The Akitan Winter 2020

AKITA JET QUARTERLY

THE AKITAN

Winter ISSUE

10.04.20

THE AKITAN WINTER 2020

We are always looking for new content and ideas for The Akitan.

Don’t hesitate to contact us at akitajoho@gmail.com if you might be interested in becoming an Akitan contributor!

Cover by Irene Cao

CONTENTS Editor’s Letter...........................................................P.07 Skymaking............................................................P.15 The Weakness We Choose........................................P.21 Hourglasssea............................................................P.39 The Peak and the Pit ofWinter.....................................P.45 Winter in Film.......................................................P.51 The Konoura Cod Festival.......................................P.57 That Which Burns....................................................P.65 Winter Festivals........................................................P.77 A Pow Seeker’s Guide to the Slopes........................P.97 Itadakimasu............................................................P.117 Film Review: Ohikkoshi お引越し (1993) ..............P.133

Irene Intervews a JTE.............................................P.137 Gutters Full of Rain.................................................P.149 Kimbo Slice (of Life)............................................P.151

MEET THE AKITAN STAFF IRENE CAo Editor & Creative Director Hi, I’m Irene! I’m a 3rd year JET who’s got a penchant for flowers.

I like discovering new places and experimenting with different ingredients when I cook. I believe in trying everything, at least once.

Lexi Baker Freelance Astrologist I’m Lexi, a 3rd year JET who moonlights as a part-time witch. I dabble in star readings, the mystic arts, and love potions. I almost never use my powers for evil.

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Kim Bartos Webcomic Artist I’m Kim, a 2nd year JET in Kosaka Town.

I’m currently co-managing social media for the AkitaPRC. I’m obsessed with all things animation and have dedicated most of my adult life to that. I enjoy drawing, animating, learning languages, and adventuring out into the wilderness.

I’m prone to long-winded discussions about the spooky scary unexplained.

Peter Bond Film Review I’m Peter, I’m a 1st year JET in Yurihonjo City. When I’m not hiking or reading, I’m watching movies.

Classic Japanese Cinema, Japanese New Wave, and of course Non-Japanese movies as well.

Some favorite films of mine are : Mistress America, In the Mood for Love, Ran, Vertigo, The Act of Killing. Hit me up with any movie suggestions, always looking for more.

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Join the PRC AKITA JET PUBLIC RELATIONS COMMITEE About us The Akita JET Public Relations Committee (PRC) is made up of the JETs currently responsible for creating and managing four digital platforms for collaborative information exchange, promotions, and communication.

position openings

-Editor & Creative Director of The Akitan We are opening applications early to find the best candidate for this position. More information about the application process will be sent out shortly.

If you are a creative person and would like to gain experience and boost your CV in design, editing, journalism, and a leadership role while on JET, this position may interest you.

akitajoho@gmail.com Irene Cao PRC Coordinator

Kazuno in Akita, Andrea Danko 5

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Editor’s letter

For someone who loves winter, I was very disappointed with it last season.

To call it winter would be a lie...It was a real shame that Akita didn’t get the amount of snow it usually gets each winter. This year, it felt more like a Canadian spring. I’m not going to lie though, I quite enjoyed not having to slip and slide on ice this time around.

In my desperation, I went far and wide to seek out snow. Going as far as Nagano on an 8 hour drive...twice. Some friends even drove up to Hokkaido in search of true winter. For snow lovers, I hope that next winter will be better.

Fear not however, because many of you have sent in lovely photos of winter for us to enjoy; without the shivering and potential frostbite.

I know some of you are happy with an early spring, and looking forward to seeing the cherry blossoms. But let’s take a look back and appreciate what winter had to offer us.

Irene Cao, Editor & Creative Director

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Hokkaido, Irene Cao

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Innuko Festival in Yuzawa, Akita, Jessiva Legham Scott 9

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Togakushi Shrine Nagano Allyson Roberts

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Ombre cranes Tresier Mihalik

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Sapporo nightscape in Hokkaido, Irene Cao 14

Skymaking FELIX CLUTSON

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I

III

As the year crawls

The city wakes up, stretches

Towards December

Reluctantly it pulls morning cars up the hill

The skies realise

The roads though are slow now

Realignment is needed

Bewildered by the cornflower vault Of a day not quite dawned

The morning streets At the edge of winter

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Haze in morning sun twilight,

Afternoon dribbles in

Emerging as dew-laden trees unbend

And the daylight reaches out slowly

Wispy cloud ghosts

Keeping its other in hand in its warm pocket

Glacially rush to each other

But time has slipped round the corner

Across the smooth pale blue

And kept on running

Of a sky not quite coloured in Not out per se They had almost forgotten

But towards the moon

They’re not allowed to hibernate

And daylight can’t find its running shoes

So they gather, sheepishly

So retires to its cloudfluff armchair

To diffuse some gold through fluffy, burgeoning grey

And calls it a day Early

II The cold meanwhile

The only sounds remaining now

Has struck a deal with the sun

The slow, stumbling of life

That if it sticks to the shadows

In the emeraldewed grass

It can have free rein to push leaves into the grass

The lazy, lilting, homeward evening birdsong And the eternal etched spin of a sky moved on

...

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17 Swans in Kazuno, Akita, Andrea Danko

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Mt. Moriyoshi in Akita, Irene Cao

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Innuko Festival in Yuzawa, Akita, Tresier Mihalik

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THE AKITAN

The Weakness We Choose ALLYSON ROBERTS

“Nihongo jouzu!” and “O-hashi jouzu!” – the bane of a JET’s existence.

It is in these words, albeit complimentary in

nature,

that

many

of

us

find

condescension and embarrassment, and often a realization that we are not truly being seen.

of our group. Every other participant was Japanese.

The three of us, all JETs from

across Japan, kept mostly to ourselves until lunch, when we were sat at a table with three friends from Tokyo. We had already established that the three of us

This February, I traveled to Taiwan

all lived in Japan and spoke Japanese,

to fulfill a childhood dream and, honestly,

and yet, over a traditional Taiwanese

to escape the monotony of winter desk-

meal in the heart of the Taroko Gorge,

warming. Ever since I first saw the Disney film Tangled, I’d dreamed of seeing the “floating lights” of the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival, and it was that dream that drove me through the anxiety and stress of exploring somewhere brand new. A new country, a new culture, a new language – by all means, a new challenge.

Partway through the trip, two friends and I woke before the sun to partake in a guided day trip down to the Taroko Gorge, a breathtaking national park full of towering, humbling cliffs. It was to be one of the highlights of the trip. We showed up at the station, ready to meet the rest

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on the other hand, was born and raised in the mundane suburbs of Idaho, with enough opportunities and experiences to be truly lucky, but also with a winding path that has left me questioning who I am, why I’m here, and what in the world I’m doing with my life. For the rest of the day, my friends engaged with their new Japanese friends, and I sat in a daze, trying to figure out where I’d gone wrong.

we were complimented on our Japanese and chopsticks usage in nearly the same breath.

job as a JET is incredibly

seasonal, with an impossibly busy schedule for half of the year and prolonged deskwarming for the rest. In the beginning, I had high hopes for my paid “time off”

I’ve spent years steeling myself

– I was going to learn French and how

against the comments, reminding myself

to code and start several new programs.

that strangers mean well and to be

Instead, I spend most days at my desk, in

complimentary, but in that very setting, the cosmic absurdity of it all, I found myself angry that, once again, my efforts had been belittled. But my frustration didn’t steel me against the vulnerability and embarrassment that followed. The conversation quickly shifted to my friends – how they were born abroad but raised in big cities in America, grew up very well off and with an abundance of opportunities, loved their incredibly cool jobs, and had

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My

an abundance of charisma and youth. I,

silence and largely ignored, wondering

THE AKITAN depressing, and above all, scary. So, quite

why I can’t find the motivation to achieve

logically, we numb ourselves to it – we

any of those goals, wondering why I’m

keep to ourselves, we retreat to our homes

so absurdly lazy, and wondering why I’m

and comfort zones, we don’t put ourselves

here in Japan at all. Between the cold,

out there more than we must. We isolate

Seasonal Affective Disorder, and now the

ourselves from others, emotionally or

ever-increasing impact of Coronavirus,

physically, and pretend we don’t impact

winter in Akita has been isolating and full

those around us.

of vulnerability.

