Last Friday was the Christmas party for Amakusa ALTs, held at the house of yours truly. This year, we did a pot-luck style dinner, with everyone bringing a little something to share. The party officially started at 7:30, but our first guests didn’t arrive until about 8, giving Amanda and I a little more time to clean around the house.
For our part, Amanda and I had purchased two iCon boxes from McDonalds that were full of chicken related products. In Japan, chicken is the signature food of Christmas, along with Christmas cake. Since Christmas is not a national holiday here, you can purchase chicken from KFC and McDonalds on Christmas day. I believe KFC was the one to popularize this dish as a Christmas food in the 70s. The in-house story has it that a foreigner came in and ordered a lot of chicken, remarking about the difficulties of finding turkey in Japan and concluding that chicken would have to do.
Thankfully, not all our guests kept with the theme of chicken, offering up dishes like an amazing pasta bake, chips and salsa, dried cranberries, garlic bread, and spam onigiri. Unfortunately, I hadn’t considered the plate and silverware needs of our guests and many of them had to settle for tiny dishes. I’ll know better next time.
Though a Christmas party, the get together followed the pattern of nearly all ALT social events. We sat around and talked about work, our coworkers, our kids and hilarious stories from back home, especially in Jonathan’s case. We didn’t have a lot of people show up, but I was surprised by some of the Amakusans that chose to attend. It was a nice, casual occasion that gave us all the opportunity to unwind and relax during what is otherwise a pretty stressful time for ALTs. We played a few Christmas songs to remind us that yes, indeed, this was the Christmas party.
Eventually, we dug out the taiko drums and played a little Taiko No Tatsujin Wii 3 and, more hilariously given its participants, Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles. Jonathan was quite enthusiastic about both, trying his best on Taiko while refusing to not play anything less than the difficult setting. Erik was reluctant to play Taiko, though I have no idea why as he did really well. Amanda and I naturally enjoyed it, though I feel the song selection is a bit lacking.
Watching Erik and Jonathan play Resident Evil was a blast too. I had forgotten most of the controls, so some of their problems came from my incompetence. Still, between the jump scares, skipping all the cutscenes (and then making remarks about how they were “randomly” fighting something), taking turns trying for headshots, and declaring how badass they were it was a lot of fun. They unlocked quite a few new items and earned a bunch of money as well, so there’s also that. And really, what better way to celebrate Christmas than by taking on hoards of the undead.
The party went pretty late. I got to bed around 3. We had a few guests stay the night, but they were gone by the time we got up the next day. All in all I think it was a pretty successful party, though perhaps not the most overtly Christmasy one.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Ariake Bazaar
Last Friday, I noticed a few tents were going up in the track area of the schoolyard, known as the ground in Japan. I asked my principal about it and he tried his best to explain that there was some sort of festival going on that weekend, even providing me with a printout about it and talking with one of my JTEs to ensure I really understood what was happening.
Most of the events, it would seem, were going to be held on Sunday, including a taiko performance and baumkuchen making. I read a little closer on the rules of the baumkuchen and discovered that it required a team of three, so quickly dropped it. Had I been told of this event a little in advance I may have been able to work something out and it still baffles me that my school doesn’t tell me about these kinds of things despite my constant willingness to participate.
Long story short, Amanda and I attended only for the last few hours on Sunday. There were a number of things for sale, both on the ground and inside the community gym, but nothing that really caught our eye as a must buy. Also inside the gym were an incredible amount of pictures of octopus drawn mostly by my students.
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| This represents about 2% of all the pictures. |
I had a fun time running around trying to find the students whose names I could recognize and smiling at their very different interpretations of the octopus.
There was a pin set up with a few wild boars in it, though it was more sad than entertaining to watch them as it was clear they weren’t treated well. One of them had a pretty deep gash on its nose from where it had tried to get out of the enclosure, probably in an effort to get to the other two inoshishi held in a tiny cage off to one side.
Amanda mentioned she had heard that a lot of Japanese zoos treated their animals the same way.
The taiko performance was the one thing we both wanted to see, and it definitely delivered. There were a number of school age children in the group that performed, but I only recognized one as mine, though a few of the others looked vaguely familiar. My assumption is that they’re membership includes a bigger area of Amakusa than just Ariake. They performed five or six songs total, with a break after their first four or so. During the break, a few guys dressed as a dragon came out and ran around, performing all kinds of really cool looking actions and nearly biting people’s heads off.
For their last song, the performers went out into the audience and invited people to play their drums. One of the girls came up to me and offered her drum, which I gladly took and joined in. I tried to put the drum on my shoulder, but it had been adjusted for her small frame and I couldn’t manage it. Undeterred, I held on the strap and played the taiko for the rest of their performance. I may have looked ridiculous or like I didn’t know what I was doing, which to be fair I didn’t, but it was really cool.
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| You know, for luck! |
After the song, I gave the drum back to the student I recognized. We spent a little more time looking at the octopus pictures before everyone started to pack up and we decided it was a good time to leave. It was a short experience, but an overall good one.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Also, It Was Friday
I can usually extrapolate one or two somewhat amusing work stories every day, typically involving a conversation with my students or a bit of Japanese culture I learned about. Last Friday, however, provided such an abundance of good experiences and happy news that I felt it necessitated an entire entry all its own. It was, in short, one of the best days ever and it all started about half an hour earlier than usual.
I had seen a group of students running around the school last week with a few of the teachers. I asked our school nurse what they were running for and if they would be doing it again next Friday. She told me it was practice for an upcoming marathon and that the students started their run around 7:55. My work day usually doesn’t start until 8:15, but I said I’d come in early next time to join them. It was difficult motivating myself to wake up so early, but I managed it and got to school around 7:45. Running with kids is tough, as I’m sure any parent with an active child would testify. They seem to have a boundless amount of energy that I simply can’t match. It’s that same energy that motivates me to join them though, as they always seem excited even when they are working so hard. It seemed like my joining in had come at a fortuitous time, too, as none of the teachers who had been running the previous week were participating. I would soon find out why.
I was aware that I wouldn’t be having any classes that day, but I still didn’t know why. Part way through second period, I was asked by our secretary if I would be going to the gym. She still didn’t explain what was going on, but said that it would be fun. Only when I got to the event did I slowly begin to realize what was going on. As it happened, it was Grandparent’s Day at my school. The gym had been prepared with a number of long tables and the students sat waiting for their families to arrive. I was offered a seat near the heater by our vice principal, sat, and waited for the event to start.
The day began with a number of musical performances. The kids danced to traditional music, their parents following with a strange dance I had never seen before. Then the first graders played melodicas while some adults joined in with koto. I believe their first song was “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”. Everyone also danced to the intro theme for Sazaesan, a pretty popular anime for kids.
Next, the kids all separated into groups to participate in various activities spread throughout the gym as well as outside. I thought it best to follow one group through all the events to get some pictures of everything and get the chance to try all the events myself. I chose to start with the first group at the origami station, as it was something I was already familiar with and thought I could do well. The guy teaching the kids was hilarious and knew a bit of English too. He was really excited about teaching us, jumping up to help anyone who needed it. He showed us how to make a fish and a turtle, both of which turned out pretty well. All my teachers were commenting on my origami skills, which gave me a good confidence boost right off the bat. I tried to explain that I had been interested in origami for a long time and thought it was really fun.
The next activity for my group was juggling, which I have never really gotten good at. We only got about ten or fifteen minutes per activity, so I certainly wasn’t going to make any great strides in improvement, but I felt like I was doing a bit better by the end of our time. The teachers at that event didn’t speak any English, but I understood a bit of what they said and they were very good at showing me what I had to do. They also asked me if I felt Amakusa-ben was difficult to understand. I said that it was. At one point, the sixth grade teacher took three of the beanbags we used for juggling and showed off his awesome skills to the delight of the kids. It was pretty cool to watch.
The third and fourth stations didn’t have much in the way of help from instructors, but were pretty straightforward games. The first was a ring-toss game. I took a few pictures of the kids before one of my first graders ran up and gave me a few rings to play with. Again, this is not something I feel like I’m very good at, but I managed about four successful tosses at the closer goals. This was one of the most entertaining events to watch, as my kids tried all manner of tricks to try and get their rings to land on the pegs. They tried throwing three at a time, looping two together, jumping, pitching, and so much more. Every time I would throw my rings, one of the kids would run out and retrieve theirs and mine, handing them back to me. It was really sweet.
The fourth station was kendama, a traditional Japanese toy that’s similar to the ball-in-a-cup from back home. The goal of the game is to get the ball into both sides of the toy and return it to the top point. I was able to do both sides of mine, but cannot figure out how anyone can get the thing back onto that spike. For this event, my first grade teacher joined in and showed the youngest kids how to play. She was pretty good and while she talked about getting the ball onto the point, she wasn’t able to do it herself.
Last were the outdoor activities. There were wooden propellers, stilts, and a paddleball game. I tried my hand at all three, finding the best success with the propellers. I took some video of my kids trying their hand at paddle ball, which I felt was probably the most difficult of the three. My kids were all really good at the stilts, which are a common sight on school playgrounds. I had tried to learn how to use them last year, but was out of practice and had to struggle just to stay upright, let alone walk. There was a dog outside too. He was really friendly and we all took turns petting him with the exception of Moka, who said it was too big and scary.
