Eihouji Temple, Tajimi

Scattered across Japan are thousands of gorgeous locations that go untouched by guidebooks like Lonely Planet. Drawing on our own experiences over time, we'd like to introduce some lesser known locations that are very much worth your time to visit. Experience the Japan that even many Japanese are unaware of. And best of all, do it without the crowds of those tourist traps that everyone knows about (and most everyone has already seen).

Today's location is Eihouji Temple in Tajimi, Gifu.

Location:
Tajimi is a moderately-sized city near the Southeastern edge of Gifu prefecture. It is about 45 minutes away from the center of Nagoya by train or by car. (The cities are near enough to each other that the expressway won't save much time--unless you are driving during Nagoya's rush hour.)

Access:
Eihouji Temple is situated near the center of Tajimi City. It is most easily accessed by car, but for travelers who don't mind a little walking, the temple grounds can be reached from Tajimi Station on foot in about 30 minutes. A bus line starting at Tajimi station also runs past the temple grounds.
The address of the temple is: 岐阜県多治見市虎渓山町1-42 (Gifu-ken, Tajimi-shi, Kokeizan-chou 1-42), and it's GPS coordinates are: 35.347026, 137.130765
Free parking is available for temple visitors just before the Chuo-sen train tracks.
Temple hours are from 5:00 to 17:00 every day.

Points of Interest:
The Eihouji temple grounds actually contain several buildings. The oldest and most interesting buildings are secluded in the small valley that the grounds encompass. Coming from the Northwest entrance of the grounds, you will encounter a winding, divergent path. (As of October 2010, two of the path's branches are closed for renovation.) Continue on any descending route to reach the main attractions of Eihouji, the 観音堂 (kannon-dou) and the 開山堂 (kaisan-dou). These two buildings, both built nearly 700 years ago, are designated as National Treasures of Japan. They are surrounded by Eihouji's beautiful Zen gardens, complete with a pond, ornamental bridge, and waterfall. Continue up the paths leading out of the Zen garden for a quiet walk through dense forest, during which you will come across smaller, unmanned shrines and jizou. If you entered the temple grounds from the Northwest, be prepared to retrace your steps, as the scenic path from the Zen garden leads out to Eihouji's harder-to-reach South entrance. (However, the South entrance is worth a visit, as it boasts a nice modern park and view of Tajimi City.)


Late-October to Mid-November is one of the best times of the year to visit Eihouji, as you'll be able to experience the temple scenery against autumn foliage.


Zen Meditation Service:
In line with its strong Zazen history, Eihouji Temple offers visitors a chance to participate in traditional Zen Meditation services. Services are held at 6:00 a.m. on the third Sunday of each month. Reservations are not necessary, but you must arrive early enough to register and secure a spot in the temple before services begin. There is a fee of 1,000 yen.

After registering and paying the fee, you will be directed to the meditation hall, where you exchange your shoes for rubber-soled sandals to wear inside the hall. When you enter the hall, place your palms together and bow once. Keeping your palms together, walk at a reverent pace to your seat. When you leave the hall, layer your hands against your chest as you walk.

For the first portion of the service, you can sit in Japanese seiza style, lotus style, or cross-legged. The seated portion of the service continues for 30 minutes of silent zazen meditation. A break follows, then a gentle walking procession through the temple grounds, meditating and enjoying the scenery. Following this, another 30 minute silent zazen service takes place, reading of Zen hymns, a sermon by Eihouji's main priest, and a light meal of o-kayu and an umeboshi.

Other Events:
Occasionally, the interior of the 観音堂 (kannon-dou) building is opened for observation by the public. It was last opened in March, 2010.

Worksheet Sunday: Halloween

Well, it's Halloween today so maybe this is a little late, but for those doing something next week or next year here are some activities for mixed ages.

• First of all just talking about Halloween is entertaining for many classes - describing the Treat or Treat process and carving of pumpkins (and difference between Japanese pumpkins and other countries').
  
• Then you can play some touch-related games with elementary, 'special' or first-grade JHS (11-12) classes - use (sealed) packets of pasta sauce, cooked spaghetti, spiky hundred-yen store Halloween goodies etc in a sealed box. Students touch them and try to figure out what they are. It's fun and easy.
  
  
• Wordsearch. Simple but effective, and works with all JHS grades. You can make your own wordsearches using any words you like here. Here's mine.
  
  
• Simple 'do you have game' using the small Halloween flashcard sets from mes-English. Use the big sets to show the class/teach or test vocab and then give out 5-10 random cards to each student. They have to ask other students "Do you have a ghost?" etc and reply with "Yes, I do. Here you are." Of course this can be modified for whatever suitable phrases you want them to use.
  
