Welcome!
Welcome to a coastal prefecture surrounded by stunning mountain views where owara
is danced into the night along streets lit with paper lanterns, rows of rice sway in the
breeze, and fields of tulips appear in the spring.
My name is Christina Pancoast. I am the Prefectural Advisor for Toyama.
Congratulations on being selected as a Toyama JET! Toyama is a cozy countryside
filled with amazing people, places, and opportunities. And when you feel like a change
of scene, big cities like Osaka, Kyoto, and Nagoya are easily accessible – just a three or
four hour train ride away.
Our local AJET chapter organizes events and excursions for the 80 plus members of our
community. Regional Representatives will also plan events throughout the year. The
community itself is active and offers a lot of opportunities to pursue music, art, or
sports.
There are three PAs in Toyama. Including me, the JET PA, you have Yoshikuni sensei
and Hirose sensei as the two Japanese PAs. You will see us directing all of the
orientations, seminars, and meetings you will attend. We do our best to keep you
updated with all the important information and relaying news as soon as we get them.
Anytime you have a question or concern about making the transition over here whether
it is work-related issues, medical needs, or any other stressful situation, we are here to
provide support. You always have someone you can turn to.
Our JETs have put together this welcome packet, covering almost every topic you could
imagine. These letters were written to help provide a glimpse of what is to come and
insight into what life in Toyama holds, as well as the many resources available to make
your life more comfortable. Enjoy reading. We look forward to greeting you in person
very soon.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me, even if it is just a simple hello. You can also take a
look at the Toyama JETs website http://www.toyamajets.net. If you would like to get in
touch with your soon-to-be peers, you will find links on the website to The Tram,
Toyama AJETs online magazine, and the Toyama JETs facebook group.
Take Care,
Christina Pancoast
Toyama ALT Prefectural Advisor
toyamapa@gmail.com
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2014 Toyama Welcome Letters
Table of Contents
Title
Page
Toyama AJET
1
Life in Toyama
2
Packing – What to Bring
5
Making an Impression
6
Your First Month in Japan
9
Your First Class (Self Introduction)
12
Senior High School 101
14
Introduction to Junior High School Life
19
Teaching at Elementary Schools
24
Teaching at a Special Needs School
26
Teaching a Special Needs Class
27
Teaching at Multiple Schools
29
Teaching Non-Japanese Students
31
Living in Rural Japan
33
Food
35
Vegetarian and Vegan ALTs
37
JETs of African Descent
39
The Asian JET
40
The JET from Developing Countries
41
JETs Coming with Relationships
43
JETs Coming with Families
45
Japan for Religious JETs
46
Tall JETs
47
Culture Shock
49
Staying Sane
51
Learning Japanese in Japan
53
Professionalism as an ALT
55
1
JET, CLAIR, ESID, TEFL, you’ve undoubtedly been bombarded with more sheets of
paper with more acronyms on them than you know what to do with since arriving in
Japan. First the bad news; it’s unlikely to have escaped your notice that in your hand is
yet another sheet of paper and (brace yourself) I’m about to tell you about another
acronym. Just stay with me for a couple of minutes – I promise it’ll be worth your while
– then by all means add this to the growing stack of paper in your trash can apartment.
WHAT IS TOYAMA AJET?!
National AJET is a support and social network for JET Program participants. Toyama
AJET offers those things at the local level. More specifically, we’re here to provide
various organized and inclusive events that allow community members (JETs and
non-JETs) to interact and make connections. AJET events offer great opportunities to
meet Toyama locals who are interested in speaking English and participants of other
teaching programmes in Toyama such as Interac, Amity and the Peppy Kids Club.
WHAT KIND OF EVENTS?!
The events cover a wide range of interests. Some of the excursions outside the
prefecture that we offer include climbing Mt. Fuji, visiting the Fuji Q theme park,
attending a Sumo tournament in Osaka, sightseeing in Kyoto and skiing in Nagano.
A little closer to home we have Welcome Weekend (YAY for celebrating you!), beer
gardens, a fancy-dress Halloween party, pub quizzes, a charity show, Hanami (Cherry
blossom viewing) in the park, and Leaver’s Weekend.
Some of these trips are strictly for your own personal enjoyment, but many are also for
charity because what could be better than helping people and having fun. Charities that
Toyama AJET has supported in the past include Room to Read and the Japanese Red
Cross Society.
DOES AJET DO ANYTHING BESIDES EVENTS?!
Yes, Toyama AJET also runs The TRAM, a website and bi-annual print magazine.
Check out the site at the-tram.com. You’ll find articles and updates about local
events, travelogues, recipes, book reviews, concert listings, photo contests, comics,
videos, podcasts and much more. And look out for our latest print edition at Welcome
Weekend. You can not only read about what’s going on with other JETs here, but also
contribute, so think about submitting your own art, photography, articles or ideas. You
can submit content in a few clicks at the-tram.com.
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Additionally AJET has a library in Toyama. The library holds a wide selection of
popular fiction, genre fare, travel guides and text books. Buying books online or in
Japanese book stores can quickly add up; why not save yourself some pennies and
pick-up some free English reading materials to while away your first few internet-less
nights in Toyama.
I’M SOLD! HOW DO I GET INVOLVED IN AJET?!
Membership to Toyama AJET is free and open to all! However, due to the costs
(location rental, food, drinks, transportation, all that boring stuff), there is a fee
accompanying some events. We always keep fees as low as possible and our excursions
always work out cheaper than travelling alone.
In May we elect a new AJET council who will be responsible for the following years
AJET activities. Prospective council members submit an election platform and votes are
held at regional meetings across the prefecture. This year’s AJET council members are:
Prefectural Representative: Domhnall McFarline
Treasurer: Christopher Beeton
Excursions Representative: Alex Melillo
Social Representative: Abigail Clark
Charity Representative: Kseniya Vaynshtok and Patrick Finn
Publications Representatives: Ariana Frazier and Clarissa Tong
SEE YOU SOON!
Visit www.ajet.net to find out more about National AJET. If you would like more
information on Toyama AJET, you can contact me at toyama.ajet@gmail.com. We will
always welcome your suggestions, ideas, comments, etc. Finally, on behalf of all the
AJET council members, welcome to Toyama and see you soon!
Life in Toyama – The Prefecture of Manufacturing!
So, statistically speaking, you did not pick Toyama as your first choice. It tends to fly
under the radar. If, like us, you just gleaned what you could from Wikipedia, you
probably now by now that Toyama has some mountains, some rice, and some factories.
But did you know we also have the lowest number of fatal house fires in the country?
Or that Toyama invented a kind of robotic seal that comforts senior citizens as they near
death?
Here are some undisputed facts about Toyama life: it is slow, and it is beautiful. In the
countryside, you will soon be able to recognize the train station attendants and clerks at
your local convenience store. In the city, you have a little more variety, but everything
pretty much closes up by nightfall. You’ll soon have a regular bar and a go-to restaurant.
If you like nature, good news! We have gorgeous mountains. In the winter the alps look
like they’re painted, and in the spring the cherry blossoms and tulips will melt your face
right off. There are endless chances to go hiking, swimming, and exploring. The
summer is full of festivals and beer and fireworks, with every weekend ending in
battered streamers and folded-up takoyaki stands.
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You’ll hear a lot about the pride points of Toyama—the rice, fresh fish, and delicious
water. Believe the hype, man, it’s all true. Your town has its own specialty food, flower,
and character. Fukumitsu is known for dried persimmons and an underground
all-you-can-drink karaoke spot, Tonami hosted almost a million people at the tulip
festival last month. By the end of this stay, you will have a preferred ramen shop and
flavor of bottled tea. You will be able to correctly identify each region’s
anthropomorphic water drop, mountainside, or flaming deer mascot. When you’re
returning to Toyama from a trip, on a three hour train leg or ten hour out over the
pacific, you’ll say: man, I can’t wait to get home.
When you first get here there’ll probably be a lot of things you don’t understand, which
can be stressful. The road signs. Why it’s so hot. Why you can't use ATMs after a
certain time. Why there are no rubbish bins anywhere. Why it’s so hot. The difference
between cooking oil and vinegar at the supermarket. Why your coworker has a pink bag
decorated with cupcakes and teddy bears and the inexplicable phrase “There’s a
macaroon which looks like a swag.” Why it’s so hot. Why your pants are melting.
Most of us didn’t understand any of this stuff at first either, and some of us still don’t.
What does a swag look like? The point is, we’re here to help. Packing up and moving to
Japan is a terrifying concept for everyone who does it, without exception. But we all did
it, and most of us chose to stay for longer than we’d intended.
You’re here to teach English, and some days it will be amazing, others less so. That’s
ok! Teaching is a job like any other, and you are allowed to be tired, or want to talk
about something else, anything else, when you’re out with other JETs. Don’t worry,
don’t stress, and don’t take a nightmarish class personally. You can try again and again
to make a class work, and eventually it will. Be kind to yourself! Make sure you have a
life outside of your job, a room of your own, so to speak. Prepare yourself for
not-so-stellar days by cultivating a hobby or activity outside of work that is reviving and
fulfilling. There are groups and outlets for every possible interest, and many, many
chances to try something new.
You’re living in Japan, but the secret is that life here is still everyday life. You still have
to take out the trash, replace light bulbs, curse at your empty refrigerator and go to the
grocery store. Those things might be harder, at first, but you’ll be surprised by how
quickly it all fades into the background. I promise you, even if the first week seems
impossible, even if it’s six pm and you’re drenched in sweat, poking at a microwave and
cursing the air con unit in your musky apartment, you will adapt. If you are shy, you’ll
be brave. If you don’t speak any Japanese, you’ll learn. And your chicken will only
have that slight acidic taste once before you get that whole cooking oil/vinegar issue
down.
The best part of this life is definitely the people, strangers or friends, who will step
forward to help you. It can be intimidating coming to a town where you know nobody,
but where everybody seems to know who you are. The locals will stare, sure. But here’s
the deal: the locals are friendly. They want to be friends. They want to help you. With a
little bit of effort, you’ll find it’s not all that difficult to break down cultural and
linguistic barriers.
3
Same goes for the JET community too, by the way. We want to be your friends, and we
want to help. We’re in this thing with you. We’re also from all over the world, so while
it can be difficult to understand when some of us pronounce certain words slightly
differently, some would say more correctly, we’re actually pretty damn good at
speaking English on the whole. So don’t be a stranger. Come party.
This is a great opportunity, but it is also a year of your life, like any other year. Be kind
to yourself. Don’t expect the impossible. Travel, if you can, day trips or abroad. Send
money home or save up. Make the most of your year, but remember that it’s ok to just
hang out and watch TV after a day of work.
Welcome to Toyama. You are totally not going to die in a house fire here.
PS: If you were hoping for a few more helpful facts about Toyama, here are some
quotes we plucked out of context from the Toyama BOE’s ‘English Handbook of
TOYAMA for High School Students’, and put in all-caps for emphasis:
DO YOU KNOW THE ZIPPER IN YOUR JACKET IS PRODUCED BY A
COMPANY IN TOYAMA?
WE CAN LIVE HERE WITHOUT A CAR.
BUILDINGS IN TOYAMA ARE VERY INTERESTING.
THE MUSEUM IN TOYAMA IS A REAL ONE!
TOYAMA RANKS AT OR NEAR THE TOP IN JAPAN FOR HOMEOWNERSHIP
RATE AND AVERAGE FLOOR SPACE.
THERE IS A GLACIER IN TOYAMA IN JAPAN. IT IS A BIG SURPRISE.
PEOPLE IN THE WHOLE COMMUNITY PREVENT FIRES.
IT HAS A RESILIENT TEXTURE.
I LIKE MOUNTAINS AND VEHICLES VERY MUCH.
Wishing you all the best,
Lilly Gray
lilly.alannah@gmail.com
Tom Hay
hayth081@gmail.com
4
Packing – What to Bring
Hey there! I’m Jocelyn Boatner from Himi and getting ready to start my second year as
an ALT. First and foremost, congrats on your new position and welcome to Toyama
prefecture! Get ready for beautiful scenery, delicious food and getting to know not only
your students and fellow teachers, but your ALT family as well. Rest assured that you’ll
always have somewhere to turn if you have a question, need a friendly ear or if you just
want to hang out and grab a beer!
But also, get ready for Toyama weather – I’m originally from Chicago so that’s saying
something in itself. Summers are very hot and humid, and winters are cold and snowy,
but don’t take that as your signal to cram your suitcase with snow boots and long
underwear just yet – allow me to give you a few pointers on what you might like to
bring with you to Toyama.
First, of course, is clothing. You will definitely experience all four seasons here, but
when you get here, it will be hot, and I mean H-O-T. If you like hot weather, that’s
awesome, but 95-degree weather with 90% humidity means you will sweat the second
you step outside. However, you should dress somewhere between business and business
casual on work days, which includes orientation. This doesn’t mean that you have to
wear suits every day – skirts or dresses (of reasonable length, of course), blouses, dress
shirts, polos, and even nice pants or slacks are acceptable types of clothing, but you
should bring at least one type of formal business clothing for special occasions, such as
the day you come to Toyama. As for jewelry and makeup, keep it to a minimum on
work days, or simply don’t wear it at all until you get the OK from your supervisor. Of
course, you are free to dress however you please on your days off, but do keep in mind
that you are not only considered a civil servant, but a representative of your country as
well.
And there are more options than simply cramming your suitcase with nothing but
clothes; Japanese clothing does run rather small but there are a few stores that carry
American sizes here. You could also have someone ship things to you or ship them
yourself before you leave so that they are waiting for you upon your arrival. Check out
shipping prices beforehand, and also try Kuroneko’s delivery service at
http://www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/en/ to see if they have an office near you in the U.S.
Toyama is also pretty familiar with its own weather, so you can buy plenty of
weather-related accessories here, such as hats, scarves, gloves, umbrellas and boots.
Also keep in mind that the internet is your friend – it may take a while to get it set up,
but you can order everything from bacon to Benadryl online.
In addition, you will most likely be moving into your predecessor’s house or apartment,
so there should be some basic stuff like dishes and bedding that you can use until you
have a chance to go shopping, which your supervisor will help you with. However, I do
recommend bringing enough toiletries to tide you over for at least a couple of weeks.
You can definitely buy shampoo, soap, toothpaste, deodorant, feminine products, etc.
here, and some are brands with which you are familiar, such as Aquafresh, Listerine,
Dove and Pantene, but if you’re picky like me, you will have to order some things
online until you find Japanese products that you like. Don’t forget to plan for bringing
prescription medicines, and fill out the necessary paperwork to bring them with you.
5
Finally, leave some space in your bag for the materials you will receive at the Tokyo
orientation – you will have about a month to settle in before classes actually start so
that’s a good time to go over those, since you will probably have little to do until then.
In addition, exploring Himi while drowning in my own sweat and spending all my
money on sushi wasn’t my idea of a good time, so I brought a few things to do along
with me. I was able to fit my laptop, a small case of DVDs (which WILL NOT play in a
Japanese DVD player), my 3DS and games, and a few books in one of my carry-ons but
don’t forget that you’ll have plenty to explore when you’re not working and you’ll be
meeting lots of new people – deciding between extra shampoo and your PS3 is entirely
up to you.
In the main, think about what you would need if you were going on vacation for a
month. You know what you can and cannot live without and you can definitely
replenish your supply of soap without spending every yen you brought. Just remember
that you won’t get your first paycheck until late August, and that you’ve got a long
plane ride and about a month’s worth of nights to kill ahead of you, so you may want to
stay home and read a book or two on your Kindle once in a while rather than spend all
your money on bar hopping and museum trips. You’ve got at least a year to bum around
Japan and once you get paid and/or get your internet set up, the world will be yours to
command. And whatever you can’t fit within the limited confines of your suitcases, you
can always send before you leave or have someone send to you later. I have been able to
live here very comfortably for the last year and buy everything I need with very few
exceptions, and let’s face it – you are going to have a ball getting out there and
exploring your new home, even if it’s just your first trip to the grocery store. So once
again, congratulations on joining the Toyama JETs! If you’re not excited yet, get
excited! See you guys in August!
Making an Impression
Ahoyhoy!
Welcome to Toyama, home to mountains, more snow than people, trout, mountains, and
the nicest folks on the planet. You should come prepared for sweltering summers, cold
winters, and a generally moist experience in every sense of the word. I'm Chris and
here's how to make a good impression.
Looking the Part:
You're a professional now, holmes! Welcome to the wonderful world of business attire.
Natty shirts and sweater vests, slacks and bow-ties abound.
First off, you've probably heard JET's favorite mantra (ESID~ESID~ESID~) a
hundred-times-over at this point, and there's a lot of truth to the idea that Every
Situation is Different. So be sure to try and talk to your predecessor and any other ALTs
that work at your school to get a sense of what will be required of you. When in doubt,
mirror your coworkers.
6
The first day on the job is going to be the hardest for a number of reasons. It's a new
place, a new situation, and you may not have the time you might want to acclimate to
everything. In spite of all that, you need to do your level best to put your best foot
forward. This is a professional position, so you should dress appropriately. If you're not
sure what that means:
Wear a suit or a skirt and a blazer.
Have your hair neat and tidy (facial hair is okay).
Cover your tattoos (within reason).
Be modest in your accessorizing.
Wear dress shoes if you have them, but tennis shoes are fine.
If you're sick, wear a surgical mask. Do it.
You may be able to scale back on the formality over time, (I, for instance, wear a
collared button-up shirt, tie, and khakis for my day-to-day wear now); but look to
exceed expectations in the beginning.
How to Act:
For some people, this is going to be the hardest part of the job; but it's imperative to
approach this position with enthusiasm and zest. Be happy, son. You made it!
Be helpful and outgoing.
Greet people in the community, your co-workers, and the students. Learn their names.
Half the battle of being an ALT is dealing with the shock of attention. You'll be
receiving more than you've likely ever dealt with in the past, so try to make it positive!
Use Japanese if you know it, or take the time to study it if you don't. Talk to your
co-workers, ask them if you can help – or just how they're doing. If someone tries to
strike up a conversation, do your best to participate!
Be prepared for questions.
Come ready to share about your country, your home, and yourself. Some students will
be more outgoing than others. Some may be more physical than others as well.
It's up to you to decide what is and isn't comfortable.
Be open-minded.
Try new things when they're offered, and accept them graciously. It's okay not to like
everything (ugh, oden); but give everything a shot!
Work Hard.
Keep busy during work hours. If there's no work to be done, study! If there's nothing to
study, get yourself informed about what's going on around you. Don't sit around
twiddling your thumbs if you can help it.
7
頑張って (Do Your Best!)
There's a learning curve inherent to your job. Be aware of it, but don't worry about it!
Just try your hardest with every lesson, and don't be afraid to ask your fellow teachers or
ALTs for help. Every class and every student is different, and you may need to change
your tactics to suit their needs.
Omiyage:
If you're not too familiar with Japanese culture, omiyage are small, (normally regionally
specific) souvenirs. Let me start by saying that omiyage is wholly optional. You don't
have to bring anything.
But you should.
Omiyage presents an opportunity to share a taste of your home (however literal you'd
like that to mean) with your new co-workers and superiors. It’s a chance to expose them
to something strange and new, in an easy to digest, individually wrapped package.
While it's best to choose something from your place specifically, even something as
simple as a bag brand-name-candy otherwise unavailable in Japan will be welcome.
Here's some guidelines:
Omiyage should be individually wrapped.
Bring enough for everyone; at a minimum your department.
Bring something special for your supervisor, vice principal, and principal.
As for food, don't worry about difference in palate. Anything is fine.
I'm sure a lot of this went without saying, but I hope it helped fill in the blanks for some.
Welcome home.
Christopher Brown
Fukuno Senior High School
Your First Month in Japan
Hello and Congratulations!! Welcome to your new life in Japan! It's going to be
awesome! Whether you’re someone who has spent time in Japan before and can speak a
decent amount of Japanese or you’re someone who has never been to Japan, can’t speak
Japanese and is likely to freeze up the first time someone starts bowing and saying
yoroshiku onegaishimasu [nice to meet you/I hope we get along well together] it’s still
8
going to be great. That second example is me by the way, my default Japanese setting is
awkwardly laughing and apologetic.
Okay so I think it’s best to start off with that ubiquitous JET phrase; “Every situation is
different”.
I was quite sick of that phrase by the time I got here and the feeling has not changed.
But it’s not devoid of truth. It’s a phrase that could suggest things like “Your kids will
HATE English” while also hinting at the possibility that maybe; “Your kids will
absolutely LOVE English!”. And for the purposes of this introduction it means that all
the things I write about, apart from the factual, are just my own personal experiences.
Yours may very well, and mostly likely will, be very different.
THE HEAT
Technically there’s a bunch of things way more important I guess I should be talking
about but this is my show so… THE HEAT!!
Now I’m from Ireland, which is not known for its balmy weather, so we were told at
orientation; “Be prepared, guys, it’s going to be really hot” and everyone kind of
laughed and shrugged it off like; “Yeah it’ll be hot but we’ll be in Japan, our euphoric
joy will keep us cool.” And we arrived in Tokyo and you know what, it wasn’t bad,
maybe more humid than usual but overall totally bearable, no biggie. And then we flew
to Toyama…
Stepping outside at Toyama airport I thought; “Woah it’s a bit hot, I’ll just take off my
jacket in the car and it’ll be fine” but twenty seconds later I was praying for death. The
car seemed like a distant mirage and my supervisor genuinely seemed worried about my
life expectancy. Luckily, I did survive the trip to my school and managed not to pass out
long enough to meet my principal and vice principals. I should point out that even
people from California and Australia, places where I would assume people love
themselves some heat, thought it was excessively warm.
Last summer was record breaking kind of hot which hopefully won’t happen this year
but still make sure you drink plenty of water, wear sunscreen and TURN ON YOUR
AIR CON!! I capitalize this because there was one new ALT last year that shall remain
nameless (but if you ask me sometime I’ll totally point at him) who decided not to
turn on his AirCon in order to “acclimatize himself”. National warnings were given, a
bunch of people actually died and this was his plan. Do not do this.
TOKYO ORIENTATION
Your arrival in Tokyo is really only the very first part of a journey that is your new life
in Japan. So here is a quick rundown of what will happen in Tokyo because I’m sure
you have or will be inundated with material to check out and if you’re anything like me
will know your schedule inside out.
So you arrive at Narita Airport where a small army of smiling, t-shirt clad human
sheepdogs will greet you and essentially negate the possibility of you getting lost.
Outside at the buses they will sort your luggage, tagging it and shipping it all to your
base school leaving you with one bag for your stay in Tokyo. Please pack in such a way
that everything you need for the three days in Tokyo will be in one bag. Then you’ll get
on a bus and head for the Keio Plaza Hotel.
When you arrive at the hotel, about 30-40 minutes away, you will check in to your room.
This may take a while depending on what time you get in but it will end, I promise.
9
After that you are free to do as you please, I was lucky enough to have my predecessor
who just moved to Tokyo show me around a bit. If you do decide to do some city
venturing alone or in a group just make sure you get back in time to get a good night’s
sleep because the next three days are pretty intense.
Over the next two days there are a lot of seminars held to help you transition into JET
life and also to answer any questions you may have. Please try and make the most of
these as they really are beneficial BUT if you’re feeling totally knackered like I
remember a lot of people were then feel free to go to your room and rest for a few hours.
Jetlag and early mornings will make you look and feel like a zombie and that's not the
impression you want to make when you arrive to your prefecture, so don’t feel guilty
for not attending everything.
Use the opportunity in Tokyo to contact your family, friends, cat, etc., informing them
of your safe arrival. Once you get to your town there is no guarantee you will have a
phone, Internet, or any other form of communication. Let them know you may not be
able to contact them for a while.
There is usually a dinner on the first night of the workshops held at your embassy,
which you will be required to attend. So if you want to meet up with any friends in
Tokyo try and arrange it for the second night after the workshops.
On the third day you will be split into groups and will fly to your prefecture. Please be
formally dressed for the flight as you will meet your supervisor and then go straight to
your school to meet your Principal and Vice Principals. Remember; yoroshiku
onegaishimasu
TOYAMA.
Now, if you’re like me and don’t speak a word of Japanese then this will definitely be
your lowest point. It will be highly likely that you will not make contact with another
English speaker until the first day of the orientation. You will report to work the day
after you arrive and since it will be the summer vacation many teachers might be away
on business trips. On some days it might just be you and the vice principal; who likely
won’t speak English. You will go home to your apartment; no phone, no Internet and
you may cry.
Now, the good part is that this doesn’t last for very long. And this is probably the worst
