Tsunan sunflowers

My parents, Aunty & Uncle are here for a long trip around northern Japan to see how beautiful (and hot) Japan is in summer.

First stop, sunflowers maze in Tsunan, Niigata!

A field of sunflowers, big and tall enough to form a maze...

Some of the sunflower heads were made into faces.

A bouquet of flowers from my school on my last day.

What was really sad was saying goodbye to my third-year students, whom I've been with since I joined the school. When I was hugging the girls, Shota said "Yosh! Ore mo huggu suru!" (Alright! I'm going to hug her too!") But when it came to him, he was too shy and simply shook my hand with both hands twice with a firm promise that he will look for me in Singapore.

Everyone unexpectedly brought a little something for the last Monday class and we had a feast!

cheese cake by Takeko; cucumber kanten (jelly) made by Yuko; fruits and pie by Mrs. Sasaki; sugar biscuit by Chiharu; chocolate cookies from me.

Last gathering with dear Sawako and Tomoko

My last lesson with my Thursday night private class. I believe all Japanese have some kind of special hidden talent - be it playing some kind of musical instrument, painting, etc. The two men in this class are skilled at making soba and ikebana (flower arrangement). We had a farewell party instead of a proper lesson during this last session.

Takao, the ikebana expert, brought the flowers that he needed

First, you arrange the underlying structure - 3 stems of different lengths to represent heaven, man and earth.

Tadah! The finished product!

Then Shoichi, the soba chef, actually brought his hat and apron and all other equipment required.

First, he sifted the soba flour.

Then he poured in some seaweed water and kneaded it into dough.

Then he rolled it out...

and folded it...

...and finally he cut it into thin strips = soba noodles!

Then Noriko boiled the noodles and Kimiko made tiger prawn and maitake mushroom tempura and presto, we had a feast!

Just a couple of shots taken at the inter-class ball games tournament.

My third-grade international-stream (arts) students. Shota attending to an injured Takumi while Ryo looks on. Takumi has been in my class since he was in first grade. Shota was in my class when he was in first and second grade. Ryo was in my class only in his second year.

My first-year information-stream (science) boys. (L-R) Yuta, Daisuke and Katsu-don (nickname, dunno his real name).

Based on my observations over the last 2 years across 3 different schools, boys with names ending in -ta, in particular the name Shota, are very talkative and mischievous, not that they're bad kids, just that they can be quite restless. A Japanese teacher concurs with me. Isn't it interesting? A name is not merely a name. Someone once told me that you can't decide on the name for a baby in advance. You've got to look at the baby to see if the name suits the baby. Perhaps people have certain preconceptions on characterisics they associate with the name, so they unknowingly treat the kid in a particular manner, and the kid grows up like that. A simplistic argument. Undoubtedly full of flaws. Nevertheless an interesting thought.

It's Watermelon Day again! Teachers fling their ties over their shoulders as they cut super-red, sweet and juicy 八色スイカ Yairo watermelons (local produce) for students during lunchtime.

Students do a double-take when they see me scurrying around with trays of freshly cut watermelon. "Still here?", they asked me. I dodge the well-aimed watermelon seeds that some mischievous guy students spit at my feet. Why should TEACHERS be the ones cutting and serving?

Tonight's farewell party was with the English beginners' class that I taught at the town hall. Very formally-structured. The organiser of the party gave a speech, then I had to give a little speech and finally, each student proceeded to serenade me with a sweet, carefully-prepared but awkwardly-worded thank you speech. There were 13 students in all. It is wrong to have the starving guest-of-honour start eating half an hour later than everyone else because of all the individual speeches!!

Kame and Michiko. Very sweet and caring. Both ladies grew quite close during the course and would go mountain-climbing together.

Sasa and Kiyoko.

Johnny & Kanai-san. Johnny is the class clown. Once dropped his car keys when he took his handkerchief out to wipe his forehead while mountain climbing. Discovered that his car keys were missing only after climbing back down...so he climbed to mountain again to look for them, but couldn't find them so had to pay 15,000-yen to get the car lock changed.

Kumiko-san. Very earnest. Drives 20 mins to get to class.

Nat-chan. Funny lady.

Inamura-san. 75 years old, has been learning English for 3 years, speaks too quickly and likes to use big words that confuse other students.

