Drawing Day with my students from Taisha JH

Drawing Day at Old Taisha Station with 3nen sei - 87.jpg
Originally uploaded by Jason In Japan.

Hello Everyone -

HUGE picture update! I've uploaded like 9 new pages of pictures, all of them taken last week during an annual event at Taisha Chu - Drawing Day.

I usually go with the 3nen sei (9th graders) to IzumoTaisha shrine, but we'd had bad weather the previous week, meaning that our Drawing Day was delayed, and IzumoTaisha is in the middle of an important festival now (more on that in a minute), so the 9th graders and I went to Old Taisha Station instead. Not quite as nice as spreading out over the grounds of the shrine, but a new backdrop for my pictures, so that's cool.

Click on the above pic to be taken to about 90 more from that afternoon of Drawing Day fun.

I also briefly hung out with the 8th graders (2nen sei)...



and also the brand new 7th graders (1nen sei)...



so there are pics of them as well.
I really couldn't ask for better kids and we had nice weather this day, so a good time was had by all.

As usual, my sunglasses were a big hit, with all the students, both boys and girls, asking to try them on. You'd think that no Japanese adults ever wear sunglasses... Of course, none of the teachers on a school trip will wear sunglasses, but still....

The other thing that happened at the end of the day was related to IzumoTaisha shrine.

Once every 60years, they perform a ritual at the shrine that only takes place every 60 years... err...ummmm... ok - you got me - I have no real idea what all the fuss was about, but it has something to do with the spirits getting a new place to live and transferring their essence to a new building - or something.

Anyway - it's good timing for me, since it only happens every 60 years, which means it won't happen again until 2068.
The main benefit for the public is that they open the very inner sanctum of the shrine to the public for a few days each weekend in April and May - usually you're only allowed to approach the inner hall on the three days following New Year's Day, but for these special days they're actually letting you go inside.

So it's a big deal. The town of Taisha made commemorative hats for EVERY family in the town. And there was a torch relay thru the town - maybe it was sacred fire. I really should know more about this stuff.

Anyway - all the kids in my school put on their commemorative caps and we lined the main road leading to the entrance of the shrine and all clapped as the last leg of the torch passed by.
I have some video of it and I'll post it soon.
I also snapped a few pics....



Lastly - my YouTube channel is chugging along quite nicely. I'm going to start making some Vlogs for the new JETs who will be coming to Japan in July and August.

The video below was shot on Drawing Day. Enjoy!

-Jason

JETs annual visit to Taisha Sho

JETs annual visit to Taisha Sho - 13.jpg
Originally uploaded by Jason In Japan.

Every year, the new 6th graders at my local elementary school take a school trip in April and visit the Peace Park in Hiroshima (about 4 hours away by bus).

While at the park, they are assigned to talk to any visiting foreigners, speaking English with them and asking for their autograph.

So every year, I invite other ALTs and CIRs from my area to come to Taisha Sho and help the kids practice their English.
This helps cuz these kids are so used to me, I'm not "scary" anymore, so meeting new foreigners, even tho none of my friends are scary, is a better simulation of what they might encounter.

And we had a good range of countries represented - Angelo is from South Africa, Hannah is from Wales, Nicola is from New Zealand and Eric is from Texas, which is big enough to be its own country. :)

My thanks to them from helping me out - I know they kids enjoyed meeting them.

Click on the picture above for more pictures from that day or watch the short video below to see my kids practicing the sample dialog without looking.

-Jason

Spring in Shimane - soccer, sakura, sports and Super Mario

soccer in Matsue - 32.jpg
Originally uploaded by Jason In Japan.

Hello All -

The above picture was taken a few weekends ago in nearby Matsue. I went to Matsue 4th Jr High to watch my Taisha kids play soccer. By lucky chance, they happened to be competing against my other school - Hamayama JH. So I got to see a bunch of my kids play. It was a great day weather wise and as you can see in the picture, the sakura (cherry blossoms) were in full bloom, lending a very nice background to the action.

I've been spending quite a few weekend hours watching my kids compete lately. This past weekend was Baseball, Volleyball and girls tennis on Saturday, and then shogakko soccer and boys tennis on Sunday. This coming up weekend is track and field.

