Gunma Sports Day

On Friday I had the privilege to march with my school in the opening ceremonies for the Gunma High School Sports Competition that took place over the weekend. Most of the high schools from around the prefecture come together and have their own Olympic-style sports competition. Turns out that this is actually kind of a big deal as there was a news crew there to catch all the action. It was all rather exciting!

The head of the P.E. department speaks remarkably good English for a gym teacher in rural Japan and he's the one who got me involved. I'm rather surprised that I was asked because only 4 teachers got to take part in the day's events. Go me! He bought me a golf shirt to wear and asked me to try it on to make sure it fit. He bough a large and it, unfortunately, fit perfectly -_-' I don't mind being a large, I really don't. What I don't like is having a Japanese man assume - and be right! - that I am, indeed, a large.

When I got to the field that morning I was quickly surrounded by about 10 first year girls who thought it was a hoot that I would be marching with them. I was poked, prodded and interrogated by super cute Japanese 15-year-olds. When they found out that my hair isn't naturally red they all started stroking it and asking for locks. Then one of my favourite students points to her crotch and asks, "Black?" I just kind of blinked at her for a second. Did she really just ask what I think she did? At which point she does a bunch of other gestures that makes it perfectly clear that she really is asking what I think she's asking! So I told her it was a secret and all of the girls nod very seriously and repeat, "secret, secret". It was super surreal.

Then one of the other girls informs me that the original question asker is "hentai". I feign ignorance of the word but that doesn't deter her. It is very important that I understand what she is saying apparently. So off she goes and finds a boy with near perfect English and hauls him over to the group and demands that he translate for me. He shuffled around uncomfortably for a bit and then realized that he was surrounded by girls who weren't going to let him go until he translated, so he looks me square in the eye, turns beat red, and says, "Hentai means pervert." and runs away as fast as he can. Poor guy. Girl A beams at me and says with fierce pride, "I am a pervert!"

After that we all hung out for about an hour and a half waiting for our turn to march into the main stadium. This is where I find out that the march is rather serious and must be executed with military precision. I also find out I have to give a Nazi salute while we march past the TV cameras.

Golden Week

This week is supposed to be Golden Week. So far it has been anything but golden for me.

It all started with Harper being given his elusive majority government. I won't go into political rantings here but suffice it to say that I was less than thrilled.

Then late last night I discovered that my plans to go to Tokyo today had fallen through and I would not be going anywhere fun and exciting. I had managed to come to terms with this and decided that I might as well get out of the apartment and go for a bike ride since it was such a nice day outside. I biked along the river and into downtown Maebashi to check out a store I had been meaning to explore. I found a really nice pair of earrings to take home with me and as I was biking home I was thinking about how the day turned out to be rather nice after all.

Then I got hit by a car.

I'm ok but I was rather shaken up by the experience. My bike is a little worse for wear but still functional and a brand new shirt I was wearing for the first time today got torn. While I was failing to hold back tears as I biked back home along the river a gust of wind blew my newly purchased earrings out of my basket, down the path and into the river never to be seen again. As I futilely searched for my bag all I managed to find was this dead lizard. FML.

Returning to Japan

When I first arrived back at school after my trip back home I was reminded just how appreciated I am here. As I walked into the staff room and greeted people with the usual ohaiyo gozaimasu (good morning) I was met with gaping mouths and gasps of “Whaaa?!”. Apparently no one actually thought I would come back even though I assured them repeatedly that I would be back before the new school year started. People who never spoke to me before came up to me to welcome me back and everyone was very grateful that I had chosen to finish my contract.

On Saturday I joined up with some of the local JETs to enjoy a picnic under the cherry blossoms in Takasaki. I have to admit that I was hesitant to go because the government has asked that people refrain from having hanami parties during this difficult time. They feel that it is a time for self-restraint, not getting drunk under the blossoms.