  
• Word challenge. Very simple sheet which just requires finding the right word in the list and writing it in the boxes beneath the images. Good for slow learners/'special' classes.
  
  
• Mask making, even costume making and mock trick-or-treating (buy some sweets) if you have the time.

Well, that's all I have for you today. I found it very hard to come up with activities for older kids, so if you have any then please let us know in the comments box below.

Accommodation: Capsule Hotels

If a Love Hotel seems too lonely, Couch Surfing too scary, Youth Hostels are full of roudy youths and an Internet Cafe too sleazy, why not opt for a capsule?

People bang on about capsule hotels being a Japanese revolution of quirkiness and efficiency. To be honest they're just a crappy version of a bunkbed, but they can be handy when you need a cheap place to stay in the business district.

Beware: Height Resitrictions.


カプセルホテル(capuseru hoteru) are pretty common in the bigger cities, and are almost always catered towards business workers who are too drunk to get home or working too late for trains. They will sometimes have a 24 hour onsen as part of the fee, and will almost always have alcohol, cigarette and food vending machines. They're easy to spot by generally having photos of capsules outside in the same way that internet cafes have pictures of the "beds" they offer.

Their reputation for being quirky is not really deserved. Apart from the concept of sleeping in front-loading bunkbeds there's not really anything new here, except that the capsules are usually made of plastic and have a TV, radio and alarm-clock fitted inside. Invariably the TV will have several porn channels, and if you're lucky (like I have been) you can hear other customers enjoying theirs throughout the night.

Those with claustrophobia issues needn't worry unless it's very severe, as there's usually enough room to sort-of sit-up inside. The standard size is 1 metre x 1 metre x 2 metres. This can be a probelm for taller people, however. I'm 6'4" and have a problem with the privacy shutters on some capsules which you pull down in front of the entrance, and closing this means that I can't lie completely flat comfortably and have to do a feotus impression all night (or leave the shutter partly open).


Prices

• These will vary from 2,500 to 4,500yen depending on the location and amenities. Many places in the business districts will offer a point system or pre-paid option (pay for nine nights and get the tenth free). Booking ahead is not usually necessary.

More

• Women are not usually allowed in business capsules, but the more tourist-orientated ones will usually have a women's room, or mixed section at the very least.
• Some capsule hotels offer rooms of four+ capsules for private hire. Capsule Inn Akihabara is an example of this.
• In Akebonobashi (Shinjuku) there is a gaijin-targeted capsule hotel with larger-sized wooden units (~3,500yen). It gets very hot and can be pretty noisy in the mornings, however. They also offer budget beds (although you must request them specifically) for around 2000yen.
• In Kyoto there is a place called Kyoto Ryoukan Capsule, which is a curious cross between a traditional Japanese hotel and a capsule place (3,500yen). The capsules have tatami floors and futons, and the place has a traditional setup. There are also standard ryoukan rooms.

Other posts in this series:

• Love Hotels
• Sleeping in Internet Cafes
• Capsule Hotels
• Youth Hostels
• Couch Surfing
• Budget Hotels

Japanese Cooking Measurements

A cup is a cup, right?

Well, it is, as long as you stay in the same country. Even though the word "cup" remains constant across a number of countries and is a constant go-to word in the kitchen, the actual volume it refers to differs by country.

Let's clear this up with the help of some internationally recognized measurements:

In Japan, 1カップ (ichi kappu) in a recipe calls for 200 ml of material.
This is the measurement you'll find on measuring cups bought at grocery stores and 100 yen stores.

In comparison, "one cup" in the U.S. means about 237 ml.
And in the U.K., "one cup" (or a "breakfast cup") means 285 ml.
Keep this in mind as you translate recipes across borders.

And just to make things a little more complicated, Japanese rice cookers use a measurement completely separate from this, but it still gets regularly translated into English as "cups of rice."
Rice in Japan is portioned according to a traditional system called the 尺貫法 (shakkan hou). The unit suitable for use in the kitchen is called the 合 (gou), and it equates to 180 ml. This is why measuring cups in Japan have separate markings for rice and other ingredients.

Before coming into contact with the West, Japan commonly used the 合 in applications outside of rice. The volumeter from this time period was usually made of wood and had a square shape. Today, that same instrument survives in the sake industry, and if you drink Japanese sake at an upscale establishment, it will often be served in a wooden 合 "box" rather than a glass.

Fortunately, larger quantities in Japan tend to be clearly measured according to the metric system, and other common instruments in recipes, like 大さじ (oosaji) and 小さじ (kosaji) are equivalent to their Western tablespoon and teaspoon counterparts. (It sure beats the crap out of silly quarts and fluid ounces.)