you’ll ever feel in all your life. But I am just painting the gloomiest picture and your
situation could be a million times better than this.
Before you arrive I suggest introducing yourself on the Toyama Community page on
Facebook and finding out if anything interesting is happening around Toyama in
August.
For boring evening times, I suggest bringing a lot of movies to watch on your laptop or
a lot of books. I ended up watching The Simpsons seasons 5 and 6 about forty times
before I got Internet and why I didn’t bring books still boggles me.
Check out your apartment for any marks or damage and bring it to your supervisor’s
attention otherwise you’ll probably end up paying for it later.
And again, if you don’t speak Japanese do not let the tons of people at orientation who
do make you feel bad. It’s not a problem. You will be fine. Ganbatte (Do your best).
10
TOYAMA ORIENTATION
Toyama Orientation is a three-day event spread out over August designed to help you
prepare for your new job and life in Toyama. This is where things start feeling a bit
normal; you start socializing with everyone, building bonds and forming friendships.
The more you interact with everyone, the more you will realize that everyone is going
through the same thing and you will get strength from knowing that you’re not alone.
Make the most of these orientation days because you will need the strength gathered
from these events because the reality might still be that you do not have any form of
communication.
On the first day, you will attend a series of workshops led by senior JET participants
which will provide information and support on getting settled, what to expect in your
new workplace, and more.
On the second day of orientation, you will attend a regional meeting where new JETs
will receive helpful information from re-contracting JETs who live and work in your
same region. On both the first and second day of orientation, please wear appropriate
business attire.
On the third day of orientation, all new JETs will be led on a hike of Mt. Tate. This is a
great way to meet new people and bond with other JETs. The climb itself is an amazing
experience as Mt. Tate is one of Japan’s “Three Holy Mountains.” While it will be hot
and humid in Toyama at this time of year, please bring adequate cold weather clothing,
rain gear, and hiking shoes (though I wore tennis shoes and they were fine) as it will be
much colder at the top of the mountain and the trail is very rocky at times. And last year
the weather went from okay to thunderstorm in about two minutes and only five people
made it to the top. Proud to say I’m one of them! Please note that you don’t actually
have to climb the mountain. You can relax at the onsen (public bath) or take a tour of
the museum.
CULTURE SHOCK
Quick note on a subject about you will hear a lot about before and after you arrive.
From my experience the reality is that once you accept Japan for what it is and try to
make the most of your time here it won’t ever be very bad. It can be lonely initially sure
but so can any new place and if you can’t speak Japanese it’s not the end of the world.
People are very friendly (though they may stare at you) and with some well-placed
gestures you shouldn’t have any major trouble getting your message across. Stay
open-minded and you will have a blast. Trying to learn at least a couple of Japanese
phrases goes a long way too.
THE REST OF THE MONTH
So August is summer for students and many of them won’t be at school or will be busy
with their club activities. For you it will be a slow and easy month. You should start
planning your Introduction lesson, where you will introduce yourself and your country
in a hopefully interesting way. Try and make sure that it’s not just you speaking for 50
minutes and have some activities and games and even bring small prizes from home if
you want, though you may have too many students to give everyone something! Also,
you’re going to have to do it a LOT and you’d be surprised how quickly you get sick of
talking about yourself so make sure it’s interesting for you too.
Explore! Find out where everything is in your school. I didn’t do this and only recently
discovered there’s a whole other gym in one of my schools! Talk to your students too,
11
once again the lack of Japanese won’t be an issue because they’ll just be so excited to
see you.
Same goes for your town. Try and find out where everything you may need is; train
station, drug store, post office, konbini (convenience store), supermarket, bike shop, gas
station, etc.
For train times check out hyperdia.com, they do have an app but it’s in Japanese I believe.
Stay active – if you are interested in a sport or activity ask around for a club or a class to
join.
Know you’re not alone – JET is an extremely well organized programme. In addition to
your fellow JETs and supervisor, you have a strong network of professionals to help you
in any situation, including your regional rep, your prefectural advisor and a national JET
hotline that you can call at any time (providing you have access to a phone).
Okay I have rambled quite a bit so again, Congratulations!! Welcome to Toyama, I hope
you have an amazing year and get the most out of your time here! Feel free to contact me
at any time for sage-like wisdom or just meaningless pop culture trivia.
Safe trip and see you in August!!
Jonathan Cosgrove
Isurugi SHS and Fukuoka SHS
jonathan.e.cosgrove@gmail.com
Your First Class (Self-introduction)
Whether you come from a teaching background or have no experience in the classroom,
your first lesson in a Japanese classroom will likely be new. No need to worry though!
It’s a small hurdle to overcome, and hopefully I can provide some insight on how to
approach it.
Most JETs have a few weeks free before teaching any classes at all, so this is the perfect
time to start preparing for your first lesson. Coming from a situation where I teach a full
class length self-introduction lesson to junior high school students (JHS) and only get 5
to 10 minutes for it in my elementary schools (ES), I’ll provide a potential approach for
each scenario, but keep in mind this is what works for me. There are a plethora of
resources online and in our own community. I recommend mixing and matching, until
you find something you’re comfortable with.
Let’s begin with some general tips about what content should be in your
self-introduction. Unless you come from a major city, most students will have little to
no knowledge about where you’re from. I hail from the Chicagoland area and most still
don’t even know where that is after having me as their teacher for nearly 3 years! Plan
12
on printing a map of your hometown in relation to Japan, pictures of your home,
surrounding area, landmarks, etc. I come from a boring suburb and even a picture of my
family’s modest home brought oohhs and aahhs.
Next, family members. Students love seeing who make up your family. Pictures from
parties, holidays, and other special moments are a plus since you can attach a story to
them. Goofy pictures work well too. For example, if you’re a dainty 5’ 6” guy and have
a picture of you standing next to your macho, 6’ 2” younger brother, use it! Getting the
students to laugh will relieve tension.
Also, remember that what you might find mundane about your life could be the most
interesting thing in the world to your students, especially if it’s relatable. A good
example would be showing a traditional yellow school bus (if the scenario applies to
your background) and explaining that’s how some students go to and from school. Or
even sample school lunches. When the students can compare things to their present
situation, it makes the presentation more interesting for them.
Stretch the truth. Saying that no one has added or elaborate on something about
themselves is a lie. Can’t find a picture from your own personal archive? Use Google.
Chances are no one will know or ask. Obsessed with McDonald’s hamburgers and want
to profess your love? Show a picture of a 20 patty burger as if you scarfed it down in
one sitting. Play up things a little here and there to make otherwise boring facts about
yourself more interesting.
Now that you’ve got your materials prepared, how should you present them to the class?
Assuming you have the full period to do your self-introduction lesson, as I do with my
JHS students, don’t stand up front the entire time talking about yourself to a sea of
blank stares. Keep your students engaged. I made a game out of my self-introduction
lesson, where the students guess the answers to questions about me first, instead of just
being fed information about my life. I prepare a worksheet with 15 questions along the
lines of “What’s my favorite color?”, “What country am I from?”, and “What is my
favorite sport?”. The questions have Japanese translations (ask a coworker for help if
you don’t have the Japanese skills), while the answers are multiple choice and use
relatively simple English (I do this for JHS, so I expect my students to know basic
vocabulary for colors, food, etc). The last question is open ended and acts as a bonus
round for other teams to catch up. Since I like Japanese music, I ask them to guess what
act I like, with there being multiple answers.
Personally, I like having the students work in groups, but this activity could be done
individually. Each group receives a whiteboard and marker to write either A, B, or C.
Reveal the correct answer each round using a picture to help the students visualize the
answer if they don’t understand or are unfamiliar with something you’re talking about.
Reward points to each group and continue until all the questions have been answered.
At the end, I give the winning group some non-Japanese stickers as a prize.
After the activity, I open the floor to questions for those brave enough to ask. Just let
them know that Japanese or English is okay. The JTE should be able to translate
anything you don’t understand.
Finally, I have a short questionnaire on the back of the worksheet for each student to
answer that I assign as homework. The questions are simple: What’s your favorite color,
13
animal, singer, TV program, etc.? Emphasize that answers can be in English or Japanese.
At the bottom I leave space for comments, questions, and / or a drawing, giving shier
students a chance to express themselves. This part of the worksheet also gives me the
opportunity to get to know my students a bit better. I read them all and answer any
questions to the best of my ability in English and / or Japanese, commenting on nearly
every worksheet.
Not everyone gets a whole class period to talk about themselves though. In that case,
streamline your presentation, use a lot of pictures, and keep the students engaged by
asking questions throughout or allow comments. For example, if showing pictures of
family members, ask to see a raise of hands of those that have a brother, sister, etc. Do
the same if you talk about food you like. Students, especially those in ES, will get
excited at the fact that you both have a common love for something like cake, or better
yet, the ever feared natto (fermented soybeans).
You’ll likely be nervous your first class, make mistakes, talk about something
fascinating that does resonate with your students, or forget to talk about something that
might. That’s okay! Even the most experienced teacher makes mistakes. Be flexible,
change the presentation for the next class if time allows, and don’t sweat about it. If you
remain cool, confident, and collected, things will be fine. Remember students are like
dogs and can smell fear. Don’t let them intimidate you and good luck!
If you’re interested in the worksheet I use for my self-introduction lesson, feel free to
contact me and I’ll gladly send it your way.
Patrick Finn
Pat2666@gmail.com
Senior High School Life 101
As you will hear ad nauseam, every school/situation is different. This is perhaps most
evident in high schools across the prefecture. At this point in their education career,
students are essentially divided onto a particular track, academic, non-academic,
technical, etc., and so different schools have different focuses and end goals. It is
important to realize what the focus of your school is so that you can best facilitate
students’ success reaching that goal.
A brief introduction to some different kinds of high schools:
Academic: These are generally high-ranking schools in the prefecture. Students are
likely going to take college entrance exams and will spend a large chunk of their high
school careers (especially their third year) studying for said exams. Not to overly
generalize, but these students may be very nice if a bit shy and stressed. ALTs in these
high schools may be surprised by the amount of work and the responsibilities they are
14
given. ALTs will likely write and grade tests, may grade large numbers of essays, may
plan lessons, may run English clubs after school a couple of days a week, probably will
work with students for speech contest in September and October, and may work with
students individually to prepare them for entrance exams, along with other assorted
duties. You probably won’t have much of a chance to use the cool games introduced to
you in various orientations. This may be intimidating at first, but you will be a valued
member of the English team with a more clearly defined role than other ALTs may
experience, which is a positive. Another plus, students may be more interested in
learning English and have a higher language level than students at non-academic
schools.
Private: I work at a private high school. I am from the United States, where private high
schools are more prestigious and high-level, but I’ve been told that the opposite is
actually true in Toyama. It is said that private high schools are often for those students
who perhaps did not do as well on HS entrance exams either because they are not great
test-takers or are not academically focused. My high school, for example, is an
international, “Super English” high school, so it tends to attract enrollees who might be
bilingual children, immigrants, etc., whose Japanese language skills are perhaps not as
good as those of pure Japanese natives. Private schools are expensive and some students
are not happy to be there initially. However, some students deliberately choose private
schools because of programs offered (again, my school is famous for its English
program and its nationally and ethnically diverse student body. A previous ALT
mentioned that her school has a pretty awesome cooking program, for example),
because of athletics, or for any other number of reasons. Some of the perks of working
at a private school may include students who are more genki and less shy, or more
flexibility in teaching lessons (perhaps more games!). The previous author of this article
suggested that another perk could be less stress for you as an ALT because you might
not have to do so much grading or so much college prep but that hasn’t been the case in
my experience. Downsides may include students with little interest in learning English.
Even in my high school there are plenty of such students, but this of course is not
necessarily specific to private schools, either. Another downside may be less-clearly
defined responsibilities for yourself.
Technical: Technical high schools are intended for students interested in pursuing
specific careers. Like private schools, this can be advantageous for the ALT since you
may have fewer intimidating responsibilities and less grading. However, again, students
may have little interest in learning English and little motivation to do so. Students may
be more genki than academic-track students, which can be a plus or a negative. You
may also have less-clearly-defined responsibilities than at other kinds of high schools
which may mean you are confused about your job at the school, or it may mean that you
get to play more games in the classroom.
Calendar year at high schools:
Work at all senior high schools comes and goes in waves. When you first arrive here,
you will probably have little to do and will just sit lost and confused in the teacher’s
room for about a month. This is followed by Speech Contest Season when the semester
starts up again, and in addition to teaching classes during the day, you may be expected
to prepare students for Speech Contest after school. So, expect to have some longer
work days from around September-October (if your school participates—probably most
relevant for academic high schools).
Allow me to digress a bit to tell you more about the speech contests. If you already plan
on staying for longer than one year and you want to be really awesome as an ALT, then
begin farming for next year’s speech hopefuls at this time, too. You can do this by
15
giving extra credit writing assignments to the first year students (who won’t have too
much else to do in the way of extracurricular activities), or simply talking to students in
between class periods. I was expected to show a lot of initiative at my job and that’s
probably due in part to the fact that Japanese people often will not tell you what they
would like you to do.
Continuing: after speech contest season comes December when many ALTs leave the
country for exciting destinations like Thailand, Malaysia, or Ohio. In January things
start back up again at school and continue until around the end of February or March. At
that point you may find yourself sitting in the office with nothing to do, like back in
August. Many ALTs while away those days with frivolous amusements like Facebook
or whatever, but again, if you want to be awesome you could take this time to do
something that you noticed needs to be done, like reorganizing and cataloguing your
school’s English library. Also, every year, on March 11th, at about 2:45 pm, the school
will hold a moment of silence for the victims of the Fukushima
earthquake/tsunami/meltdown disaster. This is another item on an interminable list of
things that no one else will tell you about except perhaps your predecessors and fellow
expats. I’m telling you now so that you don’t suddenly find yourself noisily typing away
at your keyboard right in the middle of it (awkward!). April starts a new school year and
things are shifted around (including desks, classrooms, and teachers).
Each school has its own advantages and disadvantages, and you may personally be very
happy about some aspects of your school and less excited about others. For example,
there may be cool fieldtrips that you get to go on, sweet English club students who are
really interested in learning, the TV-worthy drama surrounding the Speech Contest, to
students who soundly defeat you at sports. So enjoy, think about the odd turn your life
has taken when you are doing something particularly unexpected, and be happy you are
working at a Senior High School!
Sincerely,
Neil Sampson
neil.sampson23@gmail.com
Senior High School Life 101 – Another Perspective
HELLO NEW JETS!
So you have just learned you will teach in a Senior High School and have no idea what
that means! I know exactly how you are feeling since I was in that boat a year ago!
Because of that I feel like there are a million things to tell you. I have only been
immersed in one school, so my advice may not help everyone, but I do hope it helps
some of you! Let’s start with what is Senior High School! In Japan there are 3 levels
of school. Elementary is from first to sixth year. After that students head to Junior High
16
School for 3 years and then they come to Senior High School for another 3 years.
Students must decide which Senior High School that they want to attend and take an
entry test. If they pass they are admitted, if not then hopefully they tested at multiple
schools. Private High Schools are also an option that usually requires a test but it is
usually less challenging to pass. To be honest most private schools tend to have the
rough around the edges students but I am not saying they are any better or worse than a
normal public High School. All schools have their pros and cons.
That being said there are several types of High School:
Find out
school and
student
goals!
1. Academic: These are generally high-ranking schools in the prefecture. Students
are likely going to take college entrance exams and will spend a large chunk of
their high school careers (especially their third year) studying for said exams.
Not to overly generalize, but these students may be very nice if a bit shy and
stressed. ALTs in these high schools may be surprised by the amount of work
and the responsibilities they are given. ALTs will likely write and grade tests,
may grade large numbers of essays, may plan lessons, may run English clubs
after school a couple of days a week, probably will work with students for
speech contest in September and October, and may work with students
individually to prepare them for entrance exams, along with other assorted
duties. It depends on the school but you might have to follow the curriculum
rather closely, or you might be lucky like me and have as much time for
games/activities as you would like! This may be intimidating at first, but you
will be a valued member of the English team with a more clearly defined role
than other ALTs may experience, which is a positive. Another plus, some
students may be more interested in learning English and have a higher language
level than students at non-academic schools.
2. Private: Although private high schools may seem more prestigious and
high-level, the opposite is actually true in Toyama. Private high schools are
often for those students who perhaps did not do as well on HS entrance exams
either because they are not great test-takers or are not academic-focused. Private
schools are expensive and some students are not happy to be there initially.
However, some students deliberately choose private schools because of
programs offered (my school as a pretty awesome cooking program, for
example), because of athletics, or for any other number of reasons. Some of the
perks of working at a private school may include students who are more genki
and less shy, more flexibility in teaching lessons (perhaps more games!), less
stress for you as an ALT because you probably won’t have to do so much
grading or so much college prep. Downsides may include students with little
interest in learning English (although this is not just specific to private schools),
students with a lower level of English, and possibly less-clearly defined
responsibilities for yourself. Also, at least at my school, there are a couple of
academic-track students, so there can be some differences in English language
levels between different classes.
3. Technical: Technical high schools are intended for students interested in
pursuing specific careers. Like private schools, this can be advantageous for the
Find out
where
schedule
changes are
posted!
17
ALT since you may have fewer intimidating responsibilities and less grading.
However, again, students may have little interest in learning English and little
motivation to do so. Students may be more genki than academic-track students,
which can be a plus or a negative. You may also have less-clearly-defined
responsibilities than at other kinds of high schools which may mean you are
confused about your job at the school, or it may mean that you get to play more
games in the classroom.
As for a normal day, most days I come in and instantly look to see if any of my classes
have changed. They do not do substitute teachers here, so often they rearrange a day to
fit a teacher’s schedule. I can find this out on the school website or posted on a special
white board with teacher’s who are off for the day, and meeting times. I have been
informed 5 minutes before a class that it was changed to first period…*shudder* before
I knew where they posted the changes.
As for planning, I do it all. I think most Senior High School ALTs do the same. I often
talk to the JTEs to ask their opinion. This might seem daunting at first, but there is a
huge support network here as well as I hope your predecessor will leave you some
lesson plans. I would try to make/adapt some lesson plans that reflect you and your own
culture. I am from Canada and I did a lesson on ordering at a Tim Horton’s (a popular
coffee shop). Be ready to always adapt, in class and outside. Flexibility will be your
greatest resource!
So I know you are thinking, “ummm, that sounds like I’ll be busy!” It is true, that
some months you will be very busy and other months you will cry with boredom. The
busy months tend to be September to December at my school. It’s the time when
students in third year start having their University and workplace interviews. Some of
these interviews may be in English, so they will come and ask to practice with you.
On top of students coming to practice for exams and interviews, there will also be a few
students who need help practicing for the speech contests. Usually in November
Toyama holds a prefectural wide speech contest with sections based on research and/or
memorization. Students are judged on their pronunciation, tone, intonation, gestures and
just general flow. During these months you will often go over your contract time. I
often stay until 6 or 6:30pm. You will not get repaid for this time in anything but
students getting into their dream schools and getting to see your student excel at the
speech contest. This time is viewed as voluntary with a hidden aspect of expectation. I
have never heard of any ALT turning down helping students after school. It kind of
gives a bad impression to the other teachers who often go way over on their contracts
for clubs and helping students.
Getting to know the other teachers will be difficult at first. When I first arrived I gave
all the teachers in my staff room a small card with a personal note and a Canadian pin. It
was a great way to break the ice since it got all the teachers to come up and say thanks.
This was what I did, but I am sure you could do any small gesture. It seems that most of
the teachers are worried about speaking English to you and looking foolish, but just wait
until there is an enkai ( a staff drinking party which happen around any special event)
and you will see many teachers that were scared to approach you speaking to you in
English!
School festivals are also a great way to get to know your students and fellow teachers.
There are 2 major festivals in a year. The first is sports day, which in my school tends to
be in September. This is a day where students on three teams participate in races, team
jump roping and many other games. There is also a cheer competition which is usually
18
very well put together. Before the sports day festival many teachers will go and watch
the students practicing their cheering. The second festival is the “cultural festival,”
which to me meant showcasing different cultures. It is more of a talent show where
students can choose to go to different rooms to do or see activities. I taught my students
to line dance. I am certain that these festivals are different at other schools.
Clubs! So many clubs! My school has many clubs. I try to walk around when times are
slow to visit some of the clubs since there are so many. I also belong to the tea
ceremony club. You can choose to join a club or just visit. Most teachers appreciate you
asking to come and are more than happy to allow you a visit!
Don’t worry too much since everything will be figured out in time. Also, you have tons
of support! There are tons of people, including other JET, just waiting to help you! I
look forward to meeting you!
Becca Scheiris
Becca.scheiris@uleth.ca
Introduction to Junior High School Life
So you got middle school.
Just like the name you're walking into in-between land. The students coming in are fresh
out of elementary school and impossibly little compared to your third years, who are
going to be boasting confidence and budding adulthood. Some of the kids you're going
to see go on to amazing high schools and programs and others are going to fall through
the cracks at exam time. It's exciting to be here, at this point, watching them grow.
However, like any middle school, it comes with ups and downs and some major
growing pains.
I'm speaking here not just from my experience but also from the stance of all the
Tonami ALTs. My situation here is actually really unique: I'm at a small, small school
of 104 students and a full time staff of 11, me, three part time teachers, and our office
staff. In contrast another ALT in the district has a school of 700 plus students, a staff of
over thirty, and is constantly spinning in circles keeping everyone straight. I visit two
elementary schools. Another JHS ALT doesn't visit any. There are parts of Toyama that
are as lively as any other in Japan and there are parts, like mine, where the community
has known each other for ages and you're walking into a small town as the one
newcomer.
So, what can I tell you beyond the tried and true (and perpetually frustrating) Every
Situation is Different?
19

