End of the Japanese School Year

There's a strange thing going on at school -  About a month ago the students took their final exams.  Yep, a month ago.  Since then, classes have been carrying on as normal.  With a week left of school, the teachers have already turned in the grades...Yes, a week left of school and grades have been done.  Actually, they've been done since the students took their finals back in February. But it takes time to hand write two copies of all the students grades...yes, in the city I work in the teachers have to hand write two copies of the grades (ALL the grades).  The strangest part is, the kids know it and yet for some reason, as soon as finals are over, all those kids that were sleeping and refusing to work, have suddenly started to study.  WHAT!?!  It makes no sense.  Granted, they're not doing EVERYTHING, but one student who has literally done NOTHING all year, has started doing at least 1/2 of the work.  Another girl, who read a book everyday in class, has started taking notes and doing the workbooks.  And I ask WHY!?!  If only my Japanese was good enough, I'd ask them myself.

Of course, there is one thing that isn't too unlike American schools at the end of the year...student behavior has gotten nuttier.  A couple of weeks ago, 4 out of 8 of the 1st year's classroom doors had to have the glass replaced because students had knocked it out (most likely rough housing or throwing something inside). This might not apply everywhere, but at my school there is no discernible difference between inside behavior and outside behavior.  You'd definitely never hear, "take it outside!"  Here are some pics from around the school - just 1 week left!

Before class - After the bell -  Unlike America, the bell doesn't signal the start of class.  Kids don't pay ANY attention until the gore says, "stand up."

Homeroom teacher vs. student.  After the homeroom teacher won, the kids tried to convince me to arm wrestle the teacher...um I'm no fool!  I did arm wrestle the other kids, but they're 7th graders, my odds were great :)





During cleaning time - trying to sneak out of cleaning duties - hiding outside, climbing out the windows, arguing to decide who has to clean the sink (water's freezing), and just plain wrestling.

Getting into trouble - Students have started stealing shoes out of a kid's shoe locker (the only form of bullying the teacher's actually punish) - but who would have known there'd be any consequences from the way they were acting.

My conversation with a teacher -
Me - So what are all the kids doing? Are there club activities today?
Teacher - No, it's bullying.
Me - Bullying? What kind of bullying.
Teacher - Shoe bullying.
Me - You mean stealing?
Teacher - No, bullying.
Me - Bullying by stealing someone's shoes?
Teacher - yes.
Me - Oh.

Students getting yelled at for 30 minutes.

Underclassmen trying to listen in on the conversation.




I guess no matter where you go, kids are kids.

Junior High School Graduation

With two weeks left of school the 3rd year students are already gone.  Which I guess doesn't really matter since they haven't done anything since the end of March.  Ok, wait, I take that back.  They did garden all the fields and paint the parking lot.  I've gotta say the Japanese know how to pinch pennies.  Just think what the schools in America could save on labor costs if the students took more responsibility for the maintenance of the school grounds. But I digress....the 3rd year students are gone.

Starting last Monday, the students began practicing for their graduation ceremony.  Practice ran from 8:30am-12:30pm Monday through Wednesday.  According to the teachers, this was to make sure that everything was perfect.  I can't imagine how many things could possibly need to be addressed.  The kids walk-in, sit down, stand up, walk to the stage, get a piece of paper and sit down.  Apparently it's a lot more complicated than that.

It seems the students need to learn the exact timing of walking in, standing in front of their seats, bowing together for exactly the same duration and the same angle.  They then walk to the stage and stand exactly the same distance apart.  Stand at the exact same spot on stage, bow at the exact right moment, fold their diplomas exactly the same, walk off exactly the same...I think you get the drift.

