Things & Stuff

January 28th
The 1st graders at the ES had some sort of traditional games day with a bunch of elderly folks from Chizu and the surrounding area. I was at JHS, but K-sensei asked me to attend and I was able to head over for the duration of the program. The elderly people were teaching the kids string games (like cat's cradle), spinning tops, paper airplanes, and some other traditional games. I sat with the string group to begin with. I had some trouble doing some of the more complicated creations, but when it was time to move to the next group, the new group of kids doing string begged me to come with them, so I ended up getting to try everything over again!


February 12th
At the ES, the kids have clubs once a month. I have always attended cooking club, but randomly the teacher in charge of making things club asked me to attend. Turns out the kids were making baskets! There were some elderly folks there to instruct us. I actually got there a bit late, so I was a little lost at first, but then I really started to get the hang of it. The kids were really good, too! I love the look of these kinds of handicrafts, and it was really neat to be able to learn this tradition. So I was glad the teacher randomly asked me to come!

February 23rd
The JHS 3rd graders had a viking kyuushoku, that is, a buffet school lunch. All the teachers were invited and divided up among the two classes. I went to 3-1, and the students presented me with a personal invitation. I was actually really excited because the menu looked alright, but my hopes and dreams were immediately smashed upon sitting down. The students had already made me a tray - which was kind, to be sure, but they had loaded it up with way too much stuff and stuff I didn't want. It was not like a buffet at all! I thought I was going to be able to make my own tray up. And then I felt so guilty about not eating my food that I didn't get up and get any of the fresh fruit and I only just managed to snag a piece of chocolate cake. Anyway, the 6th graders at the ES have the same thing happening in March (it's a graduation celebration thing), and I'm not expecting to be invited or anything, but if I am and if its the same thing at least I'll be prepared.


February 25th
The ES had their "commemorative graduation photo". It was Wednesday, but I was able to leave for an hour to go over for the photo. Actually, it worked out well because I didn't have any classes anyway - the JHS kids all had tests. When I got there everyone was running around in a fluster, getting into their suits. Even though the photo is only for the 6th graders, every single staff member is in the photo - AND! The mayor and head of education, too! I still love how they do photos here; its really amusing to me for some reason. They are so particular - the photographer and his helper were physically arranging the clothing on the teachers in the front row. And at one point he even stopped shooting to come up and tell the lady standing behind me that her hair was sticking up. Anyway, I think I ordered a copy of the photo, so if I get that, I'll be sure to share (student faces blocked out, of course!).

Chizu Snow Festival 2015

Every February, Chizu hosts a yuki matsuri, or snow festival. While we do seem to get a lot of snow all at once here, it melts pretty quickly, because it doesn't actually get very cold. So naturally, we had lots of snow leading up to this weekend, but the day of the festival was snowless and actually sort of warm. I think they ended up having to import snow from the mountains or something.

We had Yana's happyoukai in the morning, and did shopping after that, but around noon we wandered around the festival. They have it spread all throughout the town - restaurants are open, lots of food stands, and some stands selling local wares or just kitschy stuff. They used the snow that was brought in to make sculptures, snow slides, and snow lanterns. There were also various lanterns made of bamboo and paper, but they don't light them up until it gets dark.

A kind of freaky giant Olaf.

Our first stop was to get some food, so Justin got a giant takoyaki thing. Shortly after that we ran into some neighbours whose younger daughter also goes to the hoikuen, although she's in a different class than Yana. The girls were happy to play together, so we stuck around. We were actually waiting around because there was a mochi making demonstration starting in 30 minutes. While we were waiting a kindly old man came and brought us some warm deer jerky and sake to try. I'm still not sure who he was or where he even came from, as he seemed to appear out of nowhere and then disappeared back into the crowd.

At some point the girls decided they wanted to go up to Suwa Jinja, which of course is up a million stairs on the mountainside above the town. So we went up there and Yana insisted we climb to the very top of the shrine. It was actually my first time visiting the shrine, and I've wanted to for a while, so it was nice to go. No one else was there, so it was very peaceful.

Suwa Jinja.

We walked back down and were just in time to catch the end of the mochi making. Unfortunately our short trek caused us to miss most of it.

