James and I would like to wish you all a Happy New Year in 2012! My family has started the year with a short trip to California to see grandma and my sisters. You can see the family above with a few of the kids in my sister’s family.  Grandma is on the far right. It is always great to see family. I will be back at school soon after the New Year. James will tell you about his coming plans in next week’s blog. We look forward to hearing more of you commenting on the blog. Let us know what you would like to read this year. We are always interested in your ideas.  May hope, peace and love surround you in 2012.

　　

　　I missed blogging last week. Things were just too busy. James our wonderful teacher left for Canada last night to be with his wife, Yvonne and their two children. So, this is a sad week. Their baby boy has a heart condition, so they need to be in Canada to get the best medical care possible. The Edel family in their short time here was liked by everyone. I will not share anything real personal about them here because I conveyed my feelings of them at James’ goodbye party. Instead we will hear from James this week and next week.  Thanks James and Yvonne for everything! Our prayers and love are with you!

　　Well, what have I done in Kisakata?  I enjoyed teaching English, but mostly I enjoyed listening to you all help me learn about Japan and about Japanese life.  I remember the question people used to ask me when I first came to Japan “Nihon no seikatsu ha dou deshitaka?” I had to look up “seikatsu”* in my dictionary.  In English it can be translated as “life,” “living,” or “lifestyle”.  Let me share with you 5 things I really like about life in Japan.

1. Onsens (with Naomi and me)
2. Gusto (the button you press to call the waitress)
3. Osaka’s Umeda Station (so many people)
4. Nigori Sake (the taste)
5. Kappa Sushi (the conveyor belt)

Naomi’s list

1. Anpanman (ahhhhhhhhhhhh---punch!)
2. Nai Nai Nai, Bahh! (terebi bangumi**)
3. Shirayuri Kindergarten dances (oyugikai***)
4. My Japanese baba’s and gigi’s
5. Sloan!

Yvonne’s list

1. Hard Off and Second Street (recycle shops****)
2. Ferrite Museum Child’s Play Area (kodomo koristukan*****)
3. Osaka, Tokyo, Nagano, Yuzawa, Tazawako, and all the places I visited. (ryouko suru)
4. Massage chairs at the onsen (relaxing!)
5. Living beside the ocean

　　We were very lucky and blessed to experience Japanese life here in Akita.  We don’t know when we will be able to return to Japan again but we feel very very fortunate that we could meet all of you.  Thank you for teaching us about Japanese life, we like it!

*生活
**テレビばんぐみ
***おゆうぎかい
****リサイクルショップ
*****フェライトこども科学館

　　
　　This week is part two of James saying goodbye to everyone in Nikaho City, thanks James! I just receive a photo from James of the new member of his family, Joshua Edel. He also said that Yvonne is fine. Congratulations to the Edel family!

　　The second most popular question I was asked during my time in Japan was “Why did you come to Japan?”  This is a very good question and difficult for me to answer.  My most common answers were: I wanted to learn a language (Japanese), I wanted my family to go on an adventure, also Japanese lifestyle is often similar to Canada and it is very safe here.  Lastly, I wanted Japanese to learn about me and the thing I value most.

　　　I came to Japan to learn about Japanese life.  My previous blog entry was about “seikatsu” or what I thought of Japanese life.  If you add a “ku” onto this word it becomes a very different word* [scroll down to see this word].  In only 16 months in Japan I went through one of the biggest struggles Japan has had in over 50 years.  I learned the new phrase to me, “Ganbatte!”**  [What’s your idea on how to translate that into English, scroll down to the bottom for some answers].  I’ve met people who can’t go back to their homes. 

　　In a way, I have had two major earthquakes in Japan.  The latest one was in my family.  Again, the Japanese who came to comfort me, SES friends, church friends, and baseball team friends, made me feel loved and supported. Thank you!  I would also like to thank Sloan and Hitomi for their kindness and support. Thank you!  Kami-sama and the people that have surrounded me have made life’s struggles easier to bear.  Domo, arigatou, gozaimasu!  Actually, I don’t really know why I came to Japan, but I know what I’ve learned from Japan. I won’t forget any of these precious memories. 

*生活苦 - seikatsuku
**頑張って can be translated in many ways:
- You can do it!
- Keep fighting!
- Yes we can!
- Do your best!
- Hold on!
- Go for it!
- Keep at it!

