American vs. Japanese schools

Hello again everybody! I know it's been a hot minute since I've updated this blog (and by a hot minute I mean two months...) and for that, I apologize! It has been very busy on this end but I'm back today with an interesting topic! American vs. Japanese schools! Please note that I can only really speak on Junior high schools, as I only work in a single junior high. However, all Japanese schools, especially junior and high schools, tend to be quite similiar.

The School Year and Grade Levels

In America, the school year typically starts in August and ends in May or June.
In Japan, the school year starts in April and ends in March. They have about a month off for summer vacation in August, about two weeks off in the winter (end of December to early January), and another week or so between each school year in the spring. However, students still usually have to come to school for club activities and they often have a lot of homework over their breaks.

As for grade levels, junior high schools in America are usually grades 6 to 8. In Japan, junior high schools are grades 7 to 9. They are called first, second, and third years though.

Getting to School

In America, most students take school buses or are driven to school by their parents.
In Japan, students regularly walk or bike to school, even when in elementary school. There are very few (if any) "school" buses depending on location (there are no real school buses, they would mostly be regular city buses that come close to the school), and their parents do not drive them, even in winter.
There are some exceptions. For example, one of my second years hurt her foot and had to use crutches so her parents drove her to school (but only for about a week). Students that live far away may also be able to take a bus closer to their schools.

School Uniforms

Most schools in America, aside from religious or private schools, do not have or require uniforms. Any dress code they do have may seem strict to the students but it is actually pretty relaxed compared to Japan.

Once students move to junior high school in Japan, they are required to wear uniforms. There are summer and winter uniforms as well as a track suit (or informal) version. At my school, the students informal and summer uniform are the same thing but that isn't always the case.
In the winter at my school, my students arrive in their formal, warmer winter uniform but change to their informal track uniforms for classes such as gym or art to keep them clean.

Uniforms often have some sort of color coding to distinguish grade level too. My first year's name tags, as well as the name embroidered on their informal uniforms, are red. My second years are green and my third years are blue. Below is a picture of my school's informal uniforms. These are NOT current students (as we are not allowed to post images of our students). The formal uniforms are not my school, as my boys wear western jackets and ties and my girls have light blue bows instead of red. But this will give you an idea of what Japanese school uniforms look like.

There is no makeup, nail polish, jewelry, or dyed hair allowed and if girls have long hair, they have to wear it up. Because of this, you will see a lot of girls that just keep their hair cut short.

Shoes

In America, staff and students do not change their shoes when they enter school.

In Japan, there are designated areas for staff and students to enter where they remove their outdoor shoes, step up into the school, and put on their indoor shoes before placing their outdoor shoes into their assigned cubby or locker. This keeps the school cleaner. Here is a picture of the bottom of my indoor shoes. I've been wearing them almost every day for almost five months now and they're still pretty clean!



The students (at least at my school/in my city) get their indoor shoes from the school so they all have the same pair. They are color coded for each grade. First years are red, second years are green, and third years are blue just like their name tags mentioned above. You can see the style of shoe in the classroom image above.

Classrooms and Teacher Rotations

In America, teachers have their own rooms and students move for each class.

In Japan, it is the opposite. Students are assigned a homeroom and they will stay in their homeroom all day while the teachers come to them each period. This means students keep their stuff in their classrooms and don't need lockers. Students do still move for classes such as P.E., home economics, music, science, and art though. Because of this, all teachers have desks in what is called the 職員室 (Shokuinshitsu, or staff room).

In regards to teachers, in America, they can stay with and retire from one school if they want to.
In Japan, teachers are forced to rotate schools every so many years. I have two teachers at my school that have been here for almost 10 years and they are unicorns! Usually, teachers are moved anywhere between every 1 and 4 years depending on their certification.

Air Conditioning and Heat

American schools have both centrail air conditioning and heating. This means the temperature is controlled and the entire school stays warm or cool depending on the season. Buildings in America are also insultaed to help with this.

In Japan, buildings are NOT insulated. There is also no central AC or heat. This means that in the summer, all the school windows are open. No rooms (at least at my school) have AC except for the nurse's room. In the winter, the classrooms are heated by standard kerosene heaters (just like houses and apartments). However, the hallways are not and easily dip to single digit Celsius so we do our best to stay out of them.

Starting Class and Formalities

Classes in America just start when the bell rings, the teacher usually going right into the session. In the hallways, students also don't have to greet every teacher they see.

In Japan the students stand up, greet the teacher(s), bow, and sit down. Classes end the same way.
Students are also expected to greet teachers in the hallway with "ohayou gozaimasu" (good morning) or "konnichiwa" (hello/good afternoon). Even if this means saying it 7 times in a row to each teacher. They must also knock and say "shitsurei shimasu" (excuse me) when entering the staff room and "shitsurei shimashita" (excuse me past tense) when exiting.