Wednesday and Friday the rest of the students also practiced how to sit in the audience and watch.  Seriously, they went through the entire ceremony.  Practicing over and over, "Stand!" "Not fast enough. SIT!" "Again, STAND!" "SIT!" "STAND!" "BOW! 1-2-3. SIT!"  Oh my gosh it was like watching military drills.  A kid didn't stand and his homeroom teacher grabbed him by the neck and shoved him out the back doors.  Well, first, he shoved his face into the back doors, then opened them and shoved him outside.  For the next twenty minutes he yelled at the kid.

Left: Students practicing standing and bowing.                                    

Right: 3rd year student having his uniform straightened out.

Thursday, the underclassmen did a 3 hour presentation (seriously 3 hours) for the 3rd year students.  Clubs presented dances and skits and then short speeches about their club sempai.  Then the 2nd year students presented and then finally the first year students.  I got much of it on video, and once I edit it and upload it, I'll try to post some of the more interesting parts.  At the end, the 3rd year students sang a few songs and then spoke to their underclassmen.  

The third year student who I caught singing show tunes.  Great voice.

Afterward, the 2nd year students decorated the gym.  I offered to help...gosh, big mistake.  They literally broke out the ruler to make sure the carpet was straight.  The principal was sitting in all the 3rd year chairs and VIP chairs (about 50 invited teachers and school board members from around Saitama...though no teacher actually knew who any of them were).  And on top of it, we had to hang curtains around the entire gym...in order and neatly tacked down.  It took us 3 tries.  At one point I actually found myself arguing with a student that the order didn't matter since every curtain was the EXACT SAME!  Finally I won but only because it turned out that curtain number 1 was DIRTY! Still, it was a small but hard earned victory :)  Because of all the arguing and going back and forth between teachers to decide if we can IN FACT go out of order, 40 minutes later the first curtain was hung. Yeah, nooo joke.  Fortunately another teacher came in and just busted it out and within 20 minutes the rest of the curtains were hung.  2 hours later the students left...for another 30 minutes the teachers went back and "fixed" the student's work.  Gah! All I heard was kampeki (perfect).  I was starting to wonder what a "perfect" graduation ceremony looked like.

After all the prep work, I headed back to the teacher's room.  On my way back, two teachers stopped me to ask me what American graduation is like.  All I kept hearing was, "I hear it's free and relaxed.  I hear they have a dance party."  Haha! WHAT!?  They honestly thought kids just did whatever and then partied after.  When I told them that practice was about an hour long the day before, they about died.  "But doesn't it have to be perfect?!How to you know what you're supposed to do?"  What I'm supposed to do?  I'm supposed to walk to the front, take a diploma and sit down.  What's there to know? 

It seems there's more to it than I had previously thought.  Saturday was graduation and it would have been really nice to know that graduation in Japan is like attending a formal wedding in America.  I mean people were decked out in their "Sunday" best...though that phrase has absolutely know relevance in Japan.  At least I thought to wear a nice jacket over my t-shirt.

Finding a seat with the other teachers, I watched as all the kids were checked and straightened by their homeroom teacher.  Then the ceremony began and the students walked the red carpet, the entire time the audience clapped.  As the students filed into their rows, the clapping grew louder until the students bowed and the next group walked in.  As each group filed into their row the clapping grew louder....seriously?  Is this what they were practicing for 3 days?  It really amazes me the kinds of details the Japanese consider when planning.  I want to try and appreciate the effect it had and the feeling behind it, but couldn't help be kind of annoyed.  After this they sang...I'm guessing the National Anthem and the school song.  From that point I kind of dazed off.  I finally started drawing another teacher's kimono in an attempt not to fall asleep.  During the ceremony the students would stand and bow at the start of every speaker (there were 7) and then bow twice on stage and once when bowing before their teachers.

I admit I was somewhat scared when I heard the principal start to read the entire contents of the diploma thinking, "DEAR GOD! please don't tell me he's going to read every kid's diploma.  We'll be here all day!"  While I'd never have that thought in America, I'd never put that one past the anal Japanese.  But thankfully, even they aren't the cruel! The rest of the ceremony was a series of intricate commands. There were many times when the students would stand and bow, sit and then immediately stand and bow again...gosh.  At the end, the 3rd year students turned and sang to the underclassmen.  I didn't catch the song, but it was actually quite moving scene.  

