Commuting to Work....

Twice a week I commute to work out of town.  The destination being the town of Takahata.  Initially my commute there involved walking or driving to Yonezawa station, riding the train to Takahata, and taking a taxi to my final destination.  That changed earlier this year when our school came into possession of a former teacher's car.  That teacher had driven used the vehicle up in northern Yamagata.  Once she returned to her home country the vehicle was freed up for use by another school.

My commute consists of a drive up Route 13.  This road runs up the centre of Yamagata prefecture along its north-south axis.  At the southern end it's a two lane road which goes through what more or less a series of car dealerships, convenience stores, small eateries, warehouses, and small industrial sites.  I would hazard to say that its closest relative in Vancouver would be Kingsway...which is another road I drove upon frequently (coincidence perhaps?).

Anyways, I spotted a car dealership sign a few months ago which had me scratching my head a bit.  The name sported on its signage is "Metis".  Yes, that's exactly what's spelled out on the sign in the English alphabet.  About a month later I conjectured that the name was an incorrect reading of an English word which had been imported into Japanese.  Two weeks ago I spotted the Japanese katakana rendering of the company's name.  It read "Medeisu".  Okay, there went my theory that it was supposed to be "meteisu" or "maties".

Another feature on Route 13 which caught my eye is an abandoned two story building at the south end of a bridge not far from the southern border of Takahata town.  It's been stripped of fixtures such as doors and windows but hasn't been completely covered in scaffolding and tarps...a sign in Japan that a building is being demolished.  I had no idea what it used to be and I often thought it may be a building which is awaiting renovation.

A few weeks ago I drove up to Tendo to catch a Montedio Yamagata match with a friend.  He used to live in Yonezawa but presently works in Niigata.  When we passed the above mentioned building he quipped that it had once been a love hotel, a hotel catering to couples who needed a private room to engage in amorous activities, which had a brightly coloured sign on top that featured an image of a pink Godzilla.  I've seen plenty of uses of Godzilla in advertising products and services in Japan but I must say that was the first time I've heard of Godzilla, furthermore a pink version, being employed to advertise a love hotel.  Certainly must of have stood out a lot in comparison to the demure sign for the Faeries Hotel down the road. 

Something Heard A While Ago

I don't remember when exactly I heard the following story.  It had to be about a week or so after I returned to Japan from my trip to Canada.  By my calculations it would've been July 15th when I last visited the place where I heard it which is a "snack" (a ubiquitous type of bar which usually serves drinks on a time based fee rate and always features a karaoke system) called "Ruru".

The lead up to the story was where the proprietress mentioned to the customer sitting two seats to my left that I worked as a conversational English teacher.  The fellow went off on the usual segue about not knowing how to speak English.  The next part of his monologue went into the only trip he had made to an English speaking locale.  The place in question being Oahu, Hawaii, and the time was his honeymoon about 25 years ago.

As was typical in those days, he and his wife went to Hawaii on a honeymoon tour.  That meant the newlyweds went on their honeymoon with other newlyweds on a group tour.  He mentioned that the tour company had supplied the group members with food vouchers which could be redeemed at establishments which catered to Japanese tourists.

After three days of that fare this fellow had had enough.  He wanted something different and his wife was in agreement.  So the two of them went off on their own to find a restaurant in Waikiki which looked "Western"...that meaning the place didn't have menus or signs in Japanese and it wasn't on the list recommended by their tour company.

They found themselves at the entrance of a nice looking restaurant.  The couple looked at each other and thought that a meal there would set them back a bit.  But they were determined to experience something unique so they didn't turn back.  The maitre d' didn't speak Japanese and the storyteller didn't speak much English.  All he could manage was "dinner", "honeymoon", and "please"...not in exactly in that order.  Nonetheless, it was enough to get a message across and they found themselves seated at a table in a dining room which featured a floor to ceiling high aquarium tank.  They also found themselves with a problem of trying to figure out the menu so they could place an order.

Fortune was on their side that night.  The maitre d' returned with an African-American kitchen staff member in tow.  It turned out that the kitchen staffer had been stationed in Okinawa during his tour of duty with the US military.  So he knew a bit of Japanese.  He was more than happy to help explain the menu to the newlyweds.

The meal the newlyweds had was delightful and they were more than pleased with their turn of luck.  In addition they were extremely grateful to the staff for being so accommodating.  They quite literally had had the time of their lives...as I could tell as I watched the man tell his story and he smiled to himself....

Sunday Surprises....