Tests

In America, teachers in each class can give tests whenever they feel like it. They schedule their own tests and students have to take them, even if this means having a different class test every day.

In Japan, there are specified test days where students have tests in all main subjects. The entire week leading up to this test usually consists of the students just studying during each period for that class's test.

Failing

In America, if you don't do well enough in school (fail tests, don't turn in homework, etc.) you get held back and you have to pass your classes to move forward.

In Japan, students cannot fail a grade. A student can fail every test, not turn in homework, and skip classes and still move on to the next grade. So if a student isn't doing well, they just get further and further behind and it's really hard to catch up. This is one of the only downsides I've seen to the Japanese school system.

Lunch

In America, students eat in a cafeteria and not all classes/students eat at the same time. Students can bring lunches or eat the school lunch. The school usually has a few options and students don't have to eat anything they don't like.

Japanese lunch is made away from the school and delivered to the schools. All classes eat at the same time and students eat in their homerooms. When the bell rings for lunch, a few students from each class carry the food, milk, and plates/utensils to their classrooms. Then students serve each other and, once everyone has been served, they all say "itadakimasu" before eating.  It's a lot better quality and a lot healthier than lunch in the U.S.

Cleaning

American schools have janitors that clean the schools, usually after school hours.

In Japan, students are responsible for the cleaning. Every day, we have about 15-20 minutes where staff and students clean. Students from each class are split into small groups and then assigned a part of the school. Fo rexmple, I clean with 5 third year students every day and we are responsible for the entire corridor in front of the principal's office and the staff room. Some students clean hallways, stairwell, bathrooms, or classrooms. Each student is assigned a duty, such as sweeping, mopping, cleaning windows/windowsills, vacuuming rugs, cleaning the chalkboard, etc. Maintinence people come to take care of bigger or major issues though. Students also tend to be less apt to litter or make a mess if they know they have to clean it up!

Club Activities

American schools tend to offer a few clubs/sports activities but they are completely optional.

In Japan, students are required, or at least very strongly encouraged, to join a club. They can choose their clubs at the beginning of their 1st year and they will participate in that club until about halfway through their 3rd year. At that time, they have to leave the club to focus on studying for high school entrance exams. Students and their supervising staff practice after school almost every day and often on Saturdays and during breaks (summer, winter, etc.) as well.

Not every school offers every type of club but my school is lucky enough to offer a wide variety!
We have: baseball, boys and girls basketball, bandminton, soccer, softball, volleyball, tennis, table tennis, swimming, track and field, art, taiko, band, and culture club.

School Events

American schools hold the occasional dance, pep rally, or sports event.

In Japan, they do not have dances but they have other large events such as chuutaiden (sports day), bunkasai (school culture festivals), and chorus competitions.

I've done a post about my city's chuutaiden so I will link that here (https://courtneyinhirosaki.blogspot.com/2019/09/sports-days.html).

For sports days on school grounds, classes compete with each other in various athletic events. The students practice for weeks and it really gets their competitive spirits to come out. At my school, my kids jumped rope as classes (as in 27 to 38 kids at once with one long rope), ran a baton relay that had every student (yes, all 430) run with the baton, did exercises, and we had caterers bring in food and make yakisoba for us. It was a blast! My school combined our sports day and bunkasai so after the relay, we were all able to go inside for songs, tea ceremonies, and other cultural events.

In a chorus competition, each homeroom class perform songs (usually the same song first to make judging easier and a song of their choosing for the second) and classes are ranked in each grade level. I heard my students practicing for this more almost two months before it happened. The students themselves play the piano and conduct, no teachers involved!

Work Appropriate Clothing

Hello again! Now, this isn't the update I originally promised you the other night. Trust me, I'll have a lot more cool things to share with you all after the weekend! Though I do love using this blog as a way to share my wonderful experiences, I also wanted to take some time and add a bit more useful information on ths blog about working as an ALT.

JET Guidelines

It is pretty universal throughout JET that you will dress in business attire at your school. However, the level of business will vary depending on your BOE and school, varying from very business casual and comfortable to strict full-suit attire, so please be sure to check with your own supervisors. The rule of thumb is that you go in on your first day in full suit/formal attire. I.E. suit pants/skirt (to the knees or below!), dress shirt/blouse, ties if you are male, and a blazer. You will be most likely be arriving at one of the hottest times of the year but please bear with it. Usually you will be encouraged to remove the blazer once you've arrived and it is just a formality to show respect. 

