Category Archives: Japan

Going to One School or Another

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Our oldest got good news today and congratulations are in order, even though the news may not relieve her stress. Or ours.

Our oldest received notice that she’d passed the entrance exam and been accepted to the private school that serves as her second choice/back up school. This means that whatever happens she’ll be able to go to a good school.

Unfortunately for both us and the school, they sent the list of “sign up” fees and both She Who Must Be Obeyed and I had small heart attacks. This means we’ve ordered our oldest to redouble her efforts to get into her first choice school. If she doesn’t I’ve promised to seize her tablet and all electronics until she graduates from high school.

Note: That is actually a half-truth: If she doesn’t get into the cheaper school, we’ll have to sell the electronics to help fund her going there.

Note to the school: Thanks for your honesty, but I’m not sure honesty’s the best policy for getting students.

As I’ve mentioned before, the next exam is at the beginning of March which means she has another five weeks (exactly) to study for the exam. We’ve also started sending her to juku (or cram school) once a week to get extra tutoring in mathematics. (She’s not to the level of maths where they stop using numbers, but she’s way beyond the level where I can help her other than to cheer her on/tell her to put her damned tablet away.)

Until she gets the results from the next exam, we will pay a small fee to hold her place on the private school’s roster until we make a final decision, sell items, etc.

Luckily, she likes her first choice a lot, so she’s got a lot of incentive to study. On the other hand, now that she’s got a sure thing, we may have to keep after her.

 

Stressing After the Exam and Almost Missing the Cake

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Today our oldest took her first high school entrance exam and was so stressed today she almost made herself sick. Luckily she got that way after the exam.

In Japan students don’t automatically move from elementary school to junior high school to high school. Depending on the school you want your kids to attend, there might be exams at every level. The school where I work, for example, is currently holding entrance exams for the junior high school. (Students who were lucky enough to pass the elementary school exam several years ago, though, get to move up automatically.)

The most important exam, though, happens between junior high school and high school. The goal of parents is to get their teens into high schools with reputations for placing their students in top universities. (Yes, choosing a high school and choosing a university are nearly the same thing here.)

Our oldest and She Who Must Be Obeyed have made several trips to potential schools, both public and private, and narrowed the choices down to one top public school and a very good private school. I should point out that private schools in Japan aren’t necessarily better than public schools. In fact, one of the worst schools I ever taught at was a private school. The public school our oldest chose is considered better than the private school she likes. The private school is her back-up, in case she fails to get into the public school. (We are hoping she gets into the public school, though, because private schools cost MONEY in all caps.)

The test today was for our daughter’s back-up school. She went up to Kawagoe and sat through a three hour written test (multiple choice) and then made her way back home. We took her to a local restaurant for lunch (she had sushi, I had pork steak) and then we bought some cake at at local shop.

On the way home she sat forward as if she was sleepy but it turned out she wasn’t feeling well. She’d finally released all the tension and it had made her kind of sick. We told her to take a nap while I ate the piece of cake I’d chosen (because that’s totally what you eat when you’re on a diet).

Now she’s feeling better, but the exam for her first choice is in two months so we may go through this again. (I just hope there’s more cake.)

Kurutoga Roulette Gun Metallic Mechanical Pencil–Long Term Review

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Where I grew up, the cool guys didn’t have normal pencils. They either borrowed pencils when they came to class (because I always seemed to have extras they often came to me) or they carried, in their pockets no less, tiny little stubs of pencils that were barely more than a chewed eraser, a ferrule and a piece of lead. They somehow wrestled them around their assignments with their giant, work-roughed fingers.

In that environment, any person who didn’t already realize I was a complete geek became fully aware of it when I started using mechanical pencils.

I think I got one from my grandfather and another I may have bought or received as a gift. I remember them having thick lead, maybe .7 or 1.0 millimeter, which made them annoying because they never seemed sharp. I also remember using pencils with disposable nib units that you used till they were stubs, then you pulled out the spent nib unit and shoved in the top to force the next unit out. (Those were good only when they stayed sharp and if you didn’t lose a nib unit which rendered all the others useless.)

Since then, I’ve alternated between classic wood case pencils and mechanical pencils. After my experience with the doomed Rotring 600, I’ve stuck with a Uni Kurutoga Roulette in Gun Metallic.