Yesterday (July 26th) was a pretty interesting day.  It started off slow.  Woke up and did laundry whilst distracting myself watching a series of top 10 video lists served up by watchmojo.com.   By the time I finished my two loads of laundry it was early afternoon.  My washing machine had sprung a leak which I had noticed before my departure to Vancouver.  On return I could see the condition of the machine had not stabilized.  The amount of water on the floor after each load was increasing.  So the final load of the day was done using the machine in the coin laundry room of my apartment...which is located in the rear of the real estate company and property management building on the other side of the parking lot...which also meant sauntering out in 35C temperatures outside.

Nonetheless, after finishing chores I walked over to the Matsukawa Riverside Park (which somewhat confusingly is not next to a river called Matsukawa - Pine River - but is next to the Mogami River) to take in a music festival and the so-called "Y1 Grand Prix".  The latter had nothing to do with auto racing.  It was a food competition.  One could visit and try the wares at any number of the food stands set up by local restaurants.  Customers were given a bean along with their food.  At the event administration tent a series of boxes with photos of food dishes attached to them were lined up to collect the beans.  At first I wasn't sure what the beans were for but sussed out their purpose after spying the boxes.  Oh yeah...I tried the following dishes: a roast beef donburi (I heard it was the eventual winner), tempura mochi soup, garlic and beef pizza (with minimal cheese but plenty of garlic), and a rice flour waffle (topped with whipped cream, ground roasted local bean powder, and black sugar sauce).  Needless to say, I didn't have dinner later that evening.  I satisfied my late evening hunger pangs with an order of melon soda and popcorn at my local cinema.

I actually hadn't planned on going to see a movie until around 8:45pm.  I browsed the movie listing online and decided on a promising looking entry called "Umimachi Diary" (海街Diary).  I had enough time to glance at the plot synopsis (the story starts off with the father of a trio of sisters passing away and they go to his funeral in Yamagata) and read the names of the actresses (Ayase Haruka was the only one I recognized).  I left home in a hurry and got to the theatre with time to settle down into my seat with my drink and unexpectedly large looking "small" order of popcorn.

I had had a small slip of tongue when I purchased my ticket and picked a seat next to a sold seat.  I usually don't do that but figured it wouldn't be a big deal.  Well, just as I had settled into my seat I heard a female voice exclaiming "What the heck?!".  I looked up to find out the source of the remark was Ami, our office manager.  I think we were more than mutually surprised to meet up there.  Mark one up for pure coincidence. 

Anyways, the movie was very nice one.  Slow paced, carefully crafted, and sensitively acted.  About a quarter of the way through the film I started thinking to myself, "This is like a Koreeda movie".  So I got a small surprise when the end credits rolled by and there was Koreeda's name listed as the film's director. 

I went out for a nightcap drink and whilst walking home noticed something zip by my feet.  This happened just outside the entrance/exit ramp to a parking lot.  My initial thought was that a small lizard or skink had run by me.  I took a look around and noticed a small green creature.  It was a frog.  At last I had spotted one of those frogs whose chorus of nocturnal croaking in rice paddies and parks is often very, very loud.  I took a photo of the little character and was told later it was a specimen of "amagaeru" (Japanese Tree Frog).  Anyways, I figured the entrance to a parking lot wasn't safest place for a frog so I chased it into the neighbouring park.  I found out the next day that handling them isn't a good idea.  Their skin is covered with a poisonous substance which isn't fatal for humans but probably isn't a good thing to be in contact with.

...And that's my list of Sunday surprises.....

-*-

Postscript:  This is a link to a short video recording I made of Japanese tree frogs:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/8936205@N02/18522618686/

It's Only Been Four Days...

I arrived back in Vancouver on Monday and was met by family at the airport.  I cleared customs and got my luggage so quickly my sister wasn't halfway to the airport on the Canada Line Skytrain.  Yes, arriving ten minutes ahead of schedule can make a difference.  The interesting thing is that the plane arrived ahead of schedule in spite of our departure from Narita being delayed.  We sat on the runway a bit while a plane two ahead of us was being checked out.  Just as its pilot was revving up the plane to start a take-off run the plane was struck by a bird.  So they had to rush a couple of engineers out to check that all was okay.  It turned out that the plane was fine so they were able to proceed on their journey.