If you have tattoos however, you will VERY likely have to cover them. I have not heard of many, if any at all, BOEs and schools that allow you to show tattoos. While times are slowly changing in Japan (like the same sex partnerships they're starting to make legal!), tattoos still have a stigma. Even being America or any other form of Gaijin, you should respect the Japanese culture. My teachers all know about my tattoos and they have seen most of them. They don't mind them and they find them kind of cool. But they still do not want the children being exposed to them so please keep this in mind. You may have to suffer through some heat for the first couple of months.

Also, please note that you will need a pair of indoor shoes! In Japan, students and teachers change out of their outdoor shoes at the school entrances and put them in their assigned lockers. Then you put on your indoor shoes before proceeding further into the school. I am lucky to have only one school but please also remember that if you have multiple schools, you will either need to invest in multiple pairs of indoor shoes (not really feasible) or remember to take them with you when you leave each school. That is the easiest and cheapest way to do it, especially because sometimes your visit school won't have a locker for you to leave the shoes in anyway. Thankfully, Japan isn't big on fancy shoes all the time unless it's a ceremony or something really important. I bought a pair of Puma tennis shoes for about $27 at a local sports store and they've been working wonderfully. Some teachers at my school wear tennis shoes, crocs, toe shoes, or other easy to remove/change shoes! If you forget to bring your indoor shoes, you will have to wear the school slippers and they can be very uncomfortable or fall ofs easily.

Warm-Biz vs Cool-Biz

Japanese schools also go through times called "warm-biz" and "cool-biz".

Cool-Biz will be in session when you frist arrive in Japan. It goes from around June to October. Teachers are able to wear short sleeved dress shirts and blouses as well as half-pants/capris and skirts/dresses. Women will still be expected to wear sheer pantyhose if their legs are showing but they're pretty cool and easy to deal with. Men will not have to wear jackets and ties. Even if you see teachers wearing gym shorts and t-shirts though, JETs are still expected to dress a bit more respectably. Again, if you have tattoos on your arms or legs, you will most likely have to suffer through long sleeves and pants so try to find thin, cool fabrics and bring a hand fan!

Warm-Biz begins usually around the start of October and goes until June. This is the transition to fall and winter clothing and you will see the students switch to their winter uniforms at the same time. This usually means you need shirts that go past your elbows at least and, at most schools, means a tie and jacket for the men. Women can still wear skirts and dresses but they are expected to wear black tights/stockings instead of sheer. Cardigans are allowed as well but please be aware that jeans are not to be worn at school at any time.

My School

My school is pretty relaxed with dress code but there was a marked change between cool and warm-biz. The day warm-biz started, the male teachers were all wearing jackets and ties when they had just been wearing short sleeves and open collars. The female dress didn't change a whole lot but I do have to say female teachers have a few more clothing options in terms of derss code year round. Now there are just long sleeves and black stockings as well as more cardigans and blazers. Below I have added some pictures of a week's worth of my school wardrobe.

Monday - Black tights, skirt, sparkly blank tank top, and a warm cardigan!

Tuesday - Black tights, teal skirt, and striped blouse.



Wednesday - A sweater and work pants. Obviously I also put socks on before leaving the apartment!



Thursday - A nice blouse and petti fore-style dress with black tights.

Friday - Black dress pants, black socks, and a nice white blouse.

Overall, I just try to keep my school wardrobe looking professional. My hair is usually down or in a half ponytail/braid. I can't wear it in a full ponytail because of a tattoo on the back of my neck but I notice many teachers wear their hair up to keep it out of their faces. I do find having some of it pulled back to be a bit easier to manage because you will do aisatsu (greetings) at the beginning and ending of class, as well as at assemblies, that will require bowing and it's just very nice to not have keep pushing it out of your face when you straighten up! So this was a look into ALT/Japanese school dress code. Again, every situation is different and, though I do find dress code tends to be pretty similar straight across schools, be sure to check with your own school regarding what is expected of you.

School Update and Rice Harvest!

Hello everyone!

First, I would like to apologize for how long it has been since my last update! It has been a bit hectic lately but in a very nice way!

Work

First I want to update everybody on how work is going! I have been in Japan for just over 2 months now and I have really settled in well at my school. The teachers are all very nice and patient with me. My Japanese is not very good but they see that I practice regularly and that I have already improved. I've been told that my Japanese is "Jouzu", which means that it is very good. I'm sure they're just being nice but it's still very nice to hear! My vice principle practices English with me every day as well with small conversations. She is the sweetest woman ever and is always so excited when she remembers phrases and it makes me feel very welcome to be able to have such patient people supporting me!

For the first month or so, I hardly went to classes and I spent most of my time desk-warming. I was beginning to feel bad and a bit useless with how often I was just at my desk but things picked up, I approached my JTEs about classes, and I've been able to go regularly now!

After I first arrived in August, I only went to 4 classes for the entire month and I had 12 classes in the month of September, which was a nice change. As of right now, I have already had 30 classes for the month of October and I will have even more coming! It keeps me busy and I am often very tired when I come home (hence the reason I haven't updated!) but I really think it helps the day go by much faster and I love seeing my kids. 