Now this is a very tricky situation to be in because of the cultural importance that is placed on hanami in the first place. You see, in Japan the cherry blossom is a sign of the fleetingness of life and it reminds people to enjoy the moment and treasure the time that you have. One would think that this fits in perfectly with the current situation here but hanami tends to degenerate into drunken stupors. In the end I decided to go. I’m happy I went, even though it rained a little, as I had a nice relaxing afternoon under the cherry trees.

It feels odd to be back in Japan after my visit back home but at the same time it just feels right. I couldn’t possibly abandon my students without saying goodbye. Every time I pass one of them in the hall or outside of school their eager smiles remind me why I am here.

Political Side Note

If Canadians re-elect Stephen Harper and his Conservatives I will lose all faith in my fellow countrymen. Last I heard they were heading for a majority. God help us all.

Read this and stay informed.

The Journey Home

I have some free time at Narita airport while I wait for my plane so I figured I would update my blog.

As I'm sure all of you have heard I decided to fly home because of the current situation here. As surprising as it may seem, it wasn't an easy decision to make. I have been keeping a close eye on the news for any information concerning the Fukushima power plant and have been reading a lot of conflicting reports. I have also read quite a few articles by nuclear experts on why there really is no cause for concern. As much as I told myself that I should listen to the experts and that there really is nothing to fear I kept hearing a little voice saying, "yeah, but what if?" The plant was built with the "worst case scenario" in mind and, ultimately, it was worse than they could imagine. So I find myself questioning the current worst case scenario they are attempting to comfort me with. In the end, I decided that I should err on the side of caution and come home.

I asked my supervisor if it would be possible to head home for a few weeks while we wait for all of this to blow over. I was thrilled and touched by how quickly my school moved to make sure that I could be on a plane as soon as possible. If it weren't for my supervisor I would not have been able to secure a seat on a flight until Sunday and I have no idea how I would have gotten to the airport. She arranged for a cab to pick me up at my apartment at 7:20am to take me to the bus stop downtown where I could board a bus that would take me directly to the airport.

Leaving Japan has proven to be more difficult than I would have though. While I secure my own safety I leave behind many friends and coworkers who will remain in my thoughts in the days ahead. I feel a sense of guilt as I leave all of these wonderful people to fend for themselves. I know there is nothing I could do if the unthinkable were to happen, I just wish that there was somewhere they could go too. Please keep them in your prayers.

Day 3 After the Earthquake

I am writing this blog entry in the hopes of keeping you all informed while I try to distract myself.

There were no classes today because my school had scheduled meetings to talk about the entrance exams for incoming students. So while I didn’t have to teach, I did have to come in. Around 9am we were hit with another large aftershock which measured M6.2 and I was instructed not to leave the staff room in case there were other, bigger, aftershocks to come.

We have a TV set up in the staff room that is following all the latest news. I can’t understand what is being said but I can see all the scary pictures and ask about what is happening if I feel like freaking myself out. The Number One power plant in Fukuoka seems to have had a second explosion and is informing people that there is nothing to worry about. I just hope that my impending super power is cool and not lame like Aquaman’s.

The prefecture is currently deciding whether or not to have students attend school tomorrow as all JR trains have been cancelled and we are bracing for another quake of M7.0, or higher, to strike in the next few days.

The grocery stores here are all sold out of ready-to-eat foods like bread, bentos and ramen and even though everyone has frayed nerves and is worried about loved ones there has been no looting or mass hysteria in the streets. That goes for the worst hit areas as well. Everyone is pitching in and helping those around them. I can only hope that Canada would react in such a calm and courteous manner if we were faced with a similar disaster. The world could learn a lot by watching how Japan pulls together during its hour of need.

Nuclear Concerns

From what I can tell there is no cause for concern regarding my safety and the possibility of a nuclear meltdown in Fukushima. The current evacuation order is for those lying in a 20 kilometer radius and officials said that if there was a full-scale meltdown it shouldn't extend past that perimeter. Maebashi is 162km away.