Teaching English in Japan :)

My personal experience of teaching english in Japan started off pretty strange. One day I was walking back to my host parents house on a hot day, I was a sweaty mess, my hair was in a big lazy bun on my head, glasses on, and the sweat it was really really bad.. but as I was walking a Japanese man pulled his car over right next to me out of nowhere!
He asked me several times, "do you speak english?? do you speak english??"
I told him I did and he offered me a job at his international preschool teaching english.
I was immediately stoked! A job teaching English, playing with cute kids, and a way to encourage these youngsters to expand their horizons and teach them about America.

So thats how i started working at
 スカイ インターナショナル プレスクール Skye International Preschool :)

http://www.skyein.com/

My class of Japanese Students :)

 This is my class of students! I taught 4 times a week, i would teach basic english to the youngest students (2,3,4 years old) and we would sing songs in english and practice colors, animals, and emotions. It was very fun going to this school because the students loved english and America :) They loved it when I told them new worlds or would say very American things like 'you're silly!' and 'you smell like a pig!' my students loved calling each other animals and our animal games were their favorite part of my lessons.

We taught the students geography and about other countries because their were teachers at this school from all over the world. In this picture above was my coworker Aunrag, he was from India. In the top picture was another teacher named Pingo and he was from Africa. The students were shown flash cards of the flags from each country, and we also had art activities were we made big flags from all over the world.

I was lucky to be asked to teach at this international school. Students and teachers here all loved teaching and learning about the world and all the unique properties each culture of their own has :)

Cute Culture in Japan

The Cute'ness that is Japan, is a mastered art. I feel safe generalizing when I say that EVERYTHING in Japan can and will be altered so that it will make all the young school girls squeal "Kawaiiii!" School supplies and clothing are one thing, but Japan has turned food, manholes, cookware, non-cute things, and even poop into unbearable cute versions of themselves.

Japan's cute culture influences everything and everyone. On buses I would see lots of different types of people, male and female, old and young, and clipped to their phones and backpacks/bags/purses would be cute little figurines of one piece characters, or mini stuffed animals, bells, or a Shinto
and/or Buddhism piece that had been cute-a-fied. The cute culture of Japan is so strong of a movement that most Japanese people have to participate in. Every tourist shop in each prefecture had an abundance of cute phone charms, snacks & sweets, stationary and just about anything else you could think of. There were stores at the malls dedicated to only selling EXTREMELY cute things.

To be cute is all that matters in Japan. Woman in America want to be seen as beautiful and mature; however in this cute culture in Japan, being cute is everything. Most girls at my college in Japan would all dress in the same skirt, tights, and blouse if it meant they were cute. Compliments were only valid if they had 'kawaii' or 'amai' in them. I always overheard young men sayin
g to one another 'me-chya kawaii ne!!' (Super cute!) when checking girls out on tv, mags, or at school. Cute cute cute.

Nagasaki: The Historical Hub of Japan

The city of Nagasaki on the west side of the island of Kyushyu is the cultural hub of Japan. When most people hear Nagasaki they think of Pearl Harbor and the atomic bombings of this city; however what most people don't know is that when Japan went through an isolation period of 200 years, Nagasaki was the only port in which anyone could enter or leave the nation.

From about 1641-1853 the Tokugawa shogunate enforced an isolation law that was made to keep outside people's and industrialization out of japan and from threatening Japan's livelihood at the time. 

Because of this long period of isolation in most parts of Japan, Nagasaki was inhabited with lots of worldly growth. Settlers, explorers, missionaries, and scholars came from all over the world to learn of Japan's culture, and to spread knowledge of their own. Most notably the Portuguese and Dutch had a large influence on Japan at this time because of their medicinal/industrial knowledge but also the Portuguese's brought Christianity to Japan as well during this time. 

The atomic bomb that the USA targeted Nagasaki with was purposeful in destroying such a historical city of Japan. The devastation of the 1945 "fat man" atomic bomb can still been seen thought the city today. The atomic bomb museum dedicated to preserving the memory and the people who lost their lives to the bomb and its after affects is located exactly where the bomb originally hit. 

Nagasaki is an amazing city with an extremely cultured past and present. This city was home to the emperor at one time, was the only port in japan open for 200 hundred years to the rest of the world, and was victim to second and last atomic bomb to ever be bombed for real. For these reasons I believe Nagasaki to be the most historically important city in Japan. 

