Life in Japan; Being an ALT on JET

My favorite English games

2012-06-04T18:02:00.003-07:00

So, I'm nearly at the end of my contract here and I'm thinking about what to tell my successor. I keep noticing certain games that I reuse, so I thought I would share them.

These aren't all the activities I ever did, but they are some of the ones that worked the best and I used them often. I think what makes certain activities good, in my opinion, is that they are simple, easy to prepare, and require the students to participate/use English.

I used all these activities in my high school lessons, but they would probably work well in junior high too.

Lets just jump straight in...

Castle game:
This game is simple, and doesn't require much preparation. All you'll need is some questions to ask the students, and a class of about 9 or more. I can't claim originality here, I did read about this one somewhere, but I've made it my own (a modifier I'll explain later).
Here's what you do: split the class into 3 or 4 teams. They can be big teams as it is really just a question/answer game. Draw 1 castle on the blackboard for each team. Each castle should have at least 3 walls and 1 tower which is behind the walls and a team flag at the top. The goal of the game is to destroy each others towers. You can do this by answer questions correctly for your team. If a team answers a question correctly they can choose which teams castle to destroy. Once all the walls and the 2 levels of the tower have been destroyed a teams flag can be stolen and added to the attackers tower (next to their own flag).
Now about the modifiers which can make this game more interesting...
1. allow teams to rebuild walls on their turn. Standard rule really.
2. Introduce a dice. Introducing dice into a game is really standard English teaching 101, it can changes people lives. If you do this you must modify your drawing. Split the walls up so they are divided into 9 pieces each (6 for easier/faster... better choice if you can repair). When a team answers the question correctly they can roll the dice. The roll of the dice determines how many units of the castle the can destroy.

Describe the picture game...
I made the name for this game. This one is simple too. Simply print a bunch of interesting characters/people/objects or scenes and keep them secret from the students. Split the class into teams again, and give points to the team that answers first. So what you do is have one student at a time come to the front of the class and describe what character/etc is in the picture without saying its name. For example, you may have printed a picture of a panda, the student will say something like: It is black and white. It is an animal. It lives in China... etc. If the students are feeling nervous then allow them to come up in pairs (this works a lot of the time and can really change a lesson) or if you still have that dice then use it to select a student by row/column (standard really... dices are awesome).

Pictionary
Ok, so you've probably even played this one before. Simple game that can be used to review learned vocabulary. All you need to do is think of a list of interesting words. In this game a student or students are shown a secret word that they must draw for their team, the team must guess (in English) what the picture is. Which ever team answers first gets a point. My English club love this game, always a winner. A good thing to do is feel the atmosphere of the class and modify if needed. One way to do this is have 1 or 2 students draw the picture on the board. This will work well if the class in comfortable together. Another way is to give each team sheets of paper to draw on, and call 1 member of each team to come and see the secret word. Personally the second method works better in my school, probably because they love drawing.

Song puzzle
Another simple game. This one requires a bit of preparation, but nothing impossible. All you need to do is prepare a song and cut it into chunks so the students can listen and piece it together like a puzzle. Simply choose a good song for your class (if your not sure go for a slow and clear song) and space out the lyrics in chunks in Microsoft Word or something. The bigger the paper the better. I space it out as such: verses are 2 sentences long chunks then white space. Chorus is 1 sentence long chunks. Print this out on large paper and cut it up. Ensure you have enough puzzles for the student groups.
There is one more cool thing you can do with this: add a secret message going down the side of the puzzle. Once the song puzzle has been put in order the students can see the message going from top to bottom on the left or right side.
Example: Bruno Mars - Talking to the moon.
Ensure you download the original after following the link. Google docs might change the format/make some things invisible. Let me know if there are problems.
As you can see I have put a message down the left hand side.

Song - fill in the blanks
This is pretty much explained in the name. Print of the lyrics with missing words or phrases. Have the students listen and write them in, or supply a word list where they can add a number into the blank space. This can easily be changed for the level of your students. Allow them to listen to the song once or twice. If they are having trouble then you can stop the song just before and after the blanks to allow them sometime to write/match.
Here's and example: Goyte & Kimbra - Someone that I used to know
Ensure you download the original after following the link. Google docs might change the format/make some things invisible.
This song is a little bit challenging, but the students do love it. I even had one teacher overhear the song being played and he came to tell me how much he liked it. A good example anyway.

How school is during February

2012-02-08T22:08:00.000-08:00

So, just last week I had the contract for re-contracting with JET before me on my desk. This is the 2nd time I'd seen this paper. In my first year it came a a surprise. You receive the paper in January and must submit it sometime in February. In my first year I felt like I had only just arrived, and I was being asked to decide on another year (with 6 months remaining on the current contract).

In my first year I felt I was only settling in, I don't even think I had done much teaching by February. I work at a high school, so as soon as you arrive you are in the middle of the summer holiday that lasts till the end of August. August on wards feels more like short periods of teaching among special school schedules and tests. Sports day, for example, takes almost a week of training followed by the sports day itself usually during the weekend. This is one thing I've learnt to love about the job, it always has a nice variety of special schedules during the year.

Anyway, recently my 3rd years have just had their final test, having been back for only a few weeks after their holiday. So that leaves only the 1st and 2nd years at the school. Soon, they too will do their test and start another holiday... mannn, it feels like they just got off one. I don't know if it is only me but the end of the year and the start-up of the new one always flys by.

Anyway, back to that contract stuff. This year I signeddd....no. I choose against doing the 3rd year. I did this simply because it felt like time to move on. The first year was a simple and quick "yes", this year took some thought. It was a wrestle because I love this place, but I feel like it is time to move on in respect with the job. However, in the end, it felt like the other plans found me instead of me searching them out (at least I hope so :) Asking around the other JETs, it is almost half-half, some returning some staying. Anyway there is a vacancy in Nagasaki this August! You'll love it here!

Sumo in Fukuoka - tastes of Japan

2011-11-27T05:06:00.000-08:00

So, I hopped on a bus with some friends from Nagasaki and took of to Fukuoka for a 1 day 1 night holiday. The main thing on the schedule was Sumo wrestling! I really had no idea about it, but I have learnt a few things. Firstly, this is something you have to do at least once! It is far more interesting to go there in person than it is to watch on TV. Here are a few things i've learnt:

-Most of the famous fighters fought later in the day. Since we got there early we saw all the juniors fighting each other. They weren't even displayed on the ranking sheet. Though, this was still really awesome. You can see that there are hardly any people in the picture (taken in the morning)

- Acquaint yourself with the schedule.

- You'll probably be there for quite a while. Get some food because I don't think you can go back out (though in Fukuoka there was food and omiyage (gifts) down in the lobby.

- If your getting a cheap seat (in the back) make sure your camera has a good zoom... obviously mine didn't.

Yeah, but really try it out once at least. It cost me about 3000 yen for a cheap reserved seat.

A theory about making a good English lesson - part 1 - concepts for a good lesson

2011-11-01T19:53:00.000-07:00

So, I have recently just finished my TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) course. It was a 100 hour course with ONTESL which I would recommend. 100 hours doesn't sound like to much, but it ended up taking up a lot of my time (maybe this was just me). It had 3 modules: learning styles, grammar, and lesson planning.