Following the activities, everyone reconvened in the gym. The grandparents got massages from the kids, some of which were amusing to watch, such as Kanako pretty much hanging on to one person’s neck while kneeing him in the back. All the guests were served lunch and ate with the kids. I sat with a few of the parents in the back, who talked to me a bit in Japanese, wanting to know some pretty standard information like where I came from and how old I was. While I’m usually nervous around parents, they were really good about using simple Japanese and trying other ways of saying the same thing when I didn’t understand. I helped clean up after lunch and then it was off to the junior high.
There was another bit of good news waiting for me on Facebook. My alma mater A&M had beaten their rivals TU at their annual Thanksgiving showdown. Now I don’t usually get excited about sports, but Aggie football is my one exception. I was ecstatic to discover that this win not only gave us a 9-3 record for the year, but placed us in the running to tie for first place in our conference (which we did by the way).
The final bit of awesomeness in my day wouldn’t come until much later, when I went to get Amanda at the port in Kuratake. I noticed walking up that the new waiting area, which had been under construction for a few months, was finally open. This, however, was not the good news. As I peered inside to see if there were any free seats opened, I spotted Miyako, who shouted and waved at me. It would seem she and her family had taken advantage of the school’s replacement holiday for bunkasai and had gone shopping in Hondo. As I came in to greet her, I think I heard her mother say something about us being good friends. It was the first time I had been called that and it made me really happy. I talked to Miyako for a little while, trying to speak with her older sister as well.
One of my regrets from the Goshoura Kita bunkasai was not having any battery left in my camera once I stated playing with the kids, so I excused myself to quickly retrieve my phone from the car and asked Miyako if it would be alright to take a picture. She smiled and posed and now I’ve got something more than my shoddy memory to remember her by. She also took quick interest in the purikura album on my phone, so I showed her a few pictures of me, Amanda, and our friends. She really seemed to enjoy it and, although brief, it was another really heartwarming experience.
Looking back, an awful lot of completely unrelated things had to line up on this day to make it as great as it was. My school would have to have picked Friday for their Grandparents Day as it’s the only day I go there. Meanwhile, 7000 miles away, it would have to be Thanksgiving, the day the A&M/TU game is always played. The results of that game reached me Friday afternoon only because I live so far away. It also had to be Goshoura Kita’s replacement holiday for bunkasai or I wouldn’t have seen Miyako, whose family was the only one at the port by the way. It’s certainly a day I won’t soon forget.
I had seen a group of students running around the school last week with a few of the teachers. I asked our school nurse what they were running for and if they would be doing it again next Friday. She told me it was practice for an upcoming marathon and that the students started their run around 7:55. My work day usually doesn’t start until 8:15, but I said I’d come in early next time to join them. It was difficult motivating myself to wake up so early, but I managed it and got to school around 7:45. Running with kids is tough, as I’m sure any parent with an active child would testify. They seem to have a boundless amount of energy that I simply can’t match. It’s that same energy that motivates me to join them though, as they always seem excited even when they are working so hard. It seemed like my joining in had come at a fortuitous time, too, as none of the teachers who had been running the previous week were participating. I would soon find out why.
I was aware that I wouldn’t be having any classes that day, but I still didn’t know why. Part way through second period, I was asked by our secretary if I would be going to the gym. She still didn’t explain what was going on, but said that it would be fun. Only when I got to the event did I slowly begin to realize what was going on. As it happened, it was Grandparent’s Day at my school. The gym had been prepared with a number of long tables and the students sat waiting for their families to arrive. I was offered a seat near the heater by our vice principal, sat, and waited for the event to start.
The day began with a number of musical performances. The kids danced to traditional music, their parents following with a strange dance I had never seen before. Then the first graders played melodicas while some adults joined in with koto. I believe their first song was “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”. Everyone also danced to the intro theme for Sazaesan, a pretty popular anime for kids.
Next, the kids all separated into groups to participate in various activities spread throughout the gym as well as outside. I thought it best to follow one group through all the events to get some pictures of everything and get the chance to try all the events myself. I chose to start with the first group at the origami station, as it was something I was already familiar with and thought I could do well. The guy teaching the kids was hilarious and knew a bit of English too. He was really excited about teaching us, jumping up to help anyone who needed it. He showed us how to make a fish and a turtle, both of which turned out pretty well. All my teachers were commenting on my origami skills, which gave me a good confidence boost right off the bat. I tried to explain that I had been interested in origami for a long time and thought it was really fun.
The next activity for my group was juggling, which I have never really gotten good at. We only got about ten or fifteen minutes per activity, so I certainly wasn’t going to make any great strides in improvement, but I felt like I was doing a bit better by the end of our time. The teachers at that event didn’t speak any English, but I understood a bit of what they said and they were very good at showing me what I had to do. They also asked me if I felt Amakusa-ben was difficult to understand. I said that it was. At one point, the sixth grade teacher took three of the beanbags we used for juggling and showed off his awesome skills to the delight of the kids. It was pretty cool to watch.
The third and fourth stations didn’t have much in the way of help from instructors, but were pretty straightforward games. The first was a ring-toss game. I took a few pictures of the kids before one of my first graders ran up and gave me a few rings to play with. Again, this is not something I feel like I’m very good at, but I managed about four successful tosses at the closer goals. This was one of the most entertaining events to watch, as my kids tried all manner of tricks to try and get their rings to land on the pegs. They tried throwing three at a time, looping two together, jumping, pitching, and so much more. Every time I would throw my rings, one of the kids would run out and retrieve theirs and mine, handing them back to me. It was really sweet.
The fourth station was kendama, a traditional Japanese toy that’s similar to the ball-in-a-cup from back home. The goal of the game is to get the ball into both sides of the toy and return it to the top point. I was able to do both sides of mine, but cannot figure out how anyone can get the thing back onto that spike. For this event, my first grade teacher joined in and showed the youngest kids how to play. She was pretty good and while she talked about getting the ball onto the point, she wasn’t able to do it herself.
Last were the outdoor activities. There were wooden propellers, stilts, and a paddleball game. I tried my hand at all three, finding the best success with the propellers. I took some video of my kids trying their hand at paddle ball, which I felt was probably the most difficult of the three. My kids were all really good at the stilts, which are a common sight on school playgrounds. I had tried to learn how to use them last year, but was out of practice and had to struggle just to stay upright, let alone walk. There was a dog outside too. He was really friendly and we all took turns petting him with the exception of Moka, who said it was too big and scary.
Following the activities, everyone reconvened in the gym. The grandparents got massages from the kids, some of which were amusing to watch, such as Kanako pretty much hanging on to one person’s neck while kneeing him in the back. All the guests were served lunch and ate with the kids. I sat with a few of the parents in the back, who talked to me a bit in Japanese, wanting to know some pretty standard information like where I came from and how old I was. While I’m usually nervous around parents, they were really good about using simple Japanese and trying other ways of saying the same thing when I didn’t understand. I helped clean up after lunch and then it was off to the junior high.
There was another bit of good news waiting for me on Facebook. My alma mater A&M had beaten their rivals TU at their annual Thanksgiving showdown. Now I don’t usually get excited about sports, but Aggie football is my one exception. I was ecstatic to discover that this win not only gave us a 9-3 record for the year, but placed us in the running to tie for first place in our conference (which we did by the way).
The final bit of awesomeness in my day wouldn’t come until much later, when I went to get Amanda at the port in Kuratake. I noticed walking up that the new waiting area, which had been under construction for a few months, was finally open. This, however, was not the good news. As I peered inside to see if there were any free seats opened, I spotted Miyako, who shouted and waved at me. It would seem she and her family had taken advantage of the school’s replacement holiday for bunkasai and had gone shopping in Hondo. As I came in to greet her, I think I heard her mother say something about us being good friends. It was the first time I had been called that and it made me really happy. I talked to Miyako for a little while, trying to speak with her older sister as well.
One of my regrets from the Goshoura Kita bunkasai was not having any battery left in my camera once I stated playing with the kids, so I excused myself to quickly retrieve my phone from the car and asked Miyako if it would be alright to take a picture. She smiled and posed and now I’ve got something more than my shoddy memory to remember her by. She also took quick interest in the purikura album on my phone, so I showed her a few pictures of me, Amanda, and our friends. She really seemed to enjoy it and, although brief, it was another really heartwarming experience.
Looking back, an awful lot of completely unrelated things had to line up on this day to make it as great as it was. My school would have to have picked Friday for their Grandparents Day as it’s the only day I go there. Meanwhile, 7000 miles away, it would have to be Thanksgiving, the day the A&M/TU game is always played. The results of that game reached me Friday afternoon only because I live so far away. It also had to be Goshoura Kita’s replacement holiday for bunkasai or I wouldn’t have seen Miyako, whose family was the only one at the port by the way. It’s certainly a day I won’t soon forget.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
I Went to Yokoura and All I Got Were Great Memories and New Friends
Sunday I attended the Goshoura Kita Junior High bunkasai (文化祭, culture day) with Amanda. For as far out in the inaka (田舎, countryside) as I live, Amanda’s islands are even worse.
That’s because they are incredibly isolated (the only means to get to either is to take a ferry) and very, very small.
Goshoura Kita only has about 40 students total, which is only a little bigger than any one of my six junior high classes. To stretch out their time a little, both the junior high and elementary school participated in the event. Even so, the whole thing only lasted until noon.
I won’t go into too much detail about the culture festival, as I still have to write up a report on mine and by and large all the bunkasais contain the same sorts of things. There were a number of plays, the most entertaining of which revolved around friendship and an insane dodge ball game. The English recitation contestants presented again and three students read speeches they had written. There was singing and music, from both the elementary and junior high kids. There was also some artwork, newspapers, and calligraphy displayed along the wall.
