Graduation Time

It is graduation time in Japan and is really does not feel like 1 year since my last graduation ceremony at Shimogo JHS. I think that graduation ceremonies in Japanese schools are carbon copies of each other with only small details that differ.

Most students took their high school entrance examinations on the 8th March. Graduation from JHS was yesterday (13th March) and the results of the high school entrance examinations were published today. All the students at Arakai JHS managed to pass their entrance examinations for the high schools of their choice. I'm not surprised that they all passed as they hardly ever made mistakes in class. A clever group of students. Many of the students visited school today to confirm their success at the entrance examinations. Then they all did a tour of the staff room and thanked all the teachers individually for the care and education they received over the last 3 years. They all looked happy and there was a distinct air of triumph and satisfaction within the staff room today.

At my most recent visit to my other school, Hisawa JHS, there was a school event held in honour of the soon to graduate 3rd grade students. The 1st and 2nd grade students, and teachers took part in a couple of plays and sang a few songs to wish the departing students luck in their future endeavors. There was also a slide show documenting the 3 years that the students spent at school and video messages made by all the students and teachers.

I took part in singing a couple of songs which are popular around graduation time. One song was called Okuru Kotoba and the other was called Nagori Yuki. I practiced hard for my part in these songs but my singing was really disastrous! I listened to the songs many times on CD but when it was time to sing on stage, the accompanying guitar sounded completely different and it was impossible for me to sing the words in the correct time to the music.

Because I have been in Arakai JHS for nearly 2 weeks, it meant that I missed the Hisawa JHS ceremony. It was a shame not to see them graduate but I don't have the same attachment to the students as I had at Shimogo JHS.

Anyway, yesterday was graduation day at both the schools I work at. I went to the ceremony at Arakai JHS and prepared myself for the flood of tears which is obligatory at graduation time. I was trying to decide whether I would wear my kilt with all its accoutrements or whether I would wear a suit and tie for the event. In the end, I opted for the suit. I'm sure the kilt would have been a big hit but I really did not want any attention and tried to blend into the background as much as possible.

As expected, the ceremony was quite moving but the British stiff upper lip came into play and I think I was the only person (out of about 150 people) who managed not to shed a tear. It was touch and go, but I managed to keep the Ice Man facade throughout. I was called an Ice Man by a previous teacher at Shimogo JHS because I have managed to keep a solid composure at previous graduation ceremonies. I don't think it was meant as a compliment.......but I liked it anyway.

Anyway, the sequence of events was much the same as last year at Shimogo JHS. At the start of the ceremony, everyone stood and sang the Kimigayo (the Japanese National Anthem) to the sound of snow sliding off the gymnasium roof. We have had as much snow over the past few days as we've had over the course of the whole winter. It seems like that anyway.

After the Kimigayo, the students were onto the stage in alphabetical order to receive their graduation certificates from the Principal of the school. Some of the students looked shell shocked and bewildered that they would no longer be students at the school. Their home room teacher called out their names when from the class attendance book when it was their turn to go up onto the stage. When the last student was called, the teacher closed the book for the last time.

Perhaps the most moving part of the ceremony was when the 3rd grade student president (Naoki) made a speech on behalf of his fellow students. He found it really hard to compose himself and cried a lot. This set off everyone else which meant that there were 78 students, 20 teachers and about 100 parents all blubbing at the same time. I very nearly joined in but took some photographs to distract myself.

The tears soon changed to smiles as the students left school for the last time. Another great bunch of students that I have had the pleasure of meeting in my time in rural Japan. I can't overemphasise how great the students have been during my time here.

In the evening, there was the graduation party which all the parents and teachers attended. It was a pretty good evening although I've felt really tired today and even managed a quick nap at my desk. I think I drank a lot of beer but am not sure exactly how much. It's really hard to tell how much you are drinking at Japanese parties because you drink from really small glasses that are constantly refilled by the people around you. Japanese parties can be really fun and a bit crazy at times. Various performances are arranged and that usually means people making complete fools of themselves in front of a large audience. I was coerced into wearing a pink bunny rabbit costume! No comments on this please!

I have been cycling a few times recently and I was hoping to cycle a bit more before our move to Tokyo. Any further thoughts of cycling have been clearly annihilated by the heavy snow which has fallen over the past few days. We plan to move on the 24th March, immediately after Clara's graduation ceremony at nursery school. Only 10 more days in Shimogo. Our move will create plenty of challenges for us, but it is time to move on.

I plan to join a gym in Tokyo called Rondo which is about 5 minutes walk from the flat. I'm aiming to do a lot of swimming and climbing as I am keen to get fit again. I'm thinking about doing the Tokyo Marathon next year but that all depends on the ratio of time spent in the gym and pub. There is also a nearby cycling route although it can't be as nice as the places I used to cycle to in Shimogo.

We have LOTS of parties to attend over the next 10 days. I'll try and do another post or two before we leave Shimogo.