But, vulnerability is also often the

This vulnerability largely stems

source of joy, gratitude, and love. It is

from the fear that we are not enough

in the risks that we find connections; it

– not good enough at a language to

is in the risks that we are truly seen by

communicate effectively, not experienced

another person. The difference in the

or outgoing enough to be successful in our

results – in finding joy versus isolation –

jobs, not “attractive” enough to be worthy

seems to stem largely from whether we

of our crush. We can try to minimize our

embrace the vulnerability, indeed that

vulnerability by distancing ourselves

we proactively put ourselves in a place

from others, by not putting ourselves

of vulnerability. Following a traumatic

out there, and by not taking risks. But

experience several years ago, I hesitated

when desk-warming rolls around, when

but ultimately faced my fears to spend my

we find ourselves isolated and with no

birthday drinking and enjoying karaoke

clear resolution, we are stuck with those

with friends. Although a drunken man

treacherous thoughts for 8 hours a day,

in the hall incited fear – an unchosen

for days on end. We are left vulnerable,

vulnerability – the overall experience was

where a single action – a coworker’s

one of compassion and bonding with

flippant comment about how bored we

others. On another day trip in Taiwan

must be or a stranger’s “o-hashi jouzu” –

(surrounded again entirely by Japanese

can trigger much more dangerous results.

tourists), traveling alone – a chosen

Vulnerability can be exhausting,

vulnerability – allowed me to group up with a pair of middle-aged women, spend

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the day laughing and exploring with them,

In the months at my desk, I’ve

and ultimately get invited to visit them in

spent an immeasurable amount of time

Kyoto someday. On my final evening in

thinking, about life and the experiences

Taiwan, I signed up for a solo motorcycle

we have here. Perhaps vulnerability isn’t

tour, being shown around mountains,

unavoidable. Perhaps there are ways

hot springs, and night markets of Taipei

to ensure that we never feel at risk or

on the back of a guide’s bike, forced to

disliked. Perhaps there are ways to numb

communicate only in Mandarin. I was

ourselves to the judgment and thoughts

anxious about the entire experience, but

of others, carelessly carry on however

the adrenaline and forced conversation

we please in a purely hedonistic manner,

gave me more confidence and a more

pump up our egos so high that we never

memorable experience than I could have

question

imagined.

worth. Perhaps that’s a safer way to live.

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our

qualifications

or

self-

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But without that vulnerability, without

alone, struggling against ourselves. In

taking risks and admitting our faults and

embracing this, both in ourselves and in

having the bravery to be seen anyway, I

others, however, we can confront these

believe that we are robbing ourselves of

fears and grow.

an important part of life. We are robbing ourselves of the chance to grow.

The promise of the floating lights drew me to Taiwan, but even the day of the

That day in the Taroko Gorge, I

festival itself was a bit of a mess: hauling

spent the bus back in tears, hating myself

luggage back and forth between cities

for having been born in the suburbs, for

in the rain, unreliable train schedules,

having not been born in a multilingual

getting lost in the city, a confusion of

house, for having changed my career path

what to do or where to go. Yet, as the sun

four times, for not being charismatic or

sank beneath the horizon and the rain

outgoing or funny enough. I hated myself

fortuitously came to a halt, we were able

for not being good enough to keep up

to write our dreams, our fortunes, onto

with my friends and I hated myself for not

one of the massive lanterns and release

having a clear dream or plan for changing

them into the sky with hundreds of others

my life. I was involuntarily vulnerable,

– hundreds of floating lights, brightly-lit

all over two mere “compliments” from

dreams, illuminating the darkness of the

strangers. But, in owning my vulnerability

night. It certainly would have been easy

and admitting those fears and insecurities,

enough to keep each of those thoughts

both to myself and a friend, I was reminded

to ourselves, to not even bother, but it is

that it is because of every misstep, every

precisely because of the fact that these

misfortune, every risk that I learned

hopes frailly burn away into the night,

qualities like compassion and empathy

surrounded by so many others, that there

and adventure. It seems like there’s often

is so much, such unparalleled, beauty in

this expectation that we must always be

the world. It is merely up to us to open

cool and collected, genki for the students,

ourselves to it.

likeable and attractive to those around us.

But life is messy, and, especially in winter, it is all too easy to find ourselves lost and

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...

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**Photos courtesy of Allyson Roberts

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Winter nights in Akita, Tri Phan

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Towada Shrine in Aomori, Brooke Dalgleish

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It’s worth

GAO Aq

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Situated on the beautiful Oga

Peninsula in Akita, GAO Aquarium can be seen sitting on the very edge of rocky cliffs, with the waves from the Japan Sea crashing against it.

The aquarium is about an hour

drive from Akita City that allows you to take in the views of the coastline along the way.

If you’d like a short day trip

with friends, family, or your date, the aquarium offers various marine animals to observe, from the local “hata hata” fish to Californian sea lions. Don’t miss the polar bear and cute penguins!

h a visit!

quarium

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Snow monsters on Mt. Moriyoshi, Akita, Kei Lam

Hourglasssea FELIX CLUTSON

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THE AKITAN

I The wind is blowing the sands of time Down the beach of destiny As grains grind and push you To board the boat bound for Gold? Gloom? Glory?

A story, sure.

Stories under starry, stormy skies on the shore Wishing waves washing Up and down And up and down Would miss you, twist you But not yet pull you under Plunged, pedaling into The open ocean of Oh Of open-ended questions, Quiet mumbled answers Such are promises Meanwhile the gulls of fate Circulate, skylarking Spinning, wheeling, squawking Spying out for some poor bastard’s Chips to steal And steal away bills full and salty As hands run through hair Empty from stolen poker chips Lost, pouring out, raked from the gambling tables

Of chip forks in the road And cast out amongst the shells and shushes of this Stumbling, storming beach Blowing winds of bite and brimstone Billowing the grey blue sea Slippery rocks beneath your feet Slide and slick you seawards Raging, roaring waves run Break, and run again As the tide turns you know they are coming for you Skywards seen and psalms said Make no difference The sands of time give way to a steady drip Of the sea’s lapping water clock A whirlpool of spume and spray Sends you swirling, whirling Out to sea All salt and second chances As the gurgling seconds swish away You grasp for breath And silhouetted silence Amongst the gushes and growls Of the gargling blue beneath

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II All at sea You float on a different blue As far as the eye can see Your eyes open and adjust To a breeze and a brine And a breath Of a life still lived And time still given In the arcs of the gulls And the taste of the salt on your skin

But time can be traced back Can be turned and tricked And tidally Tip and trip you back towards The shore

The breeze can change in the barest of moments And blow in brooding clouds as before Of course But For the time being Blue skies hint at hues Of hope and hearth And homeward trails for Heralds of heavy hearts The tide offers no promises It cannot tell you that time will be kind Tilting the world this way and that Helter skelter and topsy-turvy as it is The eddies and rapids of this Riotous ride Will always roll this way and that across The ramrod, roman-road straight line Of destiny

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So rest now Ashored, And assured That even if remnants Of stormy roars Remind you that time is always running out Nothing is restraining you From reaching out now This one sandgolden moment Railing yourself against future rain And rising with gentle, rolling footsteps Retracing your tracks to the rise of the beach Bringing your hands forwards Bearing the gaze of the beaming, brimming Sun Blazing now across the burnished sea Turn the timer over Time to try again In the trace of a coastline And the twirling, tumbling birds There is tranquility to be told

...