The bunkasai was fun, but what I really get excited about is one-on-one interaction with students. After lunch, Amanda and I roamed the halls looking at pictures of her students, both past and present. I tried my best to learn a few kid’s names, even though this would probably be the only time I would ever see them, and managed to remember four or five. We saw that the kids were playing outside and Amanda and I headed out to join them. A few of the elementary kids were playing basketball, so I grabbed a ball and took a few shots. I managed to make my first one to the delight of the children and then proceeded to miss all my subsequent attempts. One of the girls was really impressive and funny, making shots backwards and from a considerable distance. We only played for about ten minutes before all the elementary kids scurried off to start cleaning the gym.
We helped the junior high kids clean the gym by taking down the art and calligraphy displays. I once again got the opportunity to impress Amanda’s kids by removing the nails the framed pictures had hung from. The artwork had been mounted on fairly large wooden displays that we then had to get out of the gym’s rather awkward doors. I helped one student, Hatsuki, get hers out the door before a teacher came along and told me to switch out. To Hatsuki’s credit, she was trying her best to use English where she could and did a fairly good job giving directions, though she didn’t know how to tell be to hold the display diagonally.
The best part of the day, however, was after school. The students only had a half-day, while many teachers had to stay after for the rest of their workday. Sadly, Amanda was no exception to this rule and thus I would be stuck on Yokoura for another three hours with nothing to do.
Thankfully, Amanda’s kids were a bit more outgoing outside of school than they had been during the bunkasai, and it wasn’t long before I had a small crowd walking down the road with me, asking me questions and practicing their English.
Among them were Hatsuki, who it turns out is one of Amanda’s best ninth graders, and two elementary school girls Miyako and Momoko. They asked me when my birthday was, told me that the weather was sunny (though Momoko insisted it was partly cloudy), and gave me a small rock while saying “here you are”.
They wanted to know about my favorite Japanese food, my age, and my full name. Hatsuki did a good job helping the younger kids and correcting a few of their mistakes, such as telling them that I was Mr. Eric, not Ms. Eric. They also told me about themselves, though not always in English.
The group gradually whittled down until I got to the port and sat alone for about half an hour. I then decided to head back toward the school to see if there were any kids out playing, as Amanda had pointed out a few places they tended to congregate during their free time. As I passed by the community center, one of the kids called out to me. It was Miyako. She asked where I was going, and I tried to explain that I didn’t have anything to do until five. She was with a few of the other kids, playing soccer in a small field. I decided to sit and watch for a little while, which turned into an hour and a half of playing with them. They practiced a bit more English, too, most notably introducing themselves before we started a soccer game so I would know who was on my team. I also showed them my DS. Many of the kids had seen me using it that morning before school and wanted to know what game I had. They were incredibly excited to see it was the English version of Pokemon and tried their hand at playing it for a while. One of the boys had brought his DSi, and he and Miyako had a lot of fun taking pictures of me and adding a bunch of silly effects.
Amanda showed up around five, having left slightly early from work, and we played with the kids for another ten minutes or so. They took one last picture of the two of us and put a frame of hearts around it. It was really sweet and Amanda told me she wished she could get a copy of it. We caught the ferry back to Kuritake and I told Amanda everything that had happened. She was surprised Miyako had been so outgoing in talking with me because she is apparently more reserved in class. I really hope this means she found talking with me easy and fun, as I like to think of myself as an approachable person. I also hope the kids took something out of the experience, no matter how small. I certainly did.
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| And by worse, I mean gorgeous. |
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| This car ferry has pictures of dinosaurs on the side. |
I won’t go into too much detail about the culture festival, as I still have to write up a report on mine and by and large all the bunkasais contain the same sorts of things. There were a number of plays, the most entertaining of which revolved around friendship and an insane dodge ball game. The English recitation contestants presented again and three students read speeches they had written. There was singing and music, from both the elementary and junior high kids. There was also some artwork, newspapers, and calligraphy displayed along the wall.
The bunkasai was fun, but what I really get excited about is one-on-one interaction with students. After lunch, Amanda and I roamed the halls looking at pictures of her students, both past and present. I tried my best to learn a few kid’s names, even though this would probably be the only time I would ever see them, and managed to remember four or five. We saw that the kids were playing outside and Amanda and I headed out to join them. A few of the elementary kids were playing basketball, so I grabbed a ball and took a few shots. I managed to make my first one to the delight of the children and then proceeded to miss all my subsequent attempts. One of the girls was really impressive and funny, making shots backwards and from a considerable distance. We only played for about ten minutes before all the elementary kids scurried off to start cleaning the gym.
We helped the junior high kids clean the gym by taking down the art and calligraphy displays. I once again got the opportunity to impress Amanda’s kids by removing the nails the framed pictures had hung from. The artwork had been mounted on fairly large wooden displays that we then had to get out of the gym’s rather awkward doors. I helped one student, Hatsuki, get hers out the door before a teacher came along and told me to switch out. To Hatsuki’s credit, she was trying her best to use English where she could and did a fairly good job giving directions, though she didn’t know how to tell be to hold the display diagonally.
The best part of the day, however, was after school. The students only had a half-day, while many teachers had to stay after for the rest of their workday. Sadly, Amanda was no exception to this rule and thus I would be stuck on Yokoura for another three hours with nothing to do.
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| My first impulse was to take pictures. |
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| Pictured: the one road on Yokoura. |
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| Which I totally kept! |
The group gradually whittled down until I got to the port and sat alone for about half an hour. I then decided to head back toward the school to see if there were any kids out playing, as Amanda had pointed out a few places they tended to congregate during their free time. As I passed by the community center, one of the kids called out to me. It was Miyako. She asked where I was going, and I tried to explain that I didn’t have anything to do until five. She was with a few of the other kids, playing soccer in a small field. I decided to sit and watch for a little while, which turned into an hour and a half of playing with them. They practiced a bit more English, too, most notably introducing themselves before we started a soccer game so I would know who was on my team. I also showed them my DS. Many of the kids had seen me using it that morning before school and wanted to know what game I had. They were incredibly excited to see it was the English version of Pokemon and tried their hand at playing it for a while. One of the boys had brought his DSi, and he and Miyako had a lot of fun taking pictures of me and adding a bunch of silly effects.
Amanda showed up around five, having left slightly early from work, and we played with the kids for another ten minutes or so. They took one last picture of the two of us and put a frame of hearts around it. It was really sweet and Amanda told me she wished she could get a copy of it. We caught the ferry back to Kuritake and I told Amanda everything that had happened. She was surprised Miyako had been so outgoing in talking with me because she is apparently more reserved in class. I really hope this means she found talking with me easy and fun, as I like to think of myself as an approachable person. I also hope the kids took something out of the experience, no matter how small. I certainly did.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Tamana Tetris or That Other Halloween Entry
On the night of October 30th, there was a Halloween party in “nearby” Tamana (玉名), a mere two and a half hour drive away. My friend Emily was once again the source of most of the awesome that is contained in this entry, as it was her idea to do a group tetris costume.
Not going to lie, making these things was a pain. We couldn’t find square boxes, so had to fold out a single flap on each box to get it closer. This led to a lot of headaches with cutting, tapping, and manipulating the boxes into the shapes they needed to be. After that came the painting, which was honestly not so terrible except that we totally ruined Emily’s tatami in the process. Speaking from experience, that stuff is really hard to get out.
We were working right up to the deadline, applying the black tape along all the edges to make the shapes really pop. But was it all worth it in the end?
In my honest opinion, this is probably one of the best costume concepts ever, for at least 5 reasons:
1. Instant Recognition
Everyone at the party, be they American, Japanese, British, or Greek God slayer, knew what tetris is. It’s a classic game pretty much everywhere and has had enough revamps over the years to keep it from becoming totally stale.
2. Great Presence
These things were huge, which while an annoyance to transport…
meant that once we actually got to the party, we stood out pretty well.
3. Part of a Set
I like the idea of a group costume, especially if that group represents something more than just four random people or friends. It was great to be representing Amakusa together, though our mere four participants certainly don’t represent ALL the Amakusa ALTs (although, how cool would that have been?).
4. Sharable
Sharing is caring, and as much love as the costumes got on their own, people had an even better time being a part of the tetris experience. We had a lot of people come up to us and ask if they could wear it for a while, which we gladly agreed to. Not every costume is as versatile. Even better, thanks to group mentality, the costumes tended to congregate in one place, so we never lost track of them.
5. Just Nerdy Enough
With its wide appeal, the tetris costume says “Yeah, I play video games” without saying “I own two Wiis to satiate my addiction”. It’s nerdy, but not overly so, saving you from the embarrassment of having to explain that you’re the Doppler effect.
It was a great Halloween following up a great week. Shame it was in the middle of some of the busiest times I’ve had here or I could have really let all that sink in. Again, I hope your Halloween was great and will try and still get a “Photo Friday” entry up for today.
Not going to lie, making these things was a pain. We couldn’t find square boxes, so had to fold out a single flap on each box to get it closer. This led to a lot of headaches with cutting, tapping, and manipulating the boxes into the shapes they needed to be. After that came the painting, which was honestly not so terrible except that we totally ruined Emily’s tatami in the process. Speaking from experience, that stuff is really hard to get out.
We were working right up to the deadline, applying the black tape along all the edges to make the shapes really pop. But was it all worth it in the end?