Monkey Business

Today has been pretty cold and the drive to work was slow because of ice on the roads. I arrived at my desk 10 seconds before 8am. Being late for work is frowned upon in Japan and I have not been late in over 2 years. During my time in Japan, I have only been late for work twice (at my previous school). Once I was 10 minutes late because I was stuck behind a useless driver who didn't have the confidence to turn right at a semi-busy junction, and the other time I was 1 minute late because I overslept. I like the Japanese way of being on time - it's a cultural strong point that other countries around the world could learn from. I need to leave for work a bit earlier though as I've been really close to being late recently on a number of occasions. The mountains now have a sprinkling of snow and I am hoping the snowfall will become heavier soon. I really CAN'T WAIT to start skiing again.

I was told today that the ski pass I usually buy has changed. Over the last couple of years, the ski pass which I bought cost about ¥18,000 (about 90 quid) which gave me unlimited skiing at Daikura Ski Area (not too far from Shimogo and really close to the schools where I now work). I thought this was a pretty good deal. However, this year, the ski pass will cost the same but allow me unlimited skiing at 4 ski areas. That's fantastic news!!! In truth, I was getting a little bored of Daikura and now I have the opportunity to ski at other places for no extra cost. Excellent!

I hope to go skiing 3 or 4 times a week. I'll probably go to Daikura Ski Area every Wednesday after school. Although it will be dark by then, you are able to ski under the course floodlights. I also plan on skiing every Saturday and Sunday. In February, I'll take a half day holiday on each Friday and head to the slopes straight from school. Friday skiing is excellent as the slopes are usually deserted and conditions are often perfect. On occasions, I have been the only skier on the slopes. It's a great feeling to ski and not have to worry about colliding with other skiers.

The previous 3 years that we have lived in Shimogo has seen some pretty harsh winters with heavy snow. Unfortunately, the winter this year is expected to be relatively benign and I am worried that this will be a poor season. Last year, I went skiing over 30 times. Hopefully I can match or exceed that figure this year.

I will really miss the skiing when we move to Tokyo, but I will try and visit Minami Aizu (where we currently live) a couple of times a year for skiing. It should also be easy for me to travel to Nagano on the bullet train. I've decided that swimming will be my main hobby once we move to Tokyo.

Anyway.......monkeys. Today I really knew I was in the Japanese countryside when the school grounds were invaded by monkeys! From the staffroom, the other teachers and I saw a large pack / family / herd of monkeys making their way down the side of the mountain next to the school. One was really big and looked like a gorilla. Apparently they've started roaming around now because they're searching for food. What is the collective term for a large number of monkeys? Okay, according to this link, a group of monkeys can be called either a troop, barrel, carload (!!??!!), or tribe.

The school janitor chased the carload of monkeys away by firing several shots from the school starting pistol. He also took a wooden sword with him (as seen in The Last Samurai) which are used in Japan for practice sword fights. I stayed safely in school as I could not stop thinking about the monkeys in the film '28 Days Later'. In the film, monkeys were infected with some deadly and contagious virus which results in them attacking people. It's a good film but not a good thing to watch if you have primates living in close proximity to you.

I'm fairly busy this week (again) and I shouldn't be spending my time writing my blog as I have more urgent matters to attend to. However, if feels good to get these words down and I feel a bit of stress ebbing away. I'll try and post a short blog about my conversation class tomorrow. I am teaching about 14 students how to make shortbread in the kitchen of Tajima Town Office. It's ironic that I am teaching people to cook as all I have 'cooked' in the past were Findus Crispy pancakes and the occasional peppercorn steak at Aberdeen University. The security guards always knew when I was having steak for dinner as I would always cause the fire alarm to go off because of the smoke in the kitchen. Anyway, watch this space for an update on Kane's cooking class. Bye.

Autumn Colour

I left it a bit late to take some pictures of the magnificent autumn colours which have graced the Japanese countryside over the past few weeks. However, despite the autumnal colours being past their peak, I still managed to take a couple of good shots during lunchtime at Arakai JHS. I was fortunate to get these pictures on Friday as the weather has taken a turn for the worse. Today saw the first snowfall of the season. We drove to a place called Kirara Onsen for a bath and the snow was really heavy. Soon the whole area will be covered in thick snow and that means I'll have to shovel snow every morning and night. Shovelling snow for an hour or two every day is pretty boring, but it is also pretty good exercise.

Despite all the hardships, I'm really looking forward to winter. I'm looking forward to lots of onsens, lots of skiing, sitting under our kotatsu (a Japanese style table with surrounding quilt and built in electric heater), and the amazing winter wonderland scenery.

Arakai JHS and Hisawa JHS

My new job involves me rotating between two junior high schools every 2 weeks. The schools are called Arakai JHS and Hisawa JHS. There is really not much to tell to be honest. The job I am doing is very similar to the job I had at Shimogo JHS, although I seem to be slightly busier.

The schools are both very small with approximately 70 students in each. The students seem to be generally much quieter than I was used to in Shimogo JHS although they all seem really nice. I hope I can get them to come out of their shells a bit more.

Although the students in the schools are very similar, the teachers in each school are very different. In one school the teachers seem really happy and relaxed whilst the other school staff room feels like a library. Teachers rarely talk to each other, and if they do so, it is in whispers. That school feels like a library.

I guess I will be fairly happy to work at these schools for the next 7 months - it's not long and there will be different events that will break the monotony. I also have quite a lot of elementary school visits which I have come to really enjoy.