Right now, I mostly teach first years and I have gotten very close with them already. They're very sweet, funny, and eager to learn. It's really nice now that they know me because they aren't afraid to say hello or approach me even outside of class or school.

I just started teaching the second years recently as well. They are a bit more difficult at times but they still do their best and once they warm up to me more, I think we will have a lot of fun! I haven't been teaching third years because they are very busy with tests and preparing for high school. However, I clean with a group of third years every day and they're very sweet and extremely smart! I want them to do their very best so I help them practice some English while we work.

Overall, I've fallen in love with my school, students, and my supportive teachers. I am currently starting a Japanese class as well so I am hoping to be able to speak with everyone even more shortly.

Rice Harvesting

I'm going to throw this update in with my school update because it's a pretty short one. I haven't had as much time to explore lately but back at the end of September, I was able to do something really cool! Myself and a group of other ALTs were able to help harvest the rice field in the village of Inakadate! They are very well known for their rice field art. Since 1993, the farmers of Inakadate have been creating art on rice paddy fields. They use both purple and yellow-leaved rice as well as their local green-leaved rice to create the images. These pictures last all through growing season until it is time to harvest them. You can volunteer to plant the rice as well but I came in to late to do that. I'm going to try next year though! Below you can see some images of past art!

Now here is an image of this year's art before it really started growing. You can still see the design! Below that are the images of us harvesting! ^__^

We had a really great time and I'm hoping to do it again next year! I'll also get a free bag of rice in November once it's been dried and processed so that's really nice! For right now, that's all I have for you but I'm hoping to be doing some fun things this weekend so I'll be able to update again as soon as possible. Until then, thanks for reading!

Takayama Inari Shrine and Hirosaki Pagoda

You're all very lucky because you're getting two updates in one day! This post will be about a couple of place I have been lucky enough to visit this weekend.

Shrines in Japan

Before getting too far into this, I want to tell you all a little bit about shrines in Japan. At the entrance of a shrine or of sacred ground, there is a Torii gate. This marks that approach and entrance of a shrine.
Komainu are a pair of guardian dogs or lions that are often found on each side of a shrine's entrance. In the case of Inari shrines (shrines honoring the God Inari) these statues will be foxes instead, as the fox is seen as a messenger for Inari.
These shrines will also have Shimenawa, or straw ropes with white paper strips, hanging above them. This marks the boundary of something sacred.
The purification trough is found near the entrance as well. The water found here is used to purify your hands and mouth before approaching the main hall or shrine. You do this by taking the ladle provided, filling it with fresh water, and rinsing both hands. Start with your left hand, your right hand, then your mouth. Do NOT return any water from the ladle to the fountain and dispose of it beside it to the ground instead.
The main or offering hall is where you throw a coin into the offering box (usually 5 yen) and ring the large bell there to get the Kami's (God) attention. Then you bow twice, clap your hands twice, and bow again before praying.

Hirosaki's 5-story Pagoda

Yesterday, a few of us walked to the 5-story pagoda in Hirosaki. It was closed to the public by the time we got there but the shrine itself is always open and I was able to get a picture of the pagoda!



This is the first shrine I have ever been to. Thankfully I had studied up on Japanese shrines during my college capstone paper so I knew what to do but it was definitely still a momentous event! I am far from being a religious person but if there were one religion I could jive with, it would be Shintoism. The sacred feeling of this shrine put me at peace and the rhythm and ceremony of paying your respects to the shrine and its Kami brings a sense of thoughtfulness and tranquility.

Takayama Inari Shrine

Today, myself and 3 of the other Hirosaki ALTs took a trip to the Takayama Inari Shrine in Tsugaru City. This shrine is similar in appearance to the famous Fushimi Inari shrine in Kyoto but it is not as large.
The first building we passed was one where you could buy small fortunes and lucky, blessed) Omamori (or charms).

You can see the very thick shimenawa rope with its white paper strips here very clearly!

 
Here you can see one of the Komainu statues. There was another on the other side of the path, guarding the entrance into the shrine.


Here is a monk climbing the stairs to the shrine just past the Komainu statues. You can also see one of the small shimenawa ropes marking the entrance to sacred land.


A pair of fox statues guarded the foot of the staircase that led to all the torii gates. The Japanese believe that all living and non-living things have souls or awareness so you'll often see statues dressed up like this!


This is a picture of one of the shrines, as there are multiple within the compound. It is hard to see in the picture past the torii but there is a large, thick shimenawa rope hanging overhead and the two ropes you see hanging down are to ring the large bells. The offering box sits just at the top of the steps.