This ceremony displayed everything that outsiders tend to dislike about Japan.  Students were forced to spend long, seemingly needless, hours preparing.  Everyone was focused on perfection, though perfection of a ceremony seems indescribable.   Students were yelled at throughout the entire thing to do everything with military precision.  There was no creativity, every action had been preformed for decades.  After watching the practice, one would have thought that they managed to beat all emotion and joy out of it.  And while I don't really agree with the methods, and despite my annoyance at being there on a Saturday to watch this spectacle, I was quite impressed.  The whole thing was moving.  And for a moment, I thought, wow, we really miss out on this in America.  The strong feelings that every action was performed with, whether forced are not, were still felt.  The speakers all spoke with stiring passion, some even tears.  The students bowing to their teachers and thanking them for what they'd done for them.  Turning and singing an inspirational song to their underclassmen.  Maybe another observer would have watched with disdain and think it was overly cheesy.  But how can I sit and judge whether what they're feeling or not is real?   At the very end, the head teacher called each class to dismiss them. Each classes "Gore" (commander) shouted the command, and all at once, as loudly as they could each class said, "Arigatou Gozaimasu." Thank you.  The passion in their faces, the excitement to moving on, was contagious.

Moving in Tokyo

Hmm, I won't quite call myself an expert, but having moved a total of 4 times in less than a year...I can say that I have obtained quite a bit of experience in this department...to say the least.  Let's review the ways that I have moved to and in Japan.

1) From America to Japan - In all, I carried 3 suitcases (2 carry-on size and 1 as large and heavy as the airlines allows) and sent 4 boxes. The cost to send everything was roughly 470.  400 for the boxes to be shipped (US postal service no longer ships, everything has to go by plane so it's more expensive than it would have been a few years ago).  The 70 was what the airlines charged for me to carry-on an extra bag.  However, if the airline knows you're connecting for an overseas flight, many will let you carry 3 bags without charge. 

What I'd recommend bringing -
a) Toiletries - Women, if you use...ummm....a certain type of insertable feminine product, most likely you'll have a very difficult time finding it here and might be best off bringing it yourself. 

b) Cosmetics - If you have sensitive skin and can't read Japanese, I'd recommend bringing your own cosemetics.  Most make-up has a yellow undertone, which makes my face look plain goolish.  It's been a nightmare trying to match it to my skintone.  On top of that, I ran out of face wash and have been trying different Japanese brands with horrible reactions.  Maybe its the climate, dry winter air, but my skin has become flaky and red...it's depressing...especially since I cant find the right shade of make-up to cover it. And, as everyone who lives here knows, deodorant.  Don't leave home without it.   Medication...if you take any.  Japanese medication comes in VERY low doses.  And...not to be crude, but birth control.   I've heard it's a real pain to get, I don't have insurance and haven't tried, but most people recommend bringing a year's supply.

c) Pants/shoes - Since I'm supersized, even by American standards (not in the fat sense, but in the tall and large appendaged sense), I recommend bringing your own pants and shoes.  This really doesn't apply to guys as much as it does to women.  There are Western brands here, Forever  21, Gap, H&M, Zara, Levi's, etc.  But even still, the close is tailored for short people.  There are tall men here...there really aren't tall women.  Make sure the shoes are resilient and water proof as you'll probably find yourself walking a lot more than you did back home...in the rain...unless of course you live in a place where it rains half the year and you don't own a car.

Everything else is pretty easy to find here.