A lot of your co-workers aren't going to speak English, and the fluency of your
JTEs will be varied.

It's going to be a lot of fun in the first, and second year, classrooms, but after
summer break the third years are going to slowly have their souls sucked out
through their eye sockets via exam preparation. (Seriously after winter break it's
like walking into Azkaban. No life, no joy, no hope, just tests. I'm pretty sure one
kid actually turned into a dementor.)

You will be informed that your students had some English in elementary schools,
grades 5 and 6. This is true. Do not expect them to have retained any of it. They
might have, but don't be surprised when they didn't.

There are going to be a good amount of days you work on Sunday for some event
or another. You'll get that Monday off, or you'll get a paid day off you can use in
the same month you worked the Sunday.

Sometimes you'll report to a supervisor at your work (JTE) and sometimes you'll
have a supervisor at your BOE (Tonami does it this way). Either way that's your
first line of defense for anything.

Get your kids engaged. Make an English Board (mine is interactive with questions
and stamps they can collect), go to English Club, take as much interest in your
students as possible.

If you're in a large school getting to know your students names is hard. Even in my
small school it took me a while to get them all down. I started picking three
random people to answer a question at the start of class. I was calling their names
more and had to associate them with faces. If this works for you and your JTE, do
it. Knowing at a least a good handful of your students makes school life better for
you and them.

Put money aside each paycheck for enkai. They might not cost very much but they
might cost a lot too. Mine range anywhere from 2000-9000 yen depending on
what they're for. In March because of graduation the new school year I spent
nearly 30,000 (roughly $300 USD if that helps) in enkai. That's not at all usual,
but it can happen, so it's best to be prepared for it.

Realize your kids are uncomfortable in their own skin—literally. This is when
they're growing the most and so their bodies are going to feel weird to them,
nothing is going to fit quite right, and they're just starting to make out their place
in the world. Like I said, middle school is in-between land and you're going to see
that in your kids some days.
20

Discipline is different in Japan. Even if you're coming in knowing what Japan
looks like up down right to left and inside out (I'm a Japanese major, I've studied
Japanese for ten years and been here multiple times before JET, I thought I knew
what was coming) sometimes the way things go down will throw you. I had to go
to my 'happy place' and check out of the classroom while I watched my JTE
scream at a severely ADD kid, which exacerbated the problem tenfold. Kids are
going to burst into tears or refuse to walk past the entrance way for a plethora of
reasons from time to time. Be prepared for the unexpected.

On that note - your 'problem kids' might not actually be a problem. Sometimes,
not as much as the teachers make it seem. I was told outright to simply ignore my
ADD kid. But I taught for two years in the states in varying situations and I've
handled my share of ADD kids before. So I don't ignore him and now I'm one of
the only teachers that can get him to try in class.

Observe, listen, and feel out your students and your position with them and your
JTE. Sometimes your different perspective is useful beyond being able to speak
English. Because I can speak Japanese and we're in such a small school my
coworkers have all explicitly told me I have the power to get after my kids if I
need to. This isn't always the case. Take it slow and get to know where you stand.

Your students have had little contact with foreigners which makes for plenty of
awkward questions and misconceptions. A lot of your time outside of grammar
and vocab will be spent teaching and correcting ideas about foreign countries.
There are going to be moments when your kids ask you something that will stop
you in your tracks. There will also be moments when you'll blow your kids and
coworkers minds by correcting misconceptions. ("What do you mean not
everyone in American owns and knows how to use a gun?!") There are also going
to be moments when they ask you something simply because you are a foreigner.
( I got asked by some girls who are going to Holland to help them pronounce
Dutch names and I told them "They aren't American names, so I'm not sure."
"Well how would you pronounce them in English?" "No guys, that's what I'm
saying. They're Dutch I have absolutely no clue how to say them."
"Ooohhhhhhh." I felt bad, but I literally couldn't help them at all. Luckily we do
have a Dutch guy here in Tonami that I could ask and get back to them on it.)

School lunches are mandatory. If you're eating with the kids and there's something
you hate eating, but don't have an allergy to, you're going to be expected to muscle
through it. However if there is something you just cannot stomach, let your
co-workers know. They understand that the Japanese pallet is very different from
21
other countries. If you eat in your office there is usually a place to stash the
leftovers/’I am NOT putting that in my mouth” items, and a lot of teachers do
this. What you can usually expect for lunch is:
o Meat of sorts (always, in everything. IF YOU ARE VEGAN
OR VEGETARIAN I high recommend fighting to bring your own lunch.
There is some kind of meat, even if you're pescatarian and it's a 'fish day'
check, check, check.)
o milk (always)
o a soup
o rice (one day a week this will be bread)
o veggies (they'll usually be mixed up with a sauce, or be pickled. Don't
think of it as salad because it's really not.)
 Here are some of the more out of the box things that are going to
show up:

Whole fish with their heads. Or parts of fish with the skin still on. Thin whole fish
with the heads on that were pregnant and are therefore stuffed with little white
eggs, are a favorite. I don't mind them. You might mind them. This is okay.
o Natto, or, fermented soy beans. This is stinky and very, very slimy (it's one
of the things that took me forever to learn how to stomach.)
o Fat left on meats (I have an issue with fat at home but they way they cook
meat here I normally don't even notice I'm eating it)
o Bland, or 'clean' flavors. There's not going to be a lot of truly 'savory' style
foods for lunch.
o Seaweed. If you don't already know there's more than just the stuff they
throw around sushi rolls. The types of seaweed eaten are vast and plentiful
and most of them are going to show up on your plate, either in your soup
or with your other veggies.
o Whale. Given recent events this may not happen and it's very rare that it
does anymore anyway. If you have a major aversion to this tell your
school. The one time we had it I only knew because a fellow ALT sent out
a heads up message. My coworkers weren't even paying attention and
didn't realize it until after I asked. (They are well aware of how it's viewed
so if you're against it they will totally understand).

Relax and be yourself. Middle school can be a little stricter than high school at
times, but don't get stressed about the little things. You're from a different culture
and while it is imperative to respect the culture that you're in, it's okay to let your
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own culture filter through in action and appearance. (That said- dressing like you
would if you were a teacher in your home country is fine. Dressing how
you want to without regard to what it means to be professional in your own
culture OR Japan's isn't cool. Find the balance and don't be afraid to ask. Again
this will be different for all schools. My school is used to me with my nails done
and jewelry on. Another ALT gets passive aggressive comments for letting her
collar bones show.)

