The Akitan Summer 2021

THE AKITAN

AKITA JET QUARTERLY

THE AKITAN

summer ISSUE

10.09.21 1

THE AKITAN Summer 2021

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 Jacob Delgado 2

THE AKITAN

CONTENTS A Word From the Editor....................................................p.12 Lake Towada 56th Sky Lantern Festival.............................p.16 Who’s That Avain?!............................................................p.24 Sand In My Shorts............................................................p.26 My Time on Jet.................................................................p.30 Snorkeling with Yokai.......................................................p.38 English Boards..................................................................p.48 Estuary..............................................................................p.58 Elegy of Falling.................................................................p.60 SAD..................................................................................p.62 Movie Review....................................................................p.66 Restaurant Recommendations..........................................p.68 Comic...............................................................................p.74

3

Greetings from the akitan and pr Philip Vyas Creative director & Editor Hi, I’m Philip! I’m a third-year ALT living up in Odate. I’m from South Africa. I enjoy life...in general... nothing too specific. Hope you enjoy this edition!

Peter Bond Movie reviewer I’m Peter, I’m a 2nd 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.

4

THE AKITAN

rc staff

brooke dalgleish and kim bartos Social Media Managers Hi! We are your Akita PRC social media managers!

Kim: I’m the JHS and ES ALT in Kosaka and I also contribute webcomic strips to the Akitan. I enjoy drawing, animating, and learning languages. I also play D&D and often read about ghosts and the like in my free time.

Brooke: I’m the Kazuno and Kosaka High school ALT. I’m obsessed with flowers and coffee and spend most of my free time adventuring outdoors capturing Akita’s natural beauty.

We run the Akita JET social media accounts and we always look forward to connecting with you!

5

Andrea Danko, Rice Paddy Art

Charity Akita チャリティ秋⽥ About Us We are an unincorporated non-profit voluntary association that works to strengthen the expat and Japanese community by providing opportunities for people to connect, and to pass on the legacy of volunteerism in Akita prefecture.

Hosted events Beach Cleanup English Cafe Appi ski trip Christmas Carolling Sumo Tournament ...and more!

Follow us! http://www.charityakita.com

charityakita@gmail.com facebook.com/charityakita twitter.com/charityakita instagram.com/charityakita

Brooke Dalgleish, Bamboo Forest

10

Philip Vyas, Rice Paddies in Fujisato

THE AKITAN

11

A WORD FROM THE EDITOR

A word from the editor

Boy am I excited for the change of season! Summer has graced us with its sweltering wet heat, its shear abundance in life and green and those wonderful beach days. We now wave it goodbye and say hello to this brief period of cool dry Autumn weather.

Summer, can be a divisive season. As I sit here and think back on summer, I think to those wonderful beach days where swimming in the ocean felt so soothing. After a swim, there is nothing quite as refreshing as enjoying kakigori (かき氷) in the hot summer heat. Things I feel that can rarely be enjoyed in other seasons. Summer also has a lot of life and energy surrounding us and I can’t quite help but feel uplifted by it. Sure, the green, life, beach and enjoying a nice swim are great but it is contrasted with the sheer difficulty and discomfort of everyday living with the intense humidity.

Summer’s humidity can be quite oppressive. Coming from South Africa where the humidity remains low and when you feel hot you can simply sit in the shade for a bit, in Japan its not quite the same. The shade won’t help you! Sweat becomes your closest friend as you wake up sweaty, go to school sweaty, come home sweaty and go to sleep sweaty. I’m also reminded of the wild sensation of jumping out the shower, drying myself off and still being wet. Ah! just thinking back on it makes me want to crawl out of my skin. Summer can be bad, it can be great too, but one thing is for sure, this year, it has passed.

On we go to Autumn the true gem of seasons in Akita. The comfortable cool weather is matched by the wonderful views all turning red. For those of you who are newly arriving: Aki(秋) means autumn in Japanese and ta (田) refers to a rice field. So, Akita is the autumn rice field. Rice field has many connotations in Japanese culture. It is not simply a field of rice but is a symbol of joy, food and a profusion of other things. I advise those new Alts arriving to not waste a moment and jump straight into reaping the good effects of this “autumn rice field.” Go for it and join your sempais on their autumn viewing trips and eat as many sweet potatoes as you can.

For now, let’s take a look back on summer.

12

THE AKITAN

13

BO EA X Y C M IT IEFD O TR H CE HANG O SEA EFSO SU N M !MH ER G AR SACE W U DSW T IH SELTER N IW GSH ET ISEA A T ,R BUNDAN A L FN IE C N E G D REEA N NT D HO W SEONDERFU BELACD H W A N YSE .OW W G A T V IO EODBA YE NSA D H YELLT O T O B H P R E SIF R O IO C D O FO DL A RY UTUMW NEATHER.

Here we go...