Making mochi.

After that we split up and continued to wander around the streets, checking out all the stalls. Naturally along the way it seemed like we met just about everyone in town. Whenever I go out to festivals like this I see tons of students or kids from the hoikuen, so about every minute we're waving hello to someone who shouts, "Herro Anje-sensei!" or, "Yana-chan!"

We decided to head home, and on our way we passed a house with a bunch of locally dyed indigo fabrics on display. I really love the color, so I stopped to take a look. In the end I decided to buy a cloth decorated with a design which represents the famous Chizu cedar trees. While I was there I struck up a conversation with the old lady running the shop. Turns out her granddaughter is a first grader at the elementary school.

My gorgeous indigo dyed fabric.

We stayed at home for the rest of the afternoon, but went out again around 6pm, when it was dark and all the lanterns were lit up. It was incredible - every street of the town was lined with lanterns of various kinds; some lit traditionally with candles, others using flashing rainbow lights or battery powdered candles. Either way, it was gorgeous. Even the bridge was lined with lights.

This was the main event; there were no less than 10 guys lined up with their tripods.

We decided to walk a loop around the town, but on the way we were stopped by the fellows running the hot foot bath. Yana wanted to try it, and as we were standing there we met a man from Hungary! Turns out he lives with his family about 20 minutes away. I swear, for such a small town, Chizu sure sees a lot of foreigners! He seemed very excited to speak to someone in English and spent a while telling us all about how wonderful Chizu and Tottori are and how great this area of Japan is.

While we were chatting, Yana's best friend, Shi-chan, and her mother and sister showed up, so the three kids sat at the foot bath together. They had lots of fun playing together, along with a slightly tipsy Japanese man who was sitting with them (they were serving free sake).

Enjoying the warm foot bath.

And then we met some more people we know! Back in August, I believe, we went to a dinner party with some locals, and tonight we finally saw the host again. He is a friendly fellow, who is actually the head of a local oil company. His son was also in town, just for three days. He lives in Tokyo now, and is the same age as me. His English is quite impressive, so we were able to talk with him as well. We ended up staying for a while at the foot bath!

Eventually, though, Yana was completely soaked from water and it was getting late, so we said goodbye and walked home. It was definitely a fun-filled day!

P.S. Check out this video of the festival! Yana and I make a cameo appearance.

Suwa Hoikuen Happyoukai 2015

Here in Japan schools seem to be gearing up for the end of the year, since school runs from April to March (I really can't believe its already February!). Today, Yana had a recital at her preschool. It was similar to the one we saw at the ES back in 2014.

The kids have been practising for this for a while. They even utilized some of the games they play during exercise time in the performance, which is quite clever, because it means the kids are already familiar with it and they don't have to remember as much. And, earlier in the week, we had to bring Yana to school early one day for rehearsal.

On the day of the performance we also had to bring Yana early, so we arrived at the school around 8:20am (she normally arrives at 9:00am). We were ushered into the heated library, while Yana was escorted upstairs to her class. After a little while, they let us into the gym, where we picked out seats and then had to sit and wait for 30 minutes until the program began at 9:00am.

At the preschool, the kids are divided into their classes and also into age groups, like this:

Lower Years
Panda class
Koala class
Bunny class

Middle Years
Dandelion class
Cosmos class

Upper Years
Rainbow class
Star class

Yana is in the panda class, and the three lower year classes did their performance all together. They were also the first on the program, from 9:00am to 9:45am. The whole thing lasted until noon, but the gym is pretty small, so we could only stay for Yana's performance.

The first act was musical. They sang two songs. The first song also included bells and drums. Yana did great at singing and remembering when to do her bells!

Yana standing beside her best friend, Shi-chan.

After that, they did a play act (I'm not really sure what to call it?) rendition of Momotaro, a traditional Japanese fairy tale. This is where they had the kids do lots of things they do during play or gym time. They ran around the gym and used hula hoops and danced in a circle.

Hiding during the Momotaro play.

At the end of the performance the kids were each called by their name and walked to make a lineup. Yana did great, waiting for her name to be called and shouting, "Hai!".