You won't be solo teaching as much as SHS ALTs do. You're responsibilities will
be mostly the fun stuff, and not so much the actual teaching. When you walk in
your kids are going to light up. But you will also be doing a considerable amount
of tape recorder work.

There are going to be days you're so busy you can't breathe and there are going to
be 'desk-warmer' days. On the days you have nothing don't worry about reading or
working on something else. Of course do work, ALT related things first, but nine
times out of ten the things you thought would take up all day take you an hour. Use
the time to study, read, or anything else but make it something productive.

For some reason a lot of schools block gmail, yahoo mail, etc. I have no definitive
reason for this and no one has ever found one. Best to make some back up e-mails
on Hotmail.com or msn.com, just in case your usual e-mail gets blocked at school
and you don't have the means to unblock it. There is your phone, but some schools
are really strict on that too.
All that said, I love my middle school, my coworkers and where I got placed. The best
advice I can give you for work, or anything with JET, is make it your own. ESID is true,
but you never realize how much until you're talking to other ALTs realizing that even
though you're in the same district things are 100% different somewhere else. Take it
easy, don't get stressed out, and know that at all times you have an entire JET
community backing you up and ready help you out. And most of the time your school is
too. Ask questions, compare notes, and be ready for anything!
ESID, get involved, have fun, be prepared for anything, scroll back up and read that
section on lunch, and welcome to Toyama baby 
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Let’s Go (Back) to Elementary School!
Hello, congratulations, and welcome to Toyama! I’m going to tell you a bit about
working in an elementary school from my own experience. The situation in my city is a
little unique in that there’s a JAT (Japanese Assistant Teacher) to help you plan and
teach every 3rd through 6th grade class, but other than that everything should be about
the same.
Schedule
You might arrive at school in time for the morning staff meeting, where the schedule
and any issues in the school are discussed. It’s fairly interesting, but you’re not required
to attend if it starts before your hours do—usually the teacher manager or someone will
alert you to changes to your schedule (keep an eye on the board with the daily schedule
just in case, though). After this, classes start. Each is 45 minutes long. First period starts
around 8:45, followed by second period and a 20-minute break where kids play outside
or around the school. Then, there’s third and fourth period before lunch at about 12:30.
There’s another break and school cleaning time after lunch, and last are fifth and sixth
period, which finish by 3:30. Students usually hang out after school until they’re all sent
home some time before 4:30.
Now here’s how you fit into that schedule. Your number of classes per day will depend
on the school size and number of days you go there, but it’ll probably be less than six.
Classes are 45 minutes long, but don’t be surprised if you have as little as 30-35 minutes
of actual teaching time due to classes or teachers running late. Outside of the time you
spend in class, planning and preparation for future classes could also be a part of your
work, depending on how involved the homeroom teacher aka HRT is (more on that
later). You’ll eat school lunch with the students in the lunch room, and if they aren’t
already talking to you nonstop, it’s a perfect time to try to engage them. If you’re lucky,
you’ll get to spend break times or after school playing with them—they’ll probably be
really excited about their new teacher and invite you to play soccer or badminton with
them!
In Class
Your role in class will often depend on how involved your HRT (or JAT) is. There are
two ends of this spectrum:
1) Your HRT does nothing, except maybe grade papers in the back of the class. You
make the lesson plan, prepare all materials, and talk and gesture your way through class,
praying the kids understand, or at least pay attention.
2) Your HRT does everything, and you might have the privilege of saying things for the
students to repeat in class.
Of course, it’s unlikely that your situation will be this drastic. Most likely you’ll pick a
topic and come up with games to go with it, or the HRT might have requests or ideas for
you. It’s a good idea to always give the HRT the lesson plan even if they obviously
don’t care; you never know, they might start caring in the face of your unflagging
enthusiasm for English. Then you’ll prepare your flash cards or worksheets or whatever
you need.
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In class, you’ll generally start with a greeting and maybe warm up with a song or by
reviewing the last class’s vocabulary. Then, you’ll introduce whatever the English of
the day is and practice by repeating a lot (or repeating loosely disguised as a game like
Magic Word, where the students clap on a certain word—the Magic Word!—and repeat
the others). Once they can mostly handle saying the target English on their own, you’ll
do one or two games as time allows. Things like karuta (students try to be the first to
slap the card you say) or a time challenge (students in the class say the target English
one by one as fast as possible while you time them) are common.
When you teach the class, the goal is to use the absolute minimum of Japanese, so that’s
where you really earn your money. The HRT is mostly there to control the kids (note
that it’s strongly frowned upon for ALTs to do that), so you’ll find yourself using a ton
of demonstrations, gestures, and pictures. At some schools you might work with a
JAT/JTE some or all of the time, and though they are there to facilitate communication
between you and the class, resist the temptation to have them translate everything for
you. Give the students many chances to figure out what you’re saying, and only get the
JAT to translate when you’ve tried everything else. The kids do tend to catch on pretty
quickly, so don’t worry!
Some schools in Toyama follow a textbook for 5th and 6th grade called Hi, Friends!
which comes with a lot of extra material, like printable worksheets and pictures as well
as a DVD with interactive versions of the lessons. These are meant to be used with
smartboards or the like, so find out if your school has the technology to handle that first
(less likely than you think—my schools are still on Windows XP). You may like the
supplied materials and digital lessons or you may not—feel free to use your own
activities or plans instead (assuming your school hasn’t ordered you to follow the book).
Other Things
- Be happy!! This is not just me well-wishing you. It’s important to smile a lot and be
happy in class—unnaturally happy, even. Elementary school students are a lot more
receptive to having fun than to having some boring class, and the best way you can help
them is to have fun yourself. The goal for elementary-level English class is actually to
have fun with English, rather than to memorize the material, so keep that in mind.
- Be flexible! Everything from your schedule to the time you have for a class to how
you teach a lesson can vary wildly depending on your coworkers, your school, or your
students.
- Use simple English in class. A complaint I frequently hear from JATs is that they have
to translate long, complicated speeches from ALTs to a class of 3rd graders. Avoid this
by using the most basic English, speaking slowly, gesturing constantly, and repeating
everything.
- Check your school’s available technology anytime you plan to use it, and make sure
you get it set up before class.
- Pick up stickers before you leave your home country to use as prizes for games in
class. Even the 6th graders will go absolutely nuts for them.
- There’s a lot of different events in the school year that you’ll be invited to—school
opening and closing ceremonies, graduation, sports day, and so on. Definitely go! It’s a
great chance to bond with your students or to see a side of elementary school in Japan
you usually don’t.
Teaching in elementary school can be a really rewarding experience. It can be a little
tiring keeping up with your students’ energy all the time, but it’s worthwhile! The
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students are genuinely excited about English (and about you!), and that’s something
you’ll value as an ALT. Enjoy your time in elementary school!
Marie Maestas
Kurobe ALT
marimaestas@gmail.com
Teaching at a Special Needs School
Applying to the JET Programme is like planning a fabulous work vacation – to Japan.
You buy a bunch of guide books, Japanese language books, teachings aids and think
about lesson ideas you want to implement. Self-introduction presentations, fun English
games and other engaging activities fill your brain. It’s all very exciting and you can’t
wait to put these plans into action.
After months of eager anticipation, you finally get an email from your predecessor
detailing your work life in your new town/city. You learn that you will be visiting a
school for students with special needs. If you have no prior experience working with
students with special needs, you might feel confused, nervous and start to panic. So let
me ease your anxiety a little and congratulate you because this will (most likely) be one
of the best and most rewarding experiences you’ll receive during your stay in Japan!
There are several types of Special Education Schools in Toyama that cater to a variety
of students who have vision and hearing impairment, intellectual disabilities, learning
disabilities and physical disabilities. Some schools accommodate a variety of needs
while others are more specialized. For example, at Tonami Sougou Shien the type of
students range from learning disabilities to severe developmental disabilities but other
Special Education Schools might only have students who are hearing impaired.
Special needs schools are slower-paced than regular academic schools and after you’ve
been there for a while, you’ll begin to notice that these schools have supportive,
energetic and nurturing environments. They even have school festivals, sports day and
fans for the summer! There are more teachers in special needs schools so many classes
will have 2 teachers and an education assistant (depending on the special needs). The
classes are also much smaller in size ranging from 1 – 10 students. This makes it very
easy to not only remember your students’ names but also get to know with them.
In terms of lessons, you’ll find that there’s no curriculum to follow because the students
don’t take University Entrance Examinations. It’s up to you and your JTE to decide
what you’ll teach – this can be anything from numbers to feelings. With regards to the
actual planning, think of activities that incorporate all the senses and keep instructions
simple. I find that using shorter sentences are better than elaborate sentences. Showing
examples and demonstrating are also great ways to help your students understand. How
you accommodate your lesson will ultimately be determined by the type of students you
have and their special needs.
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Communication is key to the success of your lessons so discuss and plan with your JTE
as much as possible because they not only have the expertise but also a better
understanding of what their students are capable of. Having said that, don’t be afraid to
challenge your students once you’re able to grasp their ability level. Of course you can
also ask your predecessor about what worked and what didn’t.
Popular activities include singing songs, playing games (ex: fruits basket, eye spy,
Simon says, Pictionary, card games, etc) and role playing activities. Games that allow
students to interact with one another are great for teaching social interactions. As a
general rule of thumb, if you are having fun, then the students are also having fun so
don’t be afraid to play the clown or be silly. Finally, if you ever get stuck, there are a
plethora of activities that can be found online.
Apart from your English class, you may also be encouraged to attend other
(non-English) classes to observe or participate such as music or gym. If you have a
non-Japanese student at your Special Education School, you might even be asked to
help them with a particular subject such as math.
I hope this letter answered some of the question marks in your head and remember don’t
panic! Just take a deep breath and enjoy the very special and very lovely things about
each of your students. がんばって [Ganbatte, good luck]!! May the odds be ever in
your favour!
Jennifer Cheung
Tonami Kougyo SHS & Tonami Sougou Shien
Teaching a Special Needs Class
Congratulations! You’ve made it all the way to Toyama, and you’re ready for your
first day of school. You have a brand new pair of indoor shoes, and you’re ready to
take on the world (or at least some small, rural, Japanese part of it). At school, they
hand you your schedule and amongst all the “2-1”s and the “3-3”s, you see “得”. In
English, it means “special”, and it’s your class of intellectually, socially or physically
disadvantaged students.
I can’t speak to what it’s like to teach at a special needs school, but like many ALTs I
have a special needs class at my junior high school, and I teach it once a week. It
currently consists of three students (though yours might be much bigger or much
smaller, both of which pose some interesting challenges) with nothing in common but
being different. Initially, I had a third grader with Down syndrome in the same class
as a genius first grader with a penchant for removing clothing during class—and I had
absolutely no experience whatsoever in interacting with special needs kids. Suddenly,
right out of college, my job included teaching a helpful, interesting and challenging
English lesson to a group of students who couldn’t be more different from each other,
and it seemed impossible. If (when) you’re faced with the same task, fear not. Here
are a few things that I’ve learned about teaching my special needs kids; I hope they’re
helpful to you.
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Keep it relevant, simple, and fun. Let go of the idea that your students will already
be halfway through writing their doctoral thesis on Fitzgerald by the end of the school
year. It won’t happen. For many of your special needs students, their lives are
already so challenging that they won’t have the mental energy to spare for mastering
English, and that’s ok. As their English teacher, you can still make their time
worthwhile by teaching them useful, simple, relevant English. Do they know how to
talk about themselves? Do they know how to ask for directions? Do they know the
English number system well enough to figure out foreign currency? Can they tell the
time and say the date? Think of all the linguistic things you struggled with on that trip
to Spain five years ago and find a way to incorporate them into a fun English lesson.
Don’t worry—you can do it.
Stick to the plan. When I started working with the JET Program, I had a co-teacher
who thought a good special needs lesson consisted of random vocabulary review
followed by several rousing games of Connect Four. As you might imagine, this
wasn’t terribly effective. My students performed so much better when there was a
clear connection between one week’s lesson and the next, as well as a clear, vocalized
plan for the semester or the unit. For example, I did a unit on family introductions that
started with family member vocabulary, then moved on to jobs, birthdays, ages,
fruits/animal/sports/colors, then finished with a family member presentation that
combined all the vocabulary and grammar that we’d covered. It was fun, cohesive,
and just the right amount of challenging for my kids. They knew what we were doing,
why we were doing it, and where we were headed—and not a game of Connect Four in
sight.
Differentiate, differentiate, differentiate. Your school will tell you a grand total of
nothing about your special needs students. You won’t be told about their diagnoses,
their home life, their health problems or their hang-ups. That being said, figure it out.
No one will tell you, but you still need to know this stuff in preparation for
differentiating the pants off these kids. Here are some sage words from my college
education professor: “Differentiation isn’t letting a student who finishes early draw a
picture on her math test. It’s tailoring your material to individually and fully meet the
needs of each and every one of your kids.” Fully challenging each of your special
needs children is going to be tough. They need different things, and they learn in
different ways, but it’s worth the effort. Once we got going, my special needs class
quickly became one of my favorite classes, and the same thing could absolutely happen
to you. Differentiate, learn their behavior quirks and their interests, and run with the
challenge. Your special needs students really are special kids, and they deserve the
best you can give them.
Don’t worry, they’ll give you their best in return.
Allison Bradley
Kurobe Junior High School
allison.bradley@outlook.com
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Teaching at Multiple Schools
First off, welcome to the Toyama JET community! I’m sure you have lots of questions
about the new job and life you are about to begin. I’d like to tell you about what it’s like
to teach at multiple schools. Teaching at more than one school is the assignment of most
non-high school JETs in Toyama. If you’re like me when I first started out, the prospect
of juggling four schools in one week sounds daunting, but actually it isn’t as difficult as
it may seem. The most important things are to stay organized and maintain consistent
communication with the JTEs (Japanese teachers of English) and elementary school
homeroom teachers alongside whom you will be teaching.
What Your Schedule Might Look Like
To give you an idea of what a multiple-school schedule looks like, here’s my own
weekly schedule:
Monday: Nyuzen Elementary School
Tuesday: Touri Elementary School
Wednesday: Hibarino Elementary School / Nyuzen Nishi Junior High School
(alternating every week)
Thursday and Friday: Nyuzen Nishi Junior High School
Nyuzen Nishi Junior High School is my “base school,” the one at which I spend the
most time. I work at each school from 8:30 to 4:15 every day. Some ALTs work at two
schools in one day; they go to one in the morning and move to another in the afternoon.
For the most part, ALTs’ weekly schedules remain the same throughout the school year,
so you don’t have to worry about your schedule being unpredictable.
Inevitably, however, your schedule will change for a given day or week. My experience
has been that at my junior high school, the class schedule is more subject to change
compared to elementary school (but it happens there too). Sometimes I walk into school
in the morning and find that my third period 9th grade class was moved to fifth period
and my first period 7th grade class was cancelled. It’s on you to proactively ask about
schedule changes, as sometimes teachers won’t tell you about them, and you can find
yourself in an uncomfortable position. More on the importance of open communication
with teachers later…
Organization
Now, let me tell you specifically about how I organize my lesson plans and materials.
Every ALT has their own strategies of course, but I find it effective to use a separate
notebook for each school. So I have one for Nyuzen Elementary, one for Touri, one for
Hibarino, and one for Nyuzen Nishi. I also keep two binders for worksheets and class
materials: one for my three elementary schools, and one for my junior high school. For
the heck of it, I like to color code them, so my ES notebooks and binder are pink, while
my JHS ones are blue.
Why, you ask, do I use a separate notebook for each school, but only one binder for all
the elementary schools? Well, that’s because the English classes at my elementary
schools are very similar from school to school. Each school uses the same textbook for
fifth and sixth grades, called “Hi Friends,” and my elementary school English lessons
are 85% the same at all three schools. You might vary your lessons a little bit for a
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number of reasons. For example: the homeroom teachers at school A like to run class a
little differently than at school B; your fifth grade class at school C is much worse
behaved than at schools A and B; you only teach at school B once every other week, so
you have to cover more material in each class there or skip certain topics. But for the
most part, there is a LOT of continuity between my elementary school classes. This is a
very good thing, because it means I can use the same worksheets and usually teach the
same lessons at all my elementary schools! That’s why I only feel the need to use one
binder of materials for all three of those schools.
I hope that wasn’t too confusing! Long story short: your elementary school classes are
probably going to be pretty similar across the board, so you can recycle worksheets and
materials rather than have a separate set for each school.
Oh, and one more thing: I suggest keeping a detailed log of your lesson plans, and notes
about how each class went, for each school. In my first couple of months here,
sometimes I didn’t do a great job of record-keeping, and found myself forgetting if I
had already covered a certain topic, or whether a certain activity or game went well in a
given class.
Communication with Your Team Teachers
Earlier, I mentioned maintaining communication with the other teachers at your schools
week to week. I can’t really overstate how key this is. At least at your elementary
schools, you will probably receive a class schedule for the current semester or the next
several months. For me, this is useful because it allows me to know which teachers I
need to meet with to discuss future classes. Since I’m only at each elementary school
once a week, I only have that one day a week to see them. Most of my elementary
school homeroom teachers make themselves available to meet with me right after lunch,
while the students are cleaning the school. It’s really important to have these meetings,
so that both you and the homeroom teacher are on the same page about what you want
to do. This is true even if the HRT doesn’t have any input of her own and decides to
leave it to you. If there’s a game you want to do in the next class, and you explain it to
the HRT beforehand, she can help you explain the rules to the students in Japanese (if
necessary) when the times comes.
As for junior high school, usually I am given a monthly schedule of English classes by
one of the JTEs, but I’ve found that it’s harder to corral JHS teachers. You might have
to chase them down a little bit to arrange a time to meet. Sometimes I end up not even
having the chance to talk with them about the lesson plan until the day of the class! This
is not optimal, but if it happens, it might be because the JTE already has the class
planned out and can explain it to you quickly.
A Few Final Thoughts
Now that I’ve given you the lowdown on how to go about managing your duties at
multiple schools, here are a few more thoughts I want to leave you with.
Drinking parties
By now you’ve probably heard something about Japan’s hallowed tradition of going out
and getting wasted with your coworkers (if that’s not really your thing, don’t worry, no
one will pressure you into drinking alcohol if you don’t want to). Personally, I enjoy
enkai (drinking parties). I think they’re a fun way to get to know teachers outside of the
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school environment. But here’s the thing: At 3000 yen a pop or more, they can hurt
your wallet if you go frequently enough. And if you’re teaching at multiple schools, that
could mean a lot of enkai invitations. I suggest at least accepting the first invitation
from each of your schools as a show of goodwill. But if you start to find yourself
spending more money than you’d like on them, your schools will understand if you tell
them you need to take it easy that night.
It’s tough to remember all your students’ names
Even if you have decent ability in Japanese, it can be really hard to remember your kids’
names. There are just so many of them if you teach at multiple schools. Certain kids
will go out of their way to talk to you more than others, and you’ll probably have no
problem remembering their names before too long. If you really feel like you want to be
able to know all your kids’ names, you can ask your elementary school teachers to have
the kids wear a name tag with roman characters or hiragana (phonetic Japanese
characters) if you can’t read kanji (Chinese characters). At a junior high school, you can
ask the homeroom teacher of each class for a seating chart with the kids’ names on
them.
Overall, I think teaching at more than one school is great. It keeps things interesting and
gives me the chance to interact with a lot more kids than if I were at the same school all
the time. I think you’ll enjoy it too.
I look forward to meeting you soon!
Simon Robinson
Nyuzen-machi Board of Education
simonrobinson42@gmail.com
Teaching Non-Japanese Students
Welcome to Toyama! I hope you all the best during your JET adventure!
Having gone through this packet of different perspectives and different aspects of
teaching in Toyama, I am certain that by this point you have come to the understanding
that NO two schools in Toyama are the same. This can be refreshing news but it can
also lead to further confusion as to how to conduct your job as an ALT in the classroom.
The greatest sense of confusion I’ve encountered was walking into a classroom full of
foreigners! Not only non-native speakers from Pakistan, India, the Philippines, South
Korea, China, Russia and Germany, but also native speakers from Canada, the United
States and Australia! With non-Japanese students, all bets are off!
So, what’s the best way to approach this situation? As with most things JET, the answer
is creativity! In being creative, one doesn’t approach all foreign students with the same
strategy in mind. Instead, as a general guideline, you should be open to them, learn
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about the circumstances that brought them to Japan, and find out how to best help them
improve their English.
Being open and learning about the foreign students at your school can be a tricky
situation. Few students actualize what their foreign status means in the same way. Some
of my students take active pride in separating themselves from their peers and love
referring to their past experiences while other students I’ve met do their best to
assimilate into the class and do not want to be singled out or asked about their culture.
I’ve found that the best way to deal with this situation is to first inquire about the
student from their homeroom teacher or previous English teachers. With the former,
homeroom teachers are well known to invest a lot of time and energy into their students
and know the most about their family’s story and English ability. They can give a good
indication as to how to work with their students. In addition, when classmates are busy
doing individual activities in class, feel free to approach the student and ask