I've been busy over the past three nights.  Attended a Round of 16 match at BC Place Stadium on Tuesday night.  I had the pleasure of watching Japan emerge victorious over the Netherlands.  Wednesday night's feature was a reception to welcome Mayor Fumiko Hayashi of Yokohama city.  I had luckily managed to scoop up an invitation through a friend who I had phoned the night of my return to Vancouver.  Toss in a dentist appointment the following morning and a barbecue that night and I find myself just relaxing and typing away on my computer on Friday morning.  I've been through a small whirlwind of activity and it goes without saying I'm working on staying alert to make sure I can keep tabs on what is on my calendar.

The next ten days will see me go through a number of dinners and parties with friends and family, a couple of 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup matches, and O-haka Maeri the day before I leave.  That final item being where one attends to the graves of family ancestors as part of the practice of rituals tied to Obon, the annual period when the souls of the dead are believed to visit.  Canadian Jodo-Shinshu Buddhists typically hold their Obon events in early July whilst in Japan they are held in August.  The cause of this difference comes from a decision someone made in Canada to adjust the date for Obon to the Gregorian calendar.  The same was done for Hanamatsuri, the festival celebrating the birth of Shakamuni Buddha, which is observed in April.  The instances where the adjustment wasn't made is for the spring and fall observances of O-Higan, the spring and fall equinoxes.  No need to make any changes there.

Ran Out of Gas....

I had an observer in my final class today.  The girl is a 2nd year junior high school student.  As luck would have it she's in the same school year as the girl who presently is enrolled in the class.  Goes to a different school though.  The class went relatively well but as it progressed she seemed to run out of energy to keep up with my intermittent Q&A barrages.  I chalked that up to the fact that most junior high and high school students show up for classes after a long day at school.  I've seen students almost fall asleep whilst in the middle of writing a sentence.  Anyways, by the time the class had finished her mother had done all the paperwork to have her enrolled.  Which is a good thing as far as business goes.

The standard practice in our school is that the office manager leaves an information slip on a teacher's desk when we have new or prospective students coming in.  I had glanced at the name for this new student, thought it was a unique name, and left it at that.  Ami, our office manager, had said something about the girl having taken English lessons in the past but that didn't leave an impression on me.

After tonight's class Ami asked how the observer had fared.  I said "She seemed to have run out of gas".  Ami didn't understand what that meant but I didn't have time to explain because we had students clearing out after class.  Taking the time to say goodnight and thanks for coming is de rigueur.   Afterwards I explained that the girl seemed to have run out of energy to speak and her facial demeanor had become a bit stiff and expressionless.

I was seated at my desk when I relayed that information to Ami.  I looked over to my co-worker James and then it struck me like a lightning bolt: that girl was his former student.  I had also taught her a few times a couple of years ago.  She had been a rather silent student back then.  Apparently not too much different now.  James got excited, pulled open a desk drawer, and produced a photo taken three years ago.  Yes, she was in that photo.

So my challenge going forward is to start off with a clean slate.  The desire to tell the girl that yes, I do remember her from three years ago is strong but I figure it's best not to haul all that stuff back out.  Being thirteen is tricky enough without having to deal with embarrassment caused by adults whose memories are too long.

The Konbini Event Horizon(?)

Stuck in the deep recesses on my mind is a small segment from Douglas Adams' "The Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy".  The part in question was only included in the radio play version and it features a student interacting with his teacher over some form of electronic teaching paraphernalia.  The topic of the lesson is related to the history of the planet which the main characters have found themselves on.  I don't recall the name of the planet but I do remember that it was covered with a thick layer of solidified muck which archeologists had found to be made up of compressed shoes.  The lesson shed light on the reason behind this: "The Shoe Event Horizon".  In response to the final question of his lesson the student proclaims that "The economic cycle goes on until it reaches 'The Shoe Event Horizon' where everything is involved in only the production of shoes and nothing else but shoes!"(sic).  If I recall correctly the population of the planet became so fed up with shoes they evolved into a race of bird people, never to set foot on the planet's surface again.

Any ways, I was out for drinks at one of my haunts and the snack "Mama" and I got onto the topic of new construction in town.  Aside from the new library (we reached the conclusion it won't revitalize the old downtown area), most new construction we took note of in our conversation were for stores or restaurants.  One is going to house a branch of a chain of yaki-niku (grilled meat) restaurants.  Her comment was along the lines of "Who'd go there given that the local competition serves local high grade beef and the chains usually use lower grade imports?".  The next site to get picked on is next to a local church and kitty corner across from a ramen shop.  Apparently they're putting up another 7-Eleven store.  Our verdict on that was a solid "What for?".  It's not like there's a shortage of convenience stores (aka: "konbini") in town.

