Japan Meets Andrew Marston

More shots from the breathtaking changing leaves at Komyozenji Temple in Dazaifu, Japan.

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Passively Learning Japanese through Video Games

Although I sit down study at least 3 plus hours a day, when I just have time to kick back I still try to do it in the context of Japanese. Currently my latest fix comes in the form of video game strategy guides, Crash Bandicoot 2 and The Legend of Zelda, Phantom Hour Glass to be specific. Although I don’t understand everything, I still pick stuff up here and there and have a great time without slipping back to English.

Also, I switched my Mac’s OS into Japanese. That’s been fun at times :-\

Japanese Immersion Techniques & Japan Blog Revamp

Insight into how I immerse myself in Japanese. I allow myself to be easily distracted by things so long as they are in Japanese and aren’t cutting into my study time.

Also, I restructured this blog to list posts by location because I travel a lot of my posts contain photo, videos, and commentary that usually are location specific.

Japanese Wii
As the heading implies, I bought a Japanese Nintendo Wii. I did this for two distinct reason: 1) I like video games 2) I am attempting a complete immersion into Japanese. It was actually a bit cheaper to buy a used Wii on the American eBay site and have it shipped here. Upon arrival, I could easily have mod’ed it to play Japanese games. Although, initially appealing, this route would provide me the option of playing American region games thus defeating my attempt to completely operate in Japanese. Now, I have only one option for game language, Japanese. I admit, that playing video games is not “studying,” but in the end choosing Japanese as my free time language can only help my cause I think.
Routine
I’m a fairly uncomplicated person. I like developing routines so I can focus on a few projects intensely. Finally, my life has started to develop consistent patterns and I can concentrate on the few activities I am currently pursuing. These being Japanese study, photography, video creation, and blogging in that order.
At the moment, life is good.

Lonely Times in Japan
This week has been marked by a significant feeling of loneliness. Although not unexpected, nonetheless difficult to deal with at times. The Japanese are a tough group to befriend I’ve found. Typically somewhat shy and politely reserved, I’ve noticed they tend to form a few very close, lifelong friends. Having no roots in this society, I have yet to make a Japanese friend my age. In fact, Wakamatsu, my ward within Kitakyushu, seems devoid of anyone between the ages of 20 and 40 years of age. Although there are some ALTs who live about an hour away, throughout the week to travel 60 plus minutes both ways after work usually isn’t reasonable. I greatly enjoy my life here in Japan and can’t imagine myself anywhere else at this point in my life, however I seriously miss spending time with peers.

Silver Week
Starting last Saturday, all of Japan is currently in “Silver Week” until Wednesday, Sept 23. Whenever there are two national holidays occurring with one regular day between them, that day is automatically transformed into a holiday as well. This conveniently creates a string of three days off abutting a weekend pushing the total of non-work days to five in a row. Awesome!

I finally got my visa. Yesterday I went and paid my 4000 yen and got the official sticker in my passport and I am HERE FOR A YEAR!! やった！[translation here]

Boom goes the dynamite

After immigration I spent 3 hours at the Softbank store (like the Verizon or ATT of Japan) trying to get an iPhone. Quite a feat for a foreigner with only a one year visa. I needed my bank book, health insurance, a random bill proving I could be billed here, a US credit card, cash upfront for the contract, my passport with visa, and my Alien Registration Card with updated visa stamp… It was absurd. My poor coordinator (lady from my office hired to help ALTs with stuff like this) was not happy that it took so long. But now, I rest in peace with my iPhone. So good. To celebrate I downloaded the game Rolando for $6.
– Begin Video Game Sidetrack –
It’s really fun. I’ve found a lot of enjoyment in the past year from back to basics 2D games like World of Goo, Castle Crashers, Braid, Stone Loops, and now Rolando. I think because the gameplay in all of the above is simple, light hearted, and fun focused. Also all of the mentioned (maybe with the exception of Stone Loops and it’s cliche fake textures) are visually very enjoyable. Rolando may be another exception. However, it’s clean, simple, shapes and spring palette are actually really refreshing in a market saturated with over-stylized CG. Similar to Wind Waker and Phantom hour glass, the easy visuals add to the effect for which the art director was aiming.

This past week has flown past (or is it passed??? hmm…) This week marks the beginning of natsuyasumi, Summer holiday. During natsuyasumi, some student still come for extra lessons or to participate in various clubs, but nealy 75% of the student body is gone. This translates also to a ridiculously easy work schedule for me. I have Zero classes. On the daily work logs I have to keep, every period is filled with “Prep.” Yes, I have lessons to plan and worksheets to make, but not nearly enough to fill the time. Namely I study Japanese, walk the halls and socialize with the students, stand up and looks around blankly, make coffee, and draw comic book characters that fetch uncertain glances from the other sensei.

In other news, I finally manage to acquire my Alien Registration Card. This is a big step because is denotes my official residency in Japan and provides nice realization of my goal of living here. Also with this card, I am able to open a bank account. It was rather difficult before to pull money from the states. The only ATMs that would take my debit card were those at post offices and the limit for international withdrawals was $250. Now I will be able to keep enough currency on this end of the Pacific to stay afloat with less concern.