14

Brooke Dalgleish,Oga, Ajisai

THE AKITAN

Brooke Dalgleish, Sun Flower Field, Nishima

15

LAKE TOWADA 56TH SKY FESTIVAL

Lake Towada 56th Sky Festival Brooke Dalgleish Have you ever heard of the Lake Towada Sky Lantern Festival? If not, you’re in good company. I’m about to start my fourth year as an ALT in Kazuno City, which is about an hour south of Lake Towada, and I had never heard of this festival until this spring.

store or buy them personally at the tourism office at Lake Towada. There were two types of tickets you could buy. The most popular one was a ¥3000 ticket which gets you into the festival, but also gives you your own lantern.

The second one was a ¥2000 ticket for a night cruise where you don’t get a Around June of this year, I saw it being lantern, but you can watch them from advertised and I thought maybe it was aboard a decorated cruise ship. Checka new festival that Lake Towada created in time was from 5-7:30pm which of to overcompensate the lack of tourism it course included temperature and mask had in 2020. However, I asked my boychecks. friend about it and he said his dad used to go to the festival when he was a little kid. Little did I know that this festival actually happens every year during the summer and 2021 was its 56th year!

Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, last year’s festival was canceled, but because of this, they made this year’s festival two days instead of the usual one day.

My boyfriend and a small group of our friends decided to go on Sunday, August 8th together, but he also surprised me with tickets to go on Saturday, August 7th. You can buy tickets online and print them at your local convenience 16

THE AKITAN

Andrea Danko, Bales of Hay Near Iwate

17

All Photos provided by Brooke Dalgleish

LAKE TOWADA 56TH SKY FESTIVAL

On Saturday, the two of us got there early, checked in, and received our lanterns. I was a little worried that the lanterns would be the ones you see floating away in the sky later becoming trash and being more detrimental to the environment, however, that was not the case. They were LED lanterns that were connected to a long spool of line. It was just like a kite! It made it very easy to control because you could pick and choose your length. The colors of the LED lights were orange and blue, orange being the vast majority. You couldn’t choose the color you received but we were both content with getting orange. They had an area to write a wish on your lantern with markers that they provided, but we skipped that part due to our worries about covid. Instead, I pulled out one of my lipsticks and we wrote with that on our lanterns. In pan-

18

demic times, you gotta do what you gotta do! My boyfriend wrote about wishing everyone a happy future and I wrote about everyone being safe and healthy.

Since we got there early, we decided to find a nice spot on the beach to enjoy the picnic we packed. It was one of those days that was hot but also a little breezy making the humidity bearable.

There were a lot of people, a lot of foreigner families, which meant a lot of people from the Misawa base in Aomori. This made sense because half of the lake is in Akita and the other half is in Aomori. Although, I never felt unsafe because everyone was pretty good about wearing a mask and social distancing.

We relaxed until about 8pm and then there were announcements that the people taking the cruise were about to board and we would “release” the lanterns at 8:30pm. Even though there was

THE AKITAN

a specified timeline, many people were already letting their lanterns float high in the sky which gave a perfect opportunity to take tons of pictures among the scenery.

ourselves. Again at 8:30, we got to see everyone release their lanterns from the beach, and at 9pm it ended with another firework show. We returned back to the docks once it finished and slowly made our way home.

8:30 rolled around and the countdown So there you go! Even in my third year started and at the count of one everyone as an ALT I’m still learning about all on the beach who had a lantern let it that my backyard has to offer. I’m not float in the air until there was no more sure if they will have two days next year give on the line. It was beautiful and for this festival or if they will do the magical and they played the song, “I See night cruise (it was new this year), but the Light” by Mandy Moore that plays if you’re around the first weekend in during the lantern scene in the animat- August of next year, I would highly reced movie “Tangled”. It was breathtaking ommend the Lake Towada Sky Lantern to see all these lanterns surrounded by Festival. Enjoy! a beautiful starry night. It was so fun and we got to enjoy this spectacular view for about 30 minutes. Then they ended it with a firework show because, sasuga Japan! After that, everyone was free to go! It had a very chill and relaxed atmosphere and for the first time in a year I felt like I was free of my worries and could actually enjoy a summer festival in Japan again.

On Sunday we came back with some of our friends, but decided to do the hour-long night cruise instead. We checked in early and at 8pm we boarded our cruise ship where we were given a free drink (local apple juice) with our ticket. Both our drinks and the cruise ship were lit up with beautiful lights which made it easy to see in the dark.

The cruise ship also had three levels, which made it easy to social distance 19

LAKE TOWADA 56TH SKY FESTIVAL

20

THE AKITAN

21

Andrea Danko. Dakigaeri gorge, Clear blue

22

THE AKITAN

Philip Vyas, Shirakami Sanchi

23

Who’s That Avian?!

WHO’S THAT AVIAN?!

By: Allison Connor

24

THE AKITAN

25

WHO’S THAT AVIAN?!

