo Yanagisawa said women of child-bearing age should perform a public service by raising the birthrate, which fell to a record low of 1.26 children per woman in 2005. Experts say an average fertility rate of 2.1 children is needed to keep the population stable.
"The number of women aged between 15 and 50 is fixed," Mr Yanagisawa, 71, said. "Because the number of birth-giving machines and devices is fixed, all we can do is ask them to do their best per head ... although it may not be so appropriate to call them machines."
Mr Yanagisawa's reported admission that the description had been "too uncivil" failed to silence his critics.
"It was extremely rude towards women," said Yukio Hatoyama, leader of the Democratic party. "Having children or not having children is naturally a matter that women and households are free to decide themselves."
The minister's remarks come as the government tries to encourage women to have bigger families. Many blame the cost of raising children and social pressure to leave work when they become pregnant for women's reluctance to have children.
In response the government supports proposals to increase childcare facilities in the workplace and encourage firms to introduce flexible working hours to allow staff more time to raise families.
Recent figures show that Japan's fertility rate rose slightly in 2005, but it is thought to have fallen again last year.
Experts have warned that the trend will stifle economic growth and further strain on the creaking pension system in a country where one in five is aged 65 or over.
In 2005 the population went into decline for the first time since the second world war, and the health ministry estimates it will shrink to 89 million by 2055.
(link)
(thanks to Joe for pointing me to this article)
Thursday, January 18, 2007
winter vacation photos
mom and dad at itsukushima shrine (miyajima island) in front of the famous "floating" o-torii:
a station attendant at one of the many subway/train stations we passed through:
the a-bomb dome in hiroshima:
monkeys huddled in the snow at mount misen on the island of miyajima:
the temple of the golden pavilion (kinkaku-ji) in kyoto:
mochi outside a shop in kyoto on new year's eve eve:
fushimi inari shrine in kyoto:
a temple through one of the telescopes at the kyoto tower observatory:
waving goodybe to 2006 in a fun house mirror:
new year's eve fireworks:
sake barrels at meiji jingu on new year's day:
Friday, January 05, 2007
sickness, christmas, and vacation
i haven't been doing much updating. sorry about that.
let's see. well, i've been sick a lot. i've had three colds since i got here. working with kids and spending a lot of time in the cold makes me much more vulnerable to sickness than i was back home, so i'm making an effort to consume vitamin c, drink more water, exercise, and stay warm -- i even bought a space heater.
the last cold was the worst; it lasted for over two weeks. i don't usually take anything or go to the doctor when i'm sick, and i usually get better on my own. but by december 23rd my lymph nodes were huge and my throat was so sore i was having trouble eating, so i went to the hospital and got some medicine. it did the trick, and by the time christmas came around i was able to enjoy it.
speaking of christmas: i had a nice dinner with two of the other ALTs and their significant others. as is pretty common in japan, we ordered kentucky fried chicken, and it was the best fried chicken i've ever had (which admittedly might have something to do with the fact that i hadn't been able to eat properly for the few days preceding christmas). also, since none of us have proper ovens in which to bake a turkey or ham, it was pretty convenient. i made roasted garlic mashed potatoes and sauteed eggplant and broccoli. the others made applesauce, fruit salad, and cookies. we had christmas cake for dessert -- mocha ice cream cake from baskin & robbins (aka thirty-one flavors, or "saati wan"). we exchanged awesome gifts. we watched gremlins. it was nice. not quite the same as christmas at home with the family, but a good substitute.
the day after that, my parents came to visit for a week! we went to tokyo, hiroshima, miyajima, kyoto, and narita. i saw a good mix of places i wanted to revisit and places i've never been. i wanted to show them as much as possible in a short time, which meant a lot of running to catch trains and rushing from temple to temple. i think we were all exhausted by the end of it, but it was definitely worth it.
here's a day-by-day summary:
day 1: arrival. too long in line for shinkansen tickets. mall food for dinner. awesome things from home, including stumptown coffee, three jars of adam's peanutbutter, three corresponding jars of marionberry jam, a tin of almond roca, and the best robe ever (christmas present from my sister).