Trust me

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Coastline in Oga, Akita, Jessica Scott Legham 42

Yamadera in Yamagata, Andrea Danko

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The Peak and th

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he Pit of Winter

BROOKE DALGLEISH

Growing up, my family had this

kind of things annoyed us so we could

tradition of saying what our peak and pit

better understand ourselves and each

of the day were. We loved being outside

other. Peak means the top highlight of

exploring, so we would usually do this

the day, while the pit is the opposite. It’s

after spending a day together in the car

something that I have continued to this

driving around to see

day on all my adventures

what

see.

and sometimes on a

Maybe it was to a place

daily basis. Whether it’s

that we have already

an internal reflection or

been to, or maybe it

something I force upon

was to a new little diner

my friends, I think it’s

that recently opened up

a cheesy yet healthy

45 minutes away from

practice.

us. It wasn’t essentially

have found great travel

about

ultimate

buddies here in Japan

destination but more

that humor me and

we

the

could

Luckily,

I

about what we would see or talk about

participate on all our outings. Shout out

along the way. Throughout the drive, we

to Kim and Catherine!

would find interesting places to stop at which sometimes would become some of our favorite memories. At the end of the day, we would ask each other what was the peak and the pit of the day. I think my parents started this to get us kids to reflect on what made us happy and what

In January, the three of us went to Morioka, to the Iwate Art Museum to see the temporary Ghibli exhibit. As we all know, winter hasn’t been too terrible this year so we wanted to take advantage of the drivable weather. The exhibit was our main destination that day and we didn’t

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plan for anything else. It was a lot of fun

THE AKITAN However, we didn’t know that the

and so worth the two-hour drive to the

adventure wasn’t quite over. Since this

“city”. The three of us live in Kazuno and

was a new area, we used Google Sensei

Kosaka, so it was nice to get out of the

to get us back on the road we knew how

inaka and into a city-like atmosphere.

to take home… and we all know how that

After we finished the exhibition, we

can go. Google took us through roads

started to get hungry and Catherine

we didn’t even know if cars were meant

had heard of this pizza place a little bit

to go on, especially since there were no

outside the city. At first, I think we all

other cars in sight. We drove through

wished it was a little closer but the drive

one-way alleys, then through vastly open

wasn’t all that bad and Mt. Iwate was in

country roads, and then eventually onto a

all its glory that day so we had a pretty

highway road in a dark forest. Right when

good view for the entire drive. When we

we thought Google was trying to kill us,

got to Shizukuishi Soul Kitchen Pizza, we

we were blinded by these beautiful lights.

were pleasantly surprised to find that this

I was driving and for some reason, I just

pizza shop was nothing that we expected and for a moment, we felt like we were back home in the states. It was small and placed in a random neighborhood on a not so busy street. It had this cool hipster vibe with 90’s music playing and decently sized pizza that wasn’t overly priced. We were stoked and I’m pretty sure it still is the best pizza we all have had since moving to Japan. The employees were so nice and I think Kim made their day when she told them it was the best we have had in Japan. We were on cloud nine and felt like it was the best ending to an already fun day. So we thought!

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decided then and there to pull in and

To be honest, there were a lot of

check it out. It turned out to be the Koiwai

peaks this day and they outnumbered

Farm Illumination Festival. We had all

the pits. In my opinion, being an ALT in

heard of Koiwai Farm but all of us had

Japan also has more peaks than pits. Of

never been to it and had no idea where

course, it all depends on perspective and

it was located. Little did we know it was

we all know the motto, “every experience

a dairy farm in the middle of these dark

is different” is annoying but so true. I

woods. We decided to buy an admission

think for the most part we can agree that

ticket and go investigate even though it

life here in Akita has some major peaks.

was freezing outside. We had so much fun

You just have to find them!

checking out the different light displays, taking selfies galore, and then we got the crazy idea to buy ice cream… in the middle of winter. It was worth it and I don’t regret it at all. Honestly, it was one of my favorite memories to date and I think it was because it was so unexpected and the cherry on top of an already fantastic day.

Going into the day, I thought for sure that seeing the Nekobus from Totoro would be my peak, but then it turned into eating pizza and drinking ginger ale from a nostalgic glass bottle. Overall, I think it was eating ice cream while looking at pretty lights that took the win. It for sure added on extra time to our already long drive home but to me, if spending extra time in the car singing Disney songs with my girls is the pit of the day, I’ll take it.

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...

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**Photos courtesy of Brooke Dalgleish

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Winter in Film Jillian Camille Yashica T4 Expired Lomo

Irene Cao Canon AE-1 Kodak Portra 400

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Irene Cao Canon AE-1 Kodak Portra 400

Jillian Camille Yashica T4 Expired Lomo

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Jillian Camille Yashica T4 Expired Lomo

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Irene Cao Canon AE-1 Kodak Portra 400

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Jillian Camille Yashica T4 Expired Lomo

Irene Cao Canon AE-1 Kodak Portra 400

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Jillian Camille Yashica T4 Expired Lomo

Jillian Camille Yashica T4 Expired Lomo

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Irene Cao Canon AE-1 Kodak Portra 400

Irene Cao Canon AE-1 Kodak Portra 400

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The Konoura Cod Festival JACOB FAGAN

Konoura Elementary School students do a drum performance (technically kagura not taiko) to start things off. Then a bunch of local business as well as 3rd graders from the elementary school each carry a cod through the town for about 30 minutes to the Konoura Yama Shrine where the cod are offered to the kami, and the priest does a blessing. It’s all over

Konoura is a small town in Nikaho, in

by about 11am.

southern Akita. Konoura only has a population of about 5000,but it isn’t

One of the big draws of this festival

that isolated because it’s right next to

is the cod soup. Despite there being only

route 7 and the Tohoku expressway; both

a few hundred people there on the day, it

major roads. Every year on the fourth of

was still close to a 35 minute wait to try

February it celebrates cod.

some. It was ok, maybe a bit sweet which sounds strange,but it was. There are a few

The

Cod

Festival

(鱈祭り Tara

other food vendors and they wrap up by

Matsuri) started over 350 years ago. It was

about 1 PM, so it’s a very short festival,

originally a month and a half earlier and

but it’s nice.

held at a different shrine. It was moved to its current date and place during the Meiji

Period (1868 - 1912). These days it starts

please come and check it out. Also, just

at 10am at a fishery warehouse on the

come to Konoura anyway.

coast. After someone greets the crowds,

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If you get the chance next year,

...