The one that I see as the most important would probably have to be the lesson planning, even though I was in it for the grammar module. As a ALT on the JET program we don't always get to create the lesson plans, but when you do, you'll want to understand how to create a decent lesson. I'll give you a brief run down on some of the structures and points it taught me about lesson planning.

The course ran through quite a few different teaching styles, but it mainly taught the PPP (Presentation, Practice, and Production) structure. This is the communicative lesson approach. The idea behind it is having the students produce the language in a real context. That means you just don't do a class about a grammar point etc without a reason! You must have a context that will make the class truer to a real-life situation.

This communicative lesson approach is really what Japan wants from the JET programme, but in reality it really depends on the teacher you will teach with. More often than not you will be fit into a grammar style class with grammar points, repetition, basic drills, etc. The reason behind this briefly is because everybody is so focused on tests and passing them. The teachers would be grilled if their children failed, yet if they pass their tests everything is ok, even though they are far from fluency. Sometimes it is because it is just easier for the teacher. But, most of the time, it is far from the Japanese teachers fault. This is something that starts from the top and is perhaps greatly influenced by culture.

I just attended a conference by JET that again went over these points. The main idea being: we really need to let the Japanese students try to freely produce the language (a focus on fluency). This is what the communicative approach is all about: allowing the students to freely produce the target language in the classroom. Let's take a quick look at some of the concepts and main points of this communicative system:

The teacher takes the role as a facilitator, rather than a dictator or controller of the classroom. There will be teacher to student learning, but there will also be a lot of student to student learning. The teacher isn't always the focus of the class! It is the teachers job to have the students communicate together. You may notice that in Japan is a very teacher to student culture.
Use the language in context. Ensure that the class has a context. Grammar and vocabulary without a context is quite confusing. How do you use this new vocabulary and grammar? It is good to have a theme or context right from the beginning.
There is a lot of group work and interaction between the students.
Allow the students to think. Don't just give them questions and immediate answers. A lot of students enjoy taking attempts and get a feeling of reward from answering the questions. You can allow the students to do this as a group too. A lot of the time teachers expect immediate answers, but the students need time to think! Also, ensure you structure your questions well, don't leave them too open (i.e., What do you think about this?), but don't leave them so closed that there is only one answer (unless the exercise calls for it).
Use a lot of props, pictures, and brainstorms. Use these as prompts to get answers from students.

That is only a small list, but hopefully it gives you a good feel for the communicative approach. There are things like the lesson structure and common activities that really express this method well too, but i'll go over them in the next part. It is a challenge to try and employ these concepts in a class. You will probably find a different story for each class you teach because of your various teachers. But, if you have the opportunity to see a teacher-student dictated class and a communicative class side by side (I have had this opportunity in a lesson observation conference), then you will notice the huge difference in what skills the students are employing in the class.

So, I've left these concepts kind of shaky but, they'll come together more when I have the chance to post about the PPP lesson structure.

"Time bomb" search game - TESL game

2011-10-31T22:28:00.000-07:00

So, I came up with this game the other day when trying to think of a game to spice up a lesson on "Health problems". But I can see that this game could work well for those lessons that have a lot of vocabulary (which was the challenge I had at the time). This is only an activity, a part of the class, and is geared to getting the students speaking to each other. It would be good at the practice stage of a communicative lesson plan.
So let me explain how it goes.

Time: ~15-20 mins.
Class size: variable (Depending on how much vocabulary you use. You can double up on words too).
Aides:

A loud stop watch (it is best if the students can hear it).
a set of vocabulary that you want to teach on cards (ensure there is enough cards for about half of the class).

Aim: Get the students practicing the vocabulary, grammar, and/or phrases you have just taught them, and have fun.

Procedure:

How the games works:

I will use the "health problem" theme to describe this, but you can obviously change it.

Split the class into 2 groups. One will be the patients, and the other the nurses. The teacher(s) will be the doctors. Give the "patients" each a card. The card they receive will have a symptom on it, e.g., diarrhea, fever, stomachache, etc. The "nurses" job is to find the patient that the "doctor" describes before the time runs out on the stop-watch. To find the patient the students in the nurse role must use the English phrase that you have just taught them.

For example, A: "You don't look good, are you alright?",

B:"No, I have a stomachache", etc.

Play around with the complexity of the conversation. If they cannot find the patient(s) in time then the patients will die. You can set the time on a stopwatch. Play around with the times, but make it challenging. Each time the students find the patient or run out of time tell them the new symptom and start the stop-watch again. Keep going until all the patients are dead or saved.

A good way to modify this game is to give some of the patients a card like "infectious". If they have this card the nurse that interrogates them "dies". You can also turn it into a competitive score keeping game by doing this.

Another quick note, you might want to say that they become severely sick or hospitalized instead of "dead". Something different just to be sensitive. But, as I said, this is only one theme. You could use this style of game for many themes, phrases and grammar structures. It is pretty much an information-gap style game.

Make sure that before you play this game that you have introduced the vocabulary, grammar, and phrases that you want to teach. Spend sometime making sure they understand how to use the language you want to teach and then play the game.

I've attached here the vocabulary cards that I used for my game.

Let me know if it worked for you!

Nagasaki Takengei performance

2011-10-24T06:15:00.000-07:00

It has been such a long time since my last post. I have been doing a 100 hour English certificate, so i'm sure I'll have something to say after that.

But, I have been to some recent events in my city, Nagasaki. One of which is Takengei　竹ん芸.
So this event takes place in mid to late October. The performers (some as young as 3 years old) do some amazing acrobatics on the flexible bamboo poles. It is better that you just take a look at the pictures.

The event takes place not far from the city. This temple is nestled in the hills, but not far from popular attractions.

A young boy which I believe is throwing rice cakes (mochi 餅) to the crowd.

This ones really gives you a feel for the height. My camera couldn't take it all in, but these bamboo poles are quite tall.

And when YouTube finally finished processing my video, you can watch the 3 year old acrobat do his climb:

Improving your students reading comprehension

2011-08-28T18:39:00.000-07:00

So I came across a great website recently that gives some great tips about reading strategies - Mind tools.

Firstly, before introducing the link...

The article isn't exactly aimed at foreign students, but people fluent in the language. However, these are still really valuable tips. There is one important thing, make sure that you don't use the information to "slot" your students into a certain "learning level". Don't box them in. Instead, when wanting to improve the student's skills (in this case reading comprehension), first identify what they need to work on and then suggest an appropriate strategy to employ. Consider the variables, what content are they trying to tackle, and for what reason (test, report, etc)

One of the things I liked about the article is about how deep one should read. Useful for students that struggle to comprehend some vocabulary. Having a brief skim of the text can give you a lot more context.

Anyway, take a look at the article. I'm sure it'll give you a few strategies you can teach your students.

http://www.mindtools.com/rdstratg.html

Summer in Japan - a couple of hints - something practical for the incoming JETs

2011-06-29T02:59:00.000-07:00

So, it is pretty much summer here in Japan. I believe that it is still suppose to be the rainy season, but including today we've had 3 fine days. You know when it is summer when your on the way to school in the morning and you think it would be a great idea to go for a dip in that small river next to school. When you are hoping that the bus gets here quicker so you can sit/stand in the nice air conditioned interior. When half of the English department goes for a mission to the closest supermarket for icecream.