The Uni Kurutoga is one of those Japanese creations that solves a problem that you didn’t realize was a problem until it was solved. It has a built in spring rotation mechanism that rotates the lead every time you pick up the pencil and, in theory, allows the lead to wear evenly and prevent one side getting flat and wide and forming a sharp point which is really important to people who worry about such things. (Artists, for example.)

A traditional mechanical pencil. You can see the line variation and some fuzziness.

A traditional mechanical pencil. You can see the line variation and some fuzziness.

Lines from the Kurutoga. They are even despite me pressing rather hard.

Lines from the Kurutoga. They are even in width despite me pressing rather hard.

I chose the metal version of the Kurutoga because most of the plastic ones were rather tacky (i.e. I’m not cool enough to use them) and they weren’t something you could use in a business setting without attracting a lot of attention and triggering a long discussion. I like the knurling on the grip section. It feels comfortable and, unlike the rubber grips on pencils I’ve used before, it doesn’t get sticky and start coming loose.

A closeup of the knurling, and unneeded hole, in the grip section.

A closeup of the knurling, and unneeded hole, in the grip section.

The anodizing has held up well, as has the mechanism. I also like that the mechanism makes the pencil thicker than a normal mechanical pencil, which makes it more comfortable for me to use. I’ve found that the mechanism acts as a kind of shock absorber that keeps the .5 milimeter lead from breaking. (In the lines pictures above, the regular pencil broke three times; the Kurutoga didn’t break once even though I was pressing harder.) It’s heavier than a regular pencil, which I also like.

My only complaints are very small. The eraser cap at the end is too short and when I try to pull it out of my Nock Co. Sassafras I often pull out only the eraser cap. Also, I don’t like the orange hole in the grip section. It mostly seems to exist to show off that the mechanism actually moves. (One part of it has a logo that appears and disappears as you use it.)

The Kurutoga in my Nock Co. Sassafras. That end cap comes off easily.

The Kurutoga in my Nock Co. Sassafras. That end cap comes off easily.

The Kurutoga is now a necessary part of my every day work carry. It not only records student absences and scores, it also, in several cases, decides their fates.

 

 

 

Sky Fall Brings the Ice and the Boots

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Okay, I admit it, the boots look silly, but so does sprawling on the pavement.

The worst part about getting to school after a big snow storm is the ice leftover because the city didn’t clear the sidewalk and because large sections of road don’t have sidewalks, just piles of icy slush.

I dug out my ancient hiking boots which, oddly, have actually been hiking a few times, but which I mostly use for snow. They are leather with random bits of Gore-Tex and I think I got them from REI when I was still in Niigata, making them over 16 years old.

Note: That tells you how infrequently they get used. They are the first shoes I ever bought over the internet and I was very happy they fit, which is why I’ve kept them so long.

The worst part of the walk is usually from our apartment to the main road, but today, the sidewalk was the easiest part of the walk. The worst part was the random glaze-ice traps along the street to our closest station and on the sidewalk from the station near the school to the school. I did a few fancy side steps, one forward moonwalk and one less than graceful Telemark-style slide.

I thought about taking the bus, but the lines were too long.

The worst trip to the school ever, though, involved frozen ice. We’d had snow, the snow had melted, then the snow had frozen and been topped, right before the start of the morning commute, with freezing rain. The streets and sidewalks both were a frozen mess. I trekked, in small steps, across seemingly endless fields of frozen slush before arriving at school.

About five minutes after I arrived at school I was told that school was delayed. A few minutes after that I was told school was cancelled because a lot of teachers couldn’t make it back in. Luckily, my English colleague arrived, and after a few minutes of him venting about Japanese drivers and ice, he gave me a ride to the station,

I managed to get home in one piece, but I was too exhausted after that trip to actually enjoy being home. I think ended up taking a nap.

The Snow on the Plain Mainly Stops the Train

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One of the things the English teachers in Niigata discovered their first December in Japan is that it’s awesome.

They arrive during Hell and enjoy the temporary relief of Awesome, but then discover why their new home is nicknamed “Snow Country” when they sky turns grey and falls for days, and even throws in some lightning and thunder.

By the time December arrives, they been through one phase of culture shock, are in a second, and are desperate to get home to see loved ones or desperate to get to Thailand to, well, yeah. On the way, the one’s heading home, arrive in Tokyo and discover it is bright and sunny and relatively warm. Tokyo suddenly becomes their favorite place to visit in the world during the season of Static.