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**Photos courtesy of Jacob Fagan

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Otaru canal in Hokkaido, Irene Cao 60

Snow covered path Brooke Dalgleish

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Bonfire Jessica Legham Scott

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Mt. Moriyoshi in Akita, Tri Phan

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That Wh

ETHAN

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hich Burns

N INGRAM

Hiburi Kamakura in Kakunodate, Akita, Jessica Legham Scott 66

In the dead of winter, heat becomes

lessons of what we’d prefer not to repeat

a most valuable resource. And as resident

next year.

Akitans, we have all become more or less

accustomed to the fine art of keeping cozy.

season, we cut time sharply into periods

We come to cherish those things that

of warmth and cold. When we leave the

make winter living a little more bearable:

(usually sweltering) office we flee through

a second layer of socks, a hot water bottle,

chilly hallways and snowbound streets

the little kerosene heater whose fumes

in a desperate return to the inescapable

we’ve long stopped worrying about. When

allure of the kotatsu. In that brief, fleeting

we lose these little creature comforts, and

moment when heated air hits our face

when the cold creeps back in, it can be

and we can feel our toes again, the little

a sobering experience. When you return

tribulations of the day are melted. Once

from vacation to a toilet frozen solid, or

again we are home: we are warm, we are

when you’re driving through a frigid night

comfortable, we are content. We are safe.

with a dead heater, these can be shocking

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But as we go about our lives this

Imagine how it must have been

then, for the people of Akita in centuries

THE AKITAN aspect of practical, social, and religious

past. The dramatic snowfall of Western

life. Today, fire features prominently in

Tohoku must have been truly horrifying

many of the winter festivals and events

in

falling

that are held across the prefecture, a

gently and without a sound, and then

ceremonial testament to the importance

unceasingly. For days on end the snow

that it played in the rural communities of

falls, suffocating the fields and rising

yesteryear. In my visits to these festivals

up to swallow your feet, and then your

this year, I was drawn to the presentation

thighs, and then your house. A perfect

and significance of open flame in their

blanket of frigid whiteness, crushing the

proceedings; in some it plays a central

world and ending life where it spreads. In

role, in others it is more subdued. But in

such a place, winter had to be planned for

each, fire tells an important story of the

carefully throughout the year. A meager

community that comes around it.

storehouse or poor harvest in the fall

could have meant a slow, starving death

religious events, we should remember

for one’s family. Indeed, it was the harsh

that fire is an important aspect of religious

and unforgiving winters that lent this

practice all around the world.The burning

territory its reputation as a dark and wild

of offerings and incense, the lighting of

hinterland—full of bears and barbarians

votive candles or a menorah…these are

and

rituals that we may be intimately familiar

those

first

worse—to

winters; first

the

more “civilized”

First, as festivals are nominally

southern residents of Sendai and Edo.

with in our own acts of worship. The same

harsh

is certainly true in Shinto traditions,

environment, producing and retaining

where fire is integral to communion with

heat is absolutely necessary. And fire is

the kami, and this is prominently featured

central to this need. It is fire that cooks,

in the Namahage Sedo Festival at Oga’s

that

provides

Shinzan Shrine. The event is opened

warmth. In winter, the long, foreboding

with a ceremony in which the audience

slumber of the world, it offers life to those

is blessed and offerings of food and water

who control it. And in the frozen reaches

are offered to the guardian spirits of the

of northern Japan, it was a necessary

Oga Peninsula. Fire—or rather the smoke

To

survive

illuminates,

in

and

such

that

a

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it produces—is the means by which the

of cedar wood smoke. Here is fire in its

spirits receive the pleasant aromas of these

ferocious form, its intensity both alluring

material sacrifices. The event following

and all-consuming.

this consecration is everywhere colored

by flame, and its presence is undeniable.

fires that burn are more gentle, subdued,

The procession of the Namahage from

and inviting. Indeed, in many cases, they

the high places of the mountain to the

aren’t really fire at all, but rather the safer

crowds below is heralded by the lonely,

simulacra of electric tea candles. This

foreboding light of their torches; for

festival is of course most famous for its

young children who have been nervously

kamakura, igloo-like domes of ice and

awaiting the Namahage’s arrival, the sight

snow that are constructed throughout the

of this slow, dreadful approach must be

city. Some are large enough to host a small

fearsome, the first physical evidence of

party, while others are tiny things, but all

what had been only a nightmare before.

act in some way as devotional shrines to

Beyond this, the entire festival space is

the gods of water that sustain this land.

filled with the harsh, uneven light of a

And all are lit from within, and it is this

roaring bonfire and the enchanting smell

constellation of light which makes the

69

In Yokote’s Winter Festival, the

Namahage Festival in Oga, Akita, Irene Cao

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70

us against the cold and darkness.

In my home of Kakunodate, we

practice

kamakura

of

a

completely

different kind. During Hiburi Kamakura, neighbors gather together to light bales of rice straw on fire. Attached to long ropes, these lit bales are then hoisted and swung around the participant’s heads, festival impressive in its beauty. Visitors to the Winter Festival must be sure to visit the Janosaki Bridge, where they can see a river of light borne from thousands of miniature kamakura, a striking image in the dark.

Historically,

kamakura

were

practical dwelling structures, and in the festival logic this memory of communal purposes is transformed into a sacred act. Visitors who enter the kamakura are offered food or drink, and invited to sit and share with each other. The orange glow from within the kamakura is both invitation and promise: in this little godshouse, you are sustained, you are protected, You are Safe. The simple act of sharing and consuming between friends is here rendered as an act of praise to the spirits whose names are written between the glowing candles. Here, fire and light are here to offer us protection, to enshrine

71

their bodies encircled by a twirling blaze of flame and smoke. For newcomers—and I speak from experience—the thought of swinging fire yourself can be a little daunting. As you approach the fire and hold the rope in your hands, its smoke stings your eyes and the heat becomes alarming. But as you begin to move your arms, hoping you haven’t made some grievous mistake, the fire that orbits you owns the moment, and offers it its glow.

The fire roars in a cyclical rhythm, and casts light strangely as it passes your eyes, revealing the world and then hiding it in shadow. The heat and smoke are still present, but now they do not serve to repel. For most people the act of hiburi lasts only for a few seconds until the burning end is cast off onto the ground, blackened and broken into ash. But it is difficult to name these seconds as it is still alive around you.

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Sea of miniature kamakura in Yokote, Akita, Jessica Legham Scott

Alter in kamakura,Yokote, Akita, Ethan Ingram 72

Hiburi Kamakura is also an act of

and names, fire continues to enrapture us

ritual purification, the fire and smoke

as it has through all of history.

thought to keep away evil spirits and bad

luck. Parents will stand toddlers between

remember that fire brings us closer

their legs, or hold babies and small pets in

together.We gather around the open flame

one arm as they swing the flames around

to share stories, sing songs, prepare food,

them. Held near the start of the Lunar

and engage in those practices that truly

Year, the act of hiburi burns away the

make us human. Fire connects us to one

troubles of the past and offers protection

another, to the world around us, and to the

for the trials ahead, the smoke that clings

myriad forms of the divine. Thousands of

to your clothes an enduring reminder of

years before the first words were spoken,

this blessing.

our hominin ancestors brought fire into

These are but a few examples of a

the caves, the first home carved from a

tradition of celebrating fire that can be

chaotic and unformed world. Since the

found across Akita, across Japan, and

spark of that first flame, it has burned

across the world. But what is it that draws

alongside us in perpetuity. In its burning,

us to the flame? Is it the need to huddle

we are sustained not only by its warmth

up beside it, to take its warmth into our

but by myth and legend itself, a thousand

bodies and bask in its glow? Or is it

songs and stories casting shadows on the

fearful curiosity of its capacity to consume

walls.

and destroy, its never-ending hunger

rendering all to ash and smoke, and the

intangible and fleeting, yet we cannot deny

drive to control such awesome power?

the impressive reality of its heat and light.