My tongue in cheek thought is that the city is headed for the "Konbini Event Horizon"...where all economic activity in town will revolve around supporting the profitability of convenience stores.  For instance, there is one street in town where one can come across two Family Mart convenience stores only a block apart.  If you're not paying attention you'll think you've entered some alternate dimension because you've passed what seems to be the same street corner twice while you've been travelling in a straight line.  Then there was the time when I missed a turn on my way to the cinema because a new 7-Eleven store had popped up on the corner where I should've turned.  The snowy conditions and lack of expectancy (to seeing a new shop) contributed to that navigation error.

All in all though, I don't believe Yonezawa will approach the concentration of ABC convenience stores in Waikiki.  I recall a tour bus driver referring to them collectively as "Another Bloody Convenience" store.  It was almost like the joke about Vancouver where you can't throw a rock down a street without hitting at least two Starbuck's coffee shops.  Aye...I suppose we're still safe in Yonezawa from reaching the "Konbini Event Horizon".


PS:  I listened to "The Hitch-hiker's Guide on the Galaxy" on CBC Radio back around 1982.  So there is no chance that I can recall the exact words to lines from the radio drama.  None whatsoever.... 

It's April 7th...

Yesterday was an interesting day of sorts at work.   It seemed like every class I taught had a little surprise....

First off was my early afternoon intermediate level class.  Normally there are two men and two women in the class but one of the ladies has gone AWOL after heading down to Tokyo for a little trip back in mid March.  Of the two fellows, one joined the class officially this week.  I had chatted him up a bit the previous week during the warm-up stage of the lesson and found out he was working on getting his teaching license.  Currently he's teaching at a private cram school.  This week I found out a bit more about his academic career.

If I recall correctly he had originally been enrolled in a private university down in Chiba.  He went abroad to England on a ten month stint as an exchange student.  While he was abroad he became a bit homesick and proceeded to search for all manner of things Japanese on the Internet.  A certain subject caught his fancy and when he returned to Japan he transferred to a different university to obtain his bachelor's degree with a major in that subject.  The subject in question being Buddhist statuary from the late Heian period to the end of the Muromachi period.  Needless to say that isn't a major which will open doors to opportunities in the corporate world so he now finds himself in my English class.

The following class was a beginner's class.  All the students are adults and four out of the five are retirees.  The newest student who joined about a month ago is a quite spoken lady in her sixties.  A few weeks ago she mentioned in a rather straight forward manner that she's a Christian.  So this week during the warm-up portion of the lesson she read through her prepared text and mentioned that it had been Easter this past weekend.  I chuckled a bit to myself when I heard that.  Last year I had been caught unawares when I had gone down to the Canadian embassy only to find it was closed on account of Easter Monday (whilst my American co-worker was able to conduct his business successfully at the US embassy).  Anyways, this student presented the rest of us with a container full of Easter eggs and some German style cookies (the name of them which escapes me - they're the variety with nuts in them and they're rolled in powdered sugar - a late Austrian friend of my mother baked them in crescent shapes).  Needless to say this was a most pleasant surprise!  On closer inspection afterwards I found that the eggs had been decorated in a peculiarly Japanese fashion - their artwork was printed on plastic sleeves which could be removed in the same fashion as the plastic sleeve labels can be removed from commercially sold PET drink bottles.  Somehow or another they had been made to fit the eggs exactly.  My guess is that the plastic sleeves were made to shrink and fit the eggs snuggly by placing the hard boiled eggs in them them when the eggs were still hot.

The last class with an element surprise in it was an evening class taught at a client's site.  The first student to arrive was tardy and he apologized for being late.  Then he went on to say "It's April 7th...do you know what today is?".  I was completely stumped.  "It's the day the Yamato was sunk", he carried on.  "Ah...I see", I said to myself.  I had been tipped off by my predecessor about this fellow.  He had mentioned the student's somewhat right leaning attitudes.  So his little piece of trivia wasn't a total surprise.  Yet it was in spite of my interest in the conflict which included the sinking of the Yamato.  The irony in my case is that I've read a couple of books about the ship's last mission but I'd never taken it upon myself to remember what day it had been sunk.  I can remember details such as the struggles of the men in the water after the ship sank or the role of the Japanese-American crew member but not the day.  Nonetheless, I followed his comments with a brief discussion on technical details of the ship.  That's a relatively neutral topic and it served well to avoid going down the rabbit hole of nationalistic feelings attached to the ship.

I didn't get caught off guard in my last class of the day so more or less it was business as usual there.  I say "More or less" as I was able to catch my student off guard when I gave her the last remaining Easter egg....