This winter, thanks to the recent  El Niño, has been an extension of Awesome. In fact, until last weekend, it had been light Jacket weather–note: my colleague from Hawaii strongly disagrees with that description. Normally it’s cold, but sunny with a rich blue sky. Then suddenly, in January, it isn’t. Today, especially, it wasn’t.

This doesn't seem like much, but it was enough...

This doesn’t seem like much, but it was enough…

Last night it started raining and when we woke up, we found four inches (10 cm) of snow on the ground. The news reports also had lists of trains that had been delayed and the one I take was on it. The train problems occurred farther up the line in the foothills and mountains but several train lines in the flatland were also having trouble. That sent me to the computer to discover that the start of classes had already been delayed an hour at the school where I work.

Our youngest’s school had been delayed two hours but our oldest’s was still on schedule. (Being a teen she, of course, went to school with no winter coat or muffler.) Then, after more updates, my train line was shut down completely.

I ended up working at home–although the reasons for this are complicated–as I used the opportunity to do some re-planning and lesson planning.

At least that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

 

Probably Breaking Up is Hard to Do

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One of Japan’s most popular boy bands is apparently breaking up. More or less.

This week Japan was rocked, more or less, with the news that four of the five members of SMAP would be leaving Johnny & Associates (run by the 80 something Johnny Kitagawa) to join with a new talent agency.

I remain skeptical (but more on that later).

For those who don’t know, SMAP, which stands for Sports Music Assemble People (and NOT, much to my surprise, Satan’s Minions Are Popular) have been one of the hottest pop groups in Japan since 1991. They are primarily dancers and entertainers not singers–in fact, Masahiro Nakai, the “leader” of SMAP is a notoriously bad singer–but as a result of their popularity, and Japan’s quirky way of integrating popular groups into television, they also dominate Japanese television as emcees and actors. (Nakai is a terrific emcee on all three of the TV shows he hosts.)

However, as the members approach their mid-40’s, some of them seem to be seeking a new talent agency. Only Takuya Kimura (whom I’ve dubbed “SMAP Boy” for various complicated reasons I won’t explain right now) plans to remain in Johnny’s, but he’s also the one that’s been granted the most favors, including permission to marry.

Note: Japan’s entertainment industry operates like a version of the old Hollywood studio system crossed with the military. Members of an agency like Johnny’s are expected to work under salary, with bonuses based on their popularity, and are often ordered not to date and/or get married. Violating that rule can get people kicked out.

What makes me skeptical about all this is that four are leaving. If only Nakai was leaving, or perhaps the less popular Goro Inagaki, I could understand, but having four leaves seems like a publicity stunt to me. SMAPs been around 25 years so, and have been nearly replaced on television by a group called Arashi. and there are some rumors that this “break up” might be a ploy to see if SMAP has any fans left.

Either way, it will be interesting to see how this all plays out. If they are actually breaking up, it could signal the end of an era. More or less.

 

Drawing the Jumbo With Arrows

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As much fun as it is to play with balls, it’s a lot more fun to shoot arrows at stuff.

With all the high finance involved with the latest Lotto America (aka The Clever Tax on the Poor) I thought I’d mention Japan’s way of doing the lottery.

Japan runs four lotteries a year, called “Jumbos” and gives out about 1.4 billion dollars a year between them, with the largest amount being handed out in the New Year Lottery.

There are a couple things that make Japan’s lottery intriguing.

First, there are multiple first prizes of around 400 million yen (3.39ish million dollars US) and dozens of secondary prizes worth thousands of dollars. The money is given out in a tax free lump sum and there are limited numbers of numbers making the odds of winning something slightly better than TCTotP.

Second, and even better, the winning numbers are chosen by arrows. At the big drawing, several spinning targets with numbers are set up several feet from machines that shoot arrows. Next to each target is a cute model dressed like an airline cabin attendant who, after a countdown, presses a button that fires an arrow at the target. Numbers are then called out and some people are happy and some are still hoping.

This is a lot better than watching balls roll out of an air machine. Although, in defense of balls, the arrow drawings do go on a long time.

Although I’m eligible, I’ve never played the lottery. (I have more fun things to waste my money on.) I did have a ticket once, though, when a restaurant I ate at with my karate sensei gave us a free ticket because we ordered either whale or sake. My sensei handed me the ticket and told me we’d split it 40% (him) 60% (me) if we won.

We didn’t win, though, but it was fun watching the arrows.

 

Hearing the Piano Without Sound

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For over a half hour or so I heard strange sounds in our apartment.