This was a long line of guardian statues. As you can see, they've all been given "clothing"! I thought it was sweet and very thoughtful that even the smallest of guardians was given something. Like the ones below. It is obviously old but this couple had one as well. There was also money (1 yen) being left on most of them. I left some behind for this cute couple as well as a few others as thanks for their jobs well done.


Finally!! What I'm sure you've all been waiting for:


This picture was taken from the top of the shrine's path. You can see how this shrine resembles the Fushimi Inari in Kyoto! The only difference is that there are less torii gates and they are not as big. It was still a beautiful sight to see.

Overall, though both of these shrines were different from each other in obvious ways, they were both wonderful experiences. Experiences I will definitely be having again! I hope you all enjoyed this update and please feel free to send along any questions you may have about Japan or shrines!

中体連 - Sports days!

Hello everyone! I would like to apologize once more for the delay and large gap in posting! I
have been exhausted lately and terribly busy since school has begun and is in full swing. I
wanted to update you all on what I have been up to lately. I have not had the chance to go
out and explore much more because of school.

BUT, I did just get the chance to participate in Hirosaki’s 中体連 (chuutaiden)！A chuutaiden
is a city-wide sports festival where all Hirosaki junior high school sports teams compete. It
is not a tournament or competition so there is no prize for the winning teams. However, it is
a really fun way for the students to compete with others and show off how hard they have
all been working! Plus, if you get bragging rights over the other ALTs, that’s just a bonus! I
was not able to go around and see everyone compete, but I did cheer on our softball team
both days. Softball is not my favorite sport (let’s be honest, I don’t really like sports much at
all) but teachers and students are assigned teams to cheer for if they do not participate with
one in particular. I had no problem going to cheer on our girls with three other teachers and
close to 50 students!

That is another thing about this type of event. All staff and students are required to go
unless they are taking a test at school even though this event occurred on Saturday and
Sunday! In Japan, many students (especially junior or senior high third years) go to school
on a weekend to take tests, study, or participate in club activities. So, my Saturday and
Sunday were spent out in the sweltering heat and sun with my children! It was very hot and
sunny both days, so we sat the children and ourselves in the shade as much as possible
and made sure everybody had drinks. Side note, another amazing thing I have found in
Japan to keep the heat away (though they are meant for fevers) are these beauties! They
are fever reducing patches for your forehead and they are very cold when you stick them
on! Many of us used them that weekend. Now, I do not want to sound like I am complaining
about having to participate because it was quite fun! I also received Tuesday and
Wednesday as compensation days off, so it isn’t like we were working extra-long weeks
either.

We all used little yellow megaphones and cheered our girls on, did school chants, and I got
into it. The students and team really enjoyed (read: found it funny and encouraging) when
their bad-at-Japanese American ALT cheered and sang along in Japanese! I was proud to
be able to loudly tell my students “いいよね！” (iiyone – That was good!), “ドンマイ！”
(Don’t mind), and “頑張!” (Do your best!). I also noticed more of the children watching got
more into cheering when us teachers joined in so it’s true that they tend to follow by
example.

Our softball team won the first day but lost the second. Our baseball team also won all but
their final game that weekend (one game they won was four hours long!). I am not sure
how our other teams did (tennis, boys’ and girls’ basketball, volleyball, soccer, badminton,
and track and field) but they all had their own cheer squads too.

So, even though I ended up giving up a weekend, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with my
kids and got to speak with them a bit more. I have also found that, so far, I really enjoy the
teamwork and support aspect of Japanese culture. Though it may be a bit inconvenient
sometimes, these students and teachers give up much of their free time to support each
other and cheer each other on. You can see how grateful everybody is that receives this
support and they show their gratitude by bowing to the cheer groups at the end of each
game. They are all very hard workers and my first ever chuutaiden was a great, fun
experience!

That’s all until next time! My school will be having their yearly festival next week so I will be
able to update about that experience as well so please look forward to it!

Work, Orientaiton, and the Apple Park!

Hello everybody! I'm sorry that it has been a little while since my last post! I've been very busy with my first week of school, visited Hirosaki's Apple Park, as well as my final, prefectural orientation. So I have quite a little bit to talk about!

Work

I started work last Monday, August 19th. I originally wasn't supposed to be starting until Tuesday but one of my JTEs (Japanese Teachers of English) requested that I come in for an hour on Monday to help with coaching for the upcoming English contest. I went in an ended up being there for four hours instead of one and our student actually didn't end up showing up! However, this can be common in Japan because the kids not only have school but also club activities. Even though classes hadn't started at this time, our student was already participating in club activities. My JTE felt so bad that she ended up taking me out for tea! It was very nice to get to know her but she will be on medical leave starting tomorrow so I won't see her for at least a month so I'm very sad! 