Well, summer here... is hot to say the least. During summer in Nagasaki it averaged around 32-33 degrees Celsius each day + the humidity. A lot of people told me that the Japanese would not sweat during summer, that i'd be the only one... that... is a lie. The good thing about my school is that at least there is air conditioning inside the staff room, however, none of my classrooms have aircon. Anyways, I have a bit of advice about summer, stuff you might not hear at your average "prepare for JET meeting". I'm gonna leave out the official stuff of JET because they will make sure you know everything about the important things. I'll just tell you some additional advice ;)

I like bullet points ;)
(The the following is advice and things i've learnt. Most I have learnt myself, some the hard way)

Cardiovascular exercise. This is good for 2 things: outrunning zombies & bears, surviving the Japanese summer. I'm thinking about getting a running routine at the moment. It truly does help to be fit so you don't turn to goo during classes (esp if you get one of those 35-37 heat waves). An additional benefit is that most schools have athletic meeting at this time. You can join in ;)
Freeze your food scraps! All of them. Usually you can chuck out food scraps 1 or twice a week, but things decompose quickly in the humid hot summer. Freezing your scraps can save you from a few things that summer brings: cockroaches, fruit flies, maggots. Additionally, make sure your kitchen is kept clean, as I said, it is the season for bugs.
Mukade. A poisonous centipede thing. These things can grow pretty big, and can leave hell of a swollen whatever-they-bite apparently. If you live on the lower floor of a building you might just meet on of these beauties. Don't touch. Oh, and if your sleeping on the ground, as many do here, check your bedding ;)
If you have a Futon (a mattress you sleep on the ground/tatami,-google it) then make sure you get it off the ground to dry from time to time. If you sweat during the night it can affect the tatami. Take it off the ground so the summer heat/wind can dry it out.
Every Japanese person carries something like a towel/handkerchief. They will probably have them all year around, but they esp obvious during the summer. They are used to dry hands, etc. During summer probably most used for sweat ;) Get one. You can probably find many cute ones around the shops. You'll see what I mean when you arrive.
Figure out what kind of summer clothes you can wear. At my school I can go casual with a polo shirt to keep things cool. Some might need to go formal. Either way, find some dry-wear/summer-wear if you want to be comfortable in the heat. Japan releases whole ranges of this at summer time. If you visit a store you will no doubt find summer suits, and other clothings which says "Dry!", "Summer!", etc.
Most Japanse also wear an additional layer under their shirt (this is mainly for men). They have cheap "dry", cool, under shirts on sale here. Grab some if you care.
Apparently rainy season and summer is the season for snakes. Not that I saw any last summer. However, strangely I nearly walked onto one 2 weeks ago. I looked pretty pissed. There are venomous vipers here, they're not completely lethal, but it isn't just a scratch either. Just be aware, not really worth the fuss, just a side note ;)

Ok that is all I can think of right now. Hope some of these help. I made it sounds like it'll be a big sweaty mess over here, and that you life is endangered by nature. That isn't quite the case, but pays to be informed. Lastly, ask your predecessor where a good summer spot is ;)

Cheers.

The photos that I promised recently and more

2011-06-11T03:56:00.000-07:00

Ok, so here are some recent photos from around Nagasaki, Japan. Also include photos of Hotaru (fireflies), and Kousoutai (High school sports meeting).

Nagasaki - China Town

Nagasaki - down town

Karate sparring - Kousoutai

A dam not far from Nagasaki. This is where the firefly live.

Hotaru are hard to photograph!

A Japanese girl managed to catch one

The event called Hotaru ホタル in Japan (fireflies)

2011-06-08T19:21:00.000-07:00

One thing that I love about Japan is that it seems to have a season or time during the year for everything. Sakura (cherry blossom) in spring, maple leaves and colour in autumn, Hotaru in the rainy season, etc, etc. I live in Nagasaki, a small city, but it has a fair share of its own events, some of which are famous around Japan (e.g. Lantern Festival).

Anyway, last night I went to see about the 蛍、ホタル、Hotaru (fireflies) around Nagasaki. In fact, I found that Nagasaki has a website setup for giving Hotaru reports (check out other locations around Japan here). So the fireflies are doing their glowing, dancing business from the end of May to mid June. Some famous spots will also have a Hotaru Matsuri (Firefly festival).

Personally, I loved seeing these things floating around, giving off a kind of magical feeling. The best moments are when you get a good view down the river/stream and see like a tunnel of glowing, pulsating orbs swirling around. These things were tricky to photograph but I got 1 or 2 keepers that'll i'll post up later.

Any way, cheers, these critters are still about for a bit longer, so get out and see them if you can ;)

Prefectural high school games - kousoutai 高総体

2011-06-06T19:41:00.000-07:00

Hey there, long time no post.
So as I have said through some of my posts, working at schools in Japan is not only about the classes. There are many events through the year. At different times in the year, you may feel like you're attending more events than actual classes. One of these events in high school is Kousoutai 高総体 (high school athletic meeting). This event (in Nagasaki prefecture anyway) is prefectural. That means all the high schools in Nagasaki-ken (prefecture) have to compete against each other in different sports.

This event is quite big. The sports are played in various high schools and sports grounds around the prefecture. Usually it has a city that it is based in, but the events are held in various places. During this time students either participate or cheer on their fellow students. There are no classes, but there is no stay at home option ;) Students are given tickets they must hand to teachers to show they had attended the event to support their high school. Though in reality they only needed to hand them in and then leave, but the many I saw enjoyed watching the sport. Same goes for the teachers (including me), we had to attend. However, teachers don't need to hand in tickets. The Kousoutai takes place over about a week, and narrows down to the winning high school sports teams.

I quite enjoyed the Kousoutai. It is quite a nice time of the year for it to be held. Now it has just entered the rainy season, so the days are warm, but not too hot like summer. I, myself, went to watch Karate on the first day, and then swimming and volleyball on the second day. The atmosphere of the city changes a bit with all the highschool students out in groups wearing uniform. It was an interesting day, meeting students, walking around, watching sport, relaxing, etc.

Well just a quick post explaining the event. Might put some pictures/video of some sports later. Cheers.

Buying a Nintendo 3DS over a electronic Dictionary - Japanese/English Dictionary

2011-05-22T23:17:00.000-07:00

It was some time ago that I thought it was about time to get a electronic dictionary, esp because i'm meeting a Japanese friend once a week for 1-on-1 English/Japanese lessons. Having a dictionary is just plain helpful, esp if you can enter kanji in it.

So the features I really wanted were Kanji entry, Jap/Eng dictionary (and of course the opposite), and some good examples in the definitions.

Well, I finally finished looking around the shops and figuring out what the best product would be for me. I checked out a whole bunch of the new Electronic Dictionaries...

They were all about 3man yen (30,000en). The thing I learned quickly about them is that even though they have 100`s of dictionaries, I'd only ever use the Genius Jap/Eng and Eng/Jap dictionary. The rest of the dictionaries were simply in the way, or at least I would rarely use them. The good thing about all of them was the Kanji input, but that is pretty standard these days. Another thing the Electronic dictionaries have over the Nintendo 3DS dictionary software is that you can easily use the jump function (this lets you jump to unknown words from another words definition). The 3DS's jump function only jumps to English words. However, the EDs wasn't great either. Sometime it would not jump to the English definition, only the definition of a word in Japanese. Another thing I found on some Electronic Dictionaries is that it was missing (or damn hard to find) the Jap/Eng dictionary. Maybe I just missed something, but some were plain simple to enter Kanji and get the English definition and others I couldn't figure out.

