Jonas Goes Native and Jason Goes to the Doctor

Jonas babbles constantly these days, and over Thanksgiving, we learned that it’s not just jibberish. Nomi and Mai told us that Jonas was saying “de-ki-ta” – “I did it!” – to show he's pleased with himself, which is often. You can hear it below if you listen closely. Poor kid. He probably has lots to say, and his parents are just too thick to understand him. No wonder he’s gone from crying when we drop him off at daycare to now crying when he has to leave in the afternoon. I wouldn’t want to go home, either.



Last weekend I had a pretty serious ear infection and sore throat, but by Monday I was feeling OK – except that my right eye was watery, flushed red and sort of droopy. So anyway, like I said, I was tired and all but felt well enough, so I soldiered on and went to school hoping nobody would notice. It was the first thing anyone noticed. My supervisor looked at me, stepped back and asked, “Jason-san, are you OK?” I tried to tell her I was fine, but she insisted I leave immediately and see the doctor – who told me exactly what I knew to be true, that “yes, it is very bad to look at” but not contagious. People at school are already afraid to talk to me, and I didn’t want to give them more ammunition, so I stayed home for three days until it mostly cleared up.

Visiting the doctor (and Japan’s quasi-universal health care system) was quite an experience. I learned how to say my ear, eye and throat hurt in Japanese, which in the end wasn’t necessary, as the doctor was an older guy who studied in Baltimore for two years and spoke excellent English. The examination was odd, though. Instead of lying on, or even sitting on, a bed I sat in my chair and he sat in his, with a desk in between us, which he had to lean over and across to listen to my lungs, look in my ears and check out my eye. It felt like a job interview gone wrong. He prescribed me five different medicines – three pills, some eye drops and a mystery powder – and sent me on my way. The medicines and the visit cost about 10 bucks. Tricia advised me against posted a pic of my eye, but as is too often the case with her sound advice, I ignored it.

Sugoi!

The highs and lows of daily life here seem to hit with more intensity than they did back home, probably because we have less to distract us (no TV, no family, no familiar friends; just each other – yikes! ). As such, one good day can fill up a whole week. This was a good week.

Miraculously, my student Hikaru passed the entrance examination to get into Akita International University, making him one of the 20 out of hundreds of applicants (so I’m told) to be accepted in this first wave of entrance exams. (I’m puzzled by the application process, but apparently there are a series of examinations, and you get a second and third chance, so if you didn’t pass the first time around, you can apply again and take a couple more cracks at it, unless you scored horribly, in which case – McDonalds).

Anyway, Hikaru’s acceptance stirred up great cheer in the halls of Akita Tech, more so than it would if he were at one of the more academic high schools. Hikaru was still in class when the notice was posted online, so we celebrated without him. The vice principal thanked me for my “strict guidance and disciplined teaching, ” and the principal grabbed my hand, held onto it for an uncomfortable amount of time and repeated “sugoi, sugoi” (I’ve heard this translated as “cool” “wonderful” “shocking” “surprising” – and all of the above were appropriate). As is often the case here, perception doesn’t quite match reality, in terms of my role. I’m sure I helped Hikaru a good bit, but the amount of effort he put into preparing for the exam dwarfed anything I did. For example, he wrote a full-length essay, all in English, every week for the last two months to prepare for the written portion of the exam. That’s how he spent his free time. Studying English. Ah, the wild life of a teenager.

To give you an idea of what’s at stake for these kids (or at least what they believe is at stake), two of Tricia’s best students applied to AIU. One passed. One did not. Tricia sought out the one who didn’t pass, found her surrounded by friends, and all of her friends were crying. Tricia – or as I call her at home, “Scrapiron,” as she is quite the tough taskmistresses – gave her a big hug, and apparently, the student wouldn’t let go. (I related this story later in the week to a teacher who taught at Tricia’s all-girls school for six years. He laughed at the sobbing group and said, “I know this scene.”).

The day after the results were announced, Tricia told her students that a kid from Akita Tech got in. They were shocked (sugoi!), as were the English teachers at Chuo, where I go on Tuesdays. My friend Nomi’s reaction: “Really? That is (expletive) crazy. I am very surprised. No offense.”