Afterwards the school kindly gave the kids some snacks and we went upstairs to collect Yana. Her teacher was very impressed and said she did great. Yana was pretty excited too - she kept telling the other kids her parents were here...during the recital itself!

All the kids in the panda, koala, and bunny classes.

Tottori DIAD Conference 2015

Image from Tottori International Fan Club and Furusato Ambassador

Every year the Tottori DIAD (that's Department of International Affairs Division) co-hosts a conference with Tottori College in Kurayoshi. Nearly all the JETs and CIRs attend the conference. The purpose is international exchange and interaction with the students of the college, who put on most of the conference. It also means free transportation for us JETs to and from the college and a day off of the usual office routine!

I left on the 7am train from Chizu to arrive in Tottori-shi by 8am. I grabbed some freshly baked bread from the bakery in the station and then hopped on the bus with all the other JETs and CIRs based in Eastern Tottori. It was maybe an hour and a half to drive to Kurayoshi.

We got to the college fairly early, so we had a chance to peruse the convenience store and chat with each other. Also to find out what sessions I was a part of, since I had completely forgotten. There were a bunch of possibilities, but we each only did 2 sessions. There was tea ceremony, calligraphy, koto, taiko, flower arranging, umbrella dance, zenidaiko, postcard painting, and cooking.

We began with an opening ceremony from 10:00 - 10:15 am. Then we had 15 minutes to get organized and find the places where our first sessions were. The first session was from 10:30 - 11:30. I was in cooking with 10 other JETs. We divided into groups of 3 with one Japanese student to help us. I was with R and D, so we had great fun. We made sakura mochi, crepe style. We got to each taste one and then the rest were saved for snack time later in the day.

The second session was from 11:45 - 12:45. I had flower arranging with 5 other people. At the end we had a chance to say which person's arrangement we liked the best, and 3 people chose mine! To be honest, though, I had a lot of help from the Japanese students!

My kado [flower arranging] creation.

After that we had clean up time until 12:55. Then lunch started at 1:00 and ran until 1:30. We sat with the people from session 2. One of the ALTs taught us a magic trick, which was fun and helped really break the ice.

From 1:40 to 2:00 we watched a presentation of some of the morning activities other people did. We watched the umbrella dance and zenidaiko. We also took a bunch of group photos.

From 2:00 - 3:00 we had our last session. We had the choice of ultimate frisbee or hula. I chose hula. It was a bit awkward, but lots of fun. We were supposed to pair up with a Japanese student, but we ran out, so I was with another ALT, T. At the end we divided into 2 groups and presented the dance to each other.

Next, from 3:10 to 3:50 we had a snack/chat time as well as a quiz game. It was all in Japanese and kind of obscure questions though, so I couldn't participate much. However, I ended up in a group with a bunch of fluent CIRs, so we ended up winning! (Well, along with 2 other teams). So I was able to pick a prize and got a little thermos.

Lastly we had the closing ceremony from 3:50 to 4:00 and a quick cleanup time. Then we hopped on the bus back to Tottori-shi!

I was completely exhausted by the end of the day, but it was lots of fun! I am actually looking forward to doing this again next year and hopefully trying out some of the other sessions.

Yana's Language Progress: January 2015

Since Yana has been at hoikuen for about a month and a half now, I thought I would write about her language progress. My plan is to do this every so often, to keep track of how she's doing.

We don't really do much in the way of studying at home. Everything she has learned has been from hoikuen, daily interaction with people [herself or watching us/others], or watching Japanese TV.

Words she knows:
konnichiwa [hello]
ohayou gozaimasu [good morning]
sayounara [good bye]
kawaii [cute]
baka [idiot]
dame [bad]
itai [ouch]
itadakimasu [let's eat]
ichi, ni, san [1, 2, 3]
-chan [used to address friends]

She also sings tunes which she's obviously learned at school, and some of the sounds she makes seem like words or Japanese sounds, but mostly its just blabbering. She may also know some other words, but this is just what I hear from her at home.

Anyway, this is a pretty short update, but I'm hopeful she'll catch on quickly, as she's already learned this much from just a month and a half.