I also went to a concert recently and watched some kendo. I really do get around.
I have no life, so I channel all my free time to cheering on my kids and supporting their club activities.
Occasionally I see another ALT at these tournaments and concerts, but not often enough in my opinion.
Seeing the kids outside of the classroom is the best part for me, so i really enjoy hanging out with them between matches and chatting, etc.

I uploaded tons of pics from my recent sports watching, and the video below is more to show off how pretty it is here in Taisha than to showcase my kids playing tennis.

My FLIP camera is still broken, so no new vids for a while perhaps. I will try to get another new camera soon. I got an iSight camera for my laptop - basically a webcam, so I should be able to do some more vlogs soon - they've been pretty popular on my YouTube channel.

The reason I mention Super Mario is because I also bought a 2nd hand Nintendo Game Cube from a JET that is leaving Japan soon.
When he mentioned that the game system would include 4 games, one of them being Super Mario Kart, I was sold.
I used to play SMK for hours with my friends Chris, Pat and Scott back in San Diego on the original Super Nintendo system. It's one of the few modern video games I'm actually good at.

Anyway - enjoy the pics and vid and i should be posting more soon.

See ya,
Jason

2nen sei Viking Lunch

2nen sei Viking Lunch - 9.jpg
Originally uploaded by Jason In Japan.

Just added pics from last March. Every year, the PTA mothers host a "viking" style lunch (buffet) for the 2nen sei students who are about to become 3nen sei students and enter their final year of Jr High School.

It's a nice change from the ordinary school lunch, and I always eat lots of good food.

This year I ate with class 2-1 and had a great time.

You can also watch this short video I filmed outside the classroom in the hall where they set up the tables of food.



Also - you can now see my YOUTUBE channel in Japanese:
私のチャンネル日本語で

ジェイソン

2008 Spring sumo tournament - Osaka

2008 Spring sumo tournament - Osaka - 4.jpg
Originally uploaded by Jason In Japan.

Hello!

I've posted some pics from my recent trip to Osaka, where I got to watch live sumo!

I'm a huge sumo fan, so I love going to see the action in person.

3 other Shimane JETs (Eric, Hugh and Janelle) and I bought box tickets for the final Saturday of the two-week tournament.
We were treated to some awesome bouts - and all my favorite wrestlers won.
I didn't really take any other pictures while I was in Osaka, but I had a great time even though I only stayed for two days.

I shot a ton of video - about 50 minutes of short clips - but when I got home, my FLIP video camera stopped working on me, so the videos are trapped on the camera - I can't get them to download to my computer. :(

But if you go to my YouTube site, you can see some Sumo vids I just happened to shoot using my digital camera and plenty of other videos about sumo.

Enjoy!
-Jason

Richie Havens at Woodstock

I was an American History major in college. I took an interesting class on the 60s in America. I had to write 5 papers for the class - one about every two weeks - demanding but challenging and the prof was a really good guy.

One paper I wrote was about America's entry into the Vietnam War - why it happened and what it meant for the country.

I prefaced my main points with a digression about Ritchie Havens and his song about soldiers marching off to war, and eventually to fight for civil rights in Birmingham, Alabama.

Watching the film "Woodstock" - a documentary about the 3-day music festival that took place in 1969 was part of the syllabus. I consider myself fairly knowledge about American popular music, so I knew all about Jimi, CSNY, The Who and other greats who made an impression at Woodstock. The revelation for me was watching Havens' performance, which opened the whole 3-day concert.

He sings with such passion and soul - it's not about fashion, or selling records or being popular - it's about pure music trying to transport you and tell a story.

I came across the above clip while surfing around YouTube - I hope you enjoy it.

-Jason

photo update

Opt-A 2nd term 07-08 - 1.jpg
Originally uploaded by Jason In Japan.

Hello All,

More pics on my flickr site for you to see.

The picture above is from a set I took of the 9th graders in my optional English class at TJH.
Every term I try to take some group shots of the kids in my elective English class, and this group of shots turned out pretty good. I use these shots in the movie I posted below.

The picture below is from Graduation Day at my other Jr High - Hamayama Chu. I didn't really take too many of the ceremony itself, but I got some fun snaps of the graduates after they walk the "gauntlet of goodbyes" and then gather in the parking lot for some last pics with their friends before they all head off to various high schools.

Enjoy!
-Jason

Graduation Day 2008 at TJH

Graduation Day 2008 at TJH - 9.jpg
Originally uploaded by Jason In Japan.