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| This first place trophy says "yes" and the bowl of Halloween candy concurs. |
In my honest opinion, this is probably one of the best costume concepts ever, for at least 5 reasons:
1. Instant Recognition
Everyone at the party, be they American, Japanese, British, or Greek God slayer, knew what tetris is. It’s a classic game pretty much everywhere and has had enough revamps over the years to keep it from becoming totally stale.
2. Great Presence
These things were huge, which while an annoyance to transport…
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| Did not think that through... |
3. Part of a Set
I like the idea of a group costume, especially if that group represents something more than just four random people or friends. It was great to be representing Amakusa together, though our mere four participants certainly don’t represent ALL the Amakusa ALTs (although, how cool would that have been?).
4. Sharable
Sharing is caring, and as much love as the costumes got on their own, people had an even better time being a part of the tetris experience. We had a lot of people come up to us and ask if they could wear it for a while, which we gladly agreed to. Not every costume is as versatile. Even better, thanks to group mentality, the costumes tended to congregate in one place, so we never lost track of them.
5. Just Nerdy Enough
With its wide appeal, the tetris costume says “Yeah, I play video games” without saying “I own two Wiis to satiate my addiction”. It’s nerdy, but not overly so, saving you from the embarrassment of having to explain that you’re the Doppler effect.
It was a great Halloween following up a great week. Shame it was in the middle of some of the busiest times I’ve had here or I could have really let all that sink in. Again, I hope your Halloween was great and will try and still get a “Photo Friday” entry up for today.
Class Report: Halloween
Been a while since I posted one of these and it’s high time to see what my kids have been busy with as of late. For Halloween, I showed my students some pictures of costumes, explained how trick or treating worked, and dressed up as the Pokemon Furret (known here as Ootachi).
I also showed them some less traditional jack-o-lanterns including a cat, Mario, and a dragon, and invited them to create their own using a worksheet I made of a blank pumpkin.
Like all my most brilliant ideas, this one was taken wholesale from another ALT, though I did prepare my own Powerpoint. Once again, this is a lesson that relied more heavily on cultural exchange than it did on English, though my most genki (energetic) class did ask a lot of questions after the presentation that I was happy to answer. They wanted to know how to write the word “Halloween”, if adults wore costumes, and what you carved a pumpkin with. I was pleasantly surprised to see most of them write Halloween on their pictures.
I did the same lesson at three different schools, one of which I presented to the entire school, not just 5th and 6th grade. The jack-o-lanterns all turned out great. Many of the students stuck with drawing some sort of face, but made it unique in how it was expressed. Many also took their inspiration from things around them, like their pencil cases. It was a lot of fun and a welcome break from structured lessons, which I feel can become stale after a while. The best part is that, with a little bit of editing, I can share some of their creations with you.
So, that was my Halloween lesson. I've got a few more pictures I might upload if people are interested, but I think 16 is enough for now. Hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween stateside. Still have a bit of Halloween related news, but it will have to wait for another entry.
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| It was a pretty awesome week to say the least. |
Like all my most brilliant ideas, this one was taken wholesale from another ALT, though I did prepare my own Powerpoint. Once again, this is a lesson that relied more heavily on cultural exchange than it did on English, though my most genki (energetic) class did ask a lot of questions after the presentation that I was happy to answer. They wanted to know how to write the word “Halloween”, if adults wore costumes, and what you carved a pumpkin with. I was pleasantly surprised to see most of them write Halloween on their pictures.
I did the same lesson at three different schools, one of which I presented to the entire school, not just 5th and 6th grade. The jack-o-lanterns all turned out great. Many of the students stuck with drawing some sort of face, but made it unique in how it was expressed. Many also took their inspiration from things around them, like their pencil cases. It was a lot of fun and a welcome break from structured lessons, which I feel can become stale after a while. The best part is that, with a little bit of editing, I can share some of their creations with you.
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| Jack-o-lantern in love. |
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| No idea, but it looks menacing. |
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| Dawwwww.... |
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| Once again, I'm clueless as to what this is supposed to be, but I absolutely love how she spelled out "Halloween". The magician hat "A" is particularly awesome. |
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| Some really awesome artwork. This student absolutely loves dogs. |
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| Gah! At least I can recognize what this one is: a nightmare inducing monster. |
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| Extreme eyebrows! |
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| Spiderman is probably the most popular American superhero over here. |
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| This looks like a terrifying Japanese flag to me. |
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| Classic and adorable despite the sharp teeth. |
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| Compared to some of the others, this comes off as just mischievous as opposed to pure evil. |
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| It's a face made out of flowers. Did not see that one coming. |
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| This is Gachapin, the dinosaur, and his red yeti friend Mukku. |
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| This is in the style of Kyupi dolls. It even says "Kyupi Pumpkin" along the side. |
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| This one was actually drawn by the girl who did the last one for her friend and was based off of... |
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| Mariko Shinoda of AKB48, the second girl's favorite member. |
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| Okay, I saved my favorite for last. I can't even say why I like this one so much, but it caught my attention and is just really cool looking to me. |
So, that was my Halloween lesson. I've got a few more pictures I might upload if people are interested, but I think 16 is enough for now. Hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween stateside. Still have a bit of Halloween related news, but it will have to wait for another entry.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Teacher's Notes: English Inside and Out (of the Classroom)
One of my best students confided in me the other day that she feels she is very good at English during class, but that speaking with me was difficult. I assured her she spoke very well and that one of the main reasons I was here was to help her get more comfortable with English conversation. I told her that talking to me should be relaxing and that she could use Japanese, gestures, or pictures when she didn’t know the English. This got me thinking about my role as an ALT and the ways in which I feel English should applied and quantified inside and outside the classroom.
The decision of when to use English and when to use Japanese is a topic often discussed at ALT meetings. In fact, it was brought up at the Kumamoto Mid-year Conference just last week. I have always been an advocate of using as much English during class as possible. Sometimes it isn’t, like trying to explain why a particular sentence is wrong when checking the student’s work, but I’ve found that most of the time students can handle instructions and simple explanations in English. I also feel that avoiding English is a disservice to the kids. Again, technical explanations like grammar should be covered by the JTE in Japanese, but a ten-minute discussion about tangentially related material, such as famous historical figures referenced in the text, can and should be done in English. The reason is simple: it is not as crucial for students to retain this information as it is to expose them to English.
Though I feel my students are competent enough to handle almost exclusively English instruction, everyday conversation presents a number of challenges that class simply cannot prepare them for. Almost everything about classroom English is fixed: classes last a certain period of time, the school year follows a set schedule, there’s often only one right answer to any given question, and the use of Japanese is discouraged (even by me). In contrast, real communication is fluid: conversations can last a few seconds or several hours, topics vary, there’s a multitude of ways to convey the same idea (think of how many ways you can say “Yes”), and, in my case at least, the use of Japanese is actually encouraged.
These stark differences arise from the perceived goal of each situation. English class is designed around the idea of passing the high school entrance exam of your choice. The notion that it gives you the tools to read and speak a foreign language can be looked upon as simply an added bonus. Here, students strive for perfection because the better they are, the better school they can get into. Day-to-day conversation, however, is all about conveying ideas. Here, the aim is simply to understand one another in any way possible. This is why discouraging Japanese outside of class is a negative thing in my mind, because it cuts out the valuable overlap you share with your students in exchange for an artificial challenge.
Taking a step back and looking at these two distinct spaces, it becomes clear why even the most gifted of students may have trouble with English conversation. While exacting, classroom English is also very narrow. It may be true that only one answer is going to get you a point on the test, but that answer will come from a limited set of information. Again, the material here is fixed and definite. Natural communication, while having a fairly simple goal on the outset, is far more daunting in practice because it can go anywhere and has the potential to run the range of an entire languages lexicon. When I talk to my students, I do try and gauge what level of dialogue I think they can handle, but I don’t sit and ask myself what sentence structures or vocabulary words they know. I’m not quizzing them, but trying to get to know them, so naturally some things are going to come up that they’ve never heard before. At that point, they need to know that it’s okay to use Japanese, to gesture, to draw pictures, and to make mistakes because the only way that communication fails for sure is when one of us gives up.
When my student said that she didn’t feel she was good at talking with me, I suspect she was gauging her speaking ability using the same scale implemented in class. Why wouldn’t she? It’s the only thing she’s familiar with. Every class has grades, tests, and a standard that’s expected to be lived up to. Talking with me is completely different, and I’m sure that’s as terrifying as it is exciting. I only hope this experience serves to encourage her and that she stays passionate about learning and speaking English.
The decision of when to use English and when to use Japanese is a topic often discussed at ALT meetings. In fact, it was brought up at the Kumamoto Mid-year Conference just last week. I have always been an advocate of using as much English during class as possible. Sometimes it isn’t, like trying to explain why a particular sentence is wrong when checking the student’s work, but I’ve found that most of the time students can handle instructions and simple explanations in English. I also feel that avoiding English is a disservice to the kids. Again, technical explanations like grammar should be covered by the JTE in Japanese, but a ten-minute discussion about tangentially related material, such as famous historical figures referenced in the text, can and should be done in English. The reason is simple: it is not as crucial for students to retain this information as it is to expose them to English.
Though I feel my students are competent enough to handle almost exclusively English instruction, everyday conversation presents a number of challenges that class simply cannot prepare them for. Almost everything about classroom English is fixed: classes last a certain period of time, the school year follows a set schedule, there’s often only one right answer to any given question, and the use of Japanese is discouraged (even by me). In contrast, real communication is fluid: conversations can last a few seconds or several hours, topics vary, there’s a multitude of ways to convey the same idea (think of how many ways you can say “Yes”), and, in my case at least, the use of Japanese is actually encouraged.