But, if you find yourself unsure about a conversion, I highly recommend the site Wolfram Alpha. It is useful because you can pop in a number from a recipe (like "3.6 fluid ounces") and have it converted to another system of measurement without having to do any multiplication yourself. It also supports traditional units from around the world (including the 合). But, I wasn't able to get that pesky 200 ml "Japanese cup" to appear.

Example of a Landing Permission

As a continuation of our visa series, today we take a look at the 上陸許可 (jyouriku kyoka), or "Landing Permission," stamp in your visa. This stamp is your lifeblood in Japan. Obey the items written on this stamp, or risk deportation from and sanctions on re-entry to Japan.

1. 在留期限 (zairyuu kigen): This is the date until which you are allowed to legally reside in Japan. If you overstay this date, even for one day, you risk deportation and barred re-entry to Japan, depending on the mood of the immigration officer handling your case, and whether Japanese Immigration is having a general crackdown on illegal immigrants or not. Either way, it is a pretty big risk. Don't take it. Apply for and Extension of Period of Stay at least 1 to 3 months before this date.
2. 在留資格 (zairyuu shikaku): This is your Status of Residence in Japan. Japanese Immigration is strict about allowing people to only perform certain tasks within certain Statuses of Residence. Some Statuses, like "Instructor" or "Specialist in Humanities," allow a person to be employed part- or full-time. Other Statuses, like "College Student," do not by default permit a person to engage in profitable activity. Even Statuses permitting employment usually restrict the type of employment that person may engage in. If you are on an Instructor visa, but you scored and started a new job as an investment banker at a financial institution, or as a translator, or a web developer, you are breaking Japanese Immigration law. Apply for a Change of Status of Residence before you start that job.
3. 在留期間 (zairyuu kikan): This is your Period of Stay. It is first determined by the information on your 日本国査証 (if you used one), and could be anywhere from 10 days to 5 years, depending on what Immigration deems is necessary for you to fulfill your intended duty within Japan. Most common values are 90 days (like this "tourist visa"), One Year, Three Years, or (apparently coming soon:) Five Years.
4. Disembarkation Point: This is the location at which you entered Japan.
5. Departure/Embarkation Stamp: The Landing Permission in this example has been "used up" because the individual departed from Japan. In order to spend time in Japan again, this person would need to get a new Landing Permission.

Worksheet Sunday: Review Crosswords

Laura has been at it again and made another great couple of sheets.

These two are crosswords for 2nd and 3rd graders. The second grade one covers vocab and grammar up until about mid-October (chapter 6) for New Crown, and the 3rd grade one is a review of past tenses, including present perfect forms.

Just like with wordsearches the kids love these and get really into them. Expect to fill 15-20 minutes.

Just in case you are completely dumbstruck and don't know what a crossword is, the students must choose the right form of the word in brackets to complete the sentence, and write it on the numbered grid in the direction indicated.

Without further ado, here they are:

2nd grade October review
3rd grade past tense/present perfect review

If you use them or have any other comments or suggestions, please tell us in the box below. Feel free to use these in your classes, but as with all our sheets here, don't redistribute.

Buying a Used Bike from a Recycle Centre in Japan

Being the headcase that I am, I thought it would be a great idea to cycle back to my town (in the mountains) from Tokyo. At a mere 277km I was fearless. So I set about bike shopping.

I briefly considered spending 700,000yen on a nice, new road bike before thinking about buying second-hand. I came across a place called Suginami Green Cycle. There I bought the pictured bike for 15,000yen. The retail price is something between five and ten times that.

This particular blog only has information about Tokyo bike shops, but if you contact your city office for information about local schemes like this you might get lucky.



You can get a regular mama charie bike for a few thousand yen, and various road and mountain bikes for not much more. But why so cheap? Suginami and the other places like it work through a deal with the local government. In Japan, if a bike remains in one place for a certain amount of time someone will come by and attach a tag to it. The tag tells you to remove it if the bike is still in use/wanted. If you don't do so then it will eventually be taken away and crushed.

And that's where Suginami Green Cycle steps in. They take all the semi-decent bikes that are to be crushed and fix them up to sellable condition. What a great idea. However, I don't know if they have a low success rate or a massive backlog, but as you can see in the satelite photo they have tons of bikes. When I went there there were only nine or ten actually for sale, and a further five or six being worked on.

Anyway, if you need a bike then this is the place to go. The only downside is that it's only open three days a month, so you need to time it right. It should be the second Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of each month (normally whichever Monday is closest to the 15th of the month). If there's a public holiday on one of those days then it'll be the following week.


The address:

• Suginami Green Cycle
  Eifuku 2-1-11 Suginami-ku
  Tokyo

Open 8am-4pm

Tel: 03 3327-2287

The two closest stations are Eifuku-cho and Shimo-Tokaido. It's very easy to get there with a map (and here is one), but if you want to be extra sure then use this pictoral guide.