Hello All -

Last Friday was Graduation Day at Taisha Chu, and unfortunately it turned out to be a rainy day, as you can see from the picture above of me with Minami and Manami. (sure - now I get their names right.. LOL)

I posted about 80 pics to my Flickr site, so click on any of these pics to be taken to 4 and 1/2 pages to see.
There are pics of the classroom decorations, the ceremony itself and of course, lots of pics of my kids - the graduating 9th graders and the 7th and 8th graders saying goodbye to their sempai.

This class was special for many reasons - they were my first group of kids that I taught ALL 3 years of Jr High with - in fact i first met them when they were 6th graders in elementary school.
I got to know the boys in this class better than I have in any previous class - I will really miss hanging out with them.



And I got really involved in all the clubs this past year, trying to go to as many concerts, competitions and matches as I could.
My first year or two I spent most of my time with the kendo club and the brass band, but these past few years I've been able to get involved in most of the clubs at school, like the tennis girls below...



My favorite club this year tho was the Volleyball club - I had a great time cheering at their matches and I'm really gonna miss all 8 of the 9th graders who were on the team. They came up to me at the farewell ceremony a few days before graduation and said "Thanks" for all my support, and gave me a small gift. It was all I could do to not start crying like a little girl right there in front of them.

This past year wasn't the greatest for me - but this group of kids will always have a special place in my memories. I wish them all the best of luck in high school and in the future.

そつぎょうせいーおめでとうございました！
ジェイソン

SUMO - Osaka Day One - Hakuho vs Takekaze 3-09-08

Hello All,

The spring sumo tournament started last Sunday and will continue until next Sunday.

I'm going to Osaka to watch it live on Saturday the 22nd!! :)

I'll be posting short vids of some of the matches along the way, with short commentary by me.

Enjoy!
-Jason

New Iron Man Trailer May 2nd, 2008

I want to see "The Dark Knight" (Batman) and the new "Indiana Jones" movies really bad, but number 3 on my want-to-see list is this promising slice of comic book lore from Marvel, the same company that publishes Spider-Man and the X-Men.
Directed by Jon Favreau from "Swingers" and starring a very cool Robert Downey Jr - it seems like it might be a good action flick with some interesting acting and characters.
Let's hope it opens in Japan soon after it opens in America.

Good Learner, Bad Learner

This is a classic video made by a former JET named Will. He now has a website (the address is at the end of the video) where he gives advice on learning Japanese.

Good stuff!
-jason

English conversation lecture - Japanese TV

I should be on TV... :)

Enjoy this funny vid from a Japanese TV show.

-Jason

photo update

Kendo in Yasugi - 9.jpg
Originally uploaded by Jason In Japan.

Hello All -

I've uploaded another 6 pages of pics to my Flickr site.

A grab bag of stuff - mostly from a year ago...

I've been searching thru my pics while preparing to make a movie of my pictures for my soon-to-graduate 9th graders, and I've been discovering sets of pics I forgot to upload to my Flickr site.

Like the pic above from a kendo tourney I went to last year. This pic is kinda blurry, but it shows coach Matsuo with some of the kendo girls, all in their heavy jackets, cuz it was winter and in an unheated gym. They're standing around a kerosene stove to get warm. Ahh, the wonders of modern Japan... :)

and the pic below is of a bunch of my students at last year's farewell ceremony (yo sen kai). They were 7th graders then, are 8th graders now, and in one short month will be my final class of 9th graders. Wow....



so enjoy the pics, but it'll be a little while before I add more, cuz if you watched the vlog below then you know I'm super busy right now getting ready for all my upcoming graduation ceremonies.

Cheers,
Jason

Vlog - March is a busy month

Hi everyone!

Here is a short video update on what's going on in my life.

Watch and enjoy!
-Jason

DeathSponge NotePants

This one is for my kids.

せいと　みってください！　：）

For those of you who don't get it...
Death Note is an extremely popular manga (comic book) series that has been made into a really popular series of movies here in Japan.
Basically, it's about a guy that has a special notebook - if he writes your name in the pages of the notebook you'll die.

Somebody took dialogue from the film and dubbed it over a Spongebob cartoon. Funny stuff!

Enjoy!
-Jason

Valentine's Day 2008

visiting clubs on V-Day - 5.jpg
Originally uploaded by Jason In Japan.