Kuwabara-san, the city office course coordinator

What lies ahead?

Had 3 separate interviews and a writing test with a global PR agency in Tokyo today. I wrote to them unsolicited and didn't hear from them till a month later, just when I lost all hopes of securing an interview. I first learnt of this agency when I took a module on PR and advertising at NUS. Working for them would be a dream come true...but you can never be fully prepared for a writing test!

The main question was to be answered in English and the other was just for them to gauge my level of Japanese (but supposedly not crucial). Obviously they don't give a hoot about the JLPT 3 certification that I spent 2 weeks mugging to get last Dec. And they're damn smart to do that because I've just exposed my level of Japanese to be equivalent to that of a kindergarten, or maybe even nursery school kid's.

Will hear about the outcome in a week.

絶対忘れないよ... I will never forget

Gave my farewell speech during assembly. Anticlimax. Didn't feel as sad as I thought I would. Sadder last week when I was giving my last lessons and some classes surprised me with farewell cards and messages. Guess it didn't help that I had to concentrate hard on the Japanese half of my speech.

絶対忘れないよ...I insisted on my own phrasing for this when the Japanese teacher tried to change it to a more formal statement. That is the essence of my message to my students. It is all thanks to them that I've had an unforgettable 2 years on the JET programme.

Farewell to the 関根 Sekines

My last homestay visit. Last night, we made cream korokkes for dinner. Very messy.

Today, Kyoko joined us. We made pizza for lunch.

We took the pizzas out to the lawn and enjoyed them with the Sekines' neighbours. Good times.

My new friend


Introducing my youngest friend in Japan yet...her name is Lila (pronounced Rira, in Japanese). She lives in my apartment block.


She's so adorable. She's always wearing very cute clothes. In this picture she's wearing her ichigo (strawberry) outfit. Our conversations are limited to her pointing to her clothes and telling me about it. She seems to understand what I say though. Her thin, raspy voice which makes it even harder for me to understand her baby talk. My father & uncle would describe her voice as 生虫 (to be pronounced in Teochew), which literally means worms growing in the throat. Seriously, Japanese spoken by young children and old people are the hardest to understand.

Earthquake trivia

Found out on news that during Monday's earthquake, the ground moved 3-6m laterally and 2-3m vertically. Fwah! Imagine that!

Farewell to 塩沢商工高校 Shiozawa Shogyo

My last day at this visit school, students used the earthquake as an excuse not to come to school (even though there were no damages in this area). Students were playing truant as they found that their friends were not in school. There were 11 students in my 2nd-period class, 9 in my 3rd-period class and after lunch, there was a grand total of FOUR students in my 4th period class!! I started teaching at that school only last Sep, but I've enjoyed myself there. Although the students are not so good at English, they always welcome me enthusiastically and not too shy to be afraid of making mistakes when speaking English. The teachers of that school are also very supportive. I was disappointed that I couldn't bid my students a proper farewell.

Some students did, however, write some farewell cards for me in advance. A few messages made me scratch my head and wonder if I've accomplished anything at all in the last year that I've taught these kids. Look:

"I need the girl is Cindy"

"What I want for Christmas is the car"

"Dear Cindy

Thanks to Cindy

You are Cindy

I was Cindy"

Most were really sweet, even if there were mistakes:
"You are lesson was fun"
"Thank you. I enjoy English"

"I love Cindy"

"Please don't forget us"

"Your class is interesting"

"Very good teacher is Cindy"

"You are very cute"

etc.

One prophetic card read:

"You'll be back"

But the one that touched me most had just 3 simple words written in large bold print:

"Great Teacher Cindy (GTC)" (after the manga Great Teacher Onizuka (GTO))

I will miss these crazy & fun-loving students!

Yohei - tall, lanky boy with a crewcut who always has the class in hysterics. Once tried to crawl into class, commando-style, hoping that I would not spot him being late.

Yuutaro - a really sweet baseball player who invited me to his house when he heard that I was leaving. Helps me shush the class when they're too noisy.

Shunpei - convinced that I'm a Japanese trying to pass off as a foreigner. Ceaselessly asking me "実は日本人でっしょう?" (Actually, you are a Japanese right?) and "英語をどこにならった?" (Where did you learn English from?). Thinks that my "real name" is Sato Michiko. Was warned by the Japanese teacher that the Japanese words he was using to test if I was Japanese bordered on sexual harrassment (sakuhara, in Japanese).

