If You See a Bear

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If you see a bear, and the bear notices you, do not panic. Do not run. Raise your arm into the air, wave it side to side and speak calmly to let her know that you are a human and will not harm her. Do not offer her food… I assume that the bear will then walk away, as there are no further instructions. Fortunately, the bears that I saw, I observed from the deck of a passing boat, and the bears were far enough away that they looked like medium sized dogs with puppies.

Summer vacation in Okinawa consists of 5 weeks when the children do not have to attend school, but are set about 20 hours of Homework. Teachers are entitled to 5 days summer leave, plus can use as many of their 20 days annual leave as they wish. Several foreign teachers used the time to return to their home countries, some of us used much of our leave to take a break and many others went to school nearly every day. What do teachers do at school during vacation time? I worked for 6 days and I did two full day workshops, countless hours of pair and team planning, lots of long chats with colleagues I hardly ever see, a very few quiet hours of catching up, daily two hour lunches and the pleasure of watching nearly everyone leave at knockoff time.

My sister and family joined me for a precious few days in Okinawa and Himeji. We went on several fun excursions, had lots of long chats, and some very interesting meals. Dylan joined me at school for 4 days and was invited to return anytime. To refresh myself, I went to the mainland for a busy round of social events and touristing. Toni commuted between her work in Tokyo (Saitama really) and each holiday stop.

First stop Himeji, Hyogo, where I worked in 2010. It felt like coming home. I stayed in a Shirasagi apartment identical my own, which was comforting and strange at the same time. The most delightful part was reconnecting with old friends, picking up the threads of our four years ago relationships and continuing as if there were not years and continents in between. The highlights included a bike ride through the countryside; fire lit Noh theatre under Himeji jo (castle), reconnecting with the spirit of Engyoji (Buddhist temple), sharing thoughtful discussions about Okinawa with the Shirasagi summer classes and many warm conversations over delicious meals.

Shimamoto is a tiny village between Osaka and Kyoto. The Shiomi family (Aki was one of my Japanese teachers in Adelaide) moved back to Japan late last year. Their home is perched on the edge of rice paddies and vegetable patches and it rings to the sounds of frogs, cicadas, small children and other summer tunes. For three days I played with the children, got a close up view of a small community and swapped stories about the joys and difficulties of moving back to Japan. I was sad to wave them goodbye at the train station.

Toni’s new work and apartment is in Saitama (the nothing Prefecture – as one friend described it). A dormitory suburb of Tokyo with a population of 7 million people, that has grown in the last 60 years from small scattered farming villages to one huge conglomeration of suburbia. You can see the Sky Tree from her fourth floor apartment, and also experience the blistering 38-degree, 90% humidity days of a Tokyo summer. My days there were spent exploring a whole ‘nother part of the city: quiet, green, and convenient with a lot of commuting by train to get anywhere.

Hokkaido (big north island) is where we met the bears, and spent a week visiting two of the six National Parks that make up 10% of the land mass. There are active volcanoes (why else would I go there!), magnificent lakes, beautiful forests and lush green farmland. We enjoyed the luxury of an onsen (public bath with steaming underground heated water) every evening and occasionally before breakfast. An unexpected treat was seeing an Ainu (indigenous people of Hokkaido) puppet performance about the bear god and his adventures. Hokkaido is beautiful in summer as well as winter.

I am good at holidays. I feel refreshed and revitalized. I cannot recommend them enough.

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Photos

Brown Bear & Cub
Shiretoko National Park

Noh Theatre
at Himeji Summer Festival

Lake Mashu
Akan National Park

Comments

[trees westcot]

holidays
So good to see and read about you getting out and about. Hokaido sounds blissful.....is it full of tourists? I have a nephew who lived therw for 5 years. He and his japanese partner are now living in nz. Not sure how happy she is about that. I now feel like my whole life is a holiday.....am officially an 'aged' pensioner ....bit of a joke really. Im about to head of to Singaraja in north bali to do some more esl in a senior high school ......keep writing ...I love it xtrees

[paid to travel]

Keep traveling
And posting your beautiful photos Trees. Travelers tales are best served from and to exotic locations.

[eddie]

missing you
Hey Jacinta you seem to be having an amazing time, miss you back here hopefully I can make it to japan before you return.

[paid to travel]

Wish you were here.
The school would employ you in a snap, Eddie Pollard. You know about amazing... It comes with lots of ups and downs and hard work. Hope you can visit, that would be ace.

[Vicki]

Holidays ARE fun.
Great to keep up with your travels. I remember similar bear advice in Canada, with the addition of "Carry a bear bell, so they know you're coming."

[paid to travel]

Bear Bells
Yes, the Japanese all hike with bear bells too.