Perhaps it is in its miracles of turning

And yet again, it is not substance at all. It

raw into cooked and softening metal, the

is process, a catalyzation of material and

means by which we build our societies.

energy exuding itself, revealing the inborn

Or maybe it’s the art of burning itself, the

principles of the universe. A mundane

longing to cast fire against the world or

miracle, a daily transubstantiation.

against ourselves, the opportunity to begin

sacred gift and divine wrath. It is the

anew from the ashes. In its many faces

gift of Prometheus, stolen from the gods

73

But in the cold of winter, let us

What is fire? Myth and memory, it is

A

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and granted to shivering man; it is the

The shimmering light reflecting off the

incomprehensible form of God revealed

shellac on your uncle’s guitar as he starts

to Moses in the cave. Older than music,

to play again and you doze off in your

it is both the memory of the world told

father’s arms. A quiet, gentle moment

in a thousand tongues and the intimate

of friends around a campfire, shoulders

spark in our own mind, enduring long

touching

after we’ve closed our eyes.

towards the warming glow, the promise

Fire is that first fearsome burn

of comfort tempting us closer together.

from a frying pan, and the panic of oil

Each memory burns in our mind, some

gone too hot. It is one lit candle amongst

painful and some promising.

many, a bowed head and the whispered

names of saints on our lips. It is autumn

of gods atop Old Chokai. From their

drives through quiet villages, the hazy

formless thrones they keep watch upon

air thick with of the smell of burning

the Northern Kingdoms, as they have for

leaves, the fragrance somehow different

millennia. Turning their eyes northward,

from what I remember from home. It’s

they gaze upon a still and slumbering

roasted marshmallows, perfectly golden.

wilderness. In the dark forests the bears

and

hands

stretched

out

Imagine, if you will, the congregation

74

are sleeping, as are the frogs in the mud and the dragons beneath the water. But

amidst this shadow is a light, and then another, and then a thousand more.

Flickering lights between the trees and hills, their patterns as beautiful and laden with meaning as the cold stars above.

What are their thoughts? Do they pity us, forced to steal our survival from the world around us? Are they grateful for our devotion, if not in faith then in our will to endure and to make the night our own?

Perhaps upon seeing these fires, the gods themselves pray, hoping that they will be lit again the next night, and onwards into eternity. That as long as the snow falls, so too will we burn against the darkness.

...

**Photos used within article courtesy of Ethan Ingram and Irene Cao

75

That which

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burns, blesses, and thus we should long to be burned.

76

i W

Namahage Festival in Oga, Akita, Jessica Legham Scott 77

r e t n i

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t s Fe

s l a v i

78

Namahage Festival in Oga, Akita, Amanda Keefauver

79

Namahage Festival in Oga, Akita, Tresier Mihalik

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Namahage Festival in Oga, Akita, Irene Cao 81

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82

83

Hiburi Kamakura in Kakunodate, Akita, Irene Cao

Dainichido bugaku Kazuno, Akita Andrea Danko

85

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86

Godzilla kamakura in Yokote, Akita, Jessica Legham Scott 87

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88

Yokote Castle in Akita, Irene Cao 89

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Kamifusen Festival in Semboku, Akita, Ethan Ingram

90

91Naked Festival in Kazuno, Akita, Andrea Danko

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Snow sculptures Innuko Festival Yuzawa, Akita Jessica Legham Scott

93

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Yosakoi Innuko Festival Yuzawa, Akita Tresier Mihalik

Poodle Innuko Festival Yuzawa, Akita Jessica Legham Scott

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Burning Darumas in Morioka, Iwate, Andrea Danko

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A Pow Seeker’s Guide to the Slopes KEI LAM

I consider myself an outdoorsy

I have been to on my ski trips, Hokkaido

adventurous kind of person. Wherever I

is hands down my favorite place, not just

find myself, I try to mix in some action

during winter but any season.

and adventure in my life, whether it be

in the company of others or by myself.

country; the powder here is so fresh and

One of the things I do every winter is to

soft. Although this winter has been a

hit up the different ski resorts in Japan.

bit sluggish, a great time to go would be

While most ALTs head home for winter

from late January to mid-February. If you

vacation or travel to warmer places, I grab

have any inkling of trying out a winter

my snowboard and skis and seek out fresh

sport, this country is a great place to do

powder. I have been to ones in Gunma,

it. The following are some of my personal

Niigata, Nagano, Hokkaido, Iwate, and, of

favorite ski resorts in Japan that I would

course, Akita. Out of all the prefectures

like to share with you.

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Japan is indeed a premium snow

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Ani Ski Resort, Akita

Ani Ski Resort is on Mt. Moriyoshi,

a trail leading off to the side that requires

one of the places in Japan famous for

you to wear snowshoes or backcountry

these snow-covered trees known as snow

skis to traverse. This trail provides off-

monsters. Ani is not a very big ski resort

piste skiers with untouched powder snow

nor does it have much variety in terms of

to play with. If this sounds amazing to

runs. Some on-piste skiers might even

you, I recommend you check this place

find it rather boring. However, off-piste

out.

skiers might find this resort to their

liking. At the top of the mountain (after

from Tazawako that everyone seems to go

a gondola ride and a short hike), there is

to. It is not as crowded and the powder is

I find this resort to be a nice change

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light and fluffy. The first time I was there,

the lift ticket, you will find the resident

I went up to the top of the mountain

Akita Inu, Hokuto. He lies in a room

and found myself alone with the snow

surrounded

monsters. It was so peaceful. I snapped

entrance. He sometimes can be seen out

some pictures of the snow monsters and

on walks, but most of the time he just lies

the view from atop the mountain with my

about. You can try to interact with him

iPhone but as I looked at the shots I took,

but he pays you little attention in return.

I felt the pictures did not do it any justice.

He is still quite adorable though and I

It was then I unstrapped my snowboard

stop by to greet and pet him whenever

bindings and simply enjoyed the moment.

I’m there.

by

windows

near

the

At the bottom where you purchased

Appi Kogen Ski Resort, Iwate

Appi is located in Iwate Prefecture,

and

half-pipes

for

freestyle

riding.

just about a three-hours drive from

Additionally, the resort offers wide open

Akita city. I think this resort is great for

piste, off piste, steep drops, mogul runs,

beginners and experienced skiers and

and long runs. The longest run is a green

boarders alike. There are rails, boxes,

one (access via gondola). It is about 5.5

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kilometers long (3.4 miles) and it is quite

THE AKITAN year will improve for those staying another

fun trying to bomb down it and/or doing

year and the new incoming ALTs. A great

tricks off the side banks. There are also

first-time experience of Appi would be on

a couple of restricted courses that only

the annual Appi ski trip held by Charity

allow skiers. I have come to this resort

Akita. I try not to miss it and recommend

every winter season for the past five years.

it to everyone. The place where we usually

The first four have been great but the last

stay, Appi Kogen Mutti, is great. Dinner

season was terrible. There was mostly ice

and breakfast are also terrific. You have a

on the slopes and it started raining on the

5-course meal for dinner and a western

second day. Hopefully the powder next

style breakfast the following day.