　　

　　My right-hand man James is back in Canada. So, I asked Mr. Andy Sirkis to help me with some of the classes at school. I am delighted that he said, "Yes".  Andy is a wonderful man who has been living in Nikaho City for around two years. He has been helping our school with special events. Andy has started to teach the adult classes. If any of you are interested in a class, please contact the school and we will get you talking and learning with him.  Andy has written a personal profile for you to learn about him.  We hope you get to know him better over the next few months.

Teacher’s Name:  Andy Sirkis Home Country, City:  San Francisco, USA Education: MBA, Finance Time in Japan: July 2009 to present Hobbies: Bicycling, hiking, investing, current events

Have you heard of Ohio? It's a state in the middle part of America and it's where I grew up.  My older sister, my parents and I enjoyed living there, but all of us moved to Philadelphia which is a large city on America's east coast. After my sister grew up, she moved to California. I liked visiting there so much that I decided to move there too.  Living in San Francisco where there are so many cultures and many Japanese people encouraged me to expand my interests beyond America. 　　My lovely wife Yuriko and I met each other in San Francisco and have been married for more than 10 years. Yuriko was born and raised in Kisakata and for that reason we decided to move here. We have one daughter who is now in Kisakata Elementary School. She is fluent in both Japanese and English. Thanks to my wife and her excellent cooking skills, I have come to love and appreciate Japanese cuisine. Every day is a learning experience for me and sometimes I am frustrated by my difficulty with the Japanese language. Nonetheless, the kindness and patience of the Japanese people I have met has made a big impression on me.  I have much to learn about Japanese culture and the Japanese language. I am certain that I am fortunate to experience living in Japan. I love it here! 　　 My favorite hobby is riding my bicycle and if you live in Kisakata, you are living in a fantastic place to ride a bike. Riding up Mt. Chokai is my favorite thing to do and I feel blessed that I am living in a place where I can enjoy nature's beauty without having to travel a great distance. You may see me riding about town and if you do, please wave or shout hello. I promise to wave back!

　　

　　One of the reasons I like Japan is because Japanese people seem to appreciate nature and participate in so many outdoor activities. When I go hiking, or go for a walk around town, or go for a bike ride, I often see a lot of other people doing outdoor activities. It's a very healthy lifestyle and I believe people are happier if they spend time outside and if they do some exercise, even if it's light exercise. Isn't it great that older people in Japan like to participate in hiking and other sports? It's not just for teenagers and college students.

　　Oftentimes, when I am riding my bicycle near Nikaho Kogen or Mt. Chokai, I see people looking around for seasonal plants, vegetables, or mushrooms. They spend all day walking around in the forest, enjoying nature and getting good exercise while they do something useful. Then, everyone has the opportunity to enjoy eating the delicious healthy plants that are found. Does anyone in Japan ever accidentally pick or eat a poison mushroom? That happens in America sometimes.

　　Have you ever hiked up Mt. Chokai or any of Japan's other high mountains? In Japan, mountain hiking is made far easier and pleasant because of the mountain lodges and the abundance of trails that lead to the lodges. When you reach your destination after a long hike up the mountain, there is food to eat, a good place to sleep, a toilet to use, and most importantly, beer to drink. Sometimes they even have an outdoor hot bath! We don't have a mountain lodge system in America, so very few people want to bother with the inconvenience of hiking in the high mountains and there aren't so many trails.

　　

　　For the next month we are fortunate to hear from two young individuals, Mr. Neil Fanning and Ms. Stephanie Sanders who are currently living in Nikaho City. They will be sharing their experience of living in the Japan countryside and specifically, Nikaho City. Neil has been living here for almost three years and Stephanie is in her second year. Each of them will be writing two blog entries. We hope you will join us and read about their interesting lives. Feel free to leave a comment for them by using the recorder.

　　

　　Hello, I am Neil Fanning. I have lived in the suburbs of Seattle for most of my life. I thought that it was a perfect location to be since it was close to the city and was very convenient, but at the same time, far enough to where I didn’t have to deal with the craziness city life can bring. Before I came to Japan, I felt like I wanted a change of pace and requested a rural placement in the JET program. 

　　I can honestly say that I have no regrets about coming to Nikaho City. Living in the shadow of Mt. Chokai and being surrounded by nature brings harmony to my soul.  I am always filled with wonder at just how beautiful our world is and I now realize just how much we should cherish it. If I hadn’t come to Nikaho City, I don’t think I would have come to feel this so strongly. 