In the end, I got the Nintendo 3DS with the Kanji Sonomama software. The 3DS worked out to be about 22,000yen. That was about 8,000 yen cheaper than most of the other dictionaries which allowed me to buy the dictionary and another game for about 8,000 yen. I haven't regretted my decision. I found it was quite forgiving of my rough kanji entry. If you get it wrong you can pick from a group of alternates. Also, you can overcome the failure of the jump function by simply looking at the Kanji on the top screen, while entering the kanji you want to search on the bottom touch screen. The software has Eng/Jap, Jap/Eng, and a Chinese dictionary. Another thing I love about the Kanji Sonomama is that it has great usage examples in each definition. This is really great when you trying to figure out how to use a new word, and it gives you some examples you can walk away with. Kanji Sonomama uses the Genius dictionary (which pretty much all of the ED use). The 3DS also starts up quick from sleep mode and you can be enter kanji just as quick as any other Electronic dictionary.

So yeah, that is how it went. If you are thinking about this yourself, I'd suggest you take a look at a decent cellphone (you may have one already). If you can download a good app it would be a lot more convenient and less expensive. If you just want a 3DS, you have even better reasons now. If you do decide on the 3DS, check out the Nintendo eStore (which should open soon), it may have a cheap dictionary or something.
Some points to test in Electronic dictionaries:

Test the jump function. How well does it work? Does it actually jump to English definitions (some don't)
Does it have both Jap/Eng and Eng/Jap dictionary? Does it have the dictionaries you want (if you want Chinese too or something).
Does it correctly identify the kanji you enter?
Does it have examples for each definition? These really help.

That's about it ;)

Castle game - simple but great ESOL game

2011-05-19T23:24:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,

So I read about this game somewhere, but it is easy to adapt and can be used on any type of quiz or whenever you want to turn answering questions into a game. Pretty much anything which has a lose/win scenario. I've used this game on classes with 15 students to classes with 40 students. It creates a bit of playful competition and can liven up a class if done right.

So this is how it goes. Firstly, I break the class into 2-6 groups. Each group has a castle on the blackboard that represents them. I usually draw the castles myself. The students usually love this part. Watching as my castles get worse and worse as I quickly draw them. The castle usually consists of 2-3 wall segments (dependent on difficulty) and 1 tower which has a flag. Usually If I have a large class, or want a shorter game, i'll only use 2 wall segments. Now you just start the quiz, any team that answers the question correctly first has the choice to destroy another teams castle (and I also allow them to rebuild their own if damaged). You can simply erase a wall segment of an attacked castle (or draw in the damage). Once a team is down to only their tower, it is their last stand before the other team can steal their flag. If a teams flag is stolen it can be placed on the attacking teams castle. And that is how it goes. Really the game can last as long as you still have questions to ask (and I always chuck in a few fun questions like who is this actor just to wake them up).

So I just quickly spewed this out. Now that you get the general idea you can easily adapt it as you wish ;)
Cheers.

Relationship with Students and generally just people on the JET programme

2011-05-17T00:18:00.000-07:00

So things have been getting pretty busy again in school. The new year has started up and is in full motion. Things have been moving fast. Summer break is coming up, which means the new JETs are getting ready to arrive.

You may think your first challenge here will be your first class and introductions...wrong! Well, it may be a little challenge, but I don't remember it being terrible. The major challenge in human life is and will always be: relationships. This is because they have a great potential to reward or destroy you. Working on your relationships with people will really be beneficial for your time in Japan. I mean you won't exactly be invisible here, in fact you might as well glow. Plus, Japan is a fresh start in a brand new place for many, so why not try something new. Relationships, I believe, are really the flavor of life (i'm not just talking about romance, think more generally ;). So before I get philosophical/theological I'll let you know how it is for me.

So, I'm not exactly a relationship guru or anything, but i'm not ignorant, and have spent time working on this area in my life. Anyways, when I first was told I was going to 2 high schools I was thinking... NO! Not high school! I want cute little Japanese kids that love you no matter what. However, even though a challenge, i'm glad I got this placement.

Here is how my first day meeting some of the kids went:
During a summers day roughly 1300hours, I was sitting in the staffroom while the English club girls prepared their ambush. They shyly waited at the door trying to catch a glimpse of the new foreigner. Then, as the english club supervisor (one of my Japanese English Teachers) approached me, they took this as their cue to attack. The group came to surround the area at the end of my desks-group aisle (what do you call those?? haha). It was a brief meeting, but I felt kind-of awkward with all the people. But it turned out nice. One of the girls that was especially genki　元気 (full of energy, lively) said many random things (which is great for students to do: not be afraid). I called her crazy. They were kind-of shocked at first, but then I explain "good crazy" which they accepted. Since then, she is called crazy, mostly by herself. Great attitude. Great kids. They visited me nearly everyday when I first came. I see them every week at my English club now.

Another situation may also crop up. Many students have come up to me and ask "What is my name?" I got this from day one. I'm like, you haven't even told me your name! So they tell me. Next day... "What is my name?" just to make sure. And it won't stop there. I've been asked this question since the start of the new year by the same students (and they know I know). It has now been continuing for about 3 months with other students joining in. So, if you haven't guessed, it pays to remember students names. This year, actually last week, a group of 4 students (all girls) waited outside of the class before I arrived. When I arrived they all proceeded to ask me "What is my name?" I won that round. I lost a round once at the start of one class. The group all said "what is my name", and I knew all but 1 of their names. Then they celebrated "We won!".

You can start a good relationship with students just by trying to learn their names. You may be thinking, what is going on? All the students he mention are girls... whats up with this guy... Thing is, and I've asked around with my JET friends, I think students from the opposite sex to the JET teacher find it easier to engage with the foreign teacher. So males students may all gravitate to the female JET teacher, etc. (If you are on JET or are a foreign teacher, let me know what you think about this)

In life, perhaps one of the most important things you can know about someone is their name. It counts. Back in my home country before I left to Japan, one of my Chinese friends told me "Thank you so much, ... because you remembered my name" (it isn't as romantic as your probably thinking). She explained, being Chinese (a minority) not many New Zealand people would remember her name.

So my simple piece of advice is: remember peoples names. Common knowledge, I know, but make a special effort. When you arrive in Tokyo you will probably receive a small schedule/calendar/notebook. I am now using this near exclusively to write down peoples names and details to remember them by. Not just students, but teachers, and others. Also, another helpful thing to know (I didn't know this for a while) is that most schools probably have a book filled with the names/pictures of each classes students. If you ask, you can probably scan your classes and start writing the student names next to their pictures. The names are all in Kanji (and first names can be impossible because of the amount of different readings) but you can slowly write in names as you learn, or ask teachers. Another way is to assign homework that requires marking. Ask them to write their names in English, and their class and student number (this is standard anyway). Usually you can match the student number and name to the same number in the photo book. A lot of teachers also make seating maps for the students. If you ask you might be able to get a copy for your classes.

Doing this can be really hard from some JET members. I only have 1 school now, some JET members visit more than 7 schools. Sometimes they won't see the same students for a few weeks. So yeah, it can be difficult, but worth the effort. If you can get a photocopy of the students names/photos then you can jog your memory if you have many schools.

A few hints. Hope they help.