Hey Gang -

I uploaded another random assortment of pics to my Flickr site, so check em out if you have time.

On V-Day I spent the morning at Taisha Elementary school - had class with 6th graders, 5th graders and 4th graders, and ate lunch with one of the 5th grade classes.

My kids at Taisha JH were taking their semester finals, so it was a good day to visit shogakko.

But after I went back to TJH, I wandered around the school and visited many of the indoor clubs as they practiced. I confirmed with the gymnastics team that they were having a competition that Sunday, which I went to. I chatted with my favorite team - the Volleyball team. They were practicing along the gymnastics club in the unheated gym, so I didn't stay long.

Next, I found a stove in the chorus club room, and then I wandered the halls chatting with various members of the brass band. They practice spread out all over the school in unheated classrooms - crazy since it was like 3.C outside.

The picture above shows some of the band members getting ready for a concert on Sunday, which I also went to, after spending the morning watching my gymnastics team compete.

The class of 4th graders in the picture below did a really nice thing and every kid gave me a card or candy or a drawing for V-day. Wooo! :)

I also posted pics from around V-Day - playing Blokus with my kids at lunch break, the mountains outside my apt all dusted with snow, etc.

Enjoy!
-Jason

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Trailer

Damn - I can't wait to see this!!!!

catching up with all my pics - #4

Nao, Atsumi, Kayla & Ang
Originally uploaded by Jason In Japan.

Friends....

Here are two pics with my friends and fellow JETs here in Shimane.

Above is my lifeline to sanity - Ang - or Anna as she is known by her students at Taisha High School. She's pictured above with Kayla, the exchange student from New Zealand who recently went home. It's a shame they didn't let her stay until graduation. I'll be going to THS's graduation ceremony on March 4th - and one of the kids I'll be cheering for (ok - there is no cheering at a Japanese graduation - but I'll congratulate her) is Atsumi, standing next to Kayla. She's a great kid and was in my first class of 9th graders when I arrived back in 2004, so it's cool that I'll get to see her and a few other graduate.

Ang recently brought me OJ when I was sick!! She's so great! :)

Below is a pic from the goodbye party we had way last year for the JETs leaving last July. Pictured here is Sam, looking rather demonic and holding my Sumo fan.
We have a good group of JETs here in Shimane. With 5 of the 7 of us leaving from the Izumo area this upcoming July, I hope we get a good new bunch of people.

-JCH

catching up with all my pics - #3

2nen sei - Opt-A book reading - 9.jpg
Originally uploaded by Jason In Japan.

Jr High kids...

As you can see from the dates on these pics, I'm bouncing all over time-wise.
The pic above is from just this past week.

I've been helping a small class of thirteen 8th graders prepare to read English picture books at local kindergartens and preschools.
They split up into groups and translated the English into Japanese and some groups even made props and hats.
I love classes like this - an elective English class - where the kids are really interested in English and usually a little less shy about speaking it.
I'm not at Hamayama Chu this week, so I hope I get to go with them in two weeks to see them in action in front of a crowd.
I do this same type of thing once a month at the local library, where I read English picture books to small kids from 4pm to 4:30. It's a nice volunteer job that I suggested about two years ago and it's become popular with the local moms.

The other Jr High pics are from sports competitions I attended - a track and field event and a soccer tournament.
Speaking of soccer, I stood out in the freezing rain for about 2hrs last weekend watching both my Jr Highs compete in soccer - it was cold!
But they both won, so that's cool! Maybe that's why I like Volleyball better... :)

The soccer tourney below was a special international tournament where a team of Jr High age boys from Ireland came over to Shimane and played against local teams made up of players from all the area Jr High schools. One of my Jr High teachers, and the soccer coach at Taisha Chu, was in charge of the "Izumo" team. I went out to cheer them on, and they scored first, but the Irish boys came back strong and ended up winning that game and the whole tournament.

catching up with all my pics - #2

goofy girls at Yokan Sho - 1.jpg
Originally uploaded by Jason In Japan.

Shogakko - elementary school. I think I have a love/hate relationship with elementary school at this point.

On the one hand, I love the kids and they love me. (what's not to love??)
Most of the kids are great, excited to see me and have fun with English - which can be a stark contrast to your more blase Jr High students.

