Blogs from Kagawa, Japan, Asia - page 6

This blog entry is in response to a suggestion by loyal reader Kristen Leutz. Before I came to Japan, Kristen had said that she would be thrilled to follow my adventures through my blog, but there was one particular question she had in mind: “What are the like in Japan?” If you know Kristen, you know why I had to paraphrase. Well, I’ve found him. It only took me seven weeks, but he’s here and he’s a jerk. I’ve been warned not to use people’s names in blogs (apparently our celebrity status leads to much googling, where many an unadulterated blog detailing the seedy underbelly of a school has been discovered), so for now let’s just call him Kubo-sensei…ok that’s actually his name…I hope he reads this…you jerk. Let’s start with the bright side. It ... read more

Never in my life has one week provided more stories, head-scratches, pleasant surprises, and all together confusion than my first week working in a Japanese Junior High School. Seriously, this blog is practically writing itself. I’m going to walk you through a typical day in the life as well as touch on some special highlights. Of course, seeing is believing, and I’m sorry you weren’t here to see some of this for yourself. First, I was hired by the Kagawa Prefectural Board of Education. Some JETs were hired by their city or town Board of Education which then places them in one or two schools within that district. I, on the other hand, am teaching at various schools under the control of the Prefecture, seven to be exact. I teach at each school for a week ... read more

When biking through the narrow, rice field bordered streets of Kotohira, you can smell the centuries of rich history in the air. And if you listen real close, you can hear the faint sound of…slurping? Kagawa Prefecture is nationally renowned for their fine, cheap, and ubiquitous cuisine known as Sanuki Udon. Sanuki is the former name of Kagawa Prefecture, but since everyone in Japan knows where to get the best udon, the name is shortened to just that. Udon is more than just a food in Kagawa. It is more like the pride and joy of its residents, and believe me, Kagawans certainly do their part to pay their respects to their food of choice. You literally cannot walk or bike 5 minutes in any direction without passing an udon shop. I compare it to Starbucks ... read more

This is my first entry, which was written on August 11, 2008: One week into my stay in Japan should be enough time to make a few first impressions on my new home. Of course, we always have the perspective of others’ experiences to shape our preconceptions of our new endeavor. In my case, I met a number of people that had traveled to Japan for business and pleasure at one time or another, and almost everyone told me that living in Japan would be one of the best experiences a young person could have. Almost everyone was envious of my prospects. I’m going to guess that most of these people traveled on temporary visits or spoke Japanese. My true first impression since arriving is that Japan is so different from anything else, I literally question ... read more

Hanabi is Japanese for fireworks. (Hanabi sounds similar to Hanami, cherry blossom viewing.) Hana means flower and bi means fire. I think "fire flowers" is an aweome way to describe fireworks. My first fireworks festival in Japan and I’m all decked out in yukata! It took me awhile but I figured out all by myself how to put on the yukata properly and tie the obi. Mark met me at my apartment and Naohiro picked us up and drove us to his house in Tadotsu. From there we walked to the docks where everyone was gathered together. The crowd was a colorful mix of men and women in yukatas and normal wear. There were food stalls selling various things along one side. The Takoyaki was the worst Takoyaki ever made, but the squid on a stick ... read more