The most profound statement I’ve ever heard is that “everything you’ve ever learned that was ‘important’ you learned in elementary school.” Sitting here now in the school I’ve realized that my education since elementary school to now wasn’t ‘worthless’ just unnessary. In truth, I believe, the biggest philisophical questions come from 10 year olds who ask basic questions like, “Where do you come from? What do you like? Why are you here? They’re innocent questions in their nature, but behind them are questions we as grown-ups forget to ask sometimes of ourselves.

The first morning meeting felt like an established ritual. The principal stood before the staff room packed with teachers much like a warlord would stand over his Samurai retainers. Messages of the day’s agenda, battle maps, and strategic way points were barked to the teachers. Announcements followed about events that would happen through out the day and the week.

I sat in the back listening intently, even though I only caught maybe 25%-30% of what was really being said. With a nod and a thank you the vice principal stood up and motioned that the meeting was over. The room exploded into activity as teachers rushed around finishing up last minute copies, grabbing lesson plans, and consorting with others on minor details. Soon a bell rang and teachers disappeared into the hallways like mice scurring about a house– disappearing into rooms.

In the wake of that I sat silently in my chair— unsure what to do next.

つづく

More to come…

~J

“Genki” – a word used to describe a state of happiness & cheerfulness. It’s what you express always in the face of boredom, tiredness, loneliness, or whatever real feeling you may have.

This experience, thus far, is something I’ve never felt before in my time on Earth. It’s a mixed feeling of fear & opportunity. A feeling of belonging and a feeling of astrangement. It’s the best of what I like about Japan and what I fear most of all.

Lingering over me is this sense that I need to try my best not to screw this up. To get better at communicating; to get stronger in my Japanese ability. To work towards hegemony between my Western American roots and Japan’s hard and fast cultural identity.

No matter how impossible this sounds, this is going to be my challenge. It probably will also change me drastically in the process.

~J

I think I’m at the point where the big stuff has been taken care of and now it’s just discovering problems and fixing them on the fly.

Let’s call this “Pandora’s Box Settling In”.

I don’t think you’ll run into as many odd conundrums as you’ll find here. Take for example the battle between convience, necessity, & space.

Recently I had a few guys over who brought with them a package of sliced bread. It was in the morning and logically one of them wanted toast. To make toast you need an oven or a toaster and I didn’t have one. So no toast that day..

The next day I went to the ‘home convenience’ store “Sunday” to buy a toaster oven. Of course there wasn’t just 1, but 10 different models ranging from $19 to $100. All of them promised to torch your bread, nuke your pizza, or fry your shrimp in amazing time at turbo heat levels that would make the sun’s surface look like an Eskimo beach. I settled for the on sale version named “efeel”… The ironic joke was the name for a “Toaster Oven” here is “Oobun To-su-taa”. In essence it was $20 for a white box with a knob that’ll let you crank it up to 15minutes. I bought it because there was a big picture of toast on the front.

So I bought that and some other stuff and took it home. Upon arriving home I detected a small problem. My Microwave sits on my refrigerator– My rice cooker is sitting on top of my microwave. I’m not going to set my new toaster oven on top a rice cooker. So now I’m on it to find a stand that you could put stuff on like the aforementioned appliances. As well as stack dishes on top.

I suppose I’ll go out and find a perfect one that turns out to be 5cm too wide that blocks my door or something.

Yeah I’m liking it… liking it alot

-J

It’s no big secret that I do have a car and that I have problem driving it. The thing about it is that it’s better suited for farther exploration then for putting around town. This is where I’ve opted recently to take the apartment’s mountain bike around and just ride it till I tire out.

Initially I was going to try the ‘run everyday’ in the morning routine. That’s something that I still want to do, but these past days have had some late nights.

So– like today– I took my bike out and rode to the new & used book store to pick up some kanji kentei books for my next endeavor I’ll write about soon. I also went looking for sandals and found some Japanese ‘zoori’ (?) or traditional bamboo sandals– as well as some– some uh… let’s call them knock off ‘crocs.’ These shoes actually are pretty comfortable. I’ve found that a size 28 fits me ‘ok.’ The best would be between a size 29 & 30– but I’ll make due. Size 28 is actually the very top of ‘mostly available’ shoes here.. the one thing though is that they’re often narrow, not wide.