But after 3 and half years, I've done some of the same games and songs so many times, it starts to get really repetitive. Some of my schools let me plan the lessons and I try to introduce new elements, but some just want me to repeat the same lesson we did last year.
And I'm either too old or too fat or both - but elementary exhausts me - you have to be so "on" all the time - and the dancing and singing is not what I signed on for, but something I've learned to endure and even enjoy on occasion.

Teaching at shogakko certainly helped me cement the notion that I would never teach that level back in the States, but as I said, I have some wonderful memories from my visits to elementary schools, and the kids are fantastic. So some days I look forward to going, some days I'd rather not - but I always make the best of it.

Above is some of my awesome kids - these are all the girls in the graduating class of 6th graders at my medium size shogakko, They are outnumbered by the boys in that class 2-to-1.
And in two short months, they'll be starting class as 1nen sei at Taisha Chu. :)

Below is a typical day of me eating lunch with the kids. As you know, I don't eat fish. I don't eat a lot of what is offered as part of the school lunch to be honest. But I muddle thru - my recent tatic if it's a day where I can't eat hardly anything on my tray, is to distract from the fact that I'm not eating by asking one of the kids for their notebook, and then drawing something for them inside and signing it. They are always impressed, despite my mid-level art skills, and other kids will ask for their own drawing.

Anyway - I have to go to shogakko twice this week - once for English club at this very school - and on Thursday, Valentine's Day - for 4 lessons in the morning. And I'm actually looking forward to both! :)

catching up with all my pics - #1

my clean apt :) - 2.jpg
Originally uploaded by Jason In Japan.

Hey Gang -

I've been searching thru all my pics getting ready to compile a graduation movie for my awesome kids at Taisha Chu, and I've come across a bunch of pics that I never posted to my Flickr site for some unknown reason.

So I'll post a few links here.

Above is my nice, clean apartment!! :)

Tradegy struck recently when my kotatsu, which has served me well for almost 4 years, stopped working all of a sudden. :(
So now I'm using a hot carpet and a blanket, but it's not as good.
I still use the kotatsu as a table, with my computer on it (not shown in this pic), but it sucks to not have it as a heat source in this cold season.

I do live in a great apartment tho, and since I'm staying for roughly 18 more months, I need to really do a good spring cleaning when it warms up in April or May.

I do live in a truly beuatiful place, and I will miss my surroundings when I leave in 2009.

My day at Hamayama Chu

Viking lunch with 3nen sei - 11.jpg
Originally uploaded by Jason In Japan.

It's about a month away from graduation at most Jr High Schools in Japan. So at my new Jr High, we had a "viking" lunch today for the graduating 3nen sei (9th graders).

What is a "viking" lunch you ask? I wasn't too sure either the first time I heard the term. Plus, the Japanese person telling me about it a few years ago suffered from a common pronunciation problem, where "v" sounds like "b", so I was really confused by an offer to join in on a "biking" lunch. Where were we going??? :)

"Viking" style basically means "buffet" style - you walk along with a tray and pick what you want to eat from a variety of choices. Maybe it got named "viking" since that's how the Vikings ate - they took what they wanted.

So the 4 classes of 3nen sei brought their desks and chairs into the gym, where PTA moms and lunch center personnel had set up long tables with a bunch of different foods all laid out and ready to go.

I even had to give a little speech, since the menu was inspired by Izumo's American sister city - Santa Clara, CA. And I'm also from California.
I said my speech in English, and then in Japanese, and it seemed to go fine.

The food was good and the kids enjoyed the casual, eat-what-you-want atmosphere.

It was really cold in the gym though, so I couldn't wait to get back to the heated staff room after we finished.

I took more pics, but the Vice-Principal at Hamayama recently asked me to stop posting pics of the HJH kids if you can clearly see their faces - so no more close-up shots or vids from Hamayama.
What was already on Flickr I'm in the process of changing the pics from "public" to "private", so you can still see them, but you have to join Flickr and then add me as a contact.

I had a bunch of free time today - I didn't actually teach any classes - so I made a new English board diplay for February.



And after school I wandered around to see the clubs practicing. They have a table tennis club at Hamayama - we don't have that club at Taisha Chu.




Did I mention it's cold outside!!!! :)

-Jason

Watch SUMO with Jason - Asashoryu vs Hakuho - Jan 27, 2008

Hey Gang -

Here is me sitting in my apt video taping my TV.
I did it to show the final match in the recent Sumo tournament.
If you watch the video, I provide commentary starting about 1:30 into the vid.