　　There are some downsides to living in a rural area, however. Things can be more expensive and harder to obtain than in a big city. I must rely on my car more than public transportation.

　　But the lifestyle here is much healthier than the city. People grow and forage their own food, form a stronger community, and learn to work together with nature and the elements. I believe this makes for a people who are strong, adaptive and more imaginative. I certainly feel that I have become a stronger person living out here in the “inaka”.

　

　　

　　I believe that for many Americans, at least where I am from, Japanese culture is a subject of great interest. The traditional clothing, samurai spirit, cuisine, and how tied to tradition and ceremony Japan appears to be is all very mysterious and exciting for us.  I think it is safe to say that many Americans even long for a little bit of “wa (和)”　in their lives. I know I did. 　

　　Coming to Nikaho City has been an amazing experience for me. I have been able to experience so much of Japanese culture in everyday life and on special occasions. I have seen the ceremonial dances in Kamigo at the temple by Shiro no taki, seen the artwork of the many talented people in Nikaho City, tasted traditional cooking of the area (including hata hata), and experienced Japanese budo through karate and kyudo.  Currently, I am involved in taiko and I love it.

　　Although the taiko drum has been a part of Japanese culture, group taiko wasn’t conceptualized until the 1950’s. Japan may change through the years and so may its culture, but the people adapt the old to the new so as to preserve their culture and progress it at the same time. I love the fact that being in Nikaho City has allowed me to experience all these wonderful things so intimately. I doubt I would get this experience if I was in a big city like Tokyo.

　　

　　

　　I am Stephanie Sanders. I have been living in Nikaho City for almost two years. The natural world here has been very interesting and different compared to my hometown. When I was younger, I liked to watch Godzilla and Gamera movies with my brother. Until I came to Japan, I thought those kinds of monsters existed only in movies.

　　One of the first things I noticed about my apartment in Nikaho were the spiders.  Giant, mutant spiders hanging outside my window, watching me make my breakfast in the morning. On the bright side, spiders like to eat bugs for breakfast, and this keeps those bugs out of my home.

　　I once found a beetle bigger than my thumb in my parking lot. It looked like a giant, brightly colored kamemushi. I was shocked and fascinated, and tried not to run over it with my car. What a mess that would have made.

　　The mosquitos are not so big, but they are numerous. If I go out to the countryside without using bug repellent, before I know it I’m engulfed in a cloud of gnats and mosquitos.

　　Sometimes I visit the waterfalls near Mt.Chokai to cool off in the hot summer months. I’ve seen dragonflies there with bodies as long and as big around as my middle finger, and was even splashed by one that skimmed over some water.  I’m glad the dragonflies are so big, because it means they can eat more mosquitos.

　　 The nature in Nikaho is quite formidable, and often surprising, but it is one of my favorite things about living here. In Oklahoma there are lots of strange bugs too, but we don’t have mountains, ocean, or waterfalls. I feel blessed when I look out the window at Mt.Chokai, watch a sunset on the beach, or take a walk at Nakajima-dai (but I always remember my bug repellent).

　　

　
　　When I’m living in a foreign country, there is only one time of year that I feel homesick. In America, students don’t have to go to school during the last two weeks of December. Many adults have a vacation during the last week of the month, too, because of the Christmas holiday. Christmas in America is a very important holiday for families. Every year, my whole family would gather at my grandparents’ house, eat lots of delicious food, and have a good time together. 

　　In countries like Korea and Japan, Christmas is not so important. It seems like any other day, but I know my family is on the other side of the world celebrating the holiday without me, so I feel quite homesick. Last year, when December came, I started to feel sad because I thought I would spend the holidays alone. Lucky for me though, I wasn’t. Christmas may not be so important in Japan, but New Year’s is. As Oshogatsu approached, I was invited to spend the holiday with some friends I had made in Nikaho. On New Year’s Eve, we did snow sports, went to an onsen, and ate lots of soba and other Oshogatsu food. The next day, we went to a shrine in Nikaho for hatsumode. When I went home, I found lots of Oshogatsu cards in my mailbox from all the friends I have made in Nikaho. I was very grateful to experience New Year’s the Japanese way, because even though I miss my family, it reminded me that I have a family in Nikaho too.