Top 5 places to see in Nagasaki!

The city of Nagasaki, the city of slopes, has many historical sights, top cityscape views in the world, staple foods, and unique cultural events :) because Nagasaki is so amazing I made it a goal to see everything (and eat everything) on my travels when I stayed there for my year-long study abroad. The things I have chosen are the things that were most fun, beautiful, and seen as a must by the locals.

1. The Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum

The atomic bomb museum is a must see for locals and foreigners alike. The devastation caused by the atomic bomb is out of this world and horrifying. The Nagasaki city website says that the museum serves as a powerful reminder of the true nature of nuclear weapons and of the pressing need for world peace. Seeing what it was like for the people in the vicinity of the explosion after the bomb is well documented in this museum, the struggles some people went through to survive, and a representation of the destruction caused to this area in Japan. Close to the museum is Nagasaki's peace park. Also a symbolism of peace after the bomb.

2. Mt. Inasa sights!
Mountain Inasa is a hill to the west of Nagasaki in which all of Nagasaki and its boat harbor can be seen from. There is a rope way travelers take from the shrine at the bottom of the hill to the top. Your view from the top is breathtaking. The night cityscape view is what made mt. Inasa famous, making it one of the top views in the world to see at night!

3. Pray for luck at Suwa Shrine

Suwa Shrine is the biggest Shinto shrine in Nagasaki. Not only is this place enormous but it's very traditional, old, and all major festivals and Shinto related events always have a celebration at the shrine. However, to get to this shrine please be in shape! The stairs are never ending and the only only water at the top in cleansing water :D

4. Seaside park, Dejima
Seaside park outside of the Dejima wharf is an amazing park that always has its fountains on, grass green, and families playing around it. The park is located right on the seaside and there is no better place to stop and relax. Big festivals like hanabi, and kunchi are celebrated here

5. Glover Gardens
Is a park in Nagasaki that was built for Thomas Blake Glover because of his work in shipbuilding , coal mining and other fields. The gardens are built on a hillside in an area with old restored Meiji period European homes. One of the most unforgettable aspects of these gardens is the giant koi pound at the top of the hill, a pound with hundreds of funny koi dying to play, is a dream here that needs to be experienced :)

Birthdays in Nihon!

I spent my 21st birthday in Japan, and while turning 21 in America is a huge deal because I could finally drink, the drinking age in Japan is 20 and I didn't know what to expect at all when my day came :) it turned out my 6 year old host sister from a previous host family during my year long stay was had my same birthday. My entire host family each got me a gift, even my quite host dad got me some kitty socks.

Like any family with small children celebrating is important. We had cake, opened presents, and I shared beer with my host dad.

The next day I took a train to kitakyushyu, a city in the most northern part of the island of Kyushu. My best Japanese friend Rika invited me to spend the weekend with her family at her house. As traditional Japanese go, I was treated wonderfully and they entertained me the whole weekend. First her parents took the family (me, Rika, and her lil bro) out to a buffet where we pigged out, then they took me sight seeing till midnight all around kitakyushyu, it was beautiful!

When we got back home Rikas family had boughten plenty of beers and a cake for me :) this family was full of big drinkers and loved watching me drink because no matter how much I drank I never turned red, unlike the typical Asian gene that causes them to turn red with sometimes even a little alcohol.

Birthdays in Japan can be pretty crazy, but overall I'd say my experience was warm and loving as I got to spend my special with two amazing families that took care of me :)

The Day of the Sea

海の日 umi no hi, sea day is a national holiday in Japan celebrated every third monday of July. Umi no Hi is celebrating the return of the Meiji Emperors return from Hokkaido, also this day was named to give appreciation to the ocean for everything it provides people and because Japan is an island nation the sea is very representative of them. Locals take this day to go to the ocean usually, since its celebrated in July the beaches are bomb and the weather in humid as hell! In some places in Japan umi no hi is celebrated by rowing boats decorated with lanterns and paper kite fish into the ocean. 
There are many aspects to Japan's culture that make the Japanese respectful of the environment. Holidays like Ocean Day reflect the morals and mentally of Japan as a nation; having a day that apperciates the ocean for providing food, surrounding their country, and for fun.