I only know of one other place like this, and it's:

http://www.musashino-sc.or.jp/center/index.html
Musashino-shi Silver Jinzai Recycling Center
3-5-16 Nakamachi, Musashino-shi
Tel: 0422-51-3448
Mon-Fri 0900-1500, every 4th Saturday 1000- 1600
Nearest station: Mitaka

I've never been there, I just read the information here. If you've been there or know of any other places then drop them in the comments box.

PS: if you're interested I made it back to my town after a mere 16 and a half hours and 18 litres of water.

Example of a Japan Visa

If you come to Japan and intend to stay for a long time, you will almost certainly have a "Japan Visa" in your passport. It is big and shiny and takes up a whole page, and at the top in block letters are the words 日本国査証.

We explained the difference between this Visa and the much more important Landing Permission (上陸許可) before, but for your reference, here is an example of a Japan Visa and explanation of its important points:

1. In the top-left corner of this example, you can see the stamp "USED." This is important, and I'll explain more about it in number 5.
2. Place of Issue: This is the Japanese consulate or embassy at which the visa was issued. Remember, a 日本国査証 is always issued outside of Japan, and it is only meant to help you get into the country. Once you are in Japan, the 日本国査証 has very little to do with your eligibility to stay.
3. Date of Issue: This is the day you received the visa. You can only use this 査証 to enter Japan after the written date.
4. Date of Expiry: This is the expiration date of the 日本国査証. It has nothing to do with the length of time you are allowed to stay in Japan. The "Date of Issue" and "Date of Expiry" written here form a window of time during which you can enter Japan and receive a proper Landing Permission. If the Date of Expiry passes, this document becomes invalid. Just this document. That is all.
5. No. of Entries: For most people, this field reads "Single." However, occasionally a student or some other special class of visitor will receive a "Multiple" entry visa. If your visa is a "Single," you can use it to enter Japan once, at which time it will be stamped "USED" and you will receive a Landing Permission. If you want to exit and enter Japan after that time without losing your Landing Permission, you will use a different (and almost defunct) document called a "Re-Entry Permit." If your number of entries here is "Multiple," you could use your visa to enter Japan multiple times (up until the Date of Expiry) and receive a new Landing Permission each time. However, even if your No. of Entries here is "Multiple," you will probably want to use a Re-Entry Permit to go in and out of Japan. This is because each time you leave Japan without a Re-Entry Permit, you have to surrender your Alien Registration Card, which in turn means you will have to re-register at your local City Hall each time you return to the country.
6. For Stays Of: This field usually reads "1 year" or, more recently, "3 years." This field determines the 在留期間 (zairyuu kikan), or "Period of Stay," on your initial Landing Permission stamp. If you have "1 year" written here, you will start out with a 1-year Period of Stay. But, the next year, when you apply to extend your Period of Stay, you may be granted a 3- or 5-year extension.
7. Category: Most English teachers in Japan will have "Instructor" or "Specialist in Humanities" written here. But, actually there are many categories of residence in Japan. This category will determine the 在留資格 (zairyuu shikaku), or "Status of Residence," on your Landing Permission stamp.

Getting a Re-Entry Permit (Going on Holiday)

In addition to other items in our growing visa guide, you will probably sometimes find yourself in need of a re-entry permit. This is required if you want to leave the country for a holiday, etc. and then return. Why you need one with a valid visa is anyone's guess, but if you don't bother getting one, your hard-won working or student visa will be voided when you return.

They come in two formats - single re-entry and multiple re-entry. The former is 3,000yen whilst the latter will set you back 6,000. I'd recommend the multiple even if you aren't sure about a second trip - you never know when an emergency will come up and having to go to the prefectural office at short notice may be valuable time wasted.

Anyway, here's how you get one:

1. Take your passport and gaijin card to your prefectural office (most likely the capital of your prefecture, and/or in Tokyo). Get there early. Although the wait is nothing like for the visa (it's a different desk), it feels great to get it done quickly and sucks to have to wait until after lunch.
2. Like with so many things, you have to exchange the cash payment for stamps before sticking it to the forms. there will be a little window, machine or a cafe in the office building where you can do this.
3. Fill out the form. Here is an electronic version you can print (A4 only) and take with you. Hand it in with your passport, gaijin card and stamps. (NB may need to take a ticket and wait for your number to be called. For the re-entry permit, press the 再入国許可 (sainyuukoku kyoka), "Re-entry Permit" button).
   
4. Wait. Usually takes 15-minutes to an hour.
   They may then give you an disembarkation/arrival card for when you leave and return to the country. It's just a simple two-part form for the airport staff. If they don't give you one, you'll get one at the airport.
5. Go home/on holiday!

There you are, much easier than the visa extension an all done in one trip!