On Tuesday I fully started work. I met my other 3 JTEs, all of whom are very helpful and welcoming! The other teachers in the teacher's room do not speak English and my Japanese is still very basic so it is a bit difficult to speak with them. But I have also been studying Japanese and will be taking an online course offered by CLAIR so hopefully I will be talking with them more soon! Even though we cannot converse with detailed conversations though, they still talk to me in simple sentences and ask about me, my life, and offer me treats. They are all very welcoming and understanding, I got very lucky with my school!

Unfortunately, all of last week had me desk warming. This means I just sat at my desk and studied Japanese. After school I meet with three students (a first, second, and third year) to coach them for the English contest. We work on things such as pronunciation, tone, emotion, etc. I also was able to begin grading spelling on Friday! I return tomorrow from orientation and will have my very first class so I will update on how that goes this weekend!

Aomori Orientation

Now, on to my final orientation! I do have to say, I am a bit excited to finally have no more orientations! We stayed in Aomori City, which is about 45 minutes north of us via train. It is a beautiful city and we had a lot of fun exploring every night. I even had the best bowl of torikatsudon (a breaded chicken cutlet dish with rice) at a small, out of the way family restaurant!

As a side note, we did have to pay for the hotel out of our pocket for this orientation. It was about $160 USD and we will be reimbursed by our BOE in September's pay. HOWEVER, we have recently found out that we WILL be responsible (with no reimbursement) for Tokyo orientation! This was not conveyed to us but we have been told that it depends on your BOE and their budget. So it does make a bit of sense seeing as there were 10 of us coming in and we were staying at an expensive hotel. The reason I am even posting this here is so future JET participants think to ask their BOE and/or supervisor if they will be responsible for the costs at a later date.

As for the orientation itself, I won't go into too much detail. It went over a lot of what the previous orientations have but gave more demonstrations of in-class games and lesson planning. It was useful in terms of teaching me games to use for junior high school and what to expect from my JTEs in terms of my use in the classroom! Below is a picture of our venue lit up at night! It's a triangular building and was very nice!

Hirosaki Apple Park

Now I saved the best for last! A friend and I visited the Hirosaki Apple Park on Sunday. It was about a 25 minute walk from our apartments but it was the perfect day for the walk! Below are some pictures:

Walking into the park, you go under these cute little signs! Hirosaki is very proud of its apples and the Aomori prefecture is very well known for those and scallops!

The apple girl statue stands outside of the House of Apple and the park's café.

There were also a lot of very small trees bearing apples!

Some of the apples are already in season and being harvested! I am hoping to go back in a couple of weeks to participate in harvesting.

There was also an observation deck up on a hill in the center of the park. There were these apple shaped holes cut out in the wood! The park also has two separate sets of playground equipment for children to play in.

The view from the observation deck was absolutely beautiful as well! Iwaki-san was quite visible that day and she was beautiful as always! You can also see the rows upon rows of apple trees.

Inside of the House of Apples was a small archway with all of the parks types of apples. I didn't get a photo of the entire thing but this apple really stood out! It was absolutely huge and I am very tempted to try one of these bad boys some day!

Finally, we made a stop in the gift shop and café for some souvenirs and dessert. I had an apple pie and apple juice (Aomori prefecture has the BEST apple juice I've ever had!!) and my friend had a different pie, made with different apples, and some coffee. I also bought a beautiful bottle of Hirosaki Castle Apple Hard Cider. I will be saving this bottle when I'm done and taking it back home with me for sure!

Alright guys, that's all I have for you today! I apologize if this post seems a bit of a rant or kind of disjointed. It's been a long three days and this girl is ready for some sleep. But I will update again when I get the chance! Thanks again everyone and I hope you enjoy my photos!

Goshogawara Tachineputa

Hello again everybody! I apologize for the delay in posting and suddenly having so many in a row! I've finally settled in and gotten almost everything settled. Arriving in Japan in August really has its perks, especially in Aomori prefecture. I, along with my fellow Hirosaki JETs, was able to catch the final Neputa festival of the summer in Goshogawara (also known as the Goshogawara city Tachineputa Festival). This festival is a summer festival held each August and, along with Aomori Nebuta, Hirosaki Neputa, and Kuroishi Yosare, it is one of the four largest festivals in the Tsugara region.

Tachineputa are massive 23-meter (75 feet) tall, 19-ton (38,000 lbs) parade floats that are conveyed through the city by float carriers as everybody chants "Yattemare! Yattemare!". This means "beat them" and originates from the beginning of the festival in the early 1900s. Origianlly, this festival was a way for sponsors, businesses, and the wealthy to see who could make the tallest, largest float. The parade also includes dancers, taikos, flautists, and more. These floats are all made of wood, wire, and paper and I took some pictures to share with you below!




This was a children's float. They made it and their handprints were all over it, it was adorable!

