トイレ Troubles

Alright, my house`s internet is for the moment, so I will be updating with a short entry I was saving as a supplement to a larger one. My apologies in advance for the bizarre nature of this post.

I`d like to talk about Japanese bathrooms for a moment. I`m sure those who have travelled to or are familiar with Japan already know about the squat toilets but, though they are a bit strange, that`s not what I`m going to be talking about. Instead, I`d like you to think of any public bathroom in America. With few exceptions, it has been my experience that public bathrooms in the states are designed with privacy in mind and incorporate some manner of turn or wall just inside the door to prevent passerbys from glancing in. It`s like an unwritten law that all bathrooms be built this way (or perhaps a written law, for what do I know about building construction). However, such is not the case with some Japanese restrooms. Indeed, the restroom at the branch office that I go to once a week not only has a line of sight from the door to the urinals, but the door remains open all the time. And imagine the unease I felt when I discovered that no less than three of my schools have clear windows that look into the restrooms from the outside. I don`t remember covering this at any orientation, but I feel it only fair to warn those thinking of life in Japan of this phenomenon, minor though it may seem.

Precursor to the Epic

My apologies to anyone who somehow happened upon this site before my first post. I've been wanting to keep a blog ever since I arrived in Ariake four months ago, but several complications and delays had me put it off until now. What's that you ask? Where is Ariake? Well, for those who do happen to stumble upon this page, I suppose an introduction of sorts is in order.

Greetings! I am the Ariake Aggie, a somewhat recent graduate of Texas A&M who decided his BA in English would be best served teaching the children of Japan the wonders of America. Accepted into the JET Program (on my second attempt mind you), I now spend my days traveling between 5 different schools teaching English. My fiancee is also a member of JET and works on the nearby island of Goshoura. While not teaching, I enjoy improving my Japanese, reading manga, and playing games on one of my five gaming systems. Yes, truth be told, one of the things that first interested me about Japan was my exposure to it's popular culture. I am very much a child of the media age and enjoy movies, music, games and books. I am particularly fond of manga and anime.

And really, that's kinda what this blog will be about. Another average Joe's look into the weird and wonderful adventure that is living abroad in Japan. What's the same? What's different? What's going on in my life? And most importantly why do I feel these experiences are something worth sharing? I never want to post something that I feel serves no other purpose than to hear myself talk (or...watch myself type, I guess). I don't want to, but I'd be lying if I said that it will never happen. Keep in mind this blog is also meant to serve as one of my connections to home, a place where my family back in Texas can keep track of me.

To my family, I'd like to start of by saying I'm fine and have settled in quite well. To my friends, thanks for visiting my site. And I promise to everyone that the next entry will be up shortly.

Thanks and gig 'em,
Ariake Aggie