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!