Both types will last for the same duration as your visa (never longer) from the time when you apply. In other words, if you get a 3-year visa and re-entry permit in July but your old visa runs out in August, whilst the visa will be valid for three years from August, the permit will be valid for three years from July (starts immediately).

Office hours are 9am-noon, 1pm-5pm weekdays.

Contact information and the location of your prefecture's office can be found at the Immigration Bureau website.

Worksheet Sunday: Vocab Crunch

Here is a simple warm-up lesson idea that can be used with high-functioning, motivated students. It's super easy to prepare and can be tailored to review material from the last lesson.

Vocab Crunch
Class Time: 5 to 10 minutes
Preparation: A list of 10 vocab words from the class' recent study material

Steps:

• Tell the students to "listen carefully"
• Pronounce each of the 10 words on your list with only a brief pause between words
• Pause for a few seconds after finishing the list
• Ask a volunteer to come to the board and write any one word from your list
• The challenge is for the students, as a class, to recall and correctly write all 10 words
• Allow classmates to help each other or come to the board in pairs or groups to write words
• When the students are satisfied with their efforts, check spelling and write in any missing words
• Pronounce each word again with the class
• As a follow-up, try one of the following:
• Provide example sentences for each word
• Ask volunteer students to say simple sentences using each word
• Have students find a sentence using each word in their textbooks

The first time you try this activity with a class, they may be a little confused when listening to you repeat the words. But, because students are acting as a full class, they usually put together the entire list without trouble. The students tend to be proud that they "remembered" all the words, too, so it starts class off on a positive note.

As a class gets more skilled at and accustomed to this activity, challenge them with longer lists of words. Set a casual goal for them, "Let's see if we can do 15 words today!" and continue as usual.

Your Real Visa: 査証 and 上陸許可

Visas are a pretty big aspect of any expat's life. And more often than not, they seem to leave people feeling stressed and bummed out. Last year, when I was up for renewal, I waded through a lot of information about renewing visas in Japan. I’ve collected and organized some of that info here.

First off, I want to introduce the difference between a Visa and Landing Permission in Japan. Many newbies are unaware of this difference, which can be very dangerous: If you screw up and overstay in Japan because you mixed up the dates on your Visa and your Landing Permission, you could get deported from Japan and barred from reentry, even as a tourist. So, listen up:

In layman terms, "visa" refers to the sticker in your passport that says you can be legally present in a foreign country. However, terminology used by Japanese authorities is different.

査証 (sashou) is the word most commonly translated from Japanese as "visa." Most people coming from a foreign country to Japan and intending to stay a long time will have a 査証 in their passport. It will have big block kanji at the top that read 日本国査証 and takes up a whole page in the passport.

A 査証 is issued outside of Japan at an embassy or consulate. You will use it when you enter Japan, but it gives you no authority to legally stay in Japan. Think of a 査証 like a screening process. The Japanese consulate in your country checks your application and background and deems you fit for entry into Japan. They write a recommendation (the 査証) and put it in your passport. When you enter Japan, immigration officials see this recommendation and use it to determine your eligibility to stay in Japan.

The immigration officials at the airport will grant you eligibility to stay in Japan by placing a 上陸許可 (jyouriku kyoka) stamp in your passport. Often this is translated into English as "Landing Permission." This stamp contains important information, like your 在留期間 (zairyuu kikan), "Period of Stay," and your 在留資格 (zairyuu shikaku), your "Status of Residence."

The big point here is that once you are inside Japan, your Landing Permission matters, and your Japan Visa no longer matters at all. When you "renew your visa" in Japan, you are really performing a procedure called 在留期間変更 (zairyuu kikaku henkou), or "Extension of Period of Stay." When you "change your work visa" in Japan so you can work a different type of job, you are really performing a procedure called 在留資格変更 (zairyuu shikaku henkou), or "Change of Status of Residence." And what the immigration officials want to see is that 上陸許可 Landing Permission stamp, NOT the 日本国査証 Japan Visa!

Knowing these differences and arming yourself with the correct terminology will go a long way in helping others understand your questions and requests.

Regional Sites and Mailing Lists

If you are part of the JET Program, you are probably aware of the robust and cohesive communities JETs tend to form. In each region, older JETs train the newbies, helping them accustom to Japan by introducing local events and facilities.

Through generations of JETs, fantastic and comprehensive regional websites, wikis, and mailing lists come together. And usually, the managers of these websites and mailing lists welcome anyone in the local community to participate and make use of the information--not just JETs.

Some of the best events I've attended in Japan were ones I learned about by being involved in local JET mailing lists--even though I'm not a JET. As a student, I found seats on a dirt cheap tour package to Ise Jinguu and, later, I even found my first job in Japan thanks to mailing list posts that arrived in my inbox.