They were one part soft thumps and one part something that sounded like the water backing up in the drain behind our house. Because our oldest was taking a bath, I thought she might be messing with the water. The problem was the thumps weren’t accompanied by the hiss of running water. This made me afraid the toilet might be having issues.

Then the sounds stopped and our oldest entered the variety room still in her day clothes, which meant she hadn’t taken a bath. She was flexing her fingers, though, and I realized what I’d been hearing.

One of the creepier things our daughters do is play the piano without sound. If you don’t know they’re doing it, it’s especially creepy. The piano is a Kawai digital piano (similar to this one). It has proper keys and levers that make it feel like a proper piano (which we can’t own in this complex) but it can by silenced by plugging in a pair of headphones.

The girls mostly do this kind of practice at night when the sounds of the piano would disturb the neighbors or when one of us (usually one of them) wants to watch a show at the same time the other is practicing.

Even when you’re sitting in the room with them, it’s kind of odd. It’s a bit like hearing the bass part of a song leaking out of a pair of headphones. Watching them is like watching a less-than-sane person play a broken piano.

This, does, though, leave me with a dilemma. Should I be proud of our oldest for practicing or mad at her for not taking a bath and going to bed as she was supposed to?

I suspect the answer is “yes”.

 

The Something Like Happiness of Low Expectations

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I’m not sure what to think about what happened in class today.

Nothing happened, and that has me a bit worried.

As a rule, when I start the new year, even though it’s not a new school year, I tend to approach each class as a new start. Well, not with my worst class, I expect them to be bad.

Today they weren’t, but the so-called “higher level” half of them were and I’m not sure what that means.

It could be that because my expectations were so low for them, I abandoned any pretense of trying to do anything fun. My colleague had plans for games and sundry activities. I started with a plan to do an activity (albeit not a fun one) and then changed plans and did something a lot simpler.

The students were reasonably quiet and did the work. Granted, for some of them “doing the work” means waiting until someone smarter finishes and then copying their paper. They did this today even though the answers were supposed to come via an interview which makes it look like a lot of my students are actually the same person with different faces. (This actually explains a lot.)

Because I came in with low expectations I was worried when it appeared as if they would all finish sooner than I expected, which meant some of them would never finish. Luckily, their natural distraction took over and the worst students slowed down.

They did spend most of the class testing me, though. One refused to stand at first during the warm up; one started using bad Japanese words until he realized I understood and then he stopped; one tried calling me “Mr. Jason” which is their old nickname for me; the one who refused to stand up thought he’d get away without showing his print. Then he seemed to remember what happened the last time he tried that and quickly copied someone else’s answers (adding yet another face to the one student).

As classes with my worst class go, it wasn’t a bad day. My colleague, though, had lots of trouble. Her students wouldn’t listen to the game rules and she didn’t finish everything she’d planned. It’s an odd day in deed when I’m happy with my class and she’s not.

I’d tell their homeroom teacher about how good they were, but they’d just be terrible the next time.

 

 

 

Planning for the Last Bit of Craziness

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I’m trying to plan for what’s coming, but I’m not sure it will help.

I’ve written before how the third term at the school where I work is kind of crazy. There are odd days and cancelled days and every grade ends at different times. Some classes never seem to end, and those are almost always my worst classes because “karma” and “bitch”.

This term my one student in my high school third year class has already informed me he won’t be attending his one class. I’ll have to show up for work anyway as I have a class later in the afternoon, but part of me is already planning what to do with that time. I’m pretty sure I’ll show up earlier than I have to, just not at the usual time.

What I do when I get there I do not know.

At the end of February, high school first and second years end early and start exams. A couple days after that junior high school third years end and start exams. At some point, we are marking exams and passing them back whilst we are still teaching grades that haven’t ended. Then, when we’re tired and ready for a break, we suddenly have another batch of exams to mark.

In truth it’s not that hard, it’s just that anything resembling a teaching rhythm is suddenly gone and that makes it feel surreal. You wake up a couple times and try to remember where you’re supposed to be and if you really need to get up or not. (The fear that you’re missing something is what wakes you up.)

Also, because the term is half as long as the others, there isn’t a lot of time to introduce new material. This means almost all final exams are comprehensive which means we have to calm rooms of panicked young men who haven’t followed the rules to keep all their notes and handouts in an easy to access location.

Many of them ask me for copies of the print and I tell them I don’t make any extra copies. If they ask why not I just say it’s because “karma” and “bitch”.

They don’t understand, but it’s still kind of fun to say.