day 2: first stop: asakusa and sensoji temple. tempura and udon for lunch. next: ueno park and the tokyo national museum. the park had a gritty feel that you don't often find around here. the museum was great too. hiroshiges and hokusais, samurai armor, ancient scrolls. then: shibuya. hachiko square, bright lights, big city, overpriced fruit. ran into chris in shibuya station, getting off the train we were getting on.
day 3: hiroshima. power-walking for the first train out of shiroi at 5:12. the shinkansen didn't feel as fast as i expected. it started snowing lightly when we arrived at the peace park. the peace memorial museum was, unsurprisingly, as intense as the first time. then (because it's what you do when you visit hiroshima) we had okonomiyaki in okonomi village, which these days is one floor of a building filled with competing okonomiyaki vendors. yum.
day 4: miyajima. saw deer and the famous torii in the ocean and itsukushima shrine. ate momiji manju (a cake shaped like a maple leaf and filled with sweet red bean paste) fresh off the assembly line. took a ropeway to the top of the island and saw monkeys huddled together in the snow. then back to hiroshima for a train to kyoto.
day 5: kyoto. bus pass: $5. temple of the golden pavilion (kinkakuji) in all its shiny splendor, temple of the silver pavilion (ginkakuji), with no silver in sight but more moss than i've seen in my life and phenomenal zen gardens, quick stop for lunch, short uphill hike through narrow shop-lined streets -- oh look, a maiko! -- to kiyomizu (literally: clear water) temple, view of kyoto from above. i separated from my parents for a few hours for dinner with my host sister kanako and her husband's family in uji. hadn't seen her since her daughter kotoha -- turning four in two days -- was a newborn. now she has another newborn. kanako's as easy to be around and sweet as ever. and kotoha, well, i'm in love. i really wish i lived closer to them.
day 6: new year's eve. since i could not stand the thought of visiting to kyoto without going to inari shrine, we went. it was amazing as ever, but too brief. then up kyoto tower and some quick shopping before catching the shinkansen to tokyo. made it home around six, exhausted. left a few hours later to drive out to meet my friends greg and samantha, and sam's dad for new year's eve festivities. went to a small temple in shibayama, which was totally perfect. not too crowded, but enough people to feel the excitement a new year brings. and fireworks! then to narita temple for bigger crowds, more cops. got home at 4 a.m., my dad shivering and sick. sorry, dad.
day 7: new year's day. dad stayed home with the kotatsu and japanese tv while mom and i braved the crowds in asakusa and harajuku. meiji shrine on new year's day apparently attracts 3 million people -- an impressive sight. also, the yakisoba was good.
day 8: departure. drove my parents by two of my schools and then to hard off (i'm not kidding, that's the store's name) to check out used electronics and video games. not enough time, as always. then to the airport.
it sure was great to see them.
and now it's a new year, and vacation is almost over. i'm spending the last few days of it relaxing around my apartment, sleeping in, reading, sorting through the hundreds of photos i took last week. i'm also considering getting a haircut. and maybe i'll take the keyboard my friend loaned me out of its box and see what i can do with it.
vacation photos will be up soon.
let's see. well, i've been sick a lot. i've had three colds since i got here. working with kids and spending a lot of time in the cold makes me much more vulnerable to sickness than i was back home, so i'm making an effort to consume vitamin c, drink more water, exercise, and stay warm -- i even bought a space heater.
the last cold was the worst; it lasted for over two weeks. i don't usually take anything or go to the doctor when i'm sick, and i usually get better on my own. but by december 23rd my lymph nodes were huge and my throat was so sore i was having trouble eating, so i went to the hospital and got some medicine. it did the trick, and by the time christmas came around i was able to enjoy it.
speaking of christmas: i had a nice dinner with two of the other ALTs and their significant others. as is pretty common in japan, we ordered kentucky fried chicken, and it was the best fried chicken i've ever had (which admittedly might have something to do with the fact that i hadn't been able to eat properly for the few days preceding christmas). also, since none of us have proper ovens in which to bake a turkey or ham, it was pretty convenient. i made roasted garlic mashed potatoes and sauteed eggplant and broccoli. the others made applesauce, fruit salad, and cookies. we had christmas cake for dessert -- mocha ice cream cake from baskin & robbins (aka thirty-one flavors, or "saati wan"). we exchanged awesome gifts. we watched gremlins. it was nice. not quite the same as christmas at home with the family, but a good substitute.