non-invasive questions. Be sure to make yourself available as a friend. For some
students, this sense of friendship can give them an opportunity to express themselves
outside of Japanese-speaking world.
In addition, as you become better friends with your fellow foreigners, be sure to learn
what circumstance brought them to Japan. Once again, it is important to navigate this
topic carefully as a few students I’ve met have come here because of death of their main
guardian or failed family business ventures. Once again, it is smart to start from the
teachers and move in. The activity that best helped me learn about my foreign students
was from their journal activities. Our first entry was a self-introduction. Use
information given by the student to start conversations and eventual friendships.
This leads me to another point: finding out the best way to help these students. More
often than not, the foreign students I’ve met in Japan tend to have higher English levels
than their Japanese peers. Because of this, the English classroom may seem like a dull
and wasted period for them. Instead, pending approval from your JTE, find out whether
they are comfortable with you assigning them additional work in class that would
challenge them at their appropriate levels. Complex short fiction, contemporary articles
from the New Yorker and the Economist followed by questions are a great way to make
their mental gears work harder. Also, in my Current Issues class, I weekly assign the
foreign students in class to work on research projects that they eventually present in
class. This not only keeps them busy, but it also provides an opportunity for their
Japanese peers to learn from them.
In addition, some foreign students may not be as skilled in Japanese as they are in
English. As a JET studying Japanese, you can use this to create a sense of solidarity. Be
sure to encourage each other and consider having the student sign up for the Japanese
Language Proficiency Test (JLPT). Not only will studying with your student encourage
you to study more, other teachers will be grateful to see an increase in the student’s
Japanese ability. In addition, should your student be a non-native English speaker or
near non-native level, it would be wise to consider what level Eiken (Test in Practical
English Proficiency) exam they should consider. Study materials for the Eiken exams
make great additional class work if they finish the class assigned work before their peers.
Having seen the level-1 Eiken exam, I firmly attest that there is an appropriate level for
all foreign students in Japan. I’ve even seen an Australian student struggle to pass the
vocabulary section of this exam!
Lastly, keep it fun! Foreign students give an opportunity to bring a whole new
perspective into the classroom. Ask them to help explain an English term. Have them
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help out at an English Club event. Help each other navigate through the confusing and
exciting world of Japanese education!
Cullan Riley
Toyama Kokusai Dai Fuzoku
Cullanriley@gmail.com
Living in Rural Japan: Life as a JET in the Japanese Countryside
Congratulations! You are no doubt incredibly excited to start this new phase of your life
and partake in the adventure that is living in Japan and being a Toyama JET. If you are
like me, you heaved a sigh of relief and perhaps even shed a tear of joy as your
acceptance email finally made its way to you. Then after a tense month or more, you sat
near the computer eagerly awaiting your placement. After what seemed like an eternity,
it came!
Kamiichi-machi, Toyama-Ken, Japan!
…Wait, what? I didn’t even know Toyama-ken was a place. Oh, well – it doesn’t matter,
because even though you may have never heard of it, your life is about to become a
whole lot more awesome.
This is what I told myself and you should too, because it is absolutely true. While your
experience will no doubt hold some challenges, it will also hold many rewards. Living
in the Japanese countryside is an experience very few foreigners will get to partake in,
so consider yourself one of the lucky few!
If this is your first time coming to Japan, you will have some adjustments to make as
you get used to a culture very different from your own. These differences are likely to
be especially remarkable if you are living in a rural environment. I moved from
Bakersfield, California, a city of over 500,000 people, to Kamiichi, Toyama that has a
population of a little more than 20,000. I had been to Japan once previously in 2011
when I studied in Kobe for two months. Let me tell you, that did nothing to prepare me
for life in the inaka (or “countryside”). Even still, I have learned to thrive in a place I
previously had no idea existed, and if I can do it, so can you. So, what should you
expect?
First and foremost, expect an abundance of natural beauty. Toyama is home to the
“Japanese Alps,” a gorgeous mountain range that hugs the city and surrounding areas
and dominates the horizon. Lush cedar forests climb up the hills and are crisscrossed by
crystal clear rivers that run into the bay. There are plenty of outdoor activities to keep
you busy including hiking, canoeing, or just going on a walk and taking everything in.
Regardless of what you like to do, the countryside holds something for everyone.
Secondly, the inaka is serene, quiet, peaceful and perhaps most important of all, safe. In
a town of 20,000, everyone knows everyone and they will all know of you. Prepare to
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be something of a local celebrity. This may sound intimidating but I have found it to
come with quite a bit of charm. More often than not people are very warm and friendly,
willing to help you to the best of their abilities if you are in need or simply thrilled to
have you in their shops. Of course, that doesn’t mean every single person is going to be
happy to meet you or have you in their town – there is always a Scrooge – but the
overwhelming majority will be happy to offer a “Konnichiwa” and a smile to the person
who is educating their children. This has been my experience and it is definitely a step
up from random encounters with strangers back home. For instance, my wife teaches at
an after school program here in Kamiichi and the majority of our neighbors are farmers.
Every season, our neighbors and the people my wife works with bring us produce from
their farms, from bags of rice to fruits and vegetables. The hospitality is almost unreal
and it goes a long way to make us feel welcome and at home. These are the types of
experiences that, by necessity, usually don’t occur in the larger cities and they are really
something special.
There is another point to keep in mind with regard to living in this kind of community
and being something of a “celebrity.” Typically, in more rural parts of Japan, there are
few if any foreigners around other than ALTs. Where I live, the only other gaijin
(“foreigner”) is my wife. I am the only JET living in Kamiichi (another JET commutes
from Toyama city and works in the local high school). However, in cities like Takaoka
and Toyama City, there are many more foreigners living and working there. This means
that you will be an object of fascination on the part of local residents in countryside
locales.
Prepare yourself for stares.
People will stare at you as though you were dressed up like David Bowie in “Labyrinth”
prancing down the street singing, “I saw my baybay, cry as hard as babe could cry!
Dance magic, dance,” and kicking trolls. And, while I would be lying if I said it doesn’t
get old, because it definitely does, just keep in mind that they are very curious. You may
very well be the only foreigner some people have ever, or will ever, see and interact
with personally. You are quite literally an ambassador of sorts for your country, your
culture and the JET program. It is important to conduct yourself accordingly in public,
especially in a small town. Just offer a smile, try not to kick any trolls, and you will be
fine.
…Dressing as David Bowie is optional.
As for the challenges, the most obvious will be what is there to do? Personally, I have
never found this to be an issue. I don’t mind simply getting lost, wandering about,
discovering things, meeting new people, stumbling over my insanely bad Japanese and
finding my way back home. You may be surprised at the cool places you find hiding in
every inaka village and town. If this is your first time in Japan, just going to the grocery
store is going to be an adventure on par with “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.”
But, I do realize that going to the grocery store isn’t everyone’s version of a great way
to spend a weekend. So, keep in mind that there simply will not be the same amount of
things to do on a Saturday night that there will be in a larger city like Toyama-shi or
Takaoka.
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Don’t fret! You will never be too far from a train station to get you where you need to
go. If you don’t have a car (which is helpful but not necessary), hoof it or ride your bike
to the train station and head to the city. Japan’s efficient and effective train systems
ensure that you shouldn’t be too far away from a bigger hub of activity and fun.
Shopping can also be problematic if you have to rely on your local town. I am a bigger
guy and can almost never find the right size for me – even at UNIQLO or GU. The
internet takes care of this. Internet shopping has become my go-to solution on
everything from vitamins and protein to cast-iron cookware and clothing. It is fast and
incredibly convenient.
The Japanese countryside is something that you simply have to experience first-hand to
get a feel for. It will be challenging at times and you will have your bad days and your
good days. But the hope is for the good to outweigh the bad. Do whatever you need to
do to achieve that: go outside, exercise, read a book while listening to the abundant
flowing water that travels through the myriad maze of irrigation channels (affectionately
referred to as “gaijin traps”), open a window and just take in the scenery to get artistic
inspiration, meditate, Skype with friends and family back home, or explore! And most
importantly, remember that the JET community here in Toyama is there for you.
Whatever you need help with, whatever you are going through, someone here has
experienced it and is willing to offer any assistance you need.
Welcome to the family and get ready to have the time of your life.
Food in Japan
Q: Where is your favorite place to eat out?
Abbi: Sakura Sushi in the Nomura area of Takaoka has a Toyama Sushi Platter that is
all fresh caught local fish and it is to die for. It run by a Legit Sushi Master, his wife and
his apprentice, and I love their homemade miso. However not for the faint of heart, the
first time I went my miso had the fish head floating in it. It’s a great way to try a little
bit of everything that Toyama is famous for. I highly recommend it.
Hiro: I'm a fan of variety and I'm always searching for new favorites (the best this... the
local favorites that...). But one place I find myself going back to most often is a nice
ramen shop called Tsubaki. The portions are nice, the broth and noodles are yummy,
and the chashu is one of the best I've found. If you find yourself in Tonami on the 156
near the tulip park, you could do worse than check it out.
Q: Where do you buy your food?
Abbi: Generally I do most of my shopping at AEON because the produce is generally
really good and really cheap. When I’m looking for foreign food I like to browse
through Kaldi on a regular basis, there are always new imports to try. Yamaya is great
for imported alcohol. There is a Brazilian place in Takaoka where you can get your
cilantro and lime fix. I shop online for some things too. The best place to get meat is
definitely from The Meat Guy, if you have the freezer room for it, it’s a lot cheaper than
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shopping at the grocery store. It is also one of the only places you can get feta. I also
buy my peanut butter from iherb instead of from an import store, it’s always cheaper
and you get a lot more. iherb is great if you’re looking for organic, gluten free, or vegan
things as well.
Hiro: Good answer! Spot on. If you have a list with hard to find foods, there's a few
more places you could check out. Try the department store basements (like Daiwa) as
they often have imported food. There's also a restaurant supply store called Marushin
in Takaoka that has a lot of hard to find stuff in large/ XL sizes. Also, you never know
where you might randomly find some treasure. Even Daiso sometimes has rare imported
snacks and sauces for super cheap. And don't despair about the Japanese version of
some things. Although, for example, typical Japanese bacon is more like ham in flavor,
you can find locally made artisan versions of food that are just fine for when you get
cravings. Tonami has a shop that makes fantastic thick cut bacon and English style
breakfast sausages, that are pretty darn close in taste (but pricey). The internet has made
it pretty easy to get fantastic stuff from overseas. I order from iherb too, once a month.
Pro-tip: don't spend more than 16500¥ per order on anything imported from those
companies or you get slapped with a 3000¥ customs fee, C.O.D. Took me three big
orders to figure that one out. Oh! Farmer's markets and "michi no eki"s have
wonderful produce, often for super cheap.
Q: What about kitchen gadgets?
Abbi: Not going to lie, I had a bunch of my favorite kitchen gadgets (garlic press,
lime juicer, set of microplanes) sent from home because even at the kitchen stores I’ve
been too there was no sign of them. There is a really awesome new kitchen store that
opened up at the mall in Kanazawa (Forus). It is worth the trip as they have almost
anything you could want for your kitchen, even some foreign brands. As for
appliances, recycle shops are a good way to go, but when in doubt, Amazon.co.jp
should have most anything you can’t find in stores. I personally bought my oven at a
recycle shop, my rice cooker at Musashi, and then I ordered my blender, slow cooker
and food processor on Amazon.
Hiro: Yeah! That shop at Forus is really good! For just getting started, Daiso has a ton
of cheap utensils. But you get what you pay for, so for important things, you might want
to do it right. There's a nice shop called Muji at Favore and Aeon malls that has some
nice stuff too. Also Nittori in Tonami, Takaoka, and Toyama. Think small Japanese
Ikeas. Before dropping too much cash on big appliances, see if your board of education
will help pay for things. I've had to replace a fridge and kerosene heater. My price?
Free.99.
Q: What is the one thing you couldn’t live without in your kitchen?
Abbi: Gadget? My set of knives, that I brought to Japan from America. It’s a simple
Rachel Ray set with a paring knife, serrated knife and chef knife, but I never leave home
without it. Ask the people whose apartments I cook at, I always show up with them in
tow. Food? Quick easy comfort food that doesn’t go back so you can stock up on it. I
always have boxes of Annie’s Mac in Cheese in my pantry for those days where I’m
sick or homesick and I don’t want to do anything or I’m about to go on a trip so I don’t
want to buy perishable things. I usually always doctor it up with some frozen bags of
vegetables or sun dried tomatoes and bacon, but just the easiness of it is what I find
most comforting.
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Hiro: Good knife and a heavy pot and pan. Silicone spatula. Mmmm... Annie's sounds
good right now.
Q: If you could give one piece of advice to the incoming ALTs?
Abbi: Be adventurous, not picky. This prefecture is a haven for food lovers. We have
Brazilian (Takaoka), Italian (Tonami), French (Takaoka), Indian (Toyama, Takaoka),
pizza (Kurobe), burgers (Toyama), and almost anything else you can think of. Ask
around, explore, and if no one knows about a restaurant, just try it. Most chefs in the
area are alumni of my school, you won’t be disappointed.
Hiro: My recommendation to anybody moving to any new place is to first find an
independent place with good food, made from scratch and with love, and with down to
earth staff that show genuine interest in getting to know you. Then go there as often as
reasonably possible until they know you by name. After that you can go less and less.
But that can be your new home base and they will take care of you. From there you
can learn a lot about the local area. Of course, it could be any kind of establishment.
Also, ask your neighbors, local JETs, fellow teachers, and finally as a last straw, use the
Toyama jet community Facebook page as an FAQ. Almost all the information you
need is out there, you just have to ask! Feel free to contact me or Abbi, and Enjoy!
About the contributors:
Abigail Rose Clark: Born and raised in New England, and having spent her fair share of
time on the hard streets of Virginia, Abbi is known for many things... But bad food is
not one of them.
Hiroyoshi Murasaki: Born and raised in the city of Miami, where the weather is hot…
and so are the people. Hiro wonders how far back into the process one has to go to
truly cook something from scratch.
Vegetarian, Vegan, and Pescetarian ALTs
In a few months (or one month, if your packet was lost in the mail like mine was) you
will be joining us in Toyama. If you are a vegetarian, vegan, pescetarian, or even a
picky eater, life may be challenging for the first few months. Being a vegetarian, vegan,
or pescetarian (V,V, or P) in Japan is not impossible, but it is, at times, a difficult task.
However, there are others in your prefecture that do not eat meat, and you’ll find that
the JETs in your town are an extremely valuable resource for helping you avoid those
pesky little bits of meat that seem to sneak their way into many dishes.
In America, most restaurants will have a vegetarian option. Many places even cater to
vegetarians and vegans, so you don’t have to second guess the menu. When I moved
here, I learned that I always have to second guess the menu. My best advice about being
a V, V, or P in Japan is to be aware. You’ll soon know what places you can or can’t eat
at, where you can buy cheapish beans and grains, and what fruit is the cheapest. At first,
it may seem overwhelming, but don’t worry; it becomes easier and the JETs around you
will help out. Fortunately, there are two places in Toyama that are vegetarian (one is
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completely vegan): SOL and Nolla Cafe. I’ve only been to one, but it was wonderful.
The only downside is that you will need to have a car or a friend with a car to get there.
Worth it. Other places that work for dinner but are not specifically vegetarian are Indian
restaurants and soup curry.
Japan, although a bit lacking with the vegetarian specific restaurants and BOCA burgers,
does have a wonderful assortment of vegetables and fruits throughout the year. Some
are horribly expensive to the point of disbelief and shock (I still haven’t gotten over
some of the prices) and others are very cheap. There will be some that are familiar and
others that are not, but be sure to try as many as you can. My personal favorite is lotus
root, which turns up in one of my favorite veggie things (soup curry!) at a local joint.
Don’t turn up your nose at a strange vegetable or fruit, because more often than not
they’re more delicious than they first appear. Tofu, of course, is a given. You can find
your cheeses, grains, and beans (although some local stores carry more types than
others) at Yamaya. It’s easiest to figure out ways to use the local ingredients however,
since it is likely that you’ll do most of your cooking at home.
I’ve found that some ingredients are impossible to find, however. In nearly every care
package I have some vegetable broth sent to me. I made a ton of soups in the winter in
order to have food for my lunches. For you junior high school ALTs, keep in mind
that you’ll normally pay for kyuushoku (school lunch), so be sure to let them know
about your eating choices and that you’ll bring a lunch as soon as you can. Expect lots
of questions about what you do and don’t eat from your teachers. I suspect some of my
teachers worry that I don’t eat enough!
To finish: don’t worry. Living as a V, V, or P in Japan is possible. There’s a lot of
people who you can talk to (several are located in the Niikawa region of Toyama).
We’ll help you out with any questions or concerns! I would also highly recommend
joining the VegJET group on Facebook. There’s many useful notes there.
Here’s all the important information that you should remember even if you thought my
welcome letter prattled on a bit:
Places to eat:
Vegetarian:ＳOＬ 4-4-5 Isobemachi, Toyama, Toyama 939-8206
Vegan: ノラカフェ (Nolla Cafe) 3-4-5 Kakeomachi, Toyama, Toyama
Has a vegetarian option:
*Multiple Indian restaurants like Indira and Aladdin
*Delicious soup curry (located really close to Uozu’s station):
cafe&bar nico 1-1-7, Uozu, Toyama 937-0067
*More soup curry: スープカレマルナ (soup curry maruna) 5-12-13 Ekinan, Takaoka,
Toyama
Amanda Fink
Uozu Seibu JHS
kiyouen@gmail.com
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JETs of African Descent
Hello!
If you are reading this, congratulations on getting assigned to Toyama Prefecture!
Toyama might be forgotten when listed off by many Japanese and non-Japanese alike, but
by no means is it any less enthralling as the rest of the country. There will be times where
you feel like you are living in a postcard, enjoy the feeling!
As many people will tell you in preparation to coming to Japan, everyone’s experience is
different. Yours will certainly be no exception. Being of a more...how do I put
this…nubian complexion (yeah, I like the sound of that) than Japanese people will bring
in a new aspect of your new life here. If hasn’t hit you yet, let me be the one to tell you this.
You are going to stand out like a sore thumb. With Japan being such a homogenous
society, the slightest difference in appearance makes anyone stand out.
Old people will almost fall off their bicycle’s, babies will stop crying and children
running in grocery stores will come to an abrupt stop in the aisles when they lay eyes on
you. Don’t let any of this dampen your enthusiasm about coming here, if nothing else, it
will make your experience even more interesting and enthralling. Many people here will
find you even more interesting and enthralling based on just that as well. If you’ve ever
wanted to be famous, being of African descent in Japan is a REALLY good place to start.
You are going to get stared at and whispered about, depending on how you approach it, it
can be a pleasant or not so pleasant experience. Many times you will hear the word
gaikokujin whispered around you, which will sometimes be closely followed by kuro or
Afuricajin. This not meant in an offensive manner, most Japanese people have never had
to be politically correct (with everybody looking and behaving pretty much the same,
what’s the point?), so they will be unaware of what is regarded as appropriate and
inappropriate when it comes to dealing with foreign people. You might notice a few (or a
lot) of other things that bother you. Don’t hesitate to speak to somebody about what
bothers you, many people probably have had the same experience as you. It’s alright to
feel self-conscious and alien, this might be a completely new experience for you. The
feeling will subside...maybe.
Not many Japanese people will do this, I have yet to to have such an encounter but there
are stereotypes that will be present on your arrival here. I have found that the best
approach to such things are to either turn them into a joke or politely set the record
straight with simple statement. Just remember that every encounter is an opportunity to
educate somebody about yourself and where you come from, leave people with a more
enlightened perception of you and other foreigners.
When it comes to shopping in Toyama, you might be worried about clothes sizes. Many
ALT’s can find a decent amount of clothing in their sizes for decent prices. If you do find
yourself not having a size here, there are big and tall shops in the prefecture. Be warned
ladies that many of them mostly cater to men. When it comes to cosmetics and hair
products, there is very little if any products here that will cater to your nubian locks. It is
best to buy products beforehand and have your family ship them to you when you have
gotten the hang of writing your address, otherwise there is the internet. With the world
wide web and a working credit card, you will be able to get your hair under control and
step out in the correct foundation.
Now for the really gritty part, you teaching. No doubt your students will notice your more
chocolate-tinted complexion and will have a reaction to it. Most of the time it will be
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surprised smiles from the students part. You will probably be the first person of African
descent they’ve ever met, give them a big smile and the most enthusiastic hello you can
muster. Many students will be curious about you, in doing that, you afford them the
opportunity to ask you questions and learn more about foreign people. I happen to have
dreadlocks and they have proven to be a great icebreaker with students, the hair has often
stopped a class so that students get a chance to touch them and ask about you. Be warned
kids (big and small) will touch, pull and prod you in an effort to better understand this
(pseudo) meta-human they’ve just encountered. Be patient and when you have reached
your limit, let them know. Most of the time they will leave you alone.
Living in Japan will have its own challenges, but keep in mind that it is an experience that
many were vying for but was awarded to you. Make the most of your time here and you
will find yourself taking to Japan much easier. The Toyama group has many events where
you can meet other ALT’s around the prefecture, try to attend those events. Also make
sure to get acquainted to your fellow regional ALT’s, in some cases they become a great
group of friends whom you will want to spend your time with and will help you in
adjusting to your life here.
If you happen to be South African, one of only two African countries participating in the
JET Programme, do not feel any more anxious than others. There has been many
Mzansi-ans (Saffers or Azanias, call it what you will) in the prefecture and there are three
of us who will be here to comfort you (or reminisce) when you are missing things like
Steers chips, Nandos chicken and biltong.
So in closing, I would like to say welcome to Toyama and I’m looking forward to meeting
you soon. And if all else fails: smile, the puzzled looks on people’s faces will make your
day.
Kind Regards,
Moipone Kgatle
mdkgatle@gmail.com
The Asian JET
Welcome!
As a new JET you can expect that 1) you’ll share a lot of new experiences with your
fellow JETs and 2) as a JET of Asian descent, your experiences may be a little different.
I remember thinking things like “Whaaat, I’m not a visibility minority anymore?!!” and
“People can pronounce my name!!”, which are certainly not things everyone is thinking.
In Japan, not looking Japanese is rare and as an Asian JET you will probably blend into
the crowd. This takes away the daily stress of being stared at or talked about because
people will probably think that you are Japanese and can speak Japanese. This results in