Crazy or not, for Hikaru, the good times are about to roll. First, I believe the student body at AIU is something like 60-70 percent female, which has to be a welcome change of scenery for him, having just spent three years at a high school that has 900 students, only 80 of whom are girls. Secondly, and I have heard many an adult Japanese confirm this: many students exhaust themselves to get into university, but once they’re in, their studies become secondary and their social lives explode. I can only hope this holds true for Hikaru. Going forward, he must pass his high school winter exams, which will be no problem at all for him, and then, it’s nothing but comic books and video games until graduation in the spring. The pressure, at long last, is off.

Although I had to pick Jonas up from daycare, I made sure to steal a few moments at the end of the day to congratulate Hikaru. He’s a kid whose younger brother dropped out of school after junior high (unheard of here), and I don’t think anyone in his family has ever left the country, or possibly, even Akita. As part of the AIU program, Hikaru will study abroad (likely in Europe) for a year, which will change him in ways that studying only in Japan could not. I’m thrilled for him. We chatted a bit about how he felt, how overwhelmed he was and how proud I was of him. He told me he called his mother with the news between classes, and that, more than anything, he was relieved it was all over. And finally, as I was leaving, he smiled and told me, “Now, I’m free.”

Akita in the New York Times

Check out this NYT article and slideshow to learn about Akita (where we live in Japan). The onsen area that is mentioned is where we had our first onsen experience in Japan. We camped on the lake that is in the article and plan on snowboarding/skiing in this area this winter! The slideshow is beautiful and makes Akita look much more glamorous than it really is. Check it out:
New York Times travel article and slideshow about Akita
(Even though Akita is not glamorous, we do love it. As they say here, Akita is full of 'the nature.' We would take the nature over glamour any day.)

That Bites

I think this says it all ...

When I picked Jonas up from daycare, he was standing where he always stands, in the corner watching a Japanese kids show (which they only have on at the end of the day, to help manage the rush of mass departures). After walking in the door, three daycare workers ran up to me with pained looks on their faces, repeating sumimasen, sumimasen (sorry). I looked at Jonas, noticed something on this face, and figured he must have fallen (which happens every few minutes -- sometimes from great heights. the boy is a climber). I shrugged, shook my head and told them it was OK. It wasn't until he ran up to me that I noticed the teeth marks imprinted on his cheek. He seemed fine, and I told the ladies not to worry.

And they don't need to worry, because payback will come soon and swiftly. The kid who bit my kid is going to get his -- I'll not have Jonas fall victim to the well-documented Japanese plague of bullying. Jonas will go Mike Tyson on this so-called "friend," just as soon as I figure out who he
(or she) is. Jonas' bite will look like a love nip once this score is settled.

Thanksgiving in Japan

So we didn't have any family around, or a Western-style oven, or even a turkey, but we managed to celebrate a pretty enjoyable Thanksgiving nonetheless in Japan, thanks to some new friends, and a few giant bottles of beer. My good friend Nomi brought his wife Mai, and two kids Nene and Yozan, over to our tiny apartment on Sunday for a new-fashioned Thanksgiving.

I was a bit handcuffed in the kitchen, as our "stove" is about the size of a toaster oven, with two gas burners on top (this is typical of all Japanese homes, not just ours). Also Yozan is allergic to milk and cheese. But I managed to knock out a decent Shepherd's Pie, some stuffing with sausage and apples, and green beans with onions and almonds. Nomi and Mai provided the sushi, and we all (except Mai and the kids) drank the beer.

There was no football, but plenty of rough play ...

That's tissue in Nene's mouth. She had so much fun, she bit her lip.

I think Yozan and Nene have been in a few too many pictures. When the camera came out, they struck a pose.

East meets (sorta of) West.

Here is where Tricia bought the apple pie.

And here's the dude who baked it.

Everyone played nice, for a awhile.

And then there was a fight over the Legos tub.

Hey, there's Nomi. Jonas loved that there were other Japanese speakers in the house. We learned that he has learned some Japanese phrases.

The kids were dying to jump into Jonas' crib.

Yozan plopped down in Jason's lap. Jonas got a tad jealous, and climbed past Yozan to claim a spot.

Japan -- Unlikely and Quirky

Months ago, back in America, Tricia had a conversation with a friend who lived in Japan for a year or two on the same JET program. Her husband was in the military (and flew the Stealth Bomber while stationed in Missouri), and she taught at schools in Okinawa. When asked to describe the Japanese, she had a one-word description: "They're quirky."