My trip around Kyoto - Part 1: around Kinkakuji and Arashiyama

2011-05-02T23:40:00.000-07:00

Since I've been on the JET Programme I've been to Kyoto twice for holidays. I think I could easily go back again, the place has so much to do and see. At the moment, it is my favorite place that I have traveled to. To me this place seemed to have a laid-back style or maybe that was just because of the way I choose to do the sightseeing. It also has the traditional Japanese feel to it because of the many temples and markets you can explore.

If you look at a map of Kyoto you can easily split up the sightseeing locations. I split my sightseeing into 3-4 different sections. Since I was there for about 5 days it worked out nicely. It seems to split up pretty nice into the North, East and West. East is around the area of Arashiyama (my favorite zen garden in Kyoto), and the West is around the area of Gion (geisha territory, if your lucky you can spot them being bused around in their taxis). You will probably be doing a lot of walking, but Gion in general is a nice place to walk around and explore. Further North is Kinkakuji (the Golden pavilion) and Ryouanji (zen rock garden).

If you plan on going for a few days, you might want to fit Nara into your plans. Nara is a great little place that you can conquer in about half a day. It has some amazing temples and everything is inside a massive garden that is filled with pesky deer (they ate my damn map!). You probably get on the train from Kyoto in the morning and make it back in the early afternoon.

If anyone is looking for a good place to stay in Kyoto I would recommend Kshouse Kyoto backpackers hotel for accomodation. I have been there twice and have not been disappointed. It is a great hotel with awesome staff, and only about 15 minutes walk from the station. You can easily book with their website. I would go back again (esp because it says outside: New Zealand style backpackers... NZ pride or something).

Anyway, the best way to introduce this is through pictures.

The Golden Pavilion 金閣寺

The Golden Pavilion is situated North of Kyoto's station. About a 35-40 minute bus ride.

The Golden Pavilion is probably Kyoto's biggest attraction. The pavilion itself is situated in a nice Japanese style garden. You can almost walk right around the pond. It is surely worth seeing. I mean it won't blow your mind away, but it is a nice tranquil place, beautiful and a great walk.

Ryouanji 竜安寺

Just a short walk away from the Golden pavilion is Ryouanji 竜安寺 (zen rock garden). Actually, on the way you pass a nice kaiten sushi place (conveyor belt sushi). I'm pretty sure it is a chain restaurant, but still cheap and good.
Ryouanji is also situated in a nice garden. In fact, the garden has got a lot more places to explore than Kinkakuji. This place is really worth going too. Even if the rock garden doesn't interest you, there are other nice things to look at around the garden. The whole thing can turn into a nice relaxing stroll.

There are a few smaller but great temples in this area. One of the places include, I think, Japans largest pagoda. Check them out if you wish. They are easy to find on maps in the area, and are also in walking distance. I can't go through it all, it would take far too long.

Arashiyama (嵐山) - Bamboo grove

Arashiyama, in the west of Kyoto, is a great place to spend an afternoon. Located around Arashiyama is a Zen style garden also with a rock garden. Right next to the garden is a road through a bamboo forest. Also, a place that I really wanted to go to, but didn't make it: the monkey park.

I went during winter, so this day was especially freezing. I thought I would rather try to survive the cold (quite literally) than try the monkey park.

ESOL English game - dice, vocabulary and grammar - JET programme

2011-04-29T00:44:00.000-07:00

Hey there,
I thought I would share with you all the most successful game I made for my Japanese High School's English Conversation class. In every English lesson I have an activity or game that helps to teach the targeted English. Whenever you are teaching a foreign language it is great to get the students using it in a fun way, and make a good teaching environment. This game in particular really succeeded in waking the students up, they actually became quite excited to play it. Let me tell you how to works...

Well, I call this one "dice, vocabulary and grammar" for a reason. It is pretty much exactly that.

The goal: Review/Practice recent grammar and vocabulary that has been taught in the classroom.
Required: Dice. I gave each team 2 dice (you can probably pick up at a 100 yen store). A set of cards (printed if you like) with vocabulary on them.
Class size, etc: I played this game in a class of about 16 students (senior high school students). I think it could be easily scaled up. You would have to have more vocab and bigger teams however. I think if you make the number of teams close to the size of teams (e.g. 5 teams with 5 in a team) then that'll work better.

How it goes: So this is how my class went down... My class had just learned about weekend activities (going to the gym, watching TV, etc), so I based it on this. I made some vocab cards from the different activities e.g. "watch T.V.". As I said, I had about 16 students. I broke them into 4 groups. Make sure that each team gets about 4-5 vocab cards (scale up/down if needed). Each team gets 2 dice.
So how it works is: 1 or 2 students from each team stay at their table and all the other students will go to other teams tables to try and take vocab cards from them. To steal a vocab card from another team a student must ask a question (based on the grammar/content you are trying to learn). For example "Did you watch TV this weekend?". If the team being asked the question has the vocab for "watch TV" then they must hand it over and say "Yes, I watched TV in the weekend". The student then takes it back to their team. However, before they are allowed to ask the question they must roll the dice. If the student who wants to ask the question win the roll, they may ask. If not, then they must continue on to another group. Whatever team has the most vocab cards in the end wins (time of this activity is decided by you).

Note: This may need translation into Japanese if the students don't understand (which is likely). Ensure you explain the game adequately to your Japanese Teacher of English (JTE).

The dice roll makes the game exciting because of the element of chance. This game works great to teach the grammar and vocab that class is currently working on. It can pretty much be adapted to any targeted grammar or vocab list.

If you ever try it, leave me a comment and let me know how it went. If it works any well, it might just be one that you can print off and save for those surprise classes you will probably receive ;)

Japanese language text book with Manga examples (learn with Manga) - My first textbook

2011-04-22T05:10:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to let everyone know about the book I first started learning Japanese with.
So when I first started learning Japanese I was looking for something interesting and also for a text book which actually had good content. I wanted something to follow the Japanese pop culture but also have good teaching. In short, after spending a long time reading amazon comments, I went with the book "Japanese in MangaLand". Yeah I know how it sounds haha, but the cover itself will intrigue you before you even get to the contents.

The title "Japanese in MangaLand" makes it pretty obvious you will be learning Japanese with manga. The book itself consists of around 30 lessons (covering big topics). Each of these lessons has an example section that makes use of Manga illustrations to get across the lessons content. I believe the book itself is aimed at people wishing to read manga. What I like about this is that it starts from the useful Japanese straight away. Traditional textbooks will teach you the formal Japanese long before any casual Japanese. You don't want to be stuck in formal forever, and i'm glad that this book quickly introduces both. This is done especially because Manga (and anime) often use informal language.

So, this book is about learning the basics (as it says on the cover). It lead me through learning all of the writing systems: hiragana, katakana and beginning kanji (Chinese characters). After first introducing the writing systems at the start, with great charts and an excellent Kanji reference in the back, it will then use them for the rest of the book. In my opinion, i'm glad the book had a solid stance on learning all of these from the start. Many people will know one or two of the writing systems, but you really need all of them to even begin reading. The sooner the better (esp because the more kanji you know, the easier it is to learn new words and guess meanings of new words).

The books topics range from the writing systems, to basics like counting, days & months, to things like Swear words and insults, onomatopoeia, particles etc. If you actually have the guts to stick with this book (which isn't to hard to do because of the manga) you'll come away with a good foundation. Of course, this will not be your only Japanese textbook, but it does a great job getting past those basics and actually covering some advanced grammar. Again, this shouldn't be your only textbook, you will never only have 1 textbook when studying languages. One thing this book doesn't have is audio so you can hear the new vocabulary, however, the Japanese language is not exactly the hardest phonetically. But make sure you have a few text books to strike a balance ;) I myself use about 2-3 different sources (textbooks and online).