I'm a huge Sumo fan, and I hope to go to Osaka again this year to watch live Sumo in March.

Enjoy!
-Jason

Random pics and updates and a fifth year

Ayumi, Sayoko, Keiko & Yuki
Originally uploaded by Jason In Japan.

The pic above is from the same day as the video below - my 5 Facts video I made since I was tagged on YouTube.
These are the 4 girls that helped me make the video, so once again thanks to Ayumi, Sayoko, Keiko and Yuki for giving up some of their free time after lunch on two days to help me make a fun video.

The picture below is from a recent concert I went to in Izumo. It was a cool "arts festival" with many different types of performances, including a great taiko performance by Jr High kids, as well as chorus singing and brass bands.

Tomorrow (today actually) is the Super Bowl in America. Japanese TV carries the game live here on Monday morning with the time difference, and I always take that day off from work to watch.
My team - The San Diego Chargers - got close this year, but lost in the penultimate game to the predicted champs - The New England Patriots. I don't really care who wins, but it'd be nice to see the Patriots complete their perfect, undefeated season with one last win.

It snowed heavily for the first time this winter season on Friday, and by chance I had to drive up into the mountains to visit my smallest elementary school, Usagi Sho. I was a little nervous about driving up there, but it was fine, and I had a good time participating in the "mamemaki" ceremony to celebrate "Setsubun" - the offical first day of Spring. More on that when I post the videos I shot that day.

So this Friday, the 8th, is the deadline for telling my employers if I want to stay in Japan for one more year (from July 2008 to July 2009) or not. I'll tell you, my dedicated readers, before I tell them...

Yes - I'm going to stay a fifth and final year as a JET ALT.

I can't say that my 4th year was the best I've had here, but I hope to make some changes and set some goals for myself to make sure my 5th year is a more worthwhile use of my time.

Things at work always change in April, since that's when the new Japanese school year begins and staff changes mean current teachers leave and new teachers arrive. This can be good or bad, depending on who leaves and who stays. So I'm hoping that some good change will take place in April and I can make my final, full-academic year here a memorable one.

Today I watched volleyball in the morning and then went off to watch my Jr High soccer teams from both Hamayama Chu and Taisha Chu. By the time I got out to Hikawa at around 1:15, it was raining lightly. It was also about 5.C (42.F) outside, so it was cold and wet and muddy, since Japanese schools have an aversion to grass.

But luckily I was prepared with proper gloves, umbrella and coat and I was able to tough it out. i got to see both my teams win. The soccer boys did much better than my volleyball girls - teams from both my JHs lost in their morning matches.

With the writers strike halting most American TV shows, it was great to see the first episode of season 4 of LOST via iTunes this week. I'm a big fan of the show and can't wait to see how they're going to keep it interesting this season.

I started private Japanese lessons this week with a local tutor that many of the other area ALTs also use. She's a nice lady who speaks great English and I hope to be able to really get back into studying Japanese.

OK - that's about it for my ramblings today.

Hope you have a good week. :)

-jason

pictures from my new elementary school

lessons and lunch at Nagahama Sho - 23.jpg
Originally uploaded by Jason In Japan.

I started teaching occasional lessons at Nagahama Shogakko, which feeds my new Jr High - Hamayama Chu.

So here are some pics from Nagahama - a great new bunch of kids I get to meet and teach.

:)
-Jason

The 2005-2006 school year

last lunch break with 05-06 9th graders - 2.jpg
Originally uploaded by Jason In Japan.

I was looking for pics from my first Sports Day at Taisha Chu where I had a digital camera - which took place in Sept of 2005 - and I couldn't find any on my Flickr site.
So after some searching - I realized that I never uploaded pics from the 2006 Sports Day to my online photo album. And I also forgot to upload other fun pics from the 05-06 school year.

So here are two random shots from that year. The one above is of the group of 9th graders that would hang out with me after lunch during the cold winter months. We'd chat around the stove and just before they graduated in March of 2006, I snapped this picture. They are all now 2nen sei in various high schools, and I will see some of them graduate from HS in March of 2009. Wild!
I still remember all their names and have been lucky enough to run into a few of them since they left Taisha Chu.