Hakuba Valley Ski Resorts, Nagano

Hakuba is not just one resort; it

Valley Lift Pass, as it grants you access to

incorporates 10 ski resorts, which are

all 10 resorts at a very reasonable price.

Happo-One, Hakuba 47, Goryu, Cortina,

The chart below will give you an idea of

Norikura,

the pricing:

Iwatake,

Tsugaike

Kogen,

Jigatake, Kashimayari, and Sanosaka. I recommend you purchase the multi-day

100

Ticket 1 day ticket 2 day ticket 3 day ticket 4 day ticket

Adult

Child

¥6,101 ¥11,000 ¥16,300 ¥21,700

¥3,500 ¥6,101 ¥9,200 ¥12,101

Valid Period Valid on day of purchase Valid for 3 days from first use Valid for 5 days from first use Valid for 7 days from first use

Keep in mind that the price listed

many artificially constructed moguls. One

above reflects the cost of a lift pass during

of the intermediate runs has moguls most

the main season. It could be different

of the way down. They cannot be avoided

during the beginning and end of the

because they take up the entire stretch of

season, as snow quality is not as good.

the slope.The Sakka side is definitely more

While I have only been to three out of the

suitable for beginners and the Nakiyama

10 (Hakuba 47, Goryu, and Happo-One),

side for experienced skiers and boarders.

I still recommend this united ski resort.

Holders of the Valley Lift Pass can use the

I really enjoyed Hakuba 47 and Goryu.

inter-resort shuttle bus, which takes them

The two resorts are interconnected and

to the different resorts in Hakuba. If you

can be done in one day. Happo-One is

ever end up somewhere else too far on

the largest one but I personally do not

the mountain than when you started, you

like it. I find the Sakka side of the resort

can take the shuttle bus back.

enjoyable but the Nakiyama side has too

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Niseko United, Hokkaido rails and ramps, off-piste skiing, steep drops, and mellow slopes. It is impossible to do it all in one day, or even two. There are also a lot of international visitors in Niseko, so much so that it does not feel like Japan. The place is English friendly and has a ton of ski and snowboard instructors from different countries. I highly recommend this resort. That being said, I do not recommend you dine at any of the restaurants on the mountain; they are overpriced. Unless you are a big spender looking to dine on your meal with a view, I suggest you visit restaurants

Similar to Hakuba, Niseko is not just

one resort; it is comprised of four resorts on one mountain – Hanazono, Grand Hirafu, Niseko Village, and Annupuri. You can purchase a resort-specific lift pass but I highly recommend you purchase the All-Mountain Pass, which gives you access to all of the resorts. If you purchase it online at niseko.ne.jp, you can get a 1-day All Mountain Pass for 7,500 instead of 8,000 (you save about 7%). The resorts are interconnected, so you can very well start at one and end up at another. There is just so much variety here. They have

103

elsewhere near the resort.

A notable mention is Mt. Yotei, the

nearby active volcano known as the Fuji of

Hokkaido. Backcountry skiers have hiked

THE AKITAN

to the top and skied down the crater. Do take caution, though, if you are interested in undertaking Mt. Yotei, as it requires skiers to be in tip-top condition, be able to ski any terrain, and be prepared for sudden change in weather condition.

104

Rusutsu Ski Resort, Hokkaido Rusutsu is about a forty-minute drive from

space to practice your wide turns without

Niseko, so if you want to try a different

worrying about crashing into someone,

resort but remain in Niseko village, I highly

or having to wait in a long queue for the

recommend this one. I think this resort is

lift. One thing of note is that there is

great for beginners and experienced skiers

an amusement park situated next to the

and snowboarders. Some of the slopes are

slopes. It is not in operation during the

quite mellow but they are not boring by

winter season, so you are able to ski and

any extent. Both Niseko and Rusutsu are

snowboard right by it. Both are a powder

great for off-piste skiing. Niseko may have

paradise and you cannot lose with either

a larger terrain and vertical, but Rusutsu

one. Overall, Rusutsu is a fantastic resort

is not as crowded, giving you ample

for skiers and boarders of all levels.

...

**Photos courtesy of Kei Lam, Bryce Fowler, and Irene Cao

105

THE AKITAN

106

樹氷

Mt. Moriyoshi in Akita, Irene Cao 107

S

Snow monsters

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108

Mt. Moriyoshi in Akita, Irene Cao 109

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110

111

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Ani Ski in Kitaakita, Akita, Tri Phan 112

Snowboarders at Ani Ski, Akita, Tri Phan 113

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114

It’s worth a try!

BUTTERBUR BUD “Fuki no to” in Japanese Considered sansai 山菜 - mountain vegetables, you’ll see these little guys all over people’s gardens, in the forest, and even on the side of the street when the snow has melted, and early spring has arrived.

The butterbur bud has an astringent taste to it when eaten raw. The bitterness can be removed by stirfrying with miso until it is paste-like in consistency, and simply eaten with rice. You can sometimes find this ready made in grocery stores. Another way to remove the bitterness is by deepfrying, tempura style.

As it grows, it rises high above the ground and the stalks can be used in cooking too. This vegetable has been used to treat a host of pains like stomachaches, ulcers, and even migraines Play a little ‘I spy’ the next time you go out for a walk or shopping at the grocery store!

115 Butterbur buds, Irene Cao

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116

Butterbur tempura, Irene Cao

Itadakimasu!

117

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Crab cream pasta, Irene Cao

120

Vietnamese sandwich (banh mi), Irene Cao 121

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122

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Dalgona matchas, Irene Cao 124

Jigokudani Monkey Park in Nagano, Irene Cao

125

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126

Snow monkeys in Nagano, Irene Cao 127

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128

Snow monkeys in Nagano, Irene Cao 129

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130

Snow monkeys in Nagano, Irene Cao

133

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I’ll grow as quickly as I can.

134

Film Review PETER BOND

お引越し (1993) SHINJI SOMAI Ren is moving, whether

1993’s お引越し (Moving)

she likes it or not. Her father

comes as a late career entry into

has left the house, the divorce

Shinji Soumai’s filmography.

papers are soon to be signed,

His films are difficult to track

and her mother is drafting

down and have not gained a

new rules for them to live

ton of notoriety in the west.

by. These realities settle in

However Soumai has a varied

throughout the film, some

and intriguing body of work.

far more painful than others.

Moving is a story of divorce,

Sometimes she keeps moving,

centering primarily on 5th

and other times she has to

grader Ren who confronts

lay down in the ashes of what

the challenges of divorce

she left behind. The pains of

through the film. Tomoko

growing up, and bearing the

Tabata anchors the movie with

weight of what she didn’t ask

her dynamic and effortless

for are only beginning to fall

performance as the 11 year

on her shoulders. Yet, she

old.

moves all the same. Walking,

Set

in

a

tranquil,

running and in the very end

domestic Kyoto, Ren is being

with a jovial stroll through

pulled by mother and father,

those in her life.

and between times in her life.