the day after that, my parents came to visit for a week! we went to tokyo, hiroshima, miyajima, kyoto, and narita. i saw a good mix of places i wanted to revisit and places i've never been. i wanted to show them as much as possible in a short time, which meant a lot of running to catch trains and rushing from temple to temple. i think we were all exhausted by the end of it, but it was definitely worth it.
here's a day-by-day summary:
day 1: arrival. too long in line for shinkansen tickets. mall food for dinner. awesome things from home, including stumptown coffee, three jars of adam's peanutbutter, three corresponding jars of marionberry jam, a tin of almond roca, and the best robe ever (christmas present from my sister).
day 2: first stop: asakusa and sensoji temple. tempura and udon for lunch. next: ueno park and the tokyo national museum. the park had a gritty feel that you don't often find around here. the museum was great too. hiroshiges and hokusais, samurai armor, ancient scrolls. then: shibuya. hachiko square, bright lights, big city, overpriced fruit. ran into chris in shibuya station, getting off the train we were getting on.
day 3: hiroshima. power-walking for the first train out of shiroi at 5:12. the shinkansen didn't feel as fast as i expected. it started snowing lightly when we arrived at the peace park. the peace memorial museum was, unsurprisingly, as intense as the first time. then (because it's what you do when you visit hiroshima) we had okonomiyaki in okonomi village, which these days is one floor of a building filled with competing okonomiyaki vendors. yum.
day 4: miyajima. saw deer and the famous torii in the ocean and itsukushima shrine. ate momiji manju (a cake shaped like a maple leaf and filled with sweet red bean paste) fresh off the assembly line. took a ropeway to the top of the island and saw monkeys huddled together in the snow. then back to hiroshima for a train to kyoto.
day 5: kyoto. bus pass: $5. temple of the golden pavilion (kinkakuji) in all its shiny splendor, temple of the silver pavilion (ginkakuji), with no silver in sight but more moss than i've seen in my life and phenomenal zen gardens, quick stop for lunch, short uphill hike through narrow shop-lined streets -- oh look, a maiko! -- to kiyomizu (literally: clear water) temple, view of kyoto from above. i separated from my parents for a few hours for dinner with my host sister kanako and her husband's family in uji. hadn't seen her since her daughter kotoha -- turning four in two days -- was a newborn. now she has another newborn. kanako's as easy to be around and sweet as ever. and kotoha, well, i'm in love. i really wish i lived closer to them.
day 6: new year's eve. since i could not stand the thought of visiting to kyoto without going to inari shrine, we went. it was amazing as ever, but too brief. then up kyoto tower and some quick shopping before catching the shinkansen to tokyo. made it home around six, exhausted. left a few hours later to drive out to meet my friends greg and samantha, and sam's dad for new year's eve festivities. went to a small temple in shibayama, which was totally perfect. not too crowded, but enough people to feel the excitement a new year brings. and fireworks! then to narita temple for bigger crowds, more cops. got home at 4 a.m., my dad shivering and sick. sorry, dad.
day 7: new year's day. dad stayed home with the kotatsu and japanese tv while mom and i braved the crowds in asakusa and harajuku. meiji shrine on new year's day apparently attracts 3 million people -- an impressive sight. also, the yakisoba was good.
day 8: departure. drove my parents by two of my schools and then to hard off (i'm not kidding, that's the store's name) to check out used electronics and video games. not enough time, as always. then to the airport.
it sure was great to see them.
and now it's a new year, and vacation is almost over. i'm spending the last few days of it relaxing around my apartment, sleeping in, reading, sorting through the hundreds of photos i took last week. i'm also considering getting a haircut. and maybe i'll take the keyboard my friend loaned me out of its box and see what i can do with it.
vacation photos will be up soon.
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