Moving within Japan -
Just like America, you have to shut off all of your utilities.  My roommate, fortunately, did all this, though it sounds like it was a real pain in the rear for her, especially the internet. Japan is ONE anal country so be prepared. Because she has national health insurance (kokumin kenkou hoken) she had to go down to the local Ward Office and take care of her taxes.  Turns out they'll be giving her money back.  I, however, do not have national health insurance and will just have to register with my new ward near my apartment.  And...of course, change your address with the post office (tensotodoke form).  According to the postal worker, I should have done this 3 days before moving :) ooops.  Good thing I don't get any mail.

2)Moving from Gyoda to Omiya...alone.  Ok, not totally alone.  Another teacher KINDLY helped me take a few suitcases down.  Also, my boss helped me with the Takkyubin :).  Not having acquired much, the first time I moved I sent most of my boxes Takkyubin.  Basically take your stuff to a convenience store, tell them takkyubin, fill out the address and date/time.  All my stuff arrived within two days.  It's probably one of the cheapest ways to move if you don't have much (4 large boxes were about 60 bucks).  I took my suitcases by train...wouldn't recommend taking more than one at a time, people tend to get annoyed.  Also, I recommend taking the bus and not dragging your suitcase to the station...Most places in Japan aren't paved and as I found out, most luggage isn't meant to be dragged 2miles along unpaved roads.  This way was a pain in the rear, spread out over multiple days and multiple trips, but unavoidable as I didn't have much to warrant a mover.

3) Moving up the street - Fortunately, I had kept my boxes and still hadn't accumulated much, so the packing was easy.  I had a Japanese friend who rented a truck from Nippon-rent-a-car, but  I can't imagine a foreigner would be able to do this alone.  For what would be a normal pick-up truck it was $110 for 2 hours!!  Unbelievable!  And just like in America, I you have to return it with a full tank.  With Japan's many narrow, one-way streets, driving was slow and tedious.  While this is rather convenient, it's not very practical for anything that might take longer than two hours to do.

4) Moving from Omiya, Saitama to Tokyo - This time I DIDN'T keep my boxes and accumulated much more...stuff.  In Japan it costs money to get rid of large items and it was cheaper to move them with me than pay to get rid of them.  Boxes were pretty easy to find.  Most grocery stores have small boxes up front where you bag your groceries, though you generally have to buy something to take them (however, once you buy something no one seems to care how many you take).  Mom and pop stores also have a ton of boxes off to the side.  As for means of moving, I had too much stuff to ship and the drive to Tokyo alone is an hour...without traffic and knowing exactly where you're going.  So hitting the internet, I found a couple of English speaking movers (Japanese movers are EXPENSIVE!).  I ended up going with a mover called Tokyo Helping Hands (http://www.tokyohelpinghands.com/).  They're located out of Shinjuku and move people around Saitama, Chiba, and Tokyo.  The owner is extremely helpful!  Having contacted many different movers, he was the fastest and cheapest.  To do everything it would have been about 190 bucks, but I moved everything downstairs myself so basically I ended up renting a truck and driver for 98 bucks.  The guy was extremely friendly and even helped me move stuff upstairs after my landlord made him parks a good 25 meters away. 

Since I moved into a sharehouse this time, everything was already set-up and ready to go.  I really wish I would have moved into a sharehouse when I first came to Japan.  But everyone I talked to at the time had some real horror stories about places.  I have to say I'm extremely happy with the house that I found.  The owner's a bit nutty, but the manager is extremely friendly...though another guest recently told me he gives sweets to female residents...which makes me wonder if I'm confusing pervy with friendly.  I guess time will only tell.  I've gotten lucky and currently have a 2K in the center of Tokyo...all to myself!!  Though as I type this I realize I can hear the people upstairs...guy...girl...umm.....wrestling?

Now I just have to devise a plan to try and keep it that way.  So far I've decorated the bathroom in neon green with pink flowers and bear towels...hopefully that keeps away the men.  As for the women, I'm thinking fish in the garbage can, dirty dishes, hair around the bathroom sink, and maybe fill up the getabako/shoe closet.