These stark differences arise from the perceived goal of each situation. English class is designed around the idea of passing the high school entrance exam of your choice. The notion that it gives you the tools to read and speak a foreign language can be looked upon as simply an added bonus. Here, students strive for perfection because the better they are, the better school they can get into. Day-to-day conversation, however, is all about conveying ideas. Here, the aim is simply to understand one another in any way possible. This is why discouraging Japanese outside of class is a negative thing in my mind, because it cuts out the valuable overlap you share with your students in exchange for an artificial challenge.
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| No Japanese means wedging students into that middle section while you refuse to do the same. |
Taking a step back and looking at these two distinct spaces, it becomes clear why even the most gifted of students may have trouble with English conversation. While exacting, classroom English is also very narrow. It may be true that only one answer is going to get you a point on the test, but that answer will come from a limited set of information. Again, the material here is fixed and definite. Natural communication, while having a fairly simple goal on the outset, is far more daunting in practice because it can go anywhere and has the potential to run the range of an entire languages lexicon. When I talk to my students, I do try and gauge what level of dialogue I think they can handle, but I don’t sit and ask myself what sentence structures or vocabulary words they know. I’m not quizzing them, but trying to get to know them, so naturally some things are going to come up that they’ve never heard before. At that point, they need to know that it’s okay to use Japanese, to gesture, to draw pictures, and to make mistakes because the only way that communication fails for sure is when one of us gives up.
When my student said that she didn’t feel she was good at talking with me, I suspect she was gauging her speaking ability using the same scale implemented in class. Why wouldn’t she? It’s the only thing she’s familiar with. Every class has grades, tests, and a standard that’s expected to be lived up to. Talking with me is completely different, and I’m sure that’s as terrifying as it is exciting. I only hope this experience serves to encourage her and that she stays passionate about learning and speaking English.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Photo Friday: Baskin Robins Halloween Icecream
In honor of Halloween, enjoy this shot of our seasonal Baskin Robins treat:
In Japan Baskin Robins is called 31. I have no idea why or how this happened, but it's actually handy for teaching kids numbers over 20, as every kid knows what 31 Ice is. This ice-cream was delicious by the way. I have no idea if the same thing is being offered in America, but I highly recommend it if it is.
In Japan Baskin Robins is called 31. I have no idea why or how this happened, but it's actually handy for teaching kids numbers over 20, as every kid knows what 31 Ice is. This ice-cream was delicious by the way. I have no idea if the same thing is being offered in America, but I highly recommend it if it is.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Kendo Kids
You may not know this, but my house stands next to a kendo dojo. Practice is every Tuesday and Saturday, which I knew well before I talked to anyone about it, as the dulcet sounds of children screaming at the top of their lungs could be heard from my living room. Even knowing all this, I’d never set foot inside the dojo until yesterday.
It’s hard to say exactly why I waited so long. I know a part of it has to do with my innate procrastination, but there were other factors as well. Fun as it is, practicing kendo is still more work. I’m now regularly putting in ten-hour days by staying after and playing with the kids. While my workday technically ends, as it always has, around four, it makes the exercise and practice no less tiring. The prospect of getting home around seven and going out to do even more exercise is none too appealing. Lastly, though I’ve been here for well over a year I don’t feel like I’ve made too many Japanese friends and the thought of any kind of social interaction still fills me with hesitation. I no longer feel like I’m terrible at Japanese, but speaking has always been my weakest point, as I imagine it is for most people.
Putting all of that aside, I finally decided to go over to the dojo yesterday. Like the junior high kendo club before it (which I went to on Monday), I was expecting to just go over and watch the kids smack each other with shinai (竹刀,bamboo swords) but was once again asked to join in. I was paired up with the youngest kids who, like me, didn’t wear the full set of gear you usually need to play. We practiced the proper way to perform the aisatsu (あいさつ, greeting) and strikes to the men (面, helmet). Our teacher, who I believe is one of my student’s parents, assured me that I was doing well, but one of the girls thought otherwise and was helping to correct my form. You’d think getting schooled by a seven year old would be embarrassing or degrading, but it was just too adorable for me to care.
Speaking of being adorable, the two girls were having such a great time asking me what random Japanese words were in English. They started with the obvious kendo, dojo, shinai, etc. which are all the same in English because they originated in Japan. I think they grew a little bored of me saying “X is X in English” and began what has to be the most random assortment of words I’ve been asked to translate. They learned milk, ceiling, wall, clothes, good evening, and a number of colors. One of the girls then proceeded to yell “milk” at everyone who entered the dojo. Why is anybody’s guess, but it was certainly amusing.
At the end of the day, I joined the kids for their closing meditation, a stark contrast sitting alongside my tiniest kids, helped clean the dojo, and had my picture taken with everyone. It was a fantastic experience. I’ve been invited to go whenever I’d like, and though it may be a while, as my nearest free day is a week from Saturday, I’m definitely looking forward to it. I’m beginning to get the feeling that certain sports attract certain kinds of people. While not concrete fact, I’ve found that kendo kids tend to be very polite and, somewhat ironically, quiet. This may help explain why, more than any other activity, I’ve received a warm and accommodating reception from my kendo clubs.
It’s hard to say exactly why I waited so long. I know a part of it has to do with my innate procrastination, but there were other factors as well. Fun as it is, practicing kendo is still more work. I’m now regularly putting in ten-hour days by staying after and playing with the kids. While my workday technically ends, as it always has, around four, it makes the exercise and practice no less tiring. The prospect of getting home around seven and going out to do even more exercise is none too appealing. Lastly, though I’ve been here for well over a year I don’t feel like I’ve made too many Japanese friends and the thought of any kind of social interaction still fills me with hesitation. I no longer feel like I’m terrible at Japanese, but speaking has always been my weakest point, as I imagine it is for most people.
Putting all of that aside, I finally decided to go over to the dojo yesterday. Like the junior high kendo club before it (which I went to on Monday), I was expecting to just go over and watch the kids smack each other with shinai (竹刀,bamboo swords) but was once again asked to join in. I was paired up with the youngest kids who, like me, didn’t wear the full set of gear you usually need to play. We practiced the proper way to perform the aisatsu (あいさつ, greeting) and strikes to the men (面, helmet). Our teacher, who I believe is one of my student’s parents, assured me that I was doing well, but one of the girls thought otherwise and was helping to correct my form. You’d think getting schooled by a seven year old would be embarrassing or degrading, but it was just too adorable for me to care.
Speaking of being adorable, the two girls were having such a great time asking me what random Japanese words were in English. They started with the obvious kendo, dojo, shinai, etc. which are all the same in English because they originated in Japan. I think they grew a little bored of me saying “X is X in English” and began what has to be the most random assortment of words I’ve been asked to translate. They learned milk, ceiling, wall, clothes, good evening, and a number of colors. One of the girls then proceeded to yell “milk” at everyone who entered the dojo. Why is anybody’s guess, but it was certainly amusing.
At the end of the day, I joined the kids for their closing meditation, a stark contrast sitting alongside my tiniest kids, helped clean the dojo, and had my picture taken with everyone. It was a fantastic experience. I’ve been invited to go whenever I’d like, and though it may be a while, as my nearest free day is a week from Saturday, I’m definitely looking forward to it. I’m beginning to get the feeling that certain sports attract certain kinds of people. While not concrete fact, I’ve found that kendo kids tend to be very polite and, somewhat ironically, quiet. This may help explain why, more than any other activity, I’ve received a warm and accommodating reception from my kendo clubs.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Shimotsuura Shindig
My home village of Shimotsuura had a festival last Sunday. Rather than simply asking me to come, my neighbors once again invited me to join in. My presence last year warranted an entire article in the newspaper. This year drew somewhat less attention, but still turned a few heads.
The festival, as far as I can tell, has something to do with bringing a shrine to a nearby temple. It also has to do with higanbara, a type of flower that blooms along riverbanks during the week of the equinox. In fact, I believe the event’s real name might be Higanbara Festa.
There is a long precession accompanying the shrine, and I was one of about twenty men who carried these long poles with feathers on the end.
We also wore what I assume to be some manner of traditional dress.
All my things were labeled in English this year.
The poles are quite heavy and the wind was rather strong that day, making the march all the more difficult. To add to this, we were supposed to be dancing down the path to the temple. I say supposed to because I was certainly not the only one having trouble and we all probably walked a better portion of the trail than danced.
As with most social events in Japan, there was a lot of drinking.
Years of being the designated, responsible driver have made it to where I have very little tolerance for alcohol. By the time we got to the temple, I was pretty giddy.
And just in time to meet Amanda and my friend Emily, who came out to this obscure event from Kuratake, a good 40 minute drive away.
The temple gate is the site of the most important moment of the festival, at least as far as my role is concerned. We approached the gate in pairs, dancing in rhythm with the taiko drums. As we neared the gate, there were lines on the ground indicating stopping points. Once we reached the last line, we took three big steps forward, lowered our poles, twisted them to the right then the left, and charged through the gates. I still have no idea why we do this.
After reaching the temple, my part in the festival is pretty much over. From then on, there are performances by the kids involving taiko drumming, flute playing, and short, silent plays involving things like tricking demons into tying themselves up and then killing them. I have to say that the girls look stunning and the boys very cool in their traditional dress. I made sure to get some really great pictures of both groups this year, as did Amanda.