Anyway– I have tons of video from tonight’s nebuta-ish matsuri parade, and video from Mutsu’s big nebuta that I participated in. Then tomorrow is an another thing.. If I get a decent period of free time I’ll start editing up those videos and start posting them… and my motivation for doing so will be to clear out my camera’s hard drive (40GB) that’s just about full… lol

Ok time for bed.. (10:53pm)

Oyasuminasai~

~J out

I know I probably should post more.. Especially posts with pictures, however– it comes down to my cat like wonderment that’s eating my time.

I remember once when our family got a cat. The first week or so the cat walked around the house and sniffed everything– testing if this surface was solid, or whether this thing was food. For now that’s me– eventually, like the cat, I’ll acclimate and find my rhythm.

Jyaa.. Tomorrow is a sorta med. size day. I’ll be dressing up and meeting school officials as their new ALT.

~J out

Ok Tokyo will have to come later… because I think showing off Mutsu is more important..

The format for R3d’s Photo-dump will be picture + description– rather then some big ‘ole extrapolation on what’s happening or what I’m thinking.

Ok here we go (all via my Flickr acct.)

Taking off from Haneda Airport in Tokyo for the 1 hour flight across cloudy Japan to Aomori Prefecture.

My new boss Furusato-Sensei (who’ll I’ll talk about later) and my new friend “Mike” picked me up at the airport and drove me 3 hours too Shimokita. However, not before we stopped to have…

A Giant bowl of Maguro (Tuna) Fish & Rice! Ha ha..

We finally arrived at my apartment, but before I could crash I had to greet my apartment manager. (As a hint.. if you’re not sure what to do *bow* then *apologize* lol).

Finally my apt manager, my boss, and others who dropped in to say “hello” ‘read that I was tired’ and let me close the door in peace.

I Live at Crestwood Plaza

It’s a pretty neat apartment place. At first I thought it was small… then I cleaned it up a bit– moved stuff around– and got some space back.. But I think soon I’ll learn to live lighter and smaller… or at least I hope so.

The complex I’m in is actually 8 apartments divided into two sets of fours (like a duplex). There’s another complex in front and houses in the back. I live in the apartment behind that blue rav4 with the ski rack (my current car btw).

These are our neighbors. They’re not much to look at, but to me it appears to be a mechanic shop of some type. Someday I’ll walk over and say “konnichiwa.”

The useful thing is that our neighbors have a jidohanbaiki (?) or vending machine like 10 yards away from my door.

Power and Trees… Very green in Mutsu.. It has a unique Japanese-ish/northwest feel to it

Peace and quiet is broken up three times a day by this public address system which is planted about 20 feet from my bedroom window. (Goes off everyday @ 12, 5, & 7pm)

Two things I find odd about Japan… It’s a mostly cash based society and mostly Gas centric. From the cooking stove to the kerosene heater in my living room.

With that being the case.. It’s important to have plenty of “easy to use” extinguishers around.

When I got here the nebuta festival was starting to wrap up. This caravan just passed by our street at around 6 or 7pm.

Nebuta Float

Around Mutsu City

I’d be lying if I said I’ve seen all of Mutsu.. It’s difficult enough just getting used to Japan. However– It’s a weird, but awesomely different place.

(bento & Rice balls over the flower bridge?)

Last time I lived here in Japan three years ago in Atsubetsu-ku/Sapporo City– I described living in Japan as being somewhere sort of familiar, but three quarters size and one off from ‘normal.’

The stores look right, but they’re smaller.

I think the little things make it special even when no one else recognizes it.

Some things pull you right into thinking you’re in Japan/Asia.

Some things remind you of home– or at least what you wish your home had every now and then.

Signs, I think, in Japan to foreigners take some time get used too. You think you know this one, but you can’t be sure. (Aomori Prefecture, property of

It’s politics season– and while I thought Mutsu wasn’t a big player in Japan– these political signs are everywhere promoting the big election Aug. 30.

This Onsen sign brings me to another project I want to work on for fun.. That’s mount Kamafuse in the background and I want to do a 100 pictures b&w of Mount Kamafuse from all over and from different angles (The bay, store windows, car windows, everywhere — 100 shots)

kamafuse from Mutsu’s wharf.