塩沢花火祭り Shiozawa Hanabi Matsuri (Fireworks Festival)

Yes, despite the earthquake earlier this morning, the festival proceeded as planned. The ladies from my private class on Monday evenings held a farewell party for me, culminating with the viewing of fireworks.

First stop, taking a hotspring bath at the magnificent 龍言 Ryugon in Muikamachi.

Paper umbrella at the entrance

Very Zen passageway leading to the baths...really puts you in the mood to enjoy a relaxing bath.

Indoor bath, with 3 "waterfalls" to provide a back massage

Outdoor bath next to a picturesque stream with paddling ducks

After the onsen, we dress up in yukatas for fireworks-viewing later in the evening. Takeko and Mrs Sasaki enjoying a foot massage while waiting for the rest of us to finish dressing up

Enjoying tea after a relaxing bath...気持ちいい kimochi ii (feels good)!

Group picture at the entrance of Ryugon. Standing (L-R): Chiharu, me, Eriko & Mrs. Sasaki. Kneeling (L-R): Yuko & Takeko

Next, dinner at Annontei, Ryugon's restaurant, which is similarly done up in the classic Japanese style

Check out the present they gave me...a kanzashi (traditional Japanese hair ornament)! Just what I've always wanted!

Then we click-clacked off in our wooden geta (Japanese slippers) to see the fireworks. We spent a very pleasant evening doing traditionally Japanese stuff.

Earthquakes have sounds!

Yes, earthquake has a sound. I can't explain it is like. I've noticed it with some of the stronger earthquakes in the past and wondered if it was from the earthquake or just the sound of the building shaking. With this one, because it was stronger and lasted longer, I can say with certainty that there is a distinct earthquake sound. The sound was rather loud this time, and it stopped when the jolting became just a gentle rocking motion but the creaking of the building continued until the building eventually stopped swaying.

This is my biggest earthquake in Japan so far! Was eating my breakfast when the ground jolted suddenly and violently (at 10.13am). Continued eating cos I was, erm, used to it by now. Looked at the TV swaying and hoped that it wouldn't crash onto the floor. About 5 secs passed, then for the first time in my life, I felt the ground heave up and down in addition to the sideways movement. THEN, I stopped eating and started to worry. The entire earthquake lasted around 15 secs...I bet it seems short to you, but it feels like an eternity when the ground is shaking up, down, left, right and you have no idea if the shaking will get any stronger or when it will stop.


The epicentre was less than 100km away from my town. The magnitude of the quake was 6.8 and according to news, my area experienced it at about a magnitude of 6. No damage on my side. I received calls from the Singapore Embassy and the Niigata Board of Education to check if I was ok.


Actually, I was not as scared during the earthquake as I expected myself to be. You know what's more scary? The aftershocks. We've had about 70 so far and counting. Most of the aftershocks are too mild to be felt - you realise there's one when you see something swaying. Many are gentle vibrations - but these can get me worried because from my experience, some earthquakes are preceded by gentle vibrations that grow stronger. Some aftershocks are strong enough to feel like a small earthquake and there was one this afternoon that was as strong as 5. I don't think I'm completely freaked out, but I do find myself rushing when I need to go to the toilet or when I'm changing clothes because I don't know when the next aftershock is and how strong it will be. It is the tension of anticpating the next aftershock that is more scary than the actual earthquake.

法師温泉 Hoshi onsen

Noriko (from my Thursday night private class) took me to Hoshi onsen. Her husband's family runs the onsen. Built in 1875, Hoshi onsen is very well-known in Japan. It's one of those secret onsen places because it's up in the remote mountains of Gunma prefecture. Yet, it's almost fully booked every weekend. The ryokan is really beautiful.

The hotspring here is thought to grant you longevity. There are 3 baths here - indoor, outdoor and a HUGE indoor bath (used in a JR commercial a few years back). The interior of the bathhouses and the landscaping at the outdoor bath are really beautiful. Taking a bath here was truly fantastic.

(From left): Kimiko (who works at the ryokan) and Noriko took me for a walk around the ryokan.

This is truly the place to come if you want to escape from civilisation. The nearest village (15 mins away by car) has only 5 houses.