Finally, there was a door prize giveaway and the catching of mochi, a delicious Japanese treat. Amanda and I won matching bags. Emily didn’t win anything, but was given a badminton set by one of the other guys. I hope she can get some use out of it. The amount of mochi you get is supposed to be reflective of the luck you will have and people are pretty serious about snatching up as much as they can. Thanks to her new bag, Amanda was able to snag quite a few for us.
Thankfully, there was no after party. I really don’t think I would have had the energy for one this year. Instead, we headed home after dropping off the clothes. Along the way we ran into one of my neighbor’s girls and helped her carry her things home. She was adorable and she and Emily took great delight in tipping the bag Amanda was trying to balance on her head. All in all, the event was about four hours long. It was another really great day.
The festival, as far as I can tell, has something to do with bringing a shrine to a nearby temple. It also has to do with higanbara, a type of flower that blooms along riverbanks during the week of the equinox. In fact, I believe the event’s real name might be Higanbara Festa.
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| At least, that's what all these banners said. |
We also wore what I assume to be some manner of traditional dress.
All my things were labeled in English this year.
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| I give them an "A" for effort. |
As with most social events in Japan, there was a lot of drinking.
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| We had our own sake cart! |
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| Look at that smile. |
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| Amanda, pictured here with her new moth friend. |
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| Emily helped carry my pole afterward. What a sweetie. |
The temple gate is the site of the most important moment of the festival, at least as far as my role is concerned. We approached the gate in pairs, dancing in rhythm with the taiko drums. As we neared the gate, there were lines on the ground indicating stopping points. Once we reached the last line, we took three big steps forward, lowered our poles, twisted them to the right then the left, and charged through the gates. I still have no idea why we do this.
After reaching the temple, my part in the festival is pretty much over. From then on, there are performances by the kids involving taiko drumming, flute playing, and short, silent plays involving things like tricking demons into tying themselves up and then killing them. I have to say that the girls look stunning and the boys very cool in their traditional dress. I made sure to get some really great pictures of both groups this year, as did Amanda.
Finally, there was a door prize giveaway and the catching of mochi, a delicious Japanese treat. Amanda and I won matching bags. Emily didn’t win anything, but was given a badminton set by one of the other guys. I hope she can get some use out of it. The amount of mochi you get is supposed to be reflective of the luck you will have and people are pretty serious about snatching up as much as they can. Thanks to her new bag, Amanda was able to snag quite a few for us.
Thankfully, there was no after party. I really don’t think I would have had the energy for one this year. Instead, we headed home after dropping off the clothes. Along the way we ran into one of my neighbor’s girls and helped her carry her things home. She was adorable and she and Emily took great delight in tipping the bag Amanda was trying to balance on her head. All in all, the event was about four hours long. It was another really great day.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
English Recitation Contest I: A Brief Summary
Lately, I've been preparing a handful of junior high students for the English event of the year, the annual All-Amakusa English Recitation Contest. Not sure if that's the official title, but it's an apt description. The contest is slated for next week, so I thought it a good idea to give some background on what it's all about before it drives me mad.
The contest is designed to encourage students to learn natural speed and pronunciation of English. To be honest, I don't care in the slightest what my kids sound like as long as I can understand them. The delight many experience from hearing "Engrish" quickly fades when you're around it all the time and have some idea why it exists. I don't like having to correct minor discrepancies in how my kids say certain words, their intonation, or the speed at which they talk. It's also really frustrating when you correct something, the student gets it right, but then they go back to how they were saying it earlier the next time they practice. To sum up, it's really hard to change the way people are used to talking, but that's what this is all about.
To add to my annoyance, it's become clear that American English is the focus here. Not that I have much room to protest this myself, seeing as I am from America, but I imagine it's tough for the ALTs from England, New Zealand, Australia, Jamaica, and the myriad of other English speaking countries JET draws from. Pretty messed up that we ignore that whole international aspect of illustrating English is slightly different all around the world by insisting that there is only one right way to speak it. As a bit of poetic justice, however, our contest will be judged by our New Zealand couple. Also, Emma's American accent was awesomely entertaining. Just try to wrap your head around listening to Japanese kids speaking American English faked by a girl from England. It was bizarre to say the least.
All complaining aside, I would be lying if I said that what my kid's care about isn't important to me. And while some of my students seem content with participating and are only in it for the experience and maybe a day out of school, it has become apparent that my second grade team is taking this pretty seriously. Not to say we aren't having fun with it, but they are the only group, to my knowledge, who have asked what happens if they place and have said they want to win. They have been putting in an amazing effort in spite of being busy with so much other work. I think they sound amazing, of course, but I don't want to get my hopes up. Generally speaking Ushibuka and Hondo, the two densely populated areas of Amakusa, have come out on top in this competition. Not only do kids from these areas have better access to the English cram schools, but there also noticeably larger, think of 3A schools in Texas going up against 1A schools. There are more kids, which translates to a better chance of having the rare child who genuinely cares about English and wants to try hard. All the same, I still have hope that my kids can do it. Wish us luck!
The contest is designed to encourage students to learn natural speed and pronunciation of English. To be honest, I don't care in the slightest what my kids sound like as long as I can understand them. The delight many experience from hearing "Engrish" quickly fades when you're around it all the time and have some idea why it exists. I don't like having to correct minor discrepancies in how my kids say certain words, their intonation, or the speed at which they talk. It's also really frustrating when you correct something, the student gets it right, but then they go back to how they were saying it earlier the next time they practice. To sum up, it's really hard to change the way people are used to talking, but that's what this is all about.
To add to my annoyance, it's become clear that American English is the focus here. Not that I have much room to protest this myself, seeing as I am from America, but I imagine it's tough for the ALTs from England, New Zealand, Australia, Jamaica, and the myriad of other English speaking countries JET draws from. Pretty messed up that we ignore that whole international aspect of illustrating English is slightly different all around the world by insisting that there is only one right way to speak it. As a bit of poetic justice, however, our contest will be judged by our New Zealand couple. Also, Emma's American accent was awesomely entertaining. Just try to wrap your head around listening to Japanese kids speaking American English faked by a girl from England. It was bizarre to say the least.
All complaining aside, I would be lying if I said that what my kid's care about isn't important to me. And while some of my students seem content with participating and are only in it for the experience and maybe a day out of school, it has become apparent that my second grade team is taking this pretty seriously. Not to say we aren't having fun with it, but they are the only group, to my knowledge, who have asked what happens if they place and have said they want to win. They have been putting in an amazing effort in spite of being busy with so much other work. I think they sound amazing, of course, but I don't want to get my hopes up. Generally speaking Ushibuka and Hondo, the two densely populated areas of Amakusa, have come out on top in this competition. Not only do kids from these areas have better access to the English cram schools, but there also noticeably larger, think of 3A schools in Texas going up against 1A schools. There are more kids, which translates to a better chance of having the rare child who genuinely cares about English and wants to try hard. All the same, I still have hope that my kids can do it. Wish us luck!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Photo Friday: Aloe Juice
Got this at the train station in Misumi. It's a refreshing aloe and white grape beverage.
I remember when I was very young, my grandparents had an aloe plant that they would cut open and use on minor cuts and scrapes, calling it "cowboy medicine". It never occurred to me that it would make for a delicious drink, though. To be honest, I remember this tasting pretty good apart from one thing...
It's chunky! That label basically tells you that the drink contains a mess of tiny aloe cubes. Wish I would have taken notice of that before I took a drink. They don't mix in very well either, meaning those last few sips are going to have a texture closer to a thick soup than a drink.
I remember when I was very young, my grandparents had an aloe plant that they would cut open and use on minor cuts and scrapes, calling it "cowboy medicine". It never occurred to me that it would make for a delicious drink, though. To be honest, I remember this tasting pretty good apart from one thing...
It's chunky! That label basically tells you that the drink contains a mess of tiny aloe cubes. Wish I would have taken notice of that before I took a drink. They don't mix in very well either, meaning those last few sips are going to have a texture closer to a thick soup than a drink.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Elementary Sports Day
Last Sunday was sports day for all four of my elementary schools, and indeed for most elementary schools in Amakusa. While I was not invited to join any of them in official capacity, I was asked by several to come as a guest. I was also approached by a representative of my village to participate in one of the events at Urawa. I chose to do the relay race, which, it turned out, was the last event of the day, thus eliminating the possibility of my visiting any other schools. I think it worked out better I the long run, though, to see one sports day in its entirety than several in short bursts.
Sports day is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a day when all the students come in, usually on a weekend, and compete against each other in front of their families and friends. Sports day can be very serious and the weeks leading up to one are usually filled with a lot of practice. Not only practice for practical things like how to march and move during the opening ceremony, but also practicing each event and even practicing the awards ceremony with both results.
I was able to see quite a bit of the practice and have to say I was most excited about what has quickly become my favorite event, the oendan competition. More specifically, I was looking forward to red team’s oendan, as Ren’s younger sister Rena would be leading it. I know I shouldn’t have any bias when it comes to my kids, but it’s hard not to root for the ones that actively try talking to me and get their friends to talk to me as well, regardless of how cheeky they tend to be.
I arrived at the school at 8:15, my usual start time for any work day. After the opening ceremonies, during which there is a speech by the principal and a representative from the PTA, as well as warm up exercises and the raising of the national flag, my kids were off. The first few events were straightforward races starting with the youngest students. Between these races, children from a nearby nursery school performed dances and had short races of their own. Many of the community and nursery school events are designed to give the students a break, as it is still pretty hot out and all the exercise can get quite exhausting. Once all the races were done, it was on to the more interesting events, at least from my perspective.