To those about to come to Japan. If you haven't started studying the language yet, you could probably pick this thing up and get through it nicely (at a nice pace) in 2 months or less.

Anyways, cheers, hope you find this book as helpful and enjoyable as I did.

(Also there are workbooks, intermediate and advanced levels of this book)

Planning your first lesson - JET Programme

2011-04-19T00:16:00.000-07:00

Hey there. Just finished being told that New Zealand husbands (followed by Italian) are highly sought after in Japan. Yeah! I was just thinking of making a song called "I still don't have a Japanese wife", guess there is still hope. Hold off on that song for now.

Any way, I want to tell you a little about preparing for you classes (in a Foreign English teaching environment). Just so you know, I work at a High school with both a general English course and a fishery course. So here are a few tips. I can't spell it out to the details, it is highly variable.

Firstly, perhaps most importantly, know what kind of situation you are about to teach in! Best way to do this is to talk to your predecessor about the type of preparation they did for classes. For me, I will plan a class a few days in advance (and sometime on the day). Recently, I've been sitting down with everyone that is involved (same material, different classes) and making a teaching plan. However, I heard from a friend that she just finished planning months of classes in advance. See what I mean by different situations, yeah! So figure out what your getting into.

Secondly, your predecessor should have left you a nice bunch of previous lesson plans (if they are nice people). Use these to get a general idea of how a class goes down. If not, you can always ask your Japanese English Teachers that you'll teach with.

Next, when you come around to planning that first class (and all classes) don't forget the objective. What type of class is it? Oral Communication? General? Reading? Writing? Meet your objective.

Write it down! You will probably have a bunch of classes, you can't remember it all. I just write it down on scrap paper and keep it safe. Many go full on with printed templates and things (at least that is what they tell you in seminars, realistically...?). If your you're into that, then do it that way ;)

Plan for the small things. Write them down, don't forget. I try to guess how long things take and make up a 50minute period. Try have some games you can use in the case you have time to spare.

A lot of the time you may have a book that the teachers follow (ask if you use one).That is great, it can provide guidance. However, not all are great books. Adapt the lessons to make them more interesting for the students. Think about encouraging participation and what environment you want in each class. For example, a list of vocabulary is pretty boring. Learning by repetition is not exactly fun (unless you can funk it up). The same vocab can probably be learned in more interesting ways with games, worksheets, in class examples, etc. You will be teaching for at least a year, if the method is interesting for you, it will probably be interesting for the kids.

So without any more rambling i'll let you in on how my lessons go down.

Intro: Greet the students. Ask about their weekend etc, Ask new questions, introduce a new "cool English phrase".

Warm-up: I will play a English song for the students while they fill in the blanks. Quiz them on previous classes, homework check, or some game to wake them up. I mean, not all of these, but around a 10 minute warm up.

Introducing the content: Today I did a little skit with my Japanese English Teacher. I tried to involve the students by asking random students "May I borrow your pen", "Could you open the window" (new grammar). Just someway to make the new content fun.

I always seem to have worksheet so the students can work on the new material. This can be many things from filling in blanks to writing a letter/story.

I usually have a game that is directly related to the new content. I love involving props and stuff. Bringing dice along to class and making up a game with them turned into one of my most enjoyable classes.

I usually like to do a range of activities in the period. If there is too much pair-work, it can get sluggish, to much monologue up the front, they'll go to sleep. Too much paper work, and it can lack interest. Try balance it all out. Think about it as cutting a class into sections of pair-work, self-work, class activity, instruction and talk from the teacher. Of course, you can't segment lessons perfectly, but you can ensure it isn't too unbalanced.

I can probably write a whole lot more. For now, that is enough. But finally, a great tip. If you want to study Japanese (or another language) try and go along to classes, small ones are preferable. Then, steal teaching methods from your teachers ;) I went along to a free Japanese lessons once a week. A whole lot of fun, and it shows you some good teaching tips.

Ask me questions. I'll answer you directly.

My problems finding a computer in Japan

2011-04-16T22:10:00.000-07:00

Recently I've been wanting to finally get an upgrade to my 7 year computer. T'was a long time ago that I could play a decent game on this computer. That is where the problem starts. To begin with, Japan is great for electronics. At the moment they have every kinda 3D appliance you could want; TV's, laptops, computer monitors, Nintendo 3DS. It is easy to find the latest phones, mp3 players, anything with an 'i' in front of it. They surely keep up with the tech and they can do a good deal.
All this is great and a paradise for me, however, gaming computers are absent. I've been to many a store looking for a decent gaming laptop. It seems the only computer with a dedicated graphics card is the ones capable of 3D movies and games. I'm not quite on that boat (though you can turn off the 3D). All I want is a decent graphics card in my laptop! It seems hard to come by in a Japanese store. In fact, most of specs here don't mention anything about video cards (who would if you have integrated).
There is some relief, Dell in Japan sells the same computers it does everywhere else in the world. It is also somewhat cheaper than in my home country (New Zealand).

So, just a heads up to those gamer types out there ;) Unless you are into your nintendos and PS3's then make sure you come prepared!

Now I really hope someone can correct me and show me some more options here in Japan. Perhaps tokyo has more options, but graphics cards seem rare. Probably because there is no demand. I mean, I haven't meet many core gamers in Japan (COD, Halo, Counterstrike, Battlefield, etc), and if I did I bet it would be PS3 anyway.

Tokyo Dogs - Japanese Drama - Recommended viewing

2011-04-16T19:30:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,

We'll you are either in Japan, love Japan, or are about to come to Japan. Either way, it is really good to dig into some decent drama, and other media. Watching dramas is an awesome way to become knowledgeable about the famous people of Japan (which tend to be all in one actors, singers, comedians). Which is why I will recommend to you an awesome drama that I watch called Tokyo Dogs. Pretty much, if you want to watch something with great comedy, a decent story, and awesome actors (cute girl... suppose the girls like the dudes too) then yeah, i'd watch this.
I don't want to give to much away, but it is a story involving 2 detectives with an interesting working relationship (introduced quickly) and a cute girl that happens to come along for the ride (for reasons I won't give away). The relationships between the characters provides the main comic relief. The reason I found it so great is because each of the characters in the story has a really well built up personality which just makes the comedy that much more great.
The action is not terrible either. I mean there are a few of those cliched moments, but it is surely entertaining to watch.

In all, this small drama (with only about 10 episodes) will become a favorite to both the girl and guy audience. Haven't meet anyone that has walked away disappointed.

Preparing your self introduction 2 - an example - JET programme

2011-04-13T18:29:00.000-07:00

So, I just finished doing some little updates to the powerpoint presentation that is my introduction. My high school has just received this years new students, and the new school year is just kicking off. I will be doing my self introduction for each of my 1st year English classes (apparently that is about 5 classes). However, if your about to come on JET, you'll do your introduction for every class :) Don't worry it can be fun, it is all up to you. It is actually one of my favorite things to do.

Anyway, as the title says, I've got an "example" of my slide show presentation. Truth is, i'm not going to upload the powerpoint, it would be useless. Most of it is picture which aren't much use to you. However, I'll walk you through (with nice bullet points) each of my slide and videos I show the students. Hopefully this will give you some ideas.