　　
　　People say, “Wisdom comes with age”, but sometimes it is not true. I came to Nikaho, Japan just before turning thirty-six years old.  I got on the plane with my newly bought Toshiba computer. It was a very appropriate purchase considering my destination was Japan. I knew absolutely nothing about the computer world. I even opposed it, however I had a new job and it seemed a necessity. My wife still prefers staying away from them. Computers are like spiders; you scream and run away when you see them.

　　The computer proved to be useful. In three short years I learned a little of the computer world, although it was with limited success. In return I was left with poorer eyesight. Yes, my perfect vision slowly became worse. At first the problem was being farsighted, but the last two years, I have had to struggle with being nearsighted. Yes, just this week I finally admitted to the problem and bought some glasses to wear throughout the day. I can see clearly again!

　　 It is strange that I waited so long to finally buy classes that I knew were needed. If I were wise, I would have bought eye glasses a couple of years ago. I might not be wise, however I am grateful to see clearly again. Sometimes we endure things that we don’t need to endure. What things have you endured when all along you didn’t have to? Is it time to reconsider things? Life is constantly changing. We have to adapt.

　　

　　I know many of you have been very interested in how James and Yvonne’s baby, Joshua is doing recently. So I asked James to give us a report concerning his health. You can read it below. Isn’t Joshua a cute little baby?

　　Little Joshua is doing well. He lives at home with us now, not in the hospital. He had his feeding tube in his nose removed about 7 days ago. Now he can drink from a bottle.  Joshua does what normal babies do. He burps, he passes gas (farts), and he spits up on my shirt. When Joshua poos we cheer for him and say, "Good job Joshua, you pooed."

　　We do the same with our daughter, Naomi. She is toilet training. We cheer for her "Good job, Naomi, you pooed in the toilet!"  When I go to the toilet, nobody cheers for me.  I'm too old [you can laugh here].
Joshua gets a lot of medication.  Yvonne gives him:
- blood pressure medication (so his heart doesn't have to work as much to pump blood)
- blood thinner / aspirin (so his blood moves more easily)
- anti-reflux medication (so he doesn't vomit or spit up the two previous medications)
- diuretic (to help him pee)

　　I've learned that looking after a baby is a lot of work. I get so tired giving Josh a bottle of milk at 3:00am. Sometimes I hear about a mother all alone in a big city like Tokyo. Her husband works late and her family is not living close to her. This must be very lonely and difficult. I am lucky that I have my in-laws to live with (Yvonne's parents). They help look after Josh. I am also lucky to spend lots of time at home helping with him. Looking after babies is not easy. I don't know how our mothers could look after so many babies.  Our mothers are heroes. So, in conclusion, babies are very cute but that's not the only thing they are.

　　

　　The other day I was making a music CD for my son and wife. They gave me a list of favorite songs, and I proceeded to download several songs from iTunes. I ran across a favorite artist of mine when I was a young teenager. I thought it would be fun to share one of his songs with you. The song is “Morning Has Broken”, by Cat Stevens. His current name is Yusuf Islam. He changed his name in the 90’s.  The lyrics were written by Eleanor Farjeon in 1931. Click the PDF button to see the lyrics and click the TV above to listen to the song. Do you have a favorite song? We would love to hear about it. Please share it with us. We hope to hear from some of you this week. Until then, goodbye.

For more information on the Homestay, click "here".

　　Hi, my name is Gini Schmidt and my sister’s name is Wendy Holman.  We live in a house in Seattle Washington.  My family just loves meeting people from faraway places.  We would be so happy for you to consider visiting us for a homestay!

　　Growing up in Seattle, I remember visitors from Europe, South Africa, Australia, Israel, Egypt and Latin America coming for dinner or the weekend.   We always had a world globe or map available to see where our visitors came from.  As a young adult, I did a lot of traveling in my 20’s!  Always, always, always, the best parts of those trips were the times spent with local people in the countries I visited!

　　Professionally, my entire working years have been teaching English, most of the time at Seattle Central Community College.  My students come from everywhere imaginable.  Some are immigrants and others are international students planning to stay and get their college/university training here.

　　Now, as I approach retirement and have more free time, I’m excited to host more visitors.  In the recent past, our guests have enjoyed horseback riding, hiking, blue grass music, road trips to Mt. Rainier, ferry boat rides to the San Juan Islands, shopping at outlet malls, late night chats, galleries and, if you’re a baseball fan, there’s always a Mariners game.  I also offer custom plans for tutoring and English instruction if that is your interest.   Guests often come with a special goal or activity in mind.  It’s my pleasure to help guests make the most of their time and do those things they have dreamed of.