Caught between her parents, the movie

THE AKITAN move from childhood to adulthood, and

is firmly set behind Ren’s experience of

how those fires can be flamed by people

the separation. Her mother quickly lays

out of our control. There are embers and

out more and more expectations that

ashes left, but what went up in flames

Ren is to bear; grocery shopping, doing

cannot be had again. Ren’s childhood is a

the house’s laundry, and always making

finite thing, she may look back again, and

time for conversation. Through Ren, we

cry for what’s left behind but it will be

get glimpses of her mother and father,

washed away with time.

and of Ren herself. Her father drinks,

Moving is not always easy. The film

)

and seems to be detached from the first

portrays the grief, the frustration, and

o

frame. While her mother slowly detaches

the anger that comes when something is

.

more throughout the film. Her parents are

taken away. In the end, Ren congratulates

k

frustrated, and constantly disconnected

herself. Congratulations for moving on,

a

from Ren’s experience. They seem almost

growing up, and ultimately letting old

.

unable to interact with their daughter, only

times be washed away. Both heartbreaking

d

pursuing the idea of the young girl. What

and mature for her to move on, to have

.

results is a girl that is alone, unperceived,

strength, to acknowledge the grief. People

,

and trying to comfort herself. Hard

come and go, and change comes for Ren

enough for anybody, especially a child.

as well as the rest of us. She doesn’t stay

h

s

Near the end, Soumai enters a realm

a child, and she couldn’t if she tried. She

e

of abstraction and surrealism effortlessly.

fights it, and she certainly didn’t ask for

o

A previously quiet score comes to the

it but she moves on, and she tries to find

h

forefront, as he articulates Ren’s loss

new happiness.

s

and grief through beautiful flowing

r

camerawork. The loss from when we

,

g

おめでとうございます

...

,

.

136

Irene Interviews... a JTE

Sometimes we make life long friends with a coworker. Sometimes we see them

come and go, and never get to have a conversation with them.

Often times, we don’t get the chance to open up and talk with our colleagues at

work. Do you know what your deskmate’s favourite colour is? How about what your boss does in their free time? What if they play Animal Crossing when they get home?!

On the surface, we all have a persona that we portray depending on who we

interact with, and it can prevent us from opening up. If we took the time to get to know some people, you’d be surprised how many interesting things you can learn!

Unfortunately, many ALTs (Assistant Language Teachers), and JTEs (Japanese

Teachers of English) don’t get the chance to know each other. Whether it be language barrier, shyness, a full schedule, or differences in attitude and opinions...we often forget that we are all human and there are many aspects to that person’s life that we can sometimes be blind to.

During the school closures in the month of March, I found that my JTEs had a

lot more time to talk to me. One of my JTEs sits next to me and we tend to talk about random things. Each day, I found myself more curious. So on a whim, I asked if I could interview her.

It gave me perspective on what the daily life of a teacher in Japan is like.

Furthermore, I learned that my JTE loves to cook and is great at making clay figurines!

137

THE AKITAN

THE INTERVIEW Irene: How are you today?

students today’s schedule. Sometimes the schedule changes or there are important

JTE: I’m very sleepy! But, I’m ok.

things happening, so it’s important that teachers tell students. When students

Irene: What was the first thing you did

finish classes, I’ll check their diary and

today?

write comments. This year I don’t have club activities, but sometimes I’ll check

JTE: I checked the weather when I woke

out the club activities like the volleyball

up today and it was a little cloudy.

team since the other teacher in charge of it is busy. I’ll also print some handouts

Irene: It’s supposed to be sunny today, but

for the next class. I’ll prepare materials

it’s cloudy. Hope it doesn’t rain. So, could

for the next day too.

you tell us what your daily routine is on a weekday?

Irene: What time do students finish club activities?

JTE: First, I brush my teeth, take a shower, and eat breakfast. I leave home

JTE: Every day is different, but normally

at 6:50 AM. Then I start working at 7:10

around 6 or 6:30 PM. Teachers stay until

AM. I usually check my schedule first,

clubs are finished. Once a month, we have

then I check in with Kyoto-sensei and

to check the whole school after 7:30 PM.

prepare for the day’s lessons. At around

I will walk around the school and school

7:50 I’ll go to the classroom and meet

grounds and check the locks and windows,

the students in homeroom. I’m scared

or if something is broken or if strangers

of being late, so I come early. If students

are around. Each month, a teacher is

have any homework, I’ll ask them to hand

assigned to have this responsibility. So,

it in. At 8:15, the teacher’s meeting starts

on that day, we can’t go home earlier.

every morning. And from 8:25, I will go back to my homeroom and tell the

Irene: What time do you usually wake up/

138

HE T M U M MAXI !!!

E N O M R HO go to bed/ leave work?

Irene: Onsen! I love onsen! What onsen JTE: I usually wake up at 5:30 AM and go

do you recommend?

to bed at around 11:00 PM. I usually leave work around 7PM.

JTE: Of course, Tsuru no Yu. It’s my favourite but it’s far from here. So recently,

Irene: What do you usually do on the

I’ve been going to Hana no Yu in Akita

weekends or when you have free time?

City. Recently, I’ve been doing BBQ in my garden. I smoke food and bake potatoes.

JTE: So many things, because I have many

I make stamps using erasers, too. And I

hobbies. Sometimes I go to live concerts.

make food samples with clay.

I really like rock concerts! My favourite band is Maximum the Hormone. I like

Irene: How many classes do you usually

going to the movies, onsen, and shopping

teach in a week?

too.

139

JTE: I usually teach 17 English classes a

THE AKITAN and wanted to go to art school. But the

week. I also teach one Moral Education

examination was too difficult. It included

class, and one homeroom class. I also

Math, Social studies, Science, Japanese,

teach 2 Integrated Learning classes. It’s

and English. I’m not good at Math and

not a subject, but it’s a class very unique

Science, so I changed my goal. I decided

to Japanese schools. Students learn about

to study English since I like it, and then

the area they live in; like its history, about

decided to be an English teacher.

high schools in Akita City...many things.

Irene: What is the most difficult or Irene: Oh, that’s interesting. I don’t think

challenging part of your job?

we have Intergrated Learning in Western countries. As a homeroom teacher, what

JTE: For me, only the club activities. I’m

are your responsibilities?

not in charge of the volleyball team, but I will help the teacher who is when he

JTE: If students have trouble, I will talk

is busy. It’s difficult because I’ve never

with them and try to solve the problem.

played volleyball, but I have to take care of

If I take care of them too much, it’s not

the volleyball or table tennis team. Many

good for students. Sometimes I will give

teachers are the same; they might not

them advice, but I have a very hands off-

have any experience with the sport, but

approach.

Irene: How long have you been teaching for?

JTE: I have been teaching for 19 years.

Irene: Wow! What made you want to be an English teacher?

JTE: I actually wanted to be an art teacher,

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still need to take over that club activity. As

JTE: Us JTEs should control the class.

an English teacher though, I don’t think

My advice though, is to become a strict

there is anything too difficult. It’s a very

teacher and wait for them to stop talking.

exciting job and it suits me!

If they do very bad things, I will tell them it’s bad right away. At the beginning of

Irene: What do you love about being a

the year, we must make rules and repeat it

teacher?

strictly. Students have to learn these rules.

When they misbehave, I stop teaching

JTE: I like when students achieve success

and I will talk to them.

and watching them be proud about it.

When I see students grow up and become

Irene: How about slow learners?

a better person, I’m really happy.

JTE: When they read, I write the Japanese Irene: This year, I had some trouble

script (katakana or hiragana) to help their

keeping difficult students under control

reading. I will make worksheets that are

in some of my classes. Could you give us

a little bit easier. I will put hints on the

ALTs some tips on how to handle difficult

top of the worksheet so they can see it

students?

and notice how to write. I’ll walk around the classroom to give them advice. I never

141

give them the answer, only hints. If they

THE AKITAN Irene: Wow that is amazing! You must

notice that, it’s a power for learning next

have worked really hard! When you were

time. If they get answers easily, they never

a student, did you have an ALT?

study again.