new meetings that can range from being hilarious (a new student screaming when they
hear you speak English, “Surprise!!!”) to potentially awkward (a cashier feeling a little
flustered when they realize you don’t speak Japanese). These encounters are funny
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when you can see the humour in the situation. Keep a positive attitude, and most of
these moments will be comical icebreakers.
It’s possible for reactions to be less positive, (panic and frustration) but generally this
comes from a feeling of surprise and confusion rather than hostility. As an Asian JET,
your presence challenges preconceived ideas about what it means to be from a certain
country. People in Japan are not necessarily familiar with the distinction between
ethnicity, culture, and nationality and it can take some maneuvering to explain your own
background. It can be confusing for anyone, and perhaps especially for people who are
used to one’s nationality being synonymous with their ethnicity and cultural identity.
You’ll get a lot of people saying “Are you ~ ?” “Why do you / don’t you speak ~ ?”.
Generally people express curiosity and want to learn more, and I’ve had a lot of positive
experiences come out of questions like this. It’s a great opportunity to provide your
students (and others) with a new perspective and understand that many people don’t fit
into specific molds, including within Japan.
It’s important to remember that fitting in physically does not mean you fit in internally.
It’s nice to not always stand out, but it may be frustrating to have your differences go
unrecognized. It can be something simple like people being less interested in talking to
you, or something more complicated, such as having your potential for culture shock
underestimated. API (Asian Pacific Islander) AJET is a National AJET special interest
group that operates a Facebook page and publication, and organizes meet-ups. If you’re
interested in meeting new people and learning more, or joining a discussion you can
visit: http://ajet.net/contact-ajet/special-interest-nationality-language-groups/
Just like anywhere, if you keep a positive attitude and treat others with patience and
understanding, they’ll do the same in return! I have found people to be very welcoming
and I’m sure you will too. Best of luck with preparations and please e-mail me if you
have any questions!
Melody Tsukahara
melody.tsu@gmail.com
The JET from Developing Countries
Within Toyama’s JET community, those from developing countries are amongst the
least represented. One developing country might have a maximum of three participants,
so you might be the first person from your country that the local people might and will
ever get to see.
This means that, you might be bombarded with a lot of questions about your country.
Do not be surprised, if people have never heard about your country before, or may have
heard about it but are clueless about things like its location and culture. If you are of
African descent, most people will automatically associate your country with the African
continent.
However, bear in mind that not everyone will be clueless about you. I have come
across quite a number of Japanese who are keen on cultures and will know a lot about
your country. Be prepared to answer questions about plants, mountains, birds,
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constellation, sightseeing spots and other nature- related things as most Japanese are
nature lovers. Many will also ask if you have the four seasons. Your colleagues will
likely be worried about you in winter if it does not snow in your country, even if it is not
your first winter experience. Japanese also tend to be interested in food, like what do
you eat or how do you prepare the same thing that they eat. I emphasize the need to
know your country well. Do not just take it for granted that you know your country but
do some research as Japanese like specifics.
Some people however, would have learned about your country through the media
(which unfortunately can be very sensational) and have developed a stereotypical view
based on what they would have perceived as facts. So, if the media portray your country
in a bad light, you might be asked uncomfortable questions related to things that you are
clueless about. Even recently, there was a “fun program” on a Japanese television
station and weird things were said just for laugh (which have no proof) which
unfortunately, the public has no choice but to believe because they could see it for
themselves on the television. The next day I was asked about them and I myself was
shocked because it was news for me too. I felt like a Japanese hearing about something
foreign.
In light of all the above, it is very easy to get discouraged, but just stop for a while and
think, why am I here? Part of our responsibility is to promote international awareness
and so we should cease the moment to educate and to enlighten people. There are often
talks/ forums at international exchange centers such as the third floor of the CIC
building in Toyama, go there and talk about your country. Go to chat-rooms.
November is culture month in Japan. Why not participate in the international festival
and do a booth or share your country’s food? There are unlimited opportunities to
display your country. You do not have to feel isolated and sorry for yourself. It is a
rich opportunity to be your country’s ambassador. At school, do lessons about your
culture to let students and teachers know who you are and where you are from. I have
always found this rewarding and now I have students who have done projects about
food and reggae music. Some of them cannot wait to start working to travel to
Jamaica!
As a JET from a developing country, not only do you get a chance to shed light about
your culture but you can have first hand experience of life in a developed country. There
is so much that you can learn that you can try to implement in your home countries.
For example, it will not take long before you figure out that there is certainly no
comparison when it comes on to things like punctuality. Everything seems to function
on time so if you are late, you will definitely miss out as nobody will wait for you.
Another shocker for me was to experience Japan’s friendly customer service. People
here seem to recognize your presence in an extraordinary way, the minute you step into
their establishment. Sometimes though I wonder, if it is for the excellent customer
service that it boasts, why the prices of goods as services appear to be so expensive.
However, I have learnt not to convert to my local currency while shopping so I am
gradually getting over it.
While being a JET from a developing country might seem like hard work, it can be
incredibly rewarding. In addition to teaching English, you also have the opportunity to
introduce your culture to the local people from a very intimate viewpoint. Doing so will
not only increase their cultural-awareness, but it will leave you feeling satisfied and
enriched.
Venesa Tomlin
Venesatomlin_83@yahoo.com
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JETs Coming With Relationships
Congratulations!!!! Welcome to our beautiful little prefecture! You have a lot of
interesting times ahead of you. I hope you will find this information useful as you start
your life in Toyama. Well, you’re coming to Japan with a relationship and you WILL be
asked about it. That is a guarantee. I think Japanese people take great pleasure in trying
to find out about our personal lives just because we’re foreign. We seem exotic to them.
Whether you’re single, engaged or married, they will always have a number of
questions lined up for you. “Do you have a boyfriend?”, “Ooooh!! When will you be
married?” “Will you get married in Japan?” “Do you have any children?” “When will
you start having children?”…and just when you thought they were done, “Will your
spouse come to Japan?” “Do you want to have children in Japan?” It never ends, and
what’s more is that when you think you’ve answered all the questions in the world, they
repeat the same questions in the same order! It baffles me! Whatever may be your
situation, expect the questions. They WILL come from students, coworkers and
sometimes, the lady who knows a bit of English on your apartment building. That being
said, you reserve the right to keep your personal information as private as you want to.
It’s up to you.
When all is said and done, the crux of the matter lies in the fact that you have to keep
your relationship going once you arrive here. Your approach to how you do that, of
course, lies in how you do things generally. In my particular situation, I have arrived
ahead of my fiancé. I am one who loves to communicate and so that is of utmost
importance to me. Thanks to technology, I can always stay connected via very useful
smart phone apps. There is a multiplicity of apps out there that you can choose from to
call or text home, including: Whatsapp, Viber, Vonage, LINE, Bobsled and of course
Skype. I have decided to just keep a few but if you are an apps person, knock yourself
out! If you are coming ahead of your partner, communication is going to be critical.
This is especially since you will often go home to an empty apartment. It can get very
depressing after a while, especially in the bleak, bitter and often long winters (trust me!).
Having no company on a very cold, snowy day is not the best experience at all.
If you are in a similar position as me, then you will have lots to do in terms of having
your spouse join you here. By now you should know that boyfriends/girlfriends and
fiancés/fiancées are not allowed to live with you on the JET Programme. Therefore, you
will have to do groundwork in preparing documents for your partner. It’s a chain
process from the BOE and on to the other higher authorities. You must consult your
Embassy/Consulate on the steps you will have to take. You will also need to do
paperwork at your city office so bear that in mind. Additionally, he/she may not teach
on the JET programme, but there are several job opportunities in teaching English
here…it’s just that you have to find them. You will have to ask around and see which
international programmes are offered by your city. Many people crave for private
classes too, so if you make good friends they can become great linkages for individual
tutoring. There are also several other bonafide teaching programmes that your spouse
can apply for which also pay well. Most of the jobs available to foreigners are for
teaching English. However, maybe your partner has a good command of the Japanese
language and would like to apply elsewhere. He/She can also consider that avenue, but
it might take some more researching prior to coming here.
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Well, what if your spouse is coming with you? Good for you!! You have a great
advantage because you will have someone to share in the experience of adjusting to a
new culture and environment. On the contrary, it can prove a little problematic, since
you both might experience the same culture and environment in two totally different
ways. It’s often said that people experience different stages upon arriving in Japan. You
could be in a state of euphoria and wonder at all you are imbibing, while your partner
may be depressed or even annoyed (it happens…and it could take place for longer than
you can imagine).
With regards to having your partner in a different prefecture, that can be equally as
logistically inconvenient as being in a different country. However, the good thing is that
you are a shorter distance apart and in the same time zone. Though I have very little
experience regarding this situation, I do know that you can utilize night buses, day
buses, express trains or the Shinkansen to see each other on your time off. If it is that
you want to move to where your partner is, you will have to get married. You should
contact your BOE and/or CLAIR for further information on that.
While on the subject on time off, please note that if you will be teaching at two different
schools, the modus operandi might be on either extremes. Some schools are really very
flexible with giving you time off, while others might be very rigid. You will have to
ease into the system and see what each workplace is like in order to work out your
schedules. This is important to note because your holiday or vacation is less likely to be
enjoyable if only one of you is busy working on lessons.
On another note, when you get here, you should try to do things together. There are
many places to see in Japan and it will be a more fulfilling experience for both of you to
share in the thrill of learning about this fascinating place. You will not only learn about
your new home, but also more about each other. It helps to know you can share in the
same experience and grow together out of it (I’m assuming that anyways. I haven’t
actually experienced that as yet :) You should also try to meet as many of the ALTs as
you can. Forging friendships with them can add to how well you spend your time here.
All in all, you will definitely be ok as long as you have the sort of tenacity to maintain
the well oiled machine that is your relationship. It is often said that in Japan “Every
Situation Is Different” (ESID), so it is likely that you may encounter something
different from me. You can always refer to the General Information Handbook (GIH)
which is full of pertinent information on living in Japan.
Once again, congratulations! I hope that you will thoroughly enjoy your experience here.
It has been a definite ‘eye-opener’ for me and I am confident that you will be positively
affected in one way or another. I wish God’s blessings on you and your relationship as
you embark on a new path in this journey called life.
Rochelle Brooks
rochellesong@gmail.com
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JETs with Families
Hello,
First I would like to congratulate you on being accepted into the JET program and being
placed in Toyama.
It is a wonderful prefecture and I have had a wonderful five years here with my family,
my wife Lisa, and our two sons Darcy (now 9) and Bryn (now 7). We live in Inami in
Nanto city. And I am guessing if you are reading this you are bringing your family
with you.
I would like to start by pointing out there are, in effect, two types on families in Japan –
married, and unmarried.
If you are unmarried and your partner is coming with you as a non-JET participant
much of the information below does not apply to you as Japan does not recognize
partnerships which are not legally documented as a marriage. Thus your partner is
seen as a separate individual who needs to get their own visa etc.
If you are married the rules are very different. Anyone who comes to Japan on a
dependent visa is deemed to have the same rights as the family of a Japanese citizen.
They receive health care through your health care provider, any entitlements provided to
families will also be available (for example child care rebate and child subsidy) and
your children will be able to attend the local school (though there is no requirement to
provide education for children over the age of 15).
One of the first things you should do is organize for your family to be registered (the
system is changing before you arrive so I am not 100% sure what this means), your
school and supervisor should be able to assist with this. Once your family is registered
a number of automatic steps should occur, your family should be provided with health
care (including a card each) and any benefits should be organized.
Organizing work for your husband or wife is also simple. They will need to have their
visa changed (this is done at the immigration center at Toyama airport) and will need to
recorded at your town hall. Once this is done your spouse is entitled to work for up to
20 hours per week on their dependent visa.
For your children if they are 6 on the 1st of April they are eligible to go to school.
This is largely free, though you will need to pay for school lunch. Before the age of 6
they can go to youchien (privately run, they cost more, and you will pay for care outside
normal hours (8-3 during school terms). Or hoikuen (public day care which operates
all year round). I suggest you have a look at your local ones and decide which one you
prefer (we went youchien as they had fences between them and the main road (the local
hoikuen did not).
A Personal perspective
For us there have been 999 good things for every bad thing we have experienced. Our
family has been accepted without issue into our local community and we have
experienced almost no discrimination. There are strange things which take some
getting used to but that is all part of the experience. My suggestion is flow with it and
if you are unsure ask someone you trust in a similar situation. For us we have a couple
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of close friends with young children and when things get confusing we ask them things then usually begin to make sense.
I really hope you enjoy your stay here with your family.
Kieran Murphy
Inami Junior high school
Japan for Religious JETs
Hello new JETs!
First off, welcome to Toyama! You’re on your way to a wonderful prefecture in the
countryside of Japan. Despite the title, I'm hoping everyone can take something from
this letter whether you have a religion, are looking for one, or are just wondering what
your new life in Japan is going to be like.
Though many Japanese people are not religious, Japan does offer a lot of opportunities
to the spiritual. Shinto and Buddhism are the major religions of Japan, with temples and
shrines spread all over the country. Many of the festivals, activities, and even sports
you'll participate in have religious roots. I encourage you to take part in as many of
these activities as you can so that you can experience both modern and old Japan. That’s
part of why you’re coming here, right? As you experience Japanese culture, you should
never be ashamed or afraid to tell people about your own faith and beliefs. Your faith
and background are a part of who you are. One of the great things I've experienced in
Japan is peoples’ respect for foreign cultures and religions. Honor that part of yourself,
and share it with others if you are comfortable doing so. Your faith also opens up
opportunities in teaching. As ALTs and CIRs, part of our job is cultural exchange –as
much of a buzz phrase as that is at Tokyo Orientation (you’ll see what I mean) – it is
important. The incredible thing about religion is that regardless of personal beliefs,
mutual respect opens up so many opportunities for learning and friendship.
Likewise, no matter what your religion, faith, or creed is, your beliefs can be a huge
support to you in Japan. As wonderful as this job is, there are hard times ahead. There
will be days of culture shock, homesickness, doubts, frustration, and downright
depression. I’m not trying to scare you (because you are about to have some of the most
amazing experiences and fun times of your life), but everyone will face hard times,
however brief, at some point. When those times come you may not know who to talk to
or where to go about it. I have a couple of recommendations. First, anyone in the JET
Program can always contact the JET Peer Advisor Line (050-5534-5566). This is an
excellent resource where you can call anytime just to talk to someone about whatever
you’re going through. It’s confidential, it’s personal, and it helps.
My second recommendation is using your religion as a means of support. Remember
that in times of stress or difficulties, your beliefs can become your foundation and
support. Whether you are comfortable connecting to a local church, friends and other
JETs, or just want to pray on your own, all of these support systems can help you in the
hard times and they can make the good times even better. If you do worship regularly,
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there are a variety of churches in Toyama that you can reach out to (check out the
Toyama JET website - www.toyamajets.net/ - for a complete listing).
Personally, I was able to find a branch of my church here and it has been a huge
blessing for me. It’s really helped me to branch out in the Toyama community, and the
members of my church have become wonderful friends. Ultimately you should do
whatever you are comfortable with. Find a local church, talk with other ALTs and find
friends who share your beliefs, keep in touch with friends and family back home, or just
practice on your own. Whatever you decide to do, you can find religious support here.
I’ll admit being a religious JET can have its challenges, but it’s going to be an
incredible experience for you in the end. In the best of times, enjoy life to the fullest.
Honor your faith and who you are, and I promise, you will have a better experience here
in Japan. In the hardest times, remember your faith, remember your beliefs, and most
importantly, remember that you are never alone.
Best wishes,
Catherine Danley
catherinedanley@gmail.com
Tall JET’s
Are you tall?
If you’ve decided to read this, you probably consider yourself a tall person. How tall
that is exactly will depend on which part of the world you are from. Alternatively, you
could be a short person, and be reading this article because you have made it into JET
and are looking forward to feeling like a tall person in Japan, and now you want to read
all about how wonderful it’s going to be.
For the people in the latter category: good news! You will probably feel significantly
taller in Japan. Get ready for your new life striding around like a model on endless legs
without frustrations such as having people trip over you or getting elbowed in the face.
Unless you are really short, as in, say, under 1.55m, in which case you will be around or
just below average if you’re a girl, or Danny DeVito if you’re a guy.
But I really am tall!
Now, onto the former category of ‘tall’ people, and what I assume most of you are here
for: the idea of moving to Japan, being a life-size Godzilla and crushing seven-story
buildings under your heel. Leaping from Tokyo to Osaka in one hop, step jump. Eating
358 plates of sushi and then crying out “Me HUNGRY! Me SMASH bad sushi place!”.
Accidentally stepping on your students or co-workers while shuffling forward in the
lunch line. Hmm, actually, that all sounds kind of fun, doesn’t it? “Woops, sorry… hey,
hand me that twig, will you. I got something stuck under my sole… heeey, whatsup
Takeshi!”.
About tall me
But seriously: I am a tall person. Tall as in, going about your business in your home
country and having random people slap you on the buttocks and say “DAMN, you’re
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TALL, well done, baby!!”. Wait... Actually, no, I don’t think that ever happened. Ok,
maybe once. But yes, I am significantly taller than most people in my country, which
also happens to be the country with the tallest average height in the world (some hints:
it’s not Sweden, we eat cheese by the kilo and we have proverbs like “Now that just
split my wooden shoe”. You probably guessed it.).
How tall am I? I’m close to two meters, but frustratingly enough I’m a few centimeters
short. What do those few centimeters matter, you say? Well, it would be a lot easier to
just raise two fingers in the air instead of saying “one hundred and ninety eight
centimeters” when I get asked “How tall are you?” for the quazillionth time. Actually, I
could just lie and say “In fact, I am two meters”. Who’s going to measure me on the
spot anyway? Hmm.. why didn’t I think of this before?...
Tall questions
Anyway, this is my first point: If you are very tall, get ready to answer the height
question for just about every person you will meet (while standing up, that is). Second
point: make a list of funny responses because people will, strangely enough, stand in
front of you and tell you “You are very tall”. “Tall? Moi? You don’t say! I just thought
my eyeballs were positioned in my left hand and I walked around with one arm raised
all the time. Thanks for clearing that up!”.
But hold on, when I say funny responses, I don’t mean any witty, cynical remarks
which might pop up in your head. Because one: Japanese people are generally not
familiar with sarcasm. You’ll just come across as a mean or very confusing person. And
two: Japanese people generally admire your height and are most likely giving you a
compliment. So stay cool, smile, say something nice and appreciate the attention, and
by all means refrain from “no, you are just short” remarks because feelings might be
hurt and egos crushed.
Being tall is cool
And look, after the shock and surprise about your height has ebbed away, you will be
treated like any other gaijin. I mean, the people at my workplace got used to my (near)
two meters and I can function completely normally. “Wow, thanks man. Now that we
know all about your height, let’s get to the order of the day. Get your lanky ass to work”
Or “Hey, at first I only noticed your height, but you actually have beautiful eyes too”.
After a while even you yourself might forget that you are tall. So jeez, what are we even
worrying about?
And just as a reminder: Japan is an extremely homogenous country. Other ethnicities
are rare. And especially as a tall person, you will stand out. At first sight, people will
notice you like you would notice a half-naked Neanderthal dressed in bearskin casually
shambling into a shopping mall. Try to realize that, accept it and don’t start blaming
people for being surprised at your appearance, or you might end up having a frustrating
time in Japan. You decided to come here, now deal with it. Hah!
Clothing for tall people
Phew, ok, now that all that’s out of the way, let’s run through some practical points. In
normal shoe stores, men’s shoes go up to size 28 cm. Women’s shoes go up to about 24
cm. If you need bigger shoes (and that means canoe size in Japan), you might have to
look into specialty stores in, say, Tokyo, or resort to internet shopping. Or, do like me
and go on an all-out, gigantic shoe shopping spree in your home country before you
leave. And I’m a guy. I can only imagine the amount of shoe shopping you ladies will
have to go through. Tip: shipping by sea is much cheaper, and you won’t need that
winter collection right away anyhow.
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As for clothes: Even if you’re a lanky, Jack and the beanstalk’s beanstalk-sized guy like
me, you can still find upper body clothes like T-shirts, vests, etc. (better trim that navel
hair though). For me it gets harder with long sleeves or long pants. Assuming that most
people who read this are not of such extreme height as I am, I think it is quite possible
to find fitting clothes if you take your time to look for them. Body shape might be more
of a problem (ladies), but there’s probably a separate chapter on that. And frankly, I’m
through with fashion talk.
Housing for tall people
So, let me talk a little bit about houses in Japan. Furniture is slightly smaller, lower,
shorter, narrower than what you might be used to. However, I have found desks that are
adjustable in height and futons of 210cm in length in hardware stores, a size that is good
enough for me. And if it’s good enough for me, it will certainly be good enough for you,
since virtually no one can claim to be taller than me, hahah! (unless you are, in fact,
taller than me, in which case I want to meet you and shake your hand). I can also sit