If you don't take advantage of this kind of resource already, I highly recommend looking into it. People regularly post free or cheap items in moving sales, cars for sale (usually a good deal, but not always), upcoming events, local Japanese language lessons, and all sorts of useful information. You can ask for advice about local gyms or even find buddies for a hiking trip or a weekend night on the town.

A partial list of groups and mailing lists sorted by region is available at jetwit.com, and another, slightly different list is available at the bottom of this Ajet.net page.
If you don't see a list for your region here, start by checking out the Facebook page. Post on the wall and ask if there is a regional mailing list. Most of the lists are run through Yahoo! Groups or Google Groups. Explain you are foreign and living in the area, and more likely than not you will be welcomed to the group.

For others of you in central Japan:
Gifujets Yahoo! Mailing List
naganojet Yahoo! Mailing List 

Alternatively, you can search for a group in your area by typing in keywords on the main Yahoo! Groups page.

Accommodation: Couch Surfing

If you are on a very tight budget and can't afford the other budget accommodation options (Love Hotels, Capsule Hotels, sleeping in Internet Cafes and Youth Hostels) or just looking to meet new people then you may want to consider Couch Surfing.

CS is a project where people around the world list themselves as free places to stay for visitors. Through the site you can contact them and see if it's alright for you to visit on specific dates and stay for X amount of time.

There are loads of people in Japan offering this. 1200+ in Tokyo alone.

A few good friends of ours tried CS across Japan. They had mixed things to say. The first guy they stayed with was an American ex-pat who treated them like family. He showed them the sites of Tokyo like it was his job, paid for meals out etc. Sounds great. The second person, however, was so bad that they left almost immediately and stayed the night in an internet cafe instead. Apparently she had a couple of dogs who lived in awful conditions and were kicked around the house. The place stank, too. Well, that's a 50/50 result. Better than the odds at Pachinko. People have usually been rated by other users, so I'd check that first.

I haven't tried it, so I can't give you my opinion, but if you have the guts to stay with a complete stranger then Japan is surely one of the safest places to do so. Incidentally, you can also meet people on the site just for a cup of coffee and tourism advice.

If you do or have tried it, let us know about your experience in the comments box below.

Other posts in this series:

• Love Hotels
• Sleeping in Internet Cafes
• Capsule Hotels
• Youth Hostels
• Couch Surfing
• Budget Hotels

Worksheet Sunday: Mine and His (First grade JHS)

Those of you teaching the JHS New Crown textbook at the moment will be on or approaching using personal pronouns and possessives (I, my, me, you, your, you, he, his, him, she, her, her).

My lovely girlfriend has again made a great lesson plan. On Friday I had a fantastic lesson with my students on this, so I thought I'd share the activity that we did together.

The lesson had three parts and took 35-40 minutes.

The first was a worksheet. Click here to view in Google Documents but bear in mind that the Google previews are invariably awful, but if you download it and open in word the formatting should be fine.

I introduced the sheet as the activity before "The Game", and had them individually work on the sentences after I had explained the concept with several examples on the board.

If it isn't clear enough, the idea is to change the personal pronoun in parentheses into the correct form to make a good sentence.

When they'd finished I got them to volunteer to read out the answers one by one.

The next part was the classic game of Karuta. If you don't know the game, it is a fun and easy way of using ten minutes in class that can be played with any set of vocab cards. This time I played it with nine groups of three or four students (push the desks together). Each group had a set of the 12 words on the sheet (I wrote them out on bits of card, but here is a sheet for printing and cutting) which they spread out across the desks. I shouted out the words one at a time ("you" and "her" were double bonuses) and they had to grab the right card as quickly as possible. Spread the words out to build tension.

At the end of that I got the students with the most cards in each group to stand up and have a janken battle. The winner was Class Champion (!!!!!!!!!!!!).

The third part also used the karuta cards, so don't collect them in just yet, and don't break up the groups. During the karuta game I had the Japanese teacher write up 10 sentences on the board, just like on the sheet (with the key word missing). I had made cards (big enough for all the class to see) of "you", "I", "he" and "she". I shuffled the cards before presenting the class one at random for each sentence. When I held up the card they had to find the corresponding form in their karuta cards and bring it to me as fast as possible. For example, for the sentence "I like _____ bike." I held up "He". They had to find the "his" card and bring it to me asap.

The kids went crazy at this point and almost trampled me to death. It was hard, but I picked the first five students with the correct answer and gave them numbers from one to five. Then they went to the Japanese teacher at the blackboard who had a list of the nine groups. They told her their number and she awarded them 5 points for number 1, 4 for number 2 etc.

Beware: I got punched in the balls three times during this activity! Also note that you should move around the class for each word so that no group has an advantage.