JTE: Yes! In junior high school. I went to Irene: What was your first experience with

Onoba JHS and it was very big. The ALT

English or foreign cultures?

came to our school once a week, but I had lessons only once or twice a month. It was

JTE: It was in my English lesson when

very rare that I saw the ALT.

I was in junior high school. My teacher said “if you want to use English easily, you

Irene: When was the first time you worked

have to study English every day only for

with an ALT? Was it difficult? Fun? What

5 minutes”. It’s important, so I did it for

did you learn?

3 years. I memorized the whole textbook when I was in third grade. (New horizon

JTE: 19 years ago, it was very difficult

1-3).

because it was my first year to become a teacher. It was a very small school. There

142

were only 18 students in the whole school

can use many textbook sentences. If you

and there were 17 elementary students

think about some activities, please keep

in the same building. But I was the only

in mind what the students are learning

English teacher. No one told me how to

in the textbook. If you have time, you

teach English, how to make worksheets,

can come to the classroom to eat lunch

or how to work with an ALT. So it was

together with students. You don’t have to

very difficult. I learned that meeting with

do it every day, just sometimes. Please go

the ALT before lessons is very important.

out of the teacher’s room and talk with

If he/she can speak Japanese, I shouldn’t

students at lunch or break time, too.

talk in Japanese in the lesson. I also got

Cleaning time after school is a good time

many activity ideas.

to talk with students as well. Sometimes others teachers are very strict, so if you

Irene: How many ALTs have you worked

want to help, please talk to other teachers.

with so far?

This year you helped check student’s sentences, I really want to say thank you.

JTE: Around 20 ALTs.

So, if ALTs have time, please talk to JTEs about marking.

Irene: What do most JTEs expect from ALTs?

Irene: I think your English is really good!

How long have you been studying it for?

JTE: I want ALTs to use the words in the textbook more. Use basic sentences that’s

JTE: About 10 years.

taught in the textbook because it’s a review.

Japanese textbooks are very boring, but

Irene: Many of us want to learn a new

there are so many important words in

language like Japanese, but we have a lot

the textbook students have to learn. They

of trouble, or we are just too lazy! Could

forget everything by just reading it, so

you give us some tips/tricks on how you

if you use more textbook English, they

learned English? How do you motivate

can learn to use it in conversation. That’s

yourself to keep learning?

why I like using “criss cross” since we

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THE AKITAN

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144

JTE: How about join some kind of group

something you would like to take from

to speak Japanese. For example like Taiko

their education system into Japanese

team or tea ceremony class. Or going to

schools?

the bar!

JTE: Presentations, and show and tell. In Irene: Have you ever been abroad?

Japan we never do show and tell. In movies, only little kids do presentations. Japanese

JTE: Yes! America for 3 weeks for an ESL

people aren’t so good at presenting in

class when I was a university student.

front of many people. So it’s a good way

And twice to the UK. And a 2 day trip to

to practice speaking.

Canada (Victoria) by ferry. I took a ferry from Seattle to Victoria.

Irene: Last question…is about natto! I know you love natto. Many of us don’t like

Irene: If you had the chance to go to any

natto so what recipe do you recommend

country, which country would you want

that would make us like natto more?

to visit?

JTE: I like natto chikuwa tempura.

JTE: Germany, because there are many

Chikuwa is a kind of fish cake. Chikuwa

beautiful old buildings. The food looks

can be found in oden. Inside the hole, I

delicious too. So Germany, but I can’t

stuff it with natto and cheese, then I dip

speak German…

it in tempura batter.

Irene: Me neither, but Germany is also on

Irene: Oh, I think I’ll try that next time!

my bucket list.

Natto is so healthy for you, so I want to like it and eat it more often. Thank you so

Irene: Knowing what you know about

much for sharing and doing the interview

education in other countries, is there

with me!

END 145

THE AKITAN School has already begun, and you may find yourself lost in a sea of busy colleagues

at work. But when you can, take the time to strike up a conversation with the person next to you!

In a time where there is a fatal virus spreading across the globe, you may find it

difficult and contradictory to walk into work filled with many people. I’m sure your colleagues and students feel this too, even if they aren’t voicing it. You may be frustrated, anxious, and feeling homesick, but if you make at least one person smile a day with a bit of chitter chatter, then at least everyone can take their minds off of what’s happening to the world...just a little bit!

**Photos courtesy of JTE

...

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Nanataki Falls in Kosaka, Akita, Allyson Roberts 148

Gutters Full of Rain FELIX CLUTSON

An empty windowpane The edges of the city reduced to droplets The outside world become a hall of watermirrors And the trees across the road, nowt now but silhouette pixels There’s just no movement No signs of life The town asleep, or away Gone The only sound is the clatter of gutters Full of rain and gathering more Patters patterned rhythms in the misty morning milklight Time to leave the chair empty Fold up the crossword, put down your tea Clear the table and shrug on your coat Lift grey day blues in the shine of your key Now Turn the corner, look for the sunlight Trace the streets like the back of your hand Slanting shadows on a golden brick road Search the reflections Keep your heads Keep your heads

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THE AKITAN

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THE AKITAN COMIC SECTION

KIMBO SLICE (OF LIFE) KIM BARTOS A non-sequential, comic strip-based, slice-of-life comic that follows “me” and my various interactions with wacky students, coworkers, and townsfolk while living in the inaka of Japan. Everything you are about to read is true.*

*Except the things that aren’t

CHARACTERS

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Hello my dudes! I’m Kim and I’m currently an ALT in the cozy town of Kosaka in Northern Akita.

I’ve been drawing as a hobby for as long as I can remember, and although I still have a lot to learn and improve upon, I wanted to share this fun comic I’ve been working on. It’s a lighthearted, not to be taken seriously, slice-of-life comic based on real (and not so real) events that have occurred during my first, and now currently second year as an ALT. My hobbies also include talking (i.e obsessing over) spooky scary things such as ghosts, yokai, and the like. I also love baseball and volleyball; food is way up on that list as well.

Thanks for taking the time to read this!

I hope to bring you some laughs with my drawings. No, you will not get an explanation of the comic’s title.

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Aisatsu

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u no. 3

154

the “conf

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fession”

156

an attempt

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t was made

158

the amer

159

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rican way

160

Instagram worth

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hy

162

e y b Good 163

r e t n i w

THE AKITAN

r...

Ani Ski in Kitaakita, Tri Phan 164

o l l e H

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p s

.

. . g n i r p

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Cherry blossoms , Irene Cao 166

the staff of the akitan would like to talented contributing wr

Most photographs are credited in pla Felix Clutson (images 15, 161) Tresier Mihalik (images 31,162) Allyson Roberts (images 31, 32, 39) Tri Phan (images 32, 35, 36) Irene Cao (images 32, 150, 161, 162, 167) Unknown (image 133)

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o extend our grattitude to our many riters and photographers .

ace, but we would also like to thank: Unknown (image 135) Unknown (image 139) Ethan Ingram (Image 161) Andrea Danko (Image 161, 162) Jessica Legham Scott (image 162)

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Thank you for reading

T H E A K I TA N

S E E YO U I N S P R I N G