behind my Japanese size office desk without much trouble and I drive a Japanese car. I
can also balance raw eggs on a table, but that’s another story.
If you are very tall it might be a good idea to let your Japanese contract organization
know before you arrive. If you’re lucky they might, for example, hook you up with a
bigger futon beforehand.
Learn how to bow properly
Other tips: uh, well, pay attention to your posture, for example when you’re chopping
up vegetables in front of your kitchen sink that is too low, or you might come back as
Quasimodo. And for the sake of safety, develop an instinct to duck at the right moment.
Doors in Japan are low. As are some subway station and shower room ceilings, but
unless you are close to two meters like me, you won’t have too much practical problems
with this. If you are as tall or even taller, look forward to developing an extra layer of
bone on your skull from involuntarily head-butting low hanging concrete or iron
objects.
Wait, this is supposed to be a welcome letter. So, regardless of your height, width or
shoe size: welcome to Toyama. Thanks for reading through this article. I hope, and I
suspect, you will have a great time here. To all the tall people out there: Stay tall.
Lieuwe Boer
Culture Shock
So you’ve finally made it. You’ve gotten through Tokyo Orientation, arrived in your
city, met your teachers, and have done all the myriad of things that needed to get done
in one day. Great! You get back to your apartment, look around, and…collapse into
tears wondering what were you thinking?!
If this happens to you, breathe. This has happened to me twice (once as a student and
once when I started on JET) and I’ve gotten through that terror feeling of “how am I
going to do this” and “I want to hop right back on the next plane home”. If you
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haven’t heard about culture shock yet, trust me, you’ll be hearing a lot about it before
you come, during your orientation, and probably continue to hear or speak about it
during your time as a JET.
If you don’t know what culture shock is here is a brief summary from wikipedia:
“Culture shock is the personal disorientation a person may feel when experiencing an
unfamiliar way of life due to immigration or a visit to a new country, a move between
social environments, or simply travel to another type of life.
One of the most common causes of culture shock involves individuals in a foreign
environment. Culture shock can be described as consisting of at least one of four
distinct phases: Honeymoon, Negotiation, Adjustment, and Mastery.
The most common problems include: information overload, language
barrier,…homesickness…”
There are other common problems associated with culture shock; however, you will
probably experience the ones I bolded more than once in your time here. You may not
experience culture shock right away, in the order above, or even that intensely, but you
will feel it and forewarned is forearmed. It all depends on the person and their
experience stepping outside of their bubble, and Japan is very much outside of most
people’s bubbles.
My first experience with culture shock was really rough. I studied in Tokyo for a year
and those first three to four months were a challenge. I don’t think I hit the
honeymoon stage of culture shock until I was well into my 5th or 6th month, and even
then I was back and forth between negotiation and adjustment. There were many,
many tears, and many, many times in which I wondered how I was going to last the full
year. However, I did find my niche, and ended up loving my experience so much that
I didn’t want the year to end.
My second experience with it was on JET. This time though, after having a
breakdown in my empty apartment and two more days of stress and tears, I popped out
of that phase like it never happened. I can say I was in the honeymoon phase for a very
long time. I did flow between the other phases, criticizing what I saw in Japan, and
fondly remembering what I considered “normal” at home, but those feelings didn’t take
over as strongly as it did the first time around.
One of the biggest things to keep in mind is your attitude when you are in your city, at
your job, and just walking around. If you keep it positive and enjoy everyday as it
comes, even when those really annoying things happen, I can guarantee you will stay in
the honeymoon phase longer and gradually phase into a type of normality without an
attack of “I HATE EVERYTHING” feeling. These feelings may come but just
remember its a moment that doesn’t define everything that is happening in your day.
Another tip is to stay away from the negative. There will be people that you will meet
who have a jaded view of Japan or the job in general. I would suggest giving those
people a wide berth. Negativity can only keep you down and will make your
adjustment to your new home much harder than it needs to be. Get to know your
fellow ALTs and make friends with locals, but be aware of the people who will be
perpetual downers.
Getting to know your community, both local and JET, is a great advantage to you. I
think one of the biggest changes between this time, and my time as a student was the
support network I built really quickly as a JET. My first night, when I broke down in
hysterics, I was able to go to the ALT next door, and she calmed me down and talked
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with me. We did this for that first week which really helped me get out of that really
“shocky" moment. I can’t thank her enough, and now we look back at that week and
laugh. Finding someone to talk to right away will help out a lot. Talk with your
neighbor, or find your Regional Representative. If you are on good terms with your
predecessor email or call them. I still talk with my pred often, and can definitely vent
to her about those frustrating days. I’ll leave you with what I started with, just breathe.
Everything is new, fun, terrifying, stressful, but above all exciting.
If you want to talk some more about my experiences here, what to expect, or learn more
tips about getting over those first few days, weeks, and months in Japan, send me an
email and I’d be happy to talk with you.
Enjoy your time as a JET and see you in August!
Best,
Alex Melillo
melillo.alex@gmail.com
Takaoka Regional Representative ’14-15
Toyama AJET Excursions Representative ’14-’15
Staying Sane
Hello, congratulations, and welcome to Toyama prefecture!
It’s been a long journey getting here, one filled with paperwork and anxiety and perhaps
some stress-heaving. You’ve been waiting for this, looking forward to this for so long
that now that you’re finally arriving, you may be a little bit overwhelmed. You’ve had
images of how fabulous Japan will be and how easy you’ll integrate – and you’re not
wrong, Japan IS fabulous, and assimilation is inevitable. However, there will no doubt
be times that will be stressful and trying. Times when you will be homesick (even the
most resilient of us miss our moms sometimes – it’s okay; it’s allowed), times when you
will be feeling fatigued or even when you want to throttle some kids in your class.
But don’t worry! (And please don’t throttle your kids.) There are many ways to
managing stress in Japan, and I’m going to give you a few ideas as to how to keep calm
and stay sane during your time here.
Establish a schedule. In the early stages, your schedule will be hectic, and you will
have much to do. When you get a chance to breathe, start shaping a schedule. For
example, maybe you want to go for a jog three times a week. Maybe you’ll visit that
little café run by that nice elderly couple to say hey and eat some amazing Japanese
food regularly. Maybe you’ll attend a club at your school, or practice an activity outside
of it. Fill your schedule with activities you love and things you want to do, and do them
on a regular basis. You will find that having a schedule and sticking to it will bring
order to your life and help you stay sane.
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Go for a walk. Seriously, do it. Pop in your earbuds, leave your stuffy apartment, and
walk around outside. There are beautiful mountains out there, fields of rice, and seeing
people going about their day will remind you that the world is still in motion. When
things seem tumultuous in your head, a nice relaxing walk can help clear that.
Just exercise in general. Hitting the gym, or going for a run, will help keep your mind
and body in check. Join an exercise class at a gym near you. Play a game of soccer,
DDR or do an online workout at home. Do something active that you also enjoy.
Clean. Studies show that when people have clean homes and organized desks, their
minds mirror that organization. If you’re on edge all day and you don’t know why,
clean those dishes in the sink, vacuum, put your clothes away. It will make you feel
better simply by living in a clean environment.
Participate in fun activities you enjoy (preferably with other people). For this
suggestion, I personally recommend joining in something you can’t do in your home
country. Some examples are Kyudō, Kendō, Tea Ceremony (Chadō or sadō),
Calligraphy (Shodō), Aikidō, or Judō. All focus around zen – the practice of keeping
your mind free of obtrusive thoughts. However, don’t hesitate to join in on activities or
clubs you’re more familiar with, either. For example, kids at your school would be
thrilled if you joined in a game of tennis on Tuesdays.
If there is something you want to try while you’re in Japan, ask around. I told my
supervisor I wanted to try Kyudō (Japanese archery), and the next week he was taking
me to a fantasy-like dojo where people with gigantic bows were practicing shooting.
Branch out, and try some new things with other people. It’s a good idea to establish a
community you feel comfortable in, be it a club at your school or a dojo in the middle of
a rice field. Seeing people outside of school regularly and establishing a social network
will help stifle your homesickness and keep you level.
Talk to others. Friends back home, friends in the JET Program, family, neighbors who
speak a little English – talk to them. If you need to vent, cry, share your experiences or
just chat, talk to those you are comfortable with. Keeping in touch with people back
home is always a good idea. For everything else, keep a diary. Don’t let things build
inside you for too long; it will begin to ruin your days.
Go out. Get a drink or play a board game with a friend from the Program, with your
supervisor, with someone from your town. Go to a game center, a manga café, a
restaurant, an izakaya (Japanese restaurant/bar), a park, go for a drive. If you find
yourself sitting in your apartment and thinking too much, it’s time to break free and go
out.
Have time to yourself. Being you is going to be exhausting. If you’re feeling irritable
or rushed and you’re not sure why, take a step back and do something you enjoy, alone.
Whether it is video games, reading, drawing, meditating, cooking, origami, crafting, or
surfing the internet, just relax and treat yourself to time alone. You’ve earned it.
Breathe. Stop what you’re doing. Go outside. Take deep breaths. Resume your day.
Finally, a few simple tips: Get enough sleep, eat food you like, control what you can
and accept what you can’t, get enough sleep, don’t be afraid to pass invites out to opt
for personal time. Don’t start smoking because it actually only builds stress, get enough
sleep, remember why you wanted to come to Japan and what you love here in times that
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are hard, compliment yourself every morning, and for the love of all that is good, get
enough sleep, the Internet will be there tomorrow.
I think that’s all I’ve got. Above all, take care of yourself. Enjoy your time in Japan, and
trust me when I say it’ll go so much faster than you can imagine. And yes, that really is
my last name.
Cheers,
Haley Alt
Learning Japanese in Japan
Greetings, and welcome to Toyama Prefecture! Tucked away between the North Alps
and the Japan Sea, Toyama is lush with verdant rice paddies, beautiful scenery, and
rustic architecture – albeit even Japanese people have a tough time recalling exactly
where this prefecture is. The fact of the matter is, we’re in what’s known as the inaka,
or the countryside. This sure as sugar ain’t Big Apple Tokyo, but don’t let that
discourage you! Rather, let it encourage you! Why, you ask? Well, dear reader, it’s
because you’re in for the language experience of a lifetime!
So you’re thinking about studying Japanese in Japan. Well, let me start you off with a
quick reference diagram to help you with your decision:
If this grade-A PowerPoint diagram hasn’t convinced you, then allow me to explain a
few of the many reasons that learning a foreign language is both occupationally
beneficial and just plain cool.
As a JET, you’ll be communicating in English quite a lot with your students and with
your team teachers. That being said, you’re also living in a completely foreign country
now. The countryside of a foreign country, to be precise. Unless you become a hermit
(which I’m pretty sure will get you fired, so don’t do that), you’ll be almost constantly
surrounded by Japanese. Activities such as buying groceries, riding the train, getting
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your car/bike repaired, going to the doctor, and attending rambunctious office parties
will be mostly if not entirely conducted in a language that is foreign to you. To
summarize, learning even just a little Japanese will help you to better understand your
environment and live your life in Japan more comfortably.
This skill will also be helpful to you when you consider your life after leaving JET. As
the world around us continues to diversify, the demand for translators and interpreters
rises with it. Sure, there’s always Google Translate, but let’s be honest: automated
translation programs just don’t cut it when you start entering more grammatically
complex sentences. For that reason, knowing a second language is resume gold. If
Marketing 101 taught me anything back in college, it was how to sell my skills – and
when it boils down to it, learning a foreign language reveals a lot of them:
determination, perseverance, interest in foreign culture, and many other traits that would
prove beneficial to most any company.
Lastly, consider the personal satisfaction there is to gain from learning a foreign
language. To speak colloquially as someone whose native language only contains 52
unique characters, I’m absolutely fascinated by the fact that the written Japanese
language contains over 47,000 individual symbols (if that number made your heart skip
a beat, don’t worry, you don’t need to know them all: there are around 2,000 kanji
known as jyouyoukanji or “everyday kanji” that will prove most helpful to you in your
daily escapades). It may sound nerdy to you, but I take immense personal satisfaction
out of seeing a kanji at the supermarket or on my students’ history textbooks and
knowing that I can read it.
So now that I’ve (hopefully) convinced you to begin/resume your study of the Japanese
language, I reckon it’s time for me to give you a glimpse of just how many resources
you have at your disposal.
1. The Internet: I recommend Tae Kim’s site for grammar, Weblio’s translation
service for words or short sentences, and Yamasa Institute’s kanji generator for
stroke order practice.
2. Smartphone Apps: There are dozens of apps out there on the market, both free
and purchasable, to help you with vocabulary building and kanji practice.
3. JET Programme Language Course: It’s free, so why not sign up and challenge
yourself to complete the program? It requires a bit more commitment than the
other resources I’ve listed here, but that may also prove to be a good motivator
for those sitting on the fence.
4. Anime/Movies: Head over to your local rental store and pick up a few anime or
movies! This may be a little difficult for beginners, but rentals typically only
cost pocket change and even if you feel as though you’re not learning anything
from them they can actually help train your ear to recognize the subtle
intonations intrinsic to the language.
5. Textbooks and Flashcards: In all the hustle and bustle of the digital world, never
forget the classic study methods. Most bookstores in Japan will carry textbooks
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on learning Japanese as a foreign language, and every convenience store will
carry cheap pens and flashcards that you can use for just about any aspect of
study.
6. Japanese Friends/Coworkers/Students: The Japanese language is difficult, and
most Japanese people are well aware of this. They’re also generally eager to help
you learn it as well. Unfortunately, this is probably the most potentially
embarrassing resource: making a mistake in a textbook doesn’t turn your face
nearly as red as when you accidentally tell your coworkers that your hobby is
grapes (the words for “grapes” and “martial arts” sound exceedingly similar, as I
have discovered on multiple occasions). That being said, learning from my
friends, coworkers, and students is one of my favorite things. It’s also, I believe,
integral to our role as JETs. As you may have already been reminded, the E in
JET stands not for English but for Exchange. We are here to teach English, but
we are also here to engage in cultural exchange. Showing your community, your
coworkers, and especially your students that you have an interest in learning
their language will undoubtedly make them more interested in learning yours.
I could go on for several pages with various tidbits of advice, or I could summarize it all
in one word. Given the brief nature of this welcome letter, I’m going to go ahead and
choose the latter: persevere. Learning a language is ridiculously hard, and you will
undoubtedly have moments where you feel frustrated or exhausted. I’ve studied the
language for literally more than half of my life and I still wake up some days feeling as
though I haven’t made any progress in weeks. But above all else I will not give up – and
neither should you. The resources are all readily available to you; all you need now is
your own willpower. So get out there! Challenge yourself! A whole new world of
language immersion is awaiting you in this fantastic prefecture. And lastly: feel free to
email me anytime with questions. Nothing helps a hobby like spreading it around. Good
Luck!
Paul Dargan
Nyuzen Junior High School
p.t.dargan@gmail.com
Professionalism as an ALT
You know what professionalism is. And just in case you forgot, your home country
orientations and the Tokyo Orientation will definitely remind you. A lot. You will hear
it repeated from many sources: “You are expected to be professional at all times, even
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outside work, because you are a public servant, whose paycheck comes from taxpayer
money, and you are also representing your entire country to Toyama citizens.”
Big responsibility. Fortunately, you can handle professionalism. You might have had a
job which required high degrees of professionalism, but even if you haven’t, the concept
is very familiar. Professionalism means, basically,
 Punctuality,
 Following the dress code,
 Getting your responsibilities done well,
 Respecting your peers.
The question I’m going to answer here is What does professionalism look like,
as an ALT in Toyama?
In General
Professionalism as a teacher, anywhere, means devoting a lot of energy and time. In
Japan, teachers sometimes come to school 7 days a week, staying until past 6pm. This is
not expected of you – regularly – but it might happen once in a while. Depending on
the situation, if you’re asked to stay late, you might be compensated with time off later.
What will make those long days easier is awareness of your schedule. The quicker you
get a grasp on your responsibilities, the quicker you can learn your schedule and any
upcoming events. Do your best to ask questions when you don’t know something –
“Where do I have to be, when? What exactly are we doing? What should I prepare?”
You can always ask your supervisor for help.
However, even if you asked ALL THE QUESTIONS beforehand, got all the answers,
and prepared everything perfectly, surprises will come at you. Very often this will be
because A) nobody remembered to tell you, or B) something genuinely unexpected.
When this happens – and it will – what you need is grace under pressure. Adjust, go
with the flow, keep moving, be frustrated later. Professionalism requires flexibility.
The First Day
First impressions count. Guys, definitely wear a suit, until you get a better idea of the
dress code for the school. Ladies, wear a suit as well. Probably after the first week you
will find that summer dress code is a little different than other times of the year, but pay
close attention. Every school is different.
Politeness also counts. You don’t have to speak Japanese to smile, nod, or look
apologetic if you interrupt someone.
It can be very overwhelming. “Here is your desk, here is the office, here is the password
to the computer, do you know about this? Here is a page of Japanese, here is your
contract, here is the map to the nearest supermarket.” If you need to take notes, or
make videos on your phone to remember where things are, do it. No shame.
Unspoken Cultural Differences
Things are different here. Probably you will be impressed with lots of small and large
things all at once: things that are commonplace in your culture may be totally
inappropriate in Toyama, and vice versa. Chances are, as you acclimate to the new
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environment, you will make mistakes. … And what’s more, people may not even tell
you that you’re doing something wrong (it’s rude to point out people’s differences)
(Japanese culture at work). Fortunately, being the new ALT means you have some
leeway to make errors as you settle in.
Lateness
Toyama JET Darren Hamilton said this best:
“Punctuality in Japanese society is sacrosanct. People are on time. Always. Meetings
begin and end when they're intended to, and trains arrive on the dot. ...Okay, this is in
fact the ideal, and the reality cannot live up to it, but Japanese sure try their hardest. Do
not be late to your job, your classes, your dentist appointment, or anything. In fact, try
to arrive no later than five minutes before any obligation. Arriving one minute before
something starts is the same as being late to the average Japanese worker. Everyone will
get one or two screw ups, but your frequent lateness will definitely be noted.”
Appearance: Piercings, Tattoos and B.O.
Most Japanese schools are very conservative. Stick to the dress code of your school(s),
which in general opts for modesty and cleanliness. It’s fine if you have piercings, but
take out any facial piercings or spacers before work. Guys, it’s definitely not okay to
wear piercings in the classroom. Also, tattoos have a very negative stigma, so also
cover them up while you’re at work (or at least, in front of the students).
In that same vein, bathe regularly. In the heat of summer this is particularly …
noticeable, shall we say. A pungent odor, a disheveled set of clothes, messy hair, or an
accidentally unshaved face not only reflects badly on you – but it contributes to a bad
stereotype of the “unkempt foreigner.”
Good Morning
Say it with me now:
Ohayō gozaimasu. –
“Good morning.”
Lots of people will probably say this to you, every day – so why not say it back,
friendly-like?
Leaving Early
Your quitting-time is generally earlier than other teachers’. So even though you’re
technically leaving on time, it still might feel early to those who are still hard at work.
As you pass the other teachers, or as you walk out the door, you can say,
Osaki ni shitsurei shimasu. – “Excuse me for leaving early.” This is considered polite
and standard, because you’re apologizing to the team for “deserting them” early.
Another, probably more common phrase is
Otsukaresama deshita. – “Thanks for the hard work.” That one emphasizes how hard
the other person has been working, and it’s also both standard and polite. It’s usually
said after a long day or a tiring activity.
Requests from Other Teachers
Japan is a society of team-oriented accomplishment. If a teacher in your school asks you
to do something, such as answer a grammar question, write a random speech in English,
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correct a pile of tests, or supervise a project, make every effort to do it. If you don’t
have time right then, explain that it will be done in the next few days.
Enkai
If you haven’t read up on enkais, the “mandatory” after-work parties found in nearly all
businesses in Japan, do so now. Enkais have a lot of traditions, and (sometimes) very
formal rules built into them. Usually they celebrate something (your arrival, a farewell,
finishing the year, welcoming new teachers, etc.). You can probably expect to be invited
to an enkai about once a month. You don’t always have to accept, of course – but since
“the team” is paramount, and this is a chance for “the team” to relax and build
relationships, it’s important to value your co-workers. Please consider carefully before
you turn it down.
If you do decline an enkai, say you have a pressing engagement that’s very important at
the same time, and you’d like to attend, but you simply can’t.
Likewise, you don’t have to drink alcohol at an enkai. Many teachers drive in Toyama,
and you cannot drink and drive, so non-alcoholic beverages are usually readily
available.
The enkai environment is very special and strange. Teachers who are usually quiet and
businesslike will have a few drinks and suddenly become loud and friendly, and may
even start using broken English at you. Grab a bottle of whatever you like and enjoy the
relaxed atmosphere – knowing full well that nobody will mention ANY of this back in
the office on Monday.
The “A” stands for Assistant
Remember, in general, you are hired to help the Japanese Teachers of English. That
help can take lots of different forms, different amounts of work, etc – but in the end,
you’re the assistant. You expected to follow the guidelines/instructions of the lead
teacher, who is truly responsible for the class.
Remember What’s Not Your Job
It’s not your job to promote cultural exchange. It’s not your job to model behavior
typical in your home country. It’s not your job to experience Japan to the fullest. It’s not
your job to learn or use Japanese at all. It’s not your job to reform or change the
school system in Japan. And it’s not your job to magically deliver your students to
English fluency.
Are these things beneficial, and useful? Yes. Should you try to do them? Definitely feel
free! – But remember, your contract is about team-teaching the English language, one
class at a time. Place priority on what is expected of you, and make all other goals
secondary.
Personal Well-Being
You will have a lot to deal with, emotionally, mentally, and perhaps physically. That
naturally causes stress. It’s important to take care of yourself so you can bring your best
game to your job (and, just for your own sake).
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
Eat regularly. Figuring out a source of food is both an immediate necessity
and a months-long adventure. Whether or not you buy weird things at the
supermarket, play around with local ingredients, or find local restaurants …
eat something. Hungry, tired, forgetful teachers don’t do anyone any good.