　　While the entire year is wonderful in the Northwest, I am especially excited for spring and summer.  The natural beauty is breathtaking this time of year.  If you are interested in outdoor adventures, there is a lot to experience right now.

　　Please come play with us!!   I also enjoy correspondence, so please feel free to email me with questions or thoughts.  Then, if you decide to come stay with us, we’ll already have a head start.  Hope to hear from you soon!

　　Have you ever been a leader? Do you wish to be a leader? Many people desire to be leaders; however there seems to be very few great leaders. Many countries will be voting for their leaders this year.  In France the first big election is this month. The USA will have there presidential election this November. Many Middle Eastern countries are now trying to decide who will be the leaders in their countries. How do you become a leader?

　　Well, let to tell you how it was decided in a third grade class here in Japan. One day an eight year old boy came home, and at the dinner table he quietly said, “I was chosen as the class leader”. As he said it, he dropped his head as to say, “Oh no”.  His parents were amazed and said, “That’s fantastic! What an honor to be voted as a class leader. You should be proud”. The parents went on and asked, “What kind of process did your class use to choose you?” The young boy said, “The teacher ask everyone who wanted to be a class leader to come up to the front of the classroom”. Then the teacher said something like, “Okay, do paper, rock, scissors (junken). The winning boy and girl will be our class leaders”. The parents looked at each other and just laughed. They congratulated their child, encouraged him to do a good job and smiled.

   Wouldn’t it be nice to decide our leaders by a simple process of paper, rock, and scissors? Life can be so simple when you are young and so complicated when you grow older. This week tell us about your leadership stories. We would love to hear from some of you.

　　We have added a few more web pages to our web site. Last month a “homework” page was added to the lesson tab on the menu bar for our children. The children will be practicing their reading, and question & answering ability on the page. They can also record their reading and answers on the page. It is a great tool for kids who need a little extra help outside of class. You need the ID and password to access the page. You can click the buttons above to see a demonstration of what is on the homework page. Let us know what you think about it. If you have any ideas for the web page, let us know.

　　 　　Next week, I will talk about another new web page. Hope you come back next week, too.

 

 　　This week we are happy to add another service for our students. On the “Extra” tab on the menu bar there is another new web page. It is the very thing most students will run away from. Yes, it’s grammar. James Edel (our former super teacher) worked very hard on providing a systematic approach to learning simple grammar for our adult students.

　　Many adults don’t want to learn grammar in a conversation class. However, in order to communicate well you need to use grammar correctly. Instead of teaching a lot of grammar in class, we have provided a self-study grammar course with the emphasis on listening and speaking. There is also writing and reading aspects to the course, if the student desires to utilize it. 

　　As the student works through the grammar course, they will become better communicators because they will be able to use grammar correctly in their conversations.  Each student records their voice while working through the exercises.  One additional benefit of the course will be an increase in your English vocabulary.

　　Why don’t you give it a try? Initially, we are looking for several students to try it for free. Do you live in Nikaho? Are you interested in testing the course with us? If so, give us a call at 32-5188. Look forward to hearing from some of you.

 

　　 Last week was Kisakata Elementary School’s yearly “Sports Day” event. It was scheduled for Saturday, but was cancelled because of rain. It was rescheduled on Sunday. I have been to many sports days over the years; however I must say it was the coldest one of them all. Everyone was cold.

　　The teachers, volunteers and children did a great job to get the field ready for the event. They raked the ground, filled in water puddles with soil, chalked the track and set up all the tables, chairs and loud speakers as well as prepared all the equipment for the activities.

　　The event started with the formal opening ceremony which most Americans can not imagine. To us, the ceremony is like the Olympics. Once the formalities were over, there were lots of enjoyable races, activities and even a dance. Of course there were the traditional tug-of-war, hundred yard dash and as usual a few hilarious relay races. The morning ended with lots of laughter, and smiles.

　　The first and second graders finished at noon. The older children had lunch with their families. With full stomachs, the kids returned to the field for more competition and fun. The weather finally warmed up around 1:00pm. There were more relay races, and activities to finish out the day. For the foreign readers, click “here” to get an idea of sports day in Japan. For privacy reasons, I decided not to show ours. Instead the sports day video was taken by some parent from another school. For more information on sports day go to Wikipedia.