The next event was a game in which the students from each team, white and red, tried to throw beanbags into a basket held about ten feet in the air. It’s pretty crazy to watch and there doesn’t seem to be much strategy beyond chunking the beanbags toward the basket. I saw a lot of midair collisions that probably derailed potential successes, but the sheer number of kids participating made the points totals quite high and the winner of each game usually only had one or two more than the loser. They played best of three and I believe red ended up winning by a hair in the third match.
Next up was a community event, the centipede race. In it, groups of four stood in a line and tied their legs to two ropes at their sides. In order to move, all four needed to be in synch. Any group that had a member who was a bit too slow or too fast ended up falling over and had to try and reset their rhythm. A guy I know from the Ariake branch office was in one of the first groups and did pretty well. It was at this point that I also noticed that Shimotsuura had its own oendan, complete with a giant prop fan, a drum, a flag, and several pom-poms. It was quite amusing to watch them cheer for our team. Shimotsuura took first place in this event.
The kids did tug-of-war next, which went to the third game and resulted in a win for white team I think. I do recall that the last game was incredibly close and that the rope barely moved either direction from its starting point. I sometimes worry about how evenly divided the teams are, as I have no idea how the teams are decided on, but this seemed to be a case of well-matched opponents.
After a few more races, the initial scores were posted. Around midday, it stood at 231-231. There were a few more community events, including a golf challenge for the older spectators, a family race, and a junior high race. I suppose I’ve neglected to mention it up to this point, but all of my junior high kids who went to Urawa were at the event as well, regardless of if they had a sibling at the school or not. The family race was quite amusing, as my elementary students raced against their mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers. Naturally, I think the parents were holding back, but I’m not sure about some of the siblings. I regret not getting video of this event as I really enjoy making connections between my students and their families. I did record the junior high race, though I’m still not sure how the various teams were decided for it.
There were some wacky races following the junior high that consisted of crawling under a net, running across a balance beam, riding tiny tricycles, and passing a ball shaped like a watermelon between three members of your team. I really like how creative these things can be, but I sometimes feel like the various challenges are not equal and the winner is often decided by which team gets the easiest one toward the end of the race.
Everyone danced the Ariake dance before lunch. I was fortunate enough to have practiced the dance twice, at both Urawa and Dainan, and feel I did quite well. I suppose I was concentrating a bit too hard on getting it exactly right though, because one of the parents told me I needed to smile. After all, the dance is supposed to be fun. It is in no way a competition. I was able to ease up a bit and really had a great time dancing. I’m just sad we only did it once, getting two or three times in during the practice sessions.
As my house is only about a ten-minute walk from the school, I went home during the lunch break and made myself a pizza. I arrived a little late and much to my dismay had missed the opening of the red team’s oendan, but only the first 40 seconds or so. I recorded the rest and was quite impressed by their routine. White team was next and while I feel they were a bit louder, I also thought their performance was a bit easier. It would be a really tough call for me which team did better and I don’t believe it was announced during the closing ceremony like it usually is.
Next was the community tug-of-war. I went out to record a few of the games and one of my junior high girls, Akari, offered to let me wave the flag for Shimotsuura. It was really sweet of her to do that and I know she has a hard time talking to me. Naturally, I accepted her offer and gave my all in waving that flag. It was a lot of fun to help cheer my team to victory. Shimotsuura took first place in this event as well.
There was an event where my kids did some light exercising and made a number of really impressive human towers, the largest of which was easily 12-15 feet tall. I got some great pictures of the brave kids perched at the top, their faces frozen in concentration and fear. Only one of the towers had any problems. During the deconstruction of the tallest tower, Rena toppled off the back. At the time, the tower was already pretty low, though, and one of the teachers was there to catch her. She walked away without a scratch.
A few relay races, including mine, followed. I feel I did okay during my race, and it was really encouraging to hear all the kids cheer for me, despite most of them not being from my area. We ended up in fourth place (out of six) for this race, but were so far ahead at that point that I really didn’t think it would matter.
Lastly, there was the awards ceremony, where white team was declared the winner and a few students were singled out for extraordinary effort. A flag and trophy were also given to representatives from the winning village, Shimotsuura (Yes!). It is always difficult for me at the end of sports day because I want all the kids to be happy. I don’t have a team and it’s quite hard to sit and watch as half the school gets a little choked up from losing. To their credit, the elementary kids were quite good about it. They were upset, but it passed quickly enough, like most things do for students that age. I got one last picture of Rena and her friends (she had painted her face for the oendan and I really wanted a close-up of it) and left, not bothering to help with tear down. I got home around 3:30, nearly a whole workday spent watching my kids play. It was a very good day.
Sports day is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a day when all the students come in, usually on a weekend, and compete against each other in front of their families and friends. Sports day can be very serious and the weeks leading up to one are usually filled with a lot of practice. Not only practice for practical things like how to march and move during the opening ceremony, but also practicing each event and even practicing the awards ceremony with both results.
I was able to see quite a bit of the practice and have to say I was most excited about what has quickly become my favorite event, the oendan competition. More specifically, I was looking forward to red team’s oendan, as Ren’s younger sister Rena would be leading it. I know I shouldn’t have any bias when it comes to my kids, but it’s hard not to root for the ones that actively try talking to me and get their friends to talk to me as well, regardless of how cheeky they tend to be.
I arrived at the school at 8:15, my usual start time for any work day. After the opening ceremonies, during which there is a speech by the principal and a representative from the PTA, as well as warm up exercises and the raising of the national flag, my kids were off. The first few events were straightforward races starting with the youngest students. Between these races, children from a nearby nursery school performed dances and had short races of their own. Many of the community and nursery school events are designed to give the students a break, as it is still pretty hot out and all the exercise can get quite exhausting. Once all the races were done, it was on to the more interesting events, at least from my perspective.
The next event was a game in which the students from each team, white and red, tried to throw beanbags into a basket held about ten feet in the air. It’s pretty crazy to watch and there doesn’t seem to be much strategy beyond chunking the beanbags toward the basket. I saw a lot of midair collisions that probably derailed potential successes, but the sheer number of kids participating made the points totals quite high and the winner of each game usually only had one or two more than the loser. They played best of three and I believe red ended up winning by a hair in the third match.
Next up was a community event, the centipede race. In it, groups of four stood in a line and tied their legs to two ropes at their sides. In order to move, all four needed to be in synch. Any group that had a member who was a bit too slow or too fast ended up falling over and had to try and reset their rhythm. A guy I know from the Ariake branch office was in one of the first groups and did pretty well. It was at this point that I also noticed that Shimotsuura had its own oendan, complete with a giant prop fan, a drum, a flag, and several pom-poms. It was quite amusing to watch them cheer for our team. Shimotsuura took first place in this event.
The kids did tug-of-war next, which went to the third game and resulted in a win for white team I think. I do recall that the last game was incredibly close and that the rope barely moved either direction from its starting point. I sometimes worry about how evenly divided the teams are, as I have no idea how the teams are decided on, but this seemed to be a case of well-matched opponents.
After a few more races, the initial scores were posted. Around midday, it stood at 231-231. There were a few more community events, including a golf challenge for the older spectators, a family race, and a junior high race. I suppose I’ve neglected to mention it up to this point, but all of my junior high kids who went to Urawa were at the event as well, regardless of if they had a sibling at the school or not. The family race was quite amusing, as my elementary students raced against their mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers. Naturally, I think the parents were holding back, but I’m not sure about some of the siblings. I regret not getting video of this event as I really enjoy making connections between my students and their families. I did record the junior high race, though I’m still not sure how the various teams were decided for it.
There were some wacky races following the junior high that consisted of crawling under a net, running across a balance beam, riding tiny tricycles, and passing a ball shaped like a watermelon between three members of your team. I really like how creative these things can be, but I sometimes feel like the various challenges are not equal and the winner is often decided by which team gets the easiest one toward the end of the race.
Everyone danced the Ariake dance before lunch. I was fortunate enough to have practiced the dance twice, at both Urawa and Dainan, and feel I did quite well. I suppose I was concentrating a bit too hard on getting it exactly right though, because one of the parents told me I needed to smile. After all, the dance is supposed to be fun. It is in no way a competition. I was able to ease up a bit and really had a great time dancing. I’m just sad we only did it once, getting two or three times in during the practice sessions.
As my house is only about a ten-minute walk from the school, I went home during the lunch break and made myself a pizza. I arrived a little late and much to my dismay had missed the opening of the red team’s oendan, but only the first 40 seconds or so. I recorded the rest and was quite impressed by their routine. White team was next and while I feel they were a bit louder, I also thought their performance was a bit easier. It would be a really tough call for me which team did better and I don’t believe it was announced during the closing ceremony like it usually is.
Next was the community tug-of-war. I went out to record a few of the games and one of my junior high girls, Akari, offered to let me wave the flag for Shimotsuura. It was really sweet of her to do that and I know she has a hard time talking to me. Naturally, I accepted her offer and gave my all in waving that flag. It was a lot of fun to help cheer my team to victory. Shimotsuura took first place in this event as well.
There was an event where my kids did some light exercising and made a number of really impressive human towers, the largest of which was easily 12-15 feet tall. I got some great pictures of the brave kids perched at the top, their faces frozen in concentration and fear. Only one of the towers had any problems. During the deconstruction of the tallest tower, Rena toppled off the back. At the time, the tower was already pretty low, though, and one of the teachers was there to catch her. She walked away without a scratch.
A few relay races, including mine, followed. I feel I did okay during my race, and it was really encouraging to hear all the kids cheer for me, despite most of them not being from my area. We ended up in fourth place (out of six) for this race, but were so far ahead at that point that I really didn’t think it would matter.