Ok here we go, a slide per bullet point:

First slide: My opening slide. I've put a nice green theme (good for New Zealand) for my slides. I started off with some weird picture to grab their attention and a local "Kia ora" (Hello). Generally want to get the attention at this point. You could play a small vid?
Next slide is my personal info. All the details about me. Age, name, picture, what I studied, my job, etc. They'll probably be interested in your blood type too... I wasn't sure what mine was :S
With the next slide I explained my life (in simple terms) before Japan with pictures. My home, job, countries I visited before Japan. Only a few pictures, don't want to go on forever about me.
Next slide: My country (New Zealand)! Where it is, simple layout, where the hot pools are, pictures of hot pools, volcanoes, and major cities.
At this point I go into a tourism video about New Zealand. Try find a decent video with a good pace, coverage, music (to keep them awake - plus it can be cultural). Students generally love watching the video. But, try not make it tooo long.
Next slide! Stats about NZ (at this point I'll remind you to get the audience involved, try not to make it a monologue. For example, ask them to translate the population size into Japanese... can be hard for them sometimes) Populations size, sheep populations size ;), how big the country is compared to Japan, the capital, pictures of the capital.
Food! This section they love! This slide I filled with all the different foods that you cannot find in Japan (and sometimes they're interested in Japanese you can find in your country!). Ice cream flavors, meat pies, meat, ridiculously sized food portions, lollies cakes, corn fritters, the whole deal. Nothing more cultural than your food!
Actually, recently I brought some "vegemite". A Australia/New Zealand breakfast spread made from yeast extract. I use it to torture students and teachers alike. Something like that is great. Bring a sampling sticks or something (make sure you know the size of the class!).
Famous people of New Zealand. I used Flight of the Conchords, a comedy duo. They loved the video.
This next slide I made into a quiz. I broke the class into teams quickly and asked them to tell me what NZ is famous for (sheep, rugby, sports teams, zorb, bungee jumping, etc etc). I went through slides with pictures from Lord of the Rings, King Kong (remake), Sir Edmund Hillary, Last Samurai (filmed in NZ), etc etc.
Things to do in NZ slide. About everything you can do in New Zealand. E.g. ride in a zorb (big ball thing), Bungee jump, sky dive, jet boat (Hamilton jet invented in NZ), camping, tramping, canoeing, visiting all those sheep. Of course, this is all with picture.
Now I introduce some of the culture. This slide I introduce the "Haka". A traditional dance usually done before a rugby game by the All Blacks. I showed them a video of this. They loved it! (esp the adidas logo at the end). Sometimes they want to watch it again. Feel free to spread your cultural propaganda ;) It is part of our job.
More culture and interesting NZ fact. I did a slide about the Maori (the NZ natives) and there buildings, food, etc.
This slide is all about NZ animals. NZ famous animals (Moko the friendly dolphin), weird animals (giant weta), and just common animals, etc. If you have a cute video i'm sure it'll go down well (reminds me of that cat and dolphin video I saw recently)
Ok, this last part I reserved for some ridiculous/amazing fact they probably wouldn't know. I introduced 2 extinct birds: the Moa (think huge emu), and the Haasts Eagle (eats the moa). Did some comparisons to the leg height of a Moa to a human (think giant KFC chicken leg).
The last few slides I ended by doing a quiz of the things we had been over. See if anyone can remember the capital of NZ (so far 1 or 2 students haha... suppose it is a hard name).

So yeah, that is how my powerpoint goes. Hope you get some ideas for your own. You will probably have a lot of time to work on this during the school summer break, so don't worry to much. Get some pictures, info, and stuff before you leave your country, if it makes it easier.

Sakura (cherry blossom) in Nagasaki (plus a Sakura song)

2011-04-05T01:26:00.000-07:00

So, it was just the end of May. That means the 桜 Sakura (cherry blossom) is starting to fade away. At school this is a time when some teachers are transferred to new schools. Perhaps it is not the best time for some teachers. However, it is a exciting time for others (as they get to leave, or are happy because they get to stay). Some ALTs supervisor are transferred... sad day. I, however, have been lucky, my supervisor and the teachers I'm close to are staying. Unfortunately some of the younger teachers were transferred.

Anyways, during Sakura it will be common to see families or companies set up picnic style under Sakura trees. Some will go all out with BBQ, chiller and all. I went up 立山 Tateyama (Tate hill) in Nagasaki for "Hanami" (Cherry blossom viewing). Here are some photos:

Here is a song which is kind-of related, Sakura by Funky Monkey Babies (a popular Japanese band at the moment):

The greatness of Japanese convenience stores （konbini コンビニ）

2011-04-03T22:23:00.000-07:00

So I just want to share a bit about the wonders that await at your local convenience stores. I find it a whole lot more convenient than the ones back home. I not really sure where to start so i'll just throw it all out there.

Well, I've actually just come from the convenience store because I forgot to order lunch at school. I walked away with a Pizza roll (one handed pizza sandwich thats rap tasted like an Indian bread...good) and a small pack of cold Kimchi (a Korean fermented vegetable dish). In all it probably cost me about 300en. It was actually a humorous visit. As soon as they saw the Pizza they asked if I wanted it heated. Yes. While taking my cash one of the older men asked how I was with chopsticks. The typical question for the gaijin. But it is nice, since mostly they don't make small talk around these busy places. I didn't want to be to cocky and say i'm awesome, so I just said I ate a lot of Chinese food before I came. Really, I should have prepared something more witty over the past 8 months. Pizza was done before i'd even finished paying. Back to school I go.

Anyway, I'm not sure what that story accomplished.

Ok here is what you can look forward to (and what you have to try):
Sorry, I love bullet points...

Nikuman, Anman, Pizaman, Kare-man. These things typically sit up the front in warm steamer. Take a look at the below picture to get an idea of what it is. Typically a sweetish steamed bread filled with something like Niku (meat, the original but always good), Anko (red bean paste, not as sweet as the Chinese ones but good), Piza (pizza), Kare-(curry flavor).
Pan (bread) - you can get a whole variety of sugar filled bread, donuts, pancakes, curry bread, melon pan (a common favorite). There are so many varieties it is crazy. Plus you can get your normal sandwich in the fridge. Such classics as egg and salad, ham, etc etc.
Onigiri (rice ball) - Rice balls are a great snack. Feel a lot more healthy after eating one of these instead of the sugary bread. Many many flavors... Salmon, tuna & mayo, chicken, pork, sour plum, vegetable ... many that I haven't even tried.
Oden - So i'm going to use a dictionary def. here "oden (various ingredients, such as egg, daikon, or konnyaku stewed in soy-flavored dashi)". Idea is: you get a disposable bowl filled with warm soup and add fried, and stewed ingredients such as daikon (radish), egg, etc etc. I haven't tried this yet, but it looks healthy and tasty. It is tempting on those slow winter days.
Alcohol, tobacco. Easily available at most konbini. Alco-beverages range from beer to Japanese sake, shochu, whiskey, mixed drinks etc.
Nomimono (drinks) - drinks aren't hugely surprising. You will find a whole lot more tea in general. Coffee is available cold or hot (in a can). There is a bit coffee variety. You may be surprised that Coca-Cola actually makes green tea and western tea here. Energy drinks aren't the same as the Red Bull kind. Energy drinks here are smaller and potent. Not really targeted from daily drinking (but then no energy drink should be a daily thing). You will find some interesting drinks such as Calpis (just try it, can't explain), and green tea Cola.
Candy, Lollies - Again, nothing to surprising. You will find some interesting flavors here. Most sought after is usually green tea chocolate (for me and my friends anyway). Chocolate blocks are not as big as back in New Zealand.
Fresh fruit... some will have fresh fruit.
Magazines, manga, etc - You can find ... all sorts of magazines here. It is usual to see the students reading manga in the morning while waiting for school to start (at least I hope they're reading manga).
Other things you can do - Some bills payments can be made at konbini. They simply scan the barcode and you press a big green button on the touch screen, hand over the cash, and done. ATMs are available in all the konbinis I've been too. Also, sometimes other machines such as photocopiers and a ticket machine or something.