The photo below is from the aforementioned '05 Sports Day. It features some of my current 9th graders back when they were 7th graders. I need pictures like this one for my upcoming movie I will make to show the graduating 9th graders at their farewell party.

Enjoy the trip down memory lane and I'll have more pics up soon.

-J

Himeji Castle and Kyoto pics

Himeji Castle - 29.jpg
Originally uploaded by Jason In Japan.

Going thru some of the pictures I took last year, I noticed a few batches that I never posted here.
So I'll try and get them posted in the next few weeks.

This batch features some great shots of Himeji castle from a day trip I took out there after going to USJ in late October of last year. And some pics from a costume parade in Kyoto that happened the day before I went to Himeji.

I highly recommend Himeji as a tourist destination if you can find the time to visit. It's a great castle.

Enjoy!
-jason

pics from Xmas Day and other random shots

Santa Anna and Jason
Originally uploaded by Jason In Japan.

Hey Gang -

Another grab bag of pictures. I've included ones I took at school on Christmas Day, like the one of me and Santa Anna above. (It makes me smile when I type "Santa Anna" - maybe you have to be from Texas or Calif to understand)

Also pics I took of the girls on the Track N Field team:

The 8th graders...



and the 7th graders...



Also included are some pics of my new display in my large language lab classroom at Taisha Chu. After 4 years, it's tough coming up with new ideas for decorating, but it gives me something to do on days where I have to work but have no classes. And I enoy it.




I hope you're having a good New Year's week. More updates soon.

-Jason

Hamayama JH Bunka Sai - Day One

HJH Bunka Sai - Day One - 86.jpg
Originally uploaded by Jason In Japan.

About half of the 140 pictures I uploaded from Hamayama Jr High's Culture Festival I took on the first of the two days - Saturday, November 17th.

The picture above features one of the many "talent" acts performed by this year's 9th graders. Only the 9th graders can perform - it's like a senior privilege. Here a group of 5 girls, with two of them dressed like boys, sang a song, and then did a short dance. You can see some of the dance at my YouTube site.
Many of the kids sang, and one band played (an all-girl band playing an Avril Lavigne song), and some of the boys did breakdancing.

I took pictures from the whole day, so browse thru the pics on my Flickr site when you have time.

Here is the 5-girl band performing "Girlfriend" by Avril
(you can also see some of this performance on my YouTube site)



Lots of pics of the kids hanging out in the gym and in the halls:



I also walked around all the classes - 7th grade thru 9th grade and snapped a bunch of pics of the kids eating bento - we didn't have school lunch this day.



There are also some pics of the various displays they had set up highlighting some of the projects the kids had been working on, like an art display and a crafts display and a display of the clothes and practical items they made in Home Ec class.

I like many of the same rock bands this student mentions in this art piece...



It was a really fun two days.
-Jason

Hamayama Jr High - Bunka Sai - Day Two

HJH Bunka Sai - Day Two - 8.jpg
Originally uploaded by Jason In Japan.

I've posted about 140 pictures from the two-day Culture festival (bunka sai) that took place at Hamayama Jr High on November 17th and 18th.

Day Two was filled with singing and speeches. The traditional class comepetition took place on Sunday, with each of the 12 homeroom classes singing one song together on stage in front of the rest of the school. They were judged on piano playing, conducting and overall performance.




I took lots of pics of the kids hanging out in the gym between songs and of the winning class, pictured above.



We also enjoyed a taiko drumming performance put on by local high school students from nearby Norin HS.

the weekend before Xmas

JH Ensemble Concert - 4.jpg
Originally uploaded by Jason In Japan.

So, in addition to going to Hirata to watch my Chorus Club perform at a charity concert on Christmas Eve (I already posted a video from that day below)...



I spent the weekend before Christmas in Izumo watching my students and former students perform in an ensemble competition.
Saturday, December 22nd (My brother Paul's birthday - Happy Bday Paul!) - I went back and forth between 2Chu and the local music hall to watch my Jr High students play in various groups - like the 4 saxophone players above to larger groups of 8 or 10. Everyone I saw played pretty well and at least one group made it to the prefectural competition in February.

Then, on Sunday, December 23rd I went back to the same Jr High and music hall to watch my former students, who are now at Taisha High School, perform. They all did excellent and I'll talk to them again soon to see if any of them made it to the next level.