At the end of that, add up the scores and give the winning team a big round of applause.

New Year, New Teachers

Those of you working as an Assistant English Teacher in Japan are probably familiar with the mysterious shifting of personnel every year. Particularly in March and April (but also sometimes in September and October), schools in Japan throw big "going-away" and "welcome" parties to commemorate the changing personnel.

These personnel changes are the public equivalent of company transfers. Here is a decoded policy message from a ken-level public board of education about these transfers for your enjoyment (...?) and to help us all understand the Japanese reasoning behind this revolving workplace employment.
(Sections truncated from the original document abound, but are not marked.)

平成23年度義務教育関係諸学校教育職員等人事異動方針
2011 Personnel Transfer Policy of Educators, etc. at Compulsory Education Institutions

教職員の異動について
Regarding the Personnel Transfer of Educators

(1) Regarding the Personnel Transfer of Principals and Vice-Principals
Transfers are carried out from a whole-prefecture perspective according to the needs of individual cities, towns, and villages. Suitable individuals are placed in suitable locations without regard for school size, location, or length of employment. In principle, these individuals must reside in the city or town where they are placed and focus their attention on educational efforts in the area. New principals and vice-principals are selected from across the prefecture; they are chosen from among individuals who possess the competency to serve in that role, according to the prefectural board's future vision and local boards' recommendations.

(2) Regarding the Personnel Transfer of General Educators
Suitable individuals are placed in suitable locations in order for them to gain educational experience in a variety of school types and sizes. Transfers within the same region are to be avoided in favor of transfers over a wide area, including different blocks (regional sets of schools). However, care will be taken to lessen the instances of employees living separate from family.

In loosely related news, this prefecture is also starting a junior high and high school employee exchange program, wherein exceptionally talented, licensed junior high teachers can work for a period of time as a high school instructor.

Learning Japanese: Common Pronoun Mistakes

A long time ago I read an article about pronouns in Japanese written by the Yale Anime Society.
Fortunately, a quick Google search taught me that today there are many better resources about pronoun usage in the Japanese language (Wikipedia and Wa-pedia for starters).

But, when I read that Yale article, it really stuck with me. I thought it was the definitive guide to pronouns in Japanese and even made detailed flashcards for myself to remember who says what pronoun when. I'd taken the article completely out of its intended context (anime) and thought I'd meet people in real life using sessha or atai. Fortunately, observation of Japanese friends over time let me realize that what I'd been taught was horribly incomplete. I generally agree with the content of the Wikipedia and Wa-pedia articles linked above, but it's still, really, a long list of words from which only a handful are ever realistically used. For what it's worth, here are a few of my observations about Japanese pronouns.

私 (watashi) -
This is the starting place of Japanese pronouns. Brand new (native English speaker) students of Japanese pick this word up on their first day of class and subsequently pound it into the ground.
WATASHI wa Amerika-jin desu. WATASHI wa suki desu. WATASHI wa toire ni ikitai desu.
WATASHI. WATASHI. WATASHI. Even when the sentence doesn't have anything to do with you, or me, or even people at all, it somehow always begins with "watashi wa."
But, as a language learner myself, I can appreciate that. When you start out learning a new language, you're trying really hard to understand how words fit together, and a natural place to turn is your extant trove of information about your own language. "I" sentences are extremely common in English and consequently easy to build and use in early Japanese practice. With enough time and practice, beginners start to realize that Japanese people don't start sentences with watashi very often, and in fact they profusely leave out topics and subjects and all those things our English teacher told us are absolutely essential to a complete sentence.
So, to those of you mangling through your first few months of Japanese, spouting a "watashi" with the consistency of Old Faithful, I tip my hat. You're doing what it takes to get fluent, without fear or embarrassment. Keep it up.

僕 (boku) -
Boku is where I draw the line. This word is the ultimate pitfall for foreign guys in Japan. While I may fidget when hearing absolute newbies repeat "watashi wa" like a broken record (before remembering how brave they really are), seeing some big American guy with passable Japanese referring to himself as "boku" actually causes my stomach to churn.
Boku gets introduced by Japanese girlfriends to their boyfriends or Japanese professors to their students as a "cool" alternative to watashi. The thing they forgot to mention is: It's actually not cool. At all.
Just take a look at the other people using boku. Their single most common feature is a lack of pubic hair. That's the associated image. Guys who use boku after their early teens sound perpetually stuck in childhood; they failed to grow up and are thus woefully unprepared to be a productive, interactive member of society.
Your 40-year-old female coworker and the girls you practice "English conversation" with will clap their hands and tell you your Japanese is great when you start using boku. But, the word on their minds isn't "cool" or "dependable." It's "adorable." Like a penguin at the zoo. Everyone fawns over the penguin, but no one takes it seriously.
So, don't be a boku person. Please. Save your boss and your (male) friends the restrained shudder of embarrassment they feel every time you break that word out.