Ok enough! They are great. That is all. My breakfasts while travelling around Japan were mostly at the konbini. It'll give you a taste at what is on offer here anyway.

Day in the life of a JET participant on the JET Programme

2011-03-30T17:51:00.000-07:00

So here I am in the morning, drinking Sencha (a type of green tea) after just getting into the office. Recently it has been pretty quiet due to haruyasumi 春休み (spring holiday/break), so I have time to kill. Hopefully I can share a bit about the life of a jet. While I said "day in the life" of a JET, it is hard to explain what an average day is like because there is so much variety. I'll try go over a bit of everything. Plus, it doesn't just stop with school, there are many other things you'll likely be involved in.

Ok, firstly, the kinda daily run down and happenings during school season:

I generally get start by catching my bus around 8am. I need to be at school, at my desk, and ready for the morning meeting by 8.25am. Sometime you'll probably find yourself wanting a stop by the konbini (convenience store) for a Salmon Onigiri (riceball), really sugary pan (bread), and coffee.

The morning meeting: At my 2 High schools this starts at 8.25am (though not during school holidays). At this time the Principal (Kouchou-sensei) and the Head-teacher (Kyotou-sensei) will be in the Shokuin-shitsu (staff room) to kick off the daily meeting. It'll start with a group "Ohayou Gozaimasu" (Good morning) and bow, and then later the meeting will end with a group "Yoroshiku Onegai-itashimasu/Onegai-shimasu" (Lets do our best kind-of feeling) and bow. They will go over all the important daily events in this meeting (as well as special schedules etc). I usually get a weekly print out of important events (as does all the staff, of course in Japanese). Pay attention, even if you don't understand. Ask your supervisor if you need to do anything, but usually it'll be ok, you'll get the hang of sensing weird schedules after a while.
Anyways, after this 5-10min meeting the home room teachers will go and see their classes for a short time. I usually use the remaining time before 9am to prepare if I have any 1st period classes.
After this there will be the classes. My school has 6 50minute classes. Last class ends about 3.25pm. Followed by cleaning. The time I can leave is 4.10pm, although, sometimes I will be at English club.

Classes: Classes start at 9am and they last for 50mins each (with a 10 min break between). So generally at my High school I have about 10-13 classes a week (or less, or more). This is only when we have "normal" teaching days. Other days I will have significantly less (which feels like a lot of the time sometimes). This can be due to: the last year students graduating, testing periods, holidays, sports days, etc etc. Because JET is working in a school environment, it all depends on the school year. So, at the minimum, I have no classes. At the maximum I have had about 4 classes in a day (rare). Again, this depends on your school, how many schools you have, type of school, etc etc. I know quite a few that are in my position, but I do know of some that have many classes.

While you're not in classes: You will probably be working on preparing for the weeks classes, catching up with your English teachers, perhaps helping students with English (always been fun), studying Japanese, planning out your week/next week, making games, talking with other teachers, etc etc. Again depends on what is happening in the school.

Other things apart from in the classroom: I help out everyday with supervising the end of day cleaning (of 1 bathroom); many have after school clubs (I personally try and help at the English club); In the summer you will likely be involved in the annual sports day; my school will sometimes go and clean the neighborhood for a good 2 hours; marathon days; etc, etc
Generally just want to give you the idea that you won't be stuck in the classroom your whole JET life.

Ok, so far it has been about things at the school, but another event that seems frequent (esp right now as some teachers leave around end of March each year)....Enkai! (Casual or formal party). So these Enkai things... you will probably have one for your arrival (perhaps some time after), when teachers leave, when new teachers come, for the younger teachers, for the English teachers, for graduation, end of the year, start of the year, お疲れ様 otsukaresama (thanks for the hard work) parties, season parties, for the sake of having one (get it haha... sake... sake - the alcoholic beverage). Anyways, lots of parties. Many you really should attend (because they are more official), but then some feel more optional. It is great to go and get to know who you work with. You don't have to drink much (as I carefully watch how much I drink), but be careful, in Japan it is almost always all-you-can-drink. Also, if it is official, there will almost always be people that ask you to come to a ni-ji-kai (second party)... and then maybe a san-ji-kai (third party). So do be careful about how much you drink because usually it will be all-you-can-drink and 2 or more parties.

Anyways, that is a lot and yet I feel I have gotten no where. Let me know questions and i'll answer them below ;)
Cheers.

My thoughts about buying your first cellphone in Japan

2011-03-22T19:02:00.000-07:00

So, I came to Japan some time ago, and have had a while to think about what I should have done when first buying my cellphone.
At one point in this blog I said it may be a good idea to buy a Nintendo 3DS and get the Japanese dictionary software instead of buying a Japanese Electronic dictionary. However, it would be far better to buy a decent cellphone right from the get-go. So, for starters, there is 3 main cellphone providers in Japan: Docomo, Au, and Softbank. Asking around, I can't really find many differences in quality/service (this may be different if you live far from the cities in the mountains next to a rice field). However, Softbank in particular seems to focus on smartphones (IPhones, etc)

To cut this short my advice is... think about what you will need during your time in Japan. You are paid well, think about what new things you want to acquire in the next year or two. So, if you wrap all this up in to what you cellphone could potentially do, what do you get? For myself, I found after a while I wanted/needed a Electronic Japanese dictionary (with Kanji input of course), and a way to check up Japanese sentences/travel info. Thinking about this, perhaps it would have been best to get an Android (hint hint, bias here) or Iphone which has dictionary apps for free or cheap, and good internet capabilities. That way you can input kanji by the touchscreen, etc etc.

Also more advice, forget the gimmicks that Japanese phones offer. There is so much packed into some of these phones, but in reality you may never use it. For example, water-proof phones. How often do you plan to submerge your phone in water? If your prone to dropping things in the toilet, this may be actually useful. Many other games/apps/tools loaded by the provider end up never being used. Built in camera? Surely useful, but don't go overkill. A handheld will always be better, and a good one isn't hard to come across in Japan. Solar phone? Good from trampers (hikers), but if you don't do that regularly you can always charge it every night. Ok, get the idea. Don't buy the phone for a gimmick. Check out that it has what you want, you are likely to get a 1-2 year contract. So make sure, if you want a alpha keyboard, that it has a software/hardware one. Does it have access to those apps you want, etc etc.

Also, for those that have signed up and want to change your contract, I have heard (needs confirming) that some providers (Softbank) will pay-off your current contract (on another network) and sell you a phone cheap. Check it out at the nearest store or something if you really want to change.