This is “Sanwado” an everything store that packs– well everything– from DIY to fishing gear to food to camping gear.

I think something charming about Mutsu is how close to the country side we are. This was about 15 minutes or less out of town.

more country side

cool chair shot.. I didn’t set this one up either I found them like that.

Can you believe this is in Japan too?

These next three are for my Dad who likes people shots.. “Japanese fisherman fishes at Mutsu’s Wharf”

Watching the tide

man walks his dog

Shots from Mutsu Bay

Fishing village

Old fishing boats

Hungry bird

Out to Sea in Mutsu Bay

Fishing boats…

Kamafuse and My Car.

Ok more to come of “Oma’s Blue Marine Festival” and “Kawauchi’s Festival.”

Hope you’re enjoying

~J out

In hopefully many posts i`ll describe what seems to be a mutual double helix of euphoria and frustration. However, for the most part I`m doing g.r.e.a.t! This ゛getting the net゛ thing has been a pretty good insight into what I probably will be facing all year. Thus please indulge me for a sec.

I think it started when my new boss and I were getting my cellphone setup. He had mentioned a bundle deal with NTT that could land me a house phone and internet. The question arose sometime around there if I needed help ゛setting up the internet.゛ What I thought that meant and what it really meant were to totally different things.

Eventually on a cloudy tuesday the NTT man showed up (late) to hook up my cables. He opened up a router box hooked it up to the wall, then my phone, told me some stuff and left. I instantly jumped over to plug my laptop in and get online, but alass it didn`t work. The thing is here in Japan I received a paper from NTT with some access info and next I recieved another letter from a local service provider. One I knew about the other I nearly threw away.. Both were dreadfully important.

I ended last night basically completely defeated. Nothing worked and I was at my wits end.

The next day felt better… I had slept a little and I had a crazy thought. I would go to the local electronics store (K`s Denki) and buy the cheapest computer they had. This would serve me as my home theater pc and navigating any Japanese software problems. The cheapest– decent computer ran me about 39man or nearly $400. It really is a nice PC that I know I`ll use like I did at home for gaming and stuff.. but for this story it hooked me up to the internet finally.

The biggest issues here that troubled me were A) Not knowing what was going on. B) Figuring out the language. C) Paying attention to details.

Regardless… I feel good now.

Pictures are on their way.

~J out

(using a Japanese keyboard)

Last night I arrived in a haze of “welcome to Japan” signs. I was tired and hungry, but all of us was cattle herded right to the hotel with no problems.

Today I’ll be headed to many opening “welcome” speeches and small classes.. Should be exciting or at least awesome.

I love it here.. I’ve forgotten all the small details that make Japan so special. Like the bullhorn people use to get you into their little Japanese restaurant, or the little command control on the Toilet for endless configurable settings, or the way a yukata belt is folded on the dresser for you to use after you’ve taken a nice long Japanese bath..

It’s great! Just great!

~J out

(Actually written at 6am JST/2:00pm PST)

Today I’m leaving for Japan… I tried setting up the posting thing for England posts but I got side tracked so I guess I write that on the plane and post it later.

To my current readers I want to thank you so much for reading my posts about this and that. You’ve survived posts from my last Japan Trip.. My return.. and a whole election season.

Now I hope you’ll enjoy my new focus to bring you Mutsu Japan. A wonderful place I believe that’s unlike anywhere else.

To New Readers of the blog:

YOKOSO! From Mutsu City, Japan. I hope as a part of my role as an educator to teach you and others about something you don’t already know. Those who’ve read my stuff know I enjoy new perspectives contra to the mainstream. Some of my ramblings are controversial– some introspective… All hopefully different from what you’ve read before.

It’s important that on an adventure you pay attention to details others miss. It’s important that you state opposing view points and it’s important to communicate & express yourself however best you can.

Often people will say to “be yourself”– I agree in a way, as long as yourself is fluid and open to change.

Above all– I love Japan– at the core of everything is that. I also love America, not for the beauty- but for the contra spirit. My role will be to negotiate both worlds like a circus ring leader. This blog, I hope, will serve to share thoughts from that perspective.

Stay cool people… enjoy my writings… and above all.. remember to:

Live the Adventure Yourself!

~J out