It was a busy three days before going back to school on Tuesday the 25th for closing ceremonies, but it was fun. It sure beats shopping at some crowded mall. :)

Happy New Year - あけましておめでとうございます！

So it's Monday, December 31st, and another year for me here in Japan has come to an end.

Before I talk about the year that was, I'd like to say Happy New Year to my family and friends and of course, my great students! I wish all of you all the best in 2008.

2007 was a year of contrasts for me. It started rather well - I rang in the New Year in America, said goodbye to my favorite class of students so far in mid-March, decided to stay a 4th year in the same job in Taisha, had a great vacation to Osaka to watch live Sumo, and started another school year with a 3nen sei class I'd taught since they were 6nen sei at elementary school.

Despite other good moments throughout the rest of the year, it hasn't ended as well as I would have liked. I still haven't adjusted to my new job teaching at two schools, and some of my better friends in the JET program left in July.

I have to decide in the next month wether I'll stay for a fifth and final year, and right now I'd say chances are good I will stay. I still really enjoy my kids and teaching when I get a chance to do it. It will be hard to leave whenever I decide to do it. Thinking about my future beyond the JET program now occupies a great deal of my time, and while I'm pretty sure what career I'll pursue, I'm still uneasy about my eventual transition back to "real life."

Knowing that I'll most likely stay in Shimane until July of 2009 makes me want to set some concrete goals for myself for 2008. Call them New Year's resolutions if you like - there are three main things I want to focus on.
1 - I'd like to lose some weight and get in better health.
My diet is so bad, and I do so little exercise, I've really gotten fat - perhaps the fattest I've ever been. It's just not healthy and I want to try to reverse the trend.
2 - I really want to improve my Japanese skills. I've spoken to a local tutor and I hope to start private lessons with the aim of taking the JLPT level 2 test in December of 2008. I know I can do it - I just have to commit the time to studying. I don't want to leave after living here for 5 years with the level of Japanese I have now.
3 - I need to save some money, but at the same time, I want to see more of Japan before I leave. I haven't been back to Tokyo once since I was there for JET orientation in 2004, and I really want to see live sumo at the main Tokyo arena.

Hopefully I can overcome my inherent laziness and accomplish some of the these goals.

It's gotten really cold in the last few days. I'm surviving under my kotatsu. It started snowing today and we're supposed to have a "white New Year." I may walk up to IzumoTaisha on New Year's Eve or Day, but we'll have to see how the weather is.

It'll be a somewhat lonely New Year for me this year. I have a week off of work since everything shuts down in Japan for the 3 days around New Years. But I won't see anyone during this time. Every other JET in Izumo went somewhere for the holidays - either home or to somewhere warm like Thailand.
I was having some chest pain on Friday - nothing to worry about, most likely just indigestion from some weird food I ate that day, but it made me think for a minute. If I had a heart attack and collapsed in my apartment, no one would even find the body until January 8th or so, when I didn't show up for work. And thinking further I realized that the last conversation I had in English with a non-Japanese person was on December 17th, and I wouldn't likely have another one until after January 7th. That's a long time to go without speaking to anyone, save for small conversations in Japanese with clerks and servers. I don't really get phonecalls from anyone, so email and this blog is my only real means of "conversation." So if you've read this far, I thank you.

So you might think that being more social should be a goal for 2008. Hmmm... Well, maybe. I certainly would like to get out and do some things, but I only have a few friends in Japan. I should try to change that, but maybe it's a little late. On the JET Programme you're thrust together with a bunch of people from all parts of the world who might only share one thing in common - the basic job we all do or our common plight of being the outsider in a very homogeneous society. And I'm lucky in that the people around me in Shimane are good folks and I enjoy hanging out with them. Some even enjoy my company, but I don't really have a good friend - a buddy or a pal - in the sense of a person who invites you along to things, wants to hang out just to hang out, and knows me on a more personal level than "That old American guy who lives in Taisha." I've never formed an outside-of-work friendship with a Japanese person, and maybe that stems from my lack of Japanese, so hopefully I can concentrate on #2 above and change that.

The loneliness is pretty crushing at times, and makes me very sad some days, so I will try to remedy that as much as I can in 2008. I'm going to busy myself with trying to update my blog here and picture and video sites over the next few days, and as always I have plenty of movies I want to watch and books I want to read.

Wherever you are, I hope you have a safe and fun New Year. Check back for many updates over the coming week, and I'll see you in 2008!

-Jason