I'm sorry I don't have many more pictures but I was so excited and awestruck that I was just watching it all! Please look forward to my next post!

Hirosaki Park

Hello again everybody! I come to you today with some pictures from being out and about in Hirosaki! I've made it my top priority to see as much of my new home as possible and decided I should start at one of themost obvious places.

Hirosaki Park and Hirosaki Castle

The park and castle are one of the major attractions in Hirosaki. There are over 2500 cherry trees surrounding the castle on the grounds and they make for some of Japan's best flower viewing during the season! There are also moats around the castle and you can rent row boats to go out on the water for a better view.

I was able to visit the castle briefly just yesterday and it wasn't nearly enough time to appreciate the beauty! I plan to go back regularly when I can, especially during cherry blossom season in April or May!


The bridge leading into the castle park.


This is called the Heart of Hirosaki. It is in the park and, as you can see, it takes the shape of a heart! It's beautiful and pink during cherry blossom season so look forward to see it!


The castle itself. I was able to take this from a raised platform they have nearby. It was beautiful to look at and Japanese architecture is just gorgeous.


The view from the top of the castle.



This one is not from Hirosaki park but it's on the way home. This is Mount Iwaki (or Iwaki-san) and she is our resident mountain. And by mountain I mean dormant volcano! She hasn't erupted in a long time and she is being monitored closely by specialists and scientists for any activity. For now, she is our pride and joy and she even has a matsuri (festival) dedicated to her in August. This isn't the clearest photo since there's some cloud cover.

Since moving here I've really loved being surrounded and more immersed in nature. I'll be back with even more photos as the seasons change!

My Hirosaki Apartment!

こんにちは 皆さん, お元気ですか? Hello everybody, how are you all doing? Welcome back! In today's post, I'm going to be doing a brief overview/tour of my apartment here in Hirosaki! Now when you think about living in Japan, most people think of tiny apartments and crowded cities. While this may be true in some aspects (usually due to Japan's high population and limited living space), if you aren't claustrophobic or don't have a family trying to live together, it's actually not all that bad!

Usually on the JET Program, your BOE or contracting organization is responsible for finding your apartment for you or assisting you in making arrangements for your housing. Now I say usually because there are placements that require the participant to find their own apartment. They will often hook you up with a real estate agent though so you aren't completely on your own. However, you can imagine how intimidating this is when you're already picking your life up to move to a foreign country. This seems to be most common around the Tokyo area from what I've seen.

It is most common though, that you will just take over the apartment that your pred was living in or receive a newer apartment. Many times your rent will be subsidized as well, which is nice. In some cases, JETs may actually get houses instead of apartments but this is a bit more rare from what I've seen because JETs are responsible for paying rent and utilities out of their monthly salary. So even with subsidized rent, this is a bit more expensive and the program tends to avoid this. This will vary by location though.

Different Japanese Apartments

When looking at Japanese apartments, you'll often see abbreviations such as DK and LDK. These letters stand for "Living", "Dining", and "Kitchen". So these abbreviations and the number in front of them will tell you what type of apartment you are looking at. If there is no number in front of the letters, you do not have any separate rooms and it is all one living space. If there is a number before the letters, it means you have that number of rooms that are separate from the main living space.

LDK

If you have an LDK apartment, this means you have a living, dining, and kitchen area. If there is a number in fron tof the letters, such as 1LDK or 2LDK, this means you have 1 or 2 rooms branching off of the main living area that are separate. If there is no number, you have an open floor plane with no separate rooms.

DK

DK stands for "Dining" and "Kitchen". These are usually found in larger cities and have no living space, just a dining/kitchen area. The "dining" area will serve as your living area but the kitchen is separated from the main room a bit, usually tucked away near the entrance leading to the main room of the apartment. Again, if there is a number in front of the DK, you will have 1 or 2 rooms separate from the main room.

1SLDK

The S stands for "storage room", "service room", or "free room" and usualyl indicates a small area that serves as a walk-in closet or storage closet. The sizes of these rooms vary and there is no standard. They can range from a narrow storage space, to the size of a small spare bedroom. If you have a 1SLDK and the storage room is large enough, you may actually be able to refer to it as a 2LDK, meaning you can view it as a living, dining, kitchen layout with 2 rooms.

Room/Apartment Measurements

Apartments and rooms are often measured in Jo (J), which is the size of one traditional tatami mat. This is approximately 180 x 90 cm (about 71 x 25 inches) but may vary by region. If a room's measurements are given as 5.5J, this means the room is the size of 5 and a half tatami mats. A standard sized bedroom in Japan is about 6J. Nowadays, most apartments are built without tatami in order to modernize them and they are easier to clean/care for but these measurements are still used to give people an idea about size.