Applying for the JET Program: JET Interview Sample Questions

When I was applying to JET I decided to scour the internet and make a list of all the interview questions I could find that people were actually asked. I'm going to share the list I made below in case it helps anyone else. Note that these will widely vary based country and even consulate.

Additionally, certain situations will probably lead to different and more detailed questions. For example, a CIR or (mythical) SEA will probably get questions more specific to their job responsibilities. A family JET may get grilled about what their family members will do and how they will cope.

Protip! A lot of answers to hypothetical situation questions can be found in the General Information Handbook, under the work section. It's definitely useful to read those and get an idea of what they want to hear as an answer to those kinds of questions.

Also, if you're applying from Toronto, you can check out my personal interview experience.


Most Important Questions
You will be asked these or something similar, so know your answers and make them good!

1. Why JET?

2. Why Japan?

3. Why do you want to be an ALT?

4. What skills and qualities do you possess that will be beneficial to the JET Programme?


Other Questions
A note about questions regarding knowledge of Japan - don't stress too much about it. If you don't know things, that's fine. Just make sure you have a good answer as to why. For example, if you don't know the 4 main islands of Japan, just say something about how you're looking forward to having the chance to learn more about Japanese geography first hand.

5. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

6. How does JET factor into your future goals?

7. You list X position as work/volunteer experience on your application. How do you think this position could help you as a teacher on JET?

8. How would you deal with working with an uncooperative Japanese teacher of English? An uncooperative principal?

9. X, Y, and Z are listed as your hobbies and interests on your application. How do these relate to your culture? How would you teach people in a Japanese community about your hobbies?

10. What are some famous places in Japan that you know?

11. Who are some famous Japanese people that you know?

12. What are the 4 main islands of Japan?

13. Who is the Prime Minister of Japan? The Emperor?

14. What would you do if you were receiving unwanted attention/being harassed?

15. How would you present your culture in a lesson?

16. What if your students don’t want to learn English?

17. What is your favourite part of Japanese culture?

18. What 3 props would you use to teach about your country?

19. Are you familiar with the current economic situation in Japan?

20. What’s happening in Japanese news?

21. Can you name two Japanese celebrities?

22. Describe current (your country)-Japan relations.

23. How can JET help (your country)-Japan relations?

24. Tell me about your teaching experience.

25. How would you motivate disruptive students?

26. Why did you request placement at x, y, z?

27. How would you handle being placed in a rural area?

28. How would you handle culture shock?

29. Teach us about animals/colors/food/holidays/numbers/abc/body parts/asking permission.

30. How would you work to interact with your students?

31. What age group are you interested in teaching?

32. Introduce yourself in Japanese.

33. What cultural event would you like to see in Japan?

34. Sing a song.

35. What did you learn about Japan from your visit? [If you've visited before.]

36. Tell me about your course on (subject). [If you've taken an Asia/Japan related course.]

37. What would do you if you are asked to make tea for your coworkers? [For females.]


Family JET Questions
I personally didn't get any questions like this except for number 5, but my mom also told me beforehand that is is illegal to ask those questions in Canada for job interviews, so maybe that was why? I know that many family JETs have written about this though. It is understandable, as a JET participant bringing along a spouse and/or child(ren) could be considered somewhat more prone to breaking contract if someone is unhappy. Anyway, I would recommend knowing the answers to these sorts of questions. Make sure you go into the interview prepared to explain the plans for your spouse and/or child(ren).

1. What will you do if your spouse hates Japan?

2. What will your spouse do in Japan to keep busy?

3. What will your child do or who will care for them?

4. What if your child has to deal with racism or harassment in school?

5. What if you have to go on business trips away from home?

6. What will you do if your child gets sick?


Ask Your Own Questions
Additionally, it is advisable to prepare a list of questions you want to ask. At the same time, try to think of questions during your interview that can relate to the people on your interview panel - for example, something you can ask an ex-JET or consulate worker specifically. Make the questions meaningful and show that you are thoughtful and interested in the program. Some ideas:

1. How many schools does a JET typically teach at?

2. What was the most valuable thing you took away from the JET program?

3. Do JETs have the opportunity to participate in school clubs?

4. What are some ways a JET can get involved in the community outside of school?


One last thing - good luck!