俺 (ore) -
So, what do manly men use? When talking among male friends, ore is pretty common. Just don't use it towards your boss or a stranger.
Ore gets shared usage among street punks and Japanese guys who think they are cooler than they really are, but if your dress, mannerisms, and the rest of your speech are up to snuff, referring to yourself as ore will bring you a quick-witted, wordly air.

私 (watashi) -
Yeah, that's right. It's watashi. Again. Not only is this the starting place of Japanese pronouns, it's the ending place, too. When you get out to the working world, writing self-introductions for job interviews and engaging in obligatory enkai parties with supervisors and bosses, watashi is really the only acceptable, professional-sounding pronoun. I think a lot of foreign learners migrate to boku (or ore) because they're afraid watashi makes their Japanese sound too elementary. But, as you progress in other aspects of the language and learn to express yourself clearly, I think reverting back to watashi, at least in your professional life, sends a subtle indication that you really know what those textbook lessons about "maintaining appropriate distance" in Japanese relations are all about.

Weird School Lunches

A couple months ago, "school lunch" was all the rage on Japanese TV. A guy named Hideo Makuuchi published a book called "Weird School Lunches," which featured terrible food combinations served up to elementary and junior high school students in different parts of Japan. (School lunch in Japan is mandatory in most public schools; kids cannot choose what they eat or bring their own lunch from home.)

O, dashing prince!

You can check out all the odd combinations with glossy, full-color photos in the book on Amazon; a smattering of the funny ones are listed here:

• White Bread + Rice Cakes
• Brown Sugar Bread and Miso Soup
• Toast with Jam and Vinegared Pork
• Steamed Strawberry Bread and Kitsune Udon
• Curry Tofu Stirfry and Chocolate Deep-Fried Bread
• Curry Udon and an American Hotdog
• Yakisoba and a Donut

To be fair, when interviewed, the nutrition experts at offending school districts defended their position, saying they are required by the national government to provide a certain number of calories and amount of vitamins and minerals in each lunch. But, Japanese kids are (in my opinion) some of the pickiest eaters in the world. So, the nutrition experts continued, its necessary to choose high calorie foods kids are willing to eat and pair them with a smattering of other stuff to meet the vitamin requirements.

Unfortunately, if they had spent any time at an actual school, they'd know that half of the students trade food during lunch hour so they only have to eat what they like. Vegetables and fruit are all too often pawned off to the one kid in the corner "who'll eat anything." Like rising generations in most other first-world countries, Japanese kids are losing self-discipline fast. And teachers are in no rush to stop the trend; lawsuits against teachers are on the rise, too, for actions as simple as verbally reprimanding a misbehaving student.

Worksheet Sunday: All-Purpose "Anything OK" Escape-Method #2: Ultra Snail Salt Chopstick Attack

As a follow-up to the fantastic Typhoon Game which I published a little while ago, here's a very similar game which can be used when you feel typhooned out but still need a filler game.

I recommend you try the Typhoon, or at least read its description first to help you better understand this post.

It's basically the same game but with chopsticks instead of cards, snails instead of houses, and only one word per chopstick. Because there's only one word, students can be very creative, but you must also make sure you get the aim of the class clear at the start.

Again, it can last from 15-20 minutes up to the entire class. Here's how to make it:

Go to the 100yen shop (or any shop, really) and buy one of those bags of 25+ sets of disposable chopsticks. Separate all the individual sticks and write a verb on the flat end. I have two sets - one of all the first grade verbs, and one of all the second. I use these for revision at the start of second and third grades. However, a more organised person than me would have some mid-year verbs learned since the start of the year to throw in at a later date - mark the bottom of the stick or something to differentiate them.

In place of the typhoon cards I have what I call "black salt sticks". You could just as easily make them white and just call them salt. All they are is a chopstick coloured black at the end. These do the same job as the typhoon cards (kill all the team's snails). try to have about 1 salt stick to every 3 verb sticks.

I also have a couple of "magic salt attack sticks" in each set, which are coloured differently and wipe out the snails of another team (chosen by the team which draws it).

Separate the chopsticks between you and the Japanese teacher and hold them by the flat ends. One student from each of the groups comes and ask from "One chopstick please" and take it back to the group. They must make a sentence using that verb (tell them what grammar forms you want them to use) and come back to tell you it. Reward them with one, two or three dice depending on how much you like the sentence. The points on the dice equal points on the board. Nice points equals one snail, which is draw in nine steps like this:


Get the kids to draw these on the board as they aquire points. The winning team is the one with the most surviving snails at the end of the game.

If you try this game, or have any suggestions or comments please stick them in the comments box.