Lastly, there was the awards ceremony, where white team was declared the winner and a few students were singled out for extraordinary effort. A flag and trophy were also given to representatives from the winning village, Shimotsuura (Yes!). It is always difficult for me at the end of sports day because I want all the kids to be happy. I don’t have a team and it’s quite hard to sit and watch as half the school gets a little choked up from losing. To their credit, the elementary kids were quite good about it. They were upset, but it passed quickly enough, like most things do for students that age. I got one last picture of Rena and her friends (she had painted her face for the oendan and I really wanted a close-up of it) and left, not bothering to help with tear down. I got home around 3:30, nearly a whole workday spent watching my kids play. It was a very good day.
Monday, September 20, 2010
What's Your Name?
This year, I've been trying really hard to remember my student's names. I'd estimate at the time of this writing that I teach over 300 students at a normal enough interval that I feel learning their names is a serious priority, so I'm not including some of the 1st-4th graders at the elementary schools that I only teach occasionally in this number. Obviously the first great hurdle for me is the sheer number of students I have. This is exacerbated by the fact that many of my classes are quite erratic in terms of when I visit them. Sadly, in the grand scheme of things, English is seen as something easily dismissed. There are many weeks when I'm not given the opportunity to teach at one school or another and thus miss precious face time with the children.
Another difficulty is the names themselves. Obviously, Japanese and American names share little, if anything, in common (though I have remembered a few like Sarina by thinking of the name Selina). Japanese, being a syllabary language, has a far greater tendency to have names that are very close, or identical in spelling. For instance, I have three Sayakas and two Moes in the same grade. Identical names actually make things easy, it's the names that are close but not quite identical that really give me problems. I have Miku and Mika, Natsumi and Natsuki, Mai and Mei, and Ruri and Riru. And don't even get me started on the class that has Kana and Kanna. This doesn't really pose a problem to native speakers, because they're familiar with the subtle differences between sounds in the language and can differentiate identical sounding names based on the kanji that they're composed of, which is often completely different.
An astute reader may have noticed by now that all the names mentioned up to this point have been girls' names. While this may be indicative of my tendency to be more comfortable around girls, probably a result of being raised by my three older sisters and my mom, there seems to be some truth to the notion that boys' names are just plain harder, as Amanda would no doubt attest. Male names tend to be longer, usually comprised of three kanji as opposed to two for most girls names. They also seem to be more varied. Many girls names have the kanji 美 (mi) and 子 (ko) meaning beautiful and child respectively. Many times names are reflections of traits the parents hope the child has, and who doesn't want a beautiful child? Also the kanji 沙 (sa) is really popular in my area. I have no idea what it means because it's not part of the Joyo kanji list, the 1945 kanji taught in schools that I am trying to learn. Anyway, my point is boys tend to have a wider variety of kanji. I suppose ultimately the traits sought by parents are more varied in males, given that Japan still is predominately a male dominated culture and thus more is likely expected from them. And don't misunderstand, I do know a few of my boys names, but they tend to be the shorter ones like Daiki, Yuki, Kaito, and Akio. When last I tried to comprise a list of junior high students' names off the top of my head, however, I came up with 66 girls and 3 boys.
I am making considerable progress though. When I first wrote this entry in my journal, I could name about forty students. The list I made a few weeks ago consisted of 69 junior high students and about 100 students overall. Now, I imagine those numbers are hovering around 85 and 130. As I mentioned in a previous post, the downside to all of this is the knowledge that some, if not all, of the connections I'm making by learning about my students will be ending next year. I intend on giving my students my email as a graduating/parting gift from me and I hope they'll keep in touch, but I also realize many of them won't. Reflecting on this has also made me realize howlittle I've tried to keep in touch with those teachers who touched my life, and inspired me to try and rectify that.
Another difficulty is the names themselves. Obviously, Japanese and American names share little, if anything, in common (though I have remembered a few like Sarina by thinking of the name Selina). Japanese, being a syllabary language, has a far greater tendency to have names that are very close, or identical in spelling. For instance, I have three Sayakas and two Moes in the same grade. Identical names actually make things easy, it's the names that are close but not quite identical that really give me problems. I have Miku and Mika, Natsumi and Natsuki, Mai and Mei, and Ruri and Riru. And don't even get me started on the class that has Kana and Kanna. This doesn't really pose a problem to native speakers, because they're familiar with the subtle differences between sounds in the language and can differentiate identical sounding names based on the kanji that they're composed of, which is often completely different.
An astute reader may have noticed by now that all the names mentioned up to this point have been girls' names. While this may be indicative of my tendency to be more comfortable around girls, probably a result of being raised by my three older sisters and my mom, there seems to be some truth to the notion that boys' names are just plain harder, as Amanda would no doubt attest. Male names tend to be longer, usually comprised of three kanji as opposed to two for most girls names. They also seem to be more varied. Many girls names have the kanji 美 (mi) and 子 (ko) meaning beautiful and child respectively. Many times names are reflections of traits the parents hope the child has, and who doesn't want a beautiful child? Also the kanji 沙 (sa) is really popular in my area. I have no idea what it means because it's not part of the Joyo kanji list, the 1945 kanji taught in schools that I am trying to learn. Anyway, my point is boys tend to have a wider variety of kanji. I suppose ultimately the traits sought by parents are more varied in males, given that Japan still is predominately a male dominated culture and thus more is likely expected from them. And don't misunderstand, I do know a few of my boys names, but they tend to be the shorter ones like Daiki, Yuki, Kaito, and Akio. When last I tried to comprise a list of junior high students' names off the top of my head, however, I came up with 66 girls and 3 boys.
I am making considerable progress though. When I first wrote this entry in my journal, I could name about forty students. The list I made a few weeks ago consisted of 69 junior high students and about 100 students overall. Now, I imagine those numbers are hovering around 85 and 130. As I mentioned in a previous post, the downside to all of this is the knowledge that some, if not all, of the connections I'm making by learning about my students will be ending next year. I intend on giving my students my email as a graduating/parting gift from me and I hope they'll keep in touch, but I also realize many of them won't. Reflecting on this has also made me realize howlittle I've tried to keep in touch with those teachers who touched my life, and inspired me to try and rectify that.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Pop Culture Passion: Crane Games
I’m addicting to a lot of Japanese pop culture. Anime, tokusatsu, j-pop, and now crane games. It makes sense, after all crane games combine the skill and precision of a video game with the instant payoff of a toy or stuffed animal. I’ve become pretty good at them actually, and now I want to impart a few things I have learned the hard way, so maybe next time you visit Japan you won’t blow all your money trying to win that oversized matsuri circle cat.
Tip #1: Location, Location, Location
Where you play crane games can be every bit as important as how you play them. Look for smaller arcades that are staffed by just a few people. The reasons for this are many. Smaller stores are more likely to offer you help with the machines, literally opening them up and resetting the toys in a better position.
They are also more likely to switch out prizes for you, not only moving the prizes around inside one machine, but trading out a prize from one machine for a similarly sized/priced toy from another. The reason for all this help is simple: these stores want your business. The ones located under a Tsutaya or Taiyo already get enough traffic by virtue of being near big name stores. Furthermore, I believe the small number of pachinko machines they all seem to have toward the back sustain these smaller stores.
Tip #2: Only One Prize is Winnable
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| Hint: It's the Blue One |
With precious few exceptions, there will only be one prize in the stuffed animal machines that you have even the slightest chance of winning. Look for one near to or hanging over the goal. Unlike American machines, you won’t be able to actually lift any of the prizes. Instead, you should try to push them toward the goal. Notice in the picture above how the right arm of the crane hangs down lower than the left. It won't be able to pinch or lift anything. Try to get the closer arm just to the other side of the prize rather than squaring up the claw in the hopes of grabbing it.
Tip #3: Know the Rules
There are a wide variety of crane games in Japan. I’ve played ones where you have to get a pair of glasses to fall off a bar, get bouncing balls to fall into various containers, release marbles into a plinko-like board, and drop dice into a ceramic bowl.
The point here is that the goal of any given game may not be readily apparent, and the rules, while often written on the machine, are obviously in Japanese. The one above explains that you have to get exactly two dice into the bowl and will get a prize based off the total number. Any more than two and you should call over one of the workers to reset it. Not knowing the rules can sometimes lead to wasted games, so it pays to watch a few people play before you try so you can see what they do.
Tip #4: Play For What You Can Win, Not What You Like
It may be tempting to throw a lot of money at the machines where you can win a PSP, DS, or MP3 player, but by and large those prizes are more expensive because the machines are much, much harder to win. If you see something you like, you should give the machine a shot, but if you can tell the game is rigged or simply too difficult, stop and go somewhere else. I’m not saying to play games with prizes you don’t want, just that it’s better to think in terms of if you can win, not whether or not you like the prize.
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| Presents! |
Tip #5: Know When To Quit
As I’ve said, these games can get incredibly addictive. Part of knowing how to play is knowing when to quit. Set a cap for yourself or find some other way to limit the amount of money you spend. I usually spend only 1000 yen per visit to any given shop, or about ten US dollars. Still, I rarely walk out without having won something. Hopefully, if you’re ever in Japan and can actually use this advice, you will find luck playing these games too. And now, a cavalcade of prizes:
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| Cute Chopper |
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| Nightmare Chopper |
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| Probably My Favorite Prize Thus Far |
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| FMA Tumbler |
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| The Care-Bear Stitch Army |
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| Quality Control? What's that? |
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