...sorry to say this is in yen T__T

The final hurdle is getting my instructor visa finalized. Technically right now I am still under my 90 day temporary tourist visa until the Immigration Office processes my application. The visa is paramount. Without it, I can’t get paid, or stay longer than August 30th. Of greater concern, I can’t get a cell phone without a visa. I went yesterday to try and get an iPhone only to be informed that I needed proof I would be in the country for the duration of the plan. My confirmation of visa transformation should come any day. If waiting was fun, I would be having a blast right now, though. Boo hoo.

If you're blind, these ridges help guide you on sidewalks!

That’s all for now. I’ve included some pictures I took of the bridge across the Bay from the ferry at night. Also, a shot of my change jar, the cool sidewalk guides for the visually impaired, my bank book balance (all those zeros are impressive right?), and even a video of crazy Japanese TV. Yes, the stereotypes are true.

**Peace sign**

My Kitchen

After living in my apartment for nearly two weeks, life is starting to stabilize. Although moving to Kitakyushu was one to the most stretching experiences of my life, I am slowly finding my groove here. I’ve managed to buy everything I need for my apartment for now including a few pots and pans, a broom and even an iron (sorry mom, but it’s still in the box). Now my focus around the apartment is on daily things namely cooking and laundry. I’m planning to do a whole post and video about cooking so I’ll let that joy simmer on your back burner for now.

Katherine Eddy writes:
What’s the hardest part about living there? The language barrier? Not knowing tons of people yet?

Thanks Katherine, I’m glad you asked. *grin* The hardest part for me is definitely my lack of Japanese. Although I study for over three hours a day, my brain can only absorb so much at a time. This hurdle isn’t a bother because of the implied isolation, but because it imposes a constant frustration whenever I do anything. Thanks to my students and also social networks such as Facebook and the comments left on this blog, I don’t feel alone even though I haven’t spoken to another native speaker in nearly a week. As a complete noobie to Japan, however, my inability to communicate always find me in the same conundrum: I either A) Ask for help and mentally brace for an arduous and embarrassing conversation, or B) Remain in the dark. With 95% frequency I choose A. Despite constantly swallowing my pride, I enjoy interacting personally with this culture. It would be a welcome change, however, if I could function like an adult and not resort to gestures and sound effects when trying to buy fry pan spray.
The rub comes when neither A nor B saves me from huge blunders.

My Main Room

Commence Embarrassing Story: The Bus

It was raining hard last Friday. Seeing as it’s rainy season, it was naive on my part to hopefully leave my umbrella at my apartment. Nonetheless, at 4:30pm I leave school with a fifteen minute walk ahead of me in a relentless downpour. I make a decision. Today is the day. Today I figure out the bus system. I cross the road to and wait at the stop. Courteously, I bow to the old woman next to me who is seriously bent with age and politely ask when the bus will arrive. Only a few minutes comes her meager reply. She looks so fragile I am surprised the rain didn’t break her in half on her walk over.

The bus arrives. I invite her to go first partly out because I’m a nice guy, partly to see how to use the ticket machine. It is simple enough. Push a button, take the ticket. Like a parking garage. Now is when things start to turn. As I descend into my bench seat next to Ms.Brittle my messenger bag swings away from me and slams her right in the torso. She winces and impossibly bends over more than before, and says nothing. The man to my right looks at me out of the corner of his eye.

“I am so sorry.” I stammer in the most polite way I know. Mental note made: learn more ways to apologize in Japanese.
Another old lady gets on the bus at the next stop. Somehow she is obviously more near death than our the one I got on the bus with. As my seat is a “priority seat” I get up and beckon the new arrival to my former post. She ignores me and find seat nearby, but it is obviously a taxing task. Embarrassed, I sit back down in the same spot and wait for my quickly approaching stop.
Finally I can see it out the windshield and I push the button under my arm rest to signal I would like to get off.

This is the moment I’ve been dreading since I realized I would eventually have to face it. How do I pay for my ride? I approach the front, ticket at the ready. The driver looks me up and down as I hold out the ticket and shirade out the question “What do I do with this?” In a loud voice that was only amplified to the rest of the bus by the his headset mic, he tried to explain. I put my ticket where I thought it went. No good. That was for money. Taking the stub, our now tense driver put into the big slot on the top, the one with lots of whirring gears and most likely would take off your fingers if you got too close.

LED lights displayed that I now owed 170 yen. Not bad. Saved 15 minutes of walking and kept dry for less than 2 USD. I put my 1000 yen bill in the money slot thinking I would get change. I did, 1000 yen of it. Aparently I had to use coin to pay for the trip. But where? The driver, who has been chattering to me the entire time, now with a crazed look in his eye points to the slot where my ticket disappeared. What!!! Crazy. I put my 500 yen piece into slot. Now the LEDs say I am owed 330 yen. The driver speech suddenly becomes frantic and for a good 2 minutes the two old ladies and the guy who gave me the slanty eye get to hear a gaijin (non-native) get laid into because he didn’t use exact change. Good thing I didn’t understand a word of it.

Despite my constant reassurances that I didn’t need any change and would very much like to disappear from the face of the earth, our woefully behind schedule driver pulls some refund coupons from a zip lock bag at his feet and gives me my change. I exit the bus.

If anyone has any particular questions about life here, I am glad to answer them.

Next post I’m hoping to show my apartment and some of how the essentials of my life here.