I think about this a lot. It came to mind again the other day while reading a story about the big whaling controversy . A Japanese whaling fleet just took off for Antarctica, where they plan to kill humpback whales -- which are protected and were nearly hunted to extinction just a few years back. This didn't strike me as quirky. I found it sad. I mean, give the whales a chance to repopulate. Then we can eat them. I have no problem with folks chowing down on some whale, although, obviously, I expect many Americans do (this led to a conversation this afternoon with my friend Nomi about eating animals with warm personalities. He said he once ate squirrel while living in Tennessee, which tasted like chicken. He also wanted to make it clear that Japanese do not eat dog, adding "They do in China, though. There's a saying 'The Chinese will eat anything but their desk and chair, so they can still work.'"

Anyway, the quirky comment came to mind when reading this graph of the whaling story:

"Families waved little flags emblazoned with smiling whales and the crew raised a toast with cans of beer, while a brass band played "Popeye the Sailor Man."

This, in a sentence, captures Japan for me.

Mallrats and my new Man Purse

Ho Ho Ho, crispy or original?

The mall may be dead in America* but it is very much alive here in Akita, Japan. We needed to buy a humidifier for Jonas, who can’t seem to shake his cough, so we decided to make an afternoon of it and drove to Aeon, our local (and as far as I know, only) shopping mall. It seemed as though all of Akita was there. This was one bustling mall, and it reminded me of my early teenage years, where many a weekend was spent loitering at the mall and playing video games, first at WhiteLakes and later, at Westridge (which sucked the life, the customers and the Orange Julius out of WhiteLakes, turning it into the ghost mall, and later, a government office building).

I spent many a yen trying to win Jonas a Miffy.

Jonas wasn’t the only one to get a present. Tricia bought me a man purse that latches onto my belt loop, pictured below. I’d seen many a Japanese hipster wearing these, and I have wanted one of my own ever since. This is definitely a trend I’m exporting to the US. This was my Father's Day gift, Tricia informed me, as last Father's Day fell on my birthday, allowing me to join all the December-birthday whiners who bellyache about getting cheated out of their special day. Tricia finally made amends, and I'm glad she waited.

Saturday, our day at the mall, was sunny and beautiful. We should have gone Sunday, which was rainy, and later, snowy. So Jonas played in an indoor play area, and we watched a movie later in the day (Jonas watched some, and then got up and played some more).

* I was once falsely accused by a teacher of skipping school to attend a mall opening, the celebrity marshal of which was none other than Vanna White. I was in seventh grade, and was sick the day Westridge opened, yet my gym teacher figured I must have ditched school to eat Sbarro pizza and rub elbows with Vanna – which, I certainly would have done, had I not been sick. The rest of the year, that gym teacher referred to me as Vanna.

Of course, the new mall also proved to be the death knell for the old one, WhiteLakes, the real and true mall of my youth. Years later, I went to White Lakes just to see what was what -- and I swear I am not making this up -- the only shops still open were the Footlocker, an Orange Julius, a men’s clothing store and a jewelry store. Employees from all four were lounging on couches watching TV in the middle of the mall, and when they saw me, they all scrambled to their respective posts.

In our very own hometown (actually, the swank area of Mission, where the very rich like George Brett and Tom Watson live) the city demolished the Mission Mall (which was certainly dated, but perfectly fine) and were in the process of building, right on top of the old mall, a new outdoor mall – or as they’re known these days, a Lifestyle Center. This, to me, seemed like a bizarre waste of money and resources, although it’s apparently a trend that has been spreading like a weed throughout America for some time now, like poor people voting Republican. I can’t wait for this trend to go the way of the Mall, and I expect in another 10 years, they’ll tear all of them down and replace them with even newer Lifestyle Centers, but with roofs.

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This afternoon at the grocery store, I noticed, for the first time, a new item in the seafood section: a turtle. I wasn't the only one surprised by this. The turtle (there was only one) was wrapped in a red mesh bag, and it wasn't entirely clear what it was. This guy next to me poked it a few times, laughed, and then moved on. So I poked it, too. What I poked was its shell, and upon being poked, its little legs wiggled. I considered buying it and setting it free, or taking it home as a pet, but it was nearly $40. We're on a budget, afterall.

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As I mentioned, it snowed today. I would comment about the weather, but this fellow JET teacher has already done so in a post about the cold weather, and he said it better than I could.

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The highlight of the mall, for me, was watching these dudes rock out in the arcade. Notice, they are not individuals playing Guitar Freaks (same as guitar hero), but they are all three playing the same song at the same time, including the drummer. And they were flawless. The other two videos are of Jonas dancing and crawling, his favorite activities.