My Apartment

Now on to what you all are probably reading this post for to begin with. MY apartment! Obviously the above information is just me attempting to provide some insight on Japanese apartment living and each JET experience will differ but here is my own situation:

My BOE places almost all of us in the same apartments so we are all together and my apartment (because they do differ between us depending on the building) is a 1LDK apartment. My bedroom has 6 tatami mats so it's a decent size as well with a closet. The apartments my BOE sets us up in are all at least partially furnished and I receives a futon, stove with 2 burners, washer/dryer, vacuum, and fridge. I also have a balcony but I am on the ground floor so it opens up to the apartment property.

Below you will find pictures of it. It's pretty sparse right now but over the next few weeks I will be putting my own touch on it, buying things to make it more comfortable for myself, etc.


My entry hall with my washer and dryer.


My shower/ofuru, which is off the entry hall.


My toilet room. In Japan, the toilet is separated from the bathing room for cleanliness purposes. Please ignore the mat, as it was left for me and I need to get a new one!


My kitchen/dining area. My apartment came with a fridge, microwave/toaster, rice cooker, and small crockpot. I was lucky enough to also have some plates, cups, and bowls let for me as well (I washed them obviously).


My living room and futon. The futon's seat is actually covered in a good chunk of duct tape but you can't complain when you don't have to buy it! You can see my balcony doors to the left and my room is to the right.


My room! Please pardon the luggage and packed away futon. I hadn't unpacked before I took these photos. The floor is tatami and I do sleep on a futon, which is much more comfortable than I had expected.


My closet. There's an additional futon and decent storage space. I was able to store both of my large suitcases and my carry-on on the top shelf as well as hang my work clothes and put bins in to hold everything else!

So that's where I'm living now! Keep your eyes peeled for updated pictures. I've already updated the apartment a bit and made if more personal but I also just got my Wi-Fi so I wanted to make a few posts to let everybody know I hadn't forgotten about this blog!

Tokyo Orientation!

こんにちは 皆さん! Hello everybody!

It has finally happened! Tokyo orientation has come and gone and I am finally in Japan, a country I have loved and dreamed of for years. As I type this, I am sitting in my new apartment in Hirosaki. But that's for my next post! This one will be all about Tokyo Orientation, so let's get started!

Arrival

We arrived in Tokyo on Sunday, August 4th around 2pm. Sunday was a full free day. However, after landing, we had a 30 minute bus ride to the hotel we were staying at and we had to sit through some brief information before checking into our rooms.

My first ever view of Japan!

The inside of our hotel!

The building across from my room.

By the time we all got settled, it was getting later and most of us were tired. Now, I do know some JETs went out for a night on the town. Karaoke, bars, ramen, etc. As good of an opportunity as Tokyo is, I myself am slightly less interested in late nights and parties so I walked to the Shinjuku Central park and wandered around for a bit. 

The very next day we were off and running with orientation!

Orientation

Monday officially started our two-day post-arrival JET orientation. The purpose of this orientation is to provide a basic introduction to life on the JET Program. A basic outline is as follows:

• An introduction to the significance of the program, presented by Japanese Government officials
• An introduction to the JET Program positions and related conditions in Japan
• Workshops that introduce jobs skills participants will need to fulfill their positions, conducted by reappointed ALTs, CIRS, CLAIR, and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology.
• A forum for meeting other JET participants from all around Japan as well as reappointed JETs representing their host prefectures/designated cities. Participants can ask specific questions about their placements and positions that will be answered by representatives that have first-hand experience in working in Japanese schools or local government offices.
• A Q & A session for the prefecture representatives in which contracting organizations can ask questions and share information about participating in the program.

As somebody that does not have a background in teaching or education, I found this orientation to be very informative and reassuring. After being accepted, I was surprised by just how many ALTs actually didn't have a teaching background but it really did make me feel much better knowing that they were coming from a similar place and were still able to be successful. If you're afraid of applying to JET or have been selected and are getting nervous, I hope this makes you feel a bit better too! My direct pred came from a similar background as me (international/East Asian studies, Japanese, etc.) with no teaching and she was still able to give a lot of good advice and had thrived in Hirosaki! Just like with any job, you learn as you go and you will have a support system to help you.

This is good because, if I am being completely honest, I got homesick the second day of orientation and it lasted through the 3rd day when we departed for our placement. I wanted to immediately get back on a plane and go home to where I was comfortable. To my family, friends, and (perhaps the hardest!) my dogs! However, because of this support system, I was able to reach out to my Prefectural Advisor, who got me in touch with my Regional Representatives. Once I got to Hirosaki though, it was like a weight was lifted!

All in all, even though orientation is only a 2-day affair, I believe JET, CLAIR, and the Japanese government did a decent job putting together an informational set of seminars. My next post will be about my apartment so stay tuned to get an idea of Japanese living!