Culture shock can have a huge impact on your teaching ability. Be sure to
read up on what to expect – be prepared – create a support network to help
you when you need it. CLAIR can definitely help you here.

Build good workplace relationships. It’s very easy, in a school where you
don’t speak the language and you’re the only foreigner, to feel isolated and
left out. Miscommunications are common, and people (including you) make
assumptions that might be wrong. After multiple experiences like this, you
may feel as if you’ve been outcast from the group, when in reality there is
actually no ill intent toward you. In fact, many ALTs in the past have found
themselves in just this situation, feeling both ostracized and unwelcome.
Some ALTs react poorly, by slacking off, not taking their job seriously,
losing respect for their co-workers. And that ends badly. So … how do you
counteract these situations? Mostly, by being professional, by checking your
own attitude, by recognizing your feelings aren’t the most important thing,
the students are. But also, by building relationships, early on. The early
burden is on you to start conversations, say hello, and it’s really, really
worthwhile to do it. Being proactively friendly, opening the door to a
relationship, might make the difference when the tables turn, and instead of
feeling isolated, you’ll have a connection to someone.
Good luck. Enjoy your new job, the new environment, and the new students who will
benefit from your knowledge and energy.
And enjoy beautiful Toyama!
Kate Grayson
Toyama Chubu SHS
alchemy.artwork@gmail.com
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