Christmas and New Year's in Japan

On December 22nd I had my JHS bonenkai. I was able to get a ride with the nurse and the vice principal to the Tottori Prefectural Museum, where it was being held. Every staff member makes an effort to attend the bonenkai, unlike regular the regular enkai. So the office ladies, nurse, etc. were all there too. I was glad of it, as I'm fond of them and they seem to feel the same for me.

The party was held in the museum's cafe. It was quite different and modern, compared to my ES bonenkai, which was traditional style - sitting at low tables in a large tatami room. We were separated into 2 different tables. As is typical of work parties here, we had a lottery to determine where we would sit. In this case we drew a prefecture's name and had to find the matching nabe [one pot] dish. Since I had no idea about any of that, I was helped, although it conveniently turned out that I was standing across from my seat to begin with. This kind of seating makes me a bit nervous, but I ended up sitting across from the head teacher, diagonal to the vice principal, and beside the home economics teacher, who also teaches the special education students with me. It wasn't too awkward.

Every enkai begins with kampai - cheers. Sometimes we do a whole chain and walk around the room, but this time was mostly just everyone you could reach from the general vicinity of your seat. After that we ordered drinks and the food began coming out.

I wish I had taken photos of the food because it was incredible! Not everything was my favorite, but the plating was lovely and what I did eat was great. Also - REAL CRUSTY BREAD. I gorged myself on the slices of fresh bread, usually rarity here. So the appetizer was a mixed plate, with a slice of quiche, a tiny hamburger, sashimi, bread with some kind of herby butter spread, and a bowl of beef and konnyaku. I can't recall all the other dishes precisely, but there was salad, pasta, savory pastry cigars, calamari, roast beef with mashed potatoes, and to end it all, some kind of rum raisin pudding (as in the British kind) with sauce and vanilla ice cream. 

Throughout the party there was lots of fun and games. Everyone was given a sheet of paper and had to write down who they thought would win. The first games were taste testing - beer and canned coffee. Like at the ES bonenkai, there was guessing of the year's top school news stories. We also played bingo - and - I WON! I was shocked and everyone cheered and applauded me. As a reward, I was able to pick a gift (everyone had brought 1 gift). Next we played a massive game of rock paper scissors. It began with the principal standing up and everyone who played the same or winning sign was able to continue on. Somehow I managed to predict it every time, and in the end it was me, one of my JTEs, and the nurse playing against each other. At this point the principal stepped down, and it was a 3-way battle. We knocked out my JTE and then - I WON! I couldn't believe it! All the teachers were roaring outrageously and I got lots of high fives and hugs. My prize this time was a massive bottle of locally brewed sake. I spent the rest of the night getting congratulations and comments about how strong I was. 

After nearly 4 hours the party had died down a bit and it was time for us to leave. I caught a taxi with the vice principal and another teacher. Since it was a short distance, the driver kindly let us out without paying. About half the teachers were going to the afterparty, but I was tired and was already catching the last train, so if I stayed out I would have had to stay until 6am the next morning. As it was, I had to wait a while for the train, so I rather awkwardly sat with my vice principal in the train station. Then we slept on the train ride home.

Christmas in Japan is not much of a holiday - well, in fact, its not a holiday at all. I had to go to work that day! Thankfully it is winter vacation and there were no classes, so I was able to arrive late. I woke up Yana early and she opened her presents. One of my predecessors bought a little fake Christmas tree, so happily we were able to use that. I was planning on celebrating Japanese style, with fried chicken and roll cake, but by the time I went to the store after work it was all sold out! So I ended up buying the mixes to make them ourselves. Overall, not a very eventful Christmas, but Yana really enjoyed getting some new toys.

New Year's in Japan is a much, much bigger deal that Christmas. We didn't do much to celebrate. I watched the popular music TV show that airs every New Year's Eve here. We put Yana to bed early and stayed up until midnight. People here typically visit a temple, but we decided not to, because I wasn't exactly sure what to do once I got there and we didn't feel like keeping Yana up so late. Maybe next year!