Sand in my shorts Jacob Delgado Summer is the perfect time for watermelon, kakigori, 5” shorts, and of course the beach. The local beach in Mitane is called Kamayahama and every summer it is the home of the famous Sand Craft Festival. The festival is held within the month of August and perfectly lines up with summer vacation. The main aspect of the festival are large intricate sand sculptures erected right on the beach and put on display for 26

everyone's enjoyment. While the sculptures are typically made by artists from all around the world, this year the sculptors were composed of artists from around Japan. Like any other Japanese festival you can expect delicious food vendors and fun activities.

Typically Sand Craft includes a bikini contest, live music, and a firework show as well. Unfortunately due to covid-19 we could only enjoy a paired down version

THE AKITAN

of Sand Craft. This year's festivities included a fun opening ceremony and about a month of night illumination of the sculptures. I was lucky enough to volunteer the week leading up to the festival. During my volunteer time I helped the festival team make bamboo lights which were also on display for a portion of the festival. Volunteering and chopping it up with the team until well after sundown was a lot of fun and a great experience overall and a great way to get more involved in the local community. Hopefully next year we’ll all be able to enjoy a more normal version of Sand Craft.

27

Jacob Delgado, Kamayahama beach, Sand Goddess WHO’S THAT AVIAN?!

28

THE AKITAN

29

MY TIME ON JET

My time on JET

By Cameron Chorpenning

30

THE AKITAN

All photos courtesy of Cameron Chorpenning 31

MY TIME ON JET

I’m not really a goal-oriented person.

I didn’t go to Japan like some JETs do with a specific end result in mind, whether to remain in Japan and start a career there, or to use the experience as a stepping-stone towards a job back home. Like many of the JETs I met over the course of my time on the program, I took the job not knowing where it would ultimately lead me, and was really okay with that. Whenever someone asked me why I took the job, I usually answered that I’d been interested in Japan in college, but had never been to the country, and that I also had some interest in trying teaching, and thought the program was a convenient way to accomplish both simultaneously. By no means was this answer a lie, but on occasion, when asked the same question by the people I was closest to, I answered that I wanted to change. I didn’t really care how.

That was part of the fun, I thought, seeing how I’d develop and evolve over the course of my journey. I mean, 32

how could I not? It’s Japan! Surely life in such a different culture would be a shock to my system and grant me at least some small measure of clarity about my own life, if not life itself!

How could I possibly return from such a life-altering experience without some sense of direction and purpose?

As you have probably guessed, I have yet to experience such a revelation.

In fact, the position I found myself in upon my return was strikingly similar to that in which I found myself when I was a fresh JET in Akita. Life was so good where you just came from, it was so comfortable, you had everything figured out--why did you feel the need to upend the life you’d built? Now, as then, I’m asking myself the same question. I think the answer lies somewhere in being able to tell the difference between contentment and complacency.

The latter is obviously to be avoided, and the former is, in my own opinion, grossly underrated. Without going into (tedious) detail, I can say that prior to

THE AKITAN

my departures both to and from Japan I was risking complacency. Telling the difference between complacency and contentment is a skill I cannot yet claim to have fully developed, and I’m not sure that I could honestly say that I have ever experienced a sense of contentment lasting enough to really know and explain what characterizes it. Complacency, however, means to me a stagnation of personal growth. Of course, growth can take many forms, whether cultivating new skills, learning more about oneself, or nurturing new relationships. I don’t mean to say that by the end of my time in Japan I had ceased to develop in any of these ways. Rather, I was coming to a point of diminishing returns. As I’m sure many of you reading this can relate to, one major area in which I experienced a slowing of growth was in the workplace. A disclaimer: I adored my JTEs and my students. However, as many ALTs can attest, there’s really only so much room for us in most classrooms.

Once we learn how to effectively occupy that space, expanding beyond it poses a challenge that only the most very special and motivated ALTs and JTEs are capable of. And I’m just not that special. Maybe had the job offered more opportunities to grow, I would’ve been more willing to extend my stay in Japan. But I don’t want to spend this article complaining about being an ALT--that was always one of my least favorite topics to discuss with other JETs anyway. Instead, I want to use this opportunity to reflect on how I did grow thanks to my time on JET. As a new ALT, I experienced a level of self-consciousness that I never had before in my life. I was so worried about saying or doing the wrong thing and representing myself and my country poorly that it actually became a hindrance to my integrating with my community and my workplace. By the time I felt I had become actually comfortable in my new home and was ready to take more risks socially, the 33

MY TIME ON JET

pandemic struck, and I was suddenly unable to meet new people in my community as freely as before. Even now, I regret not having taken what felt at the time like risks by putting in the work to involve myself more with the people in my town. To be certain, I met many, many wonderful people and made relationships that I hope will endure years from now. But it’s hard not to wonder how many more people I could have met or how much deeper those relationships could have been had I been willing to exit my shell sooner.

The openness and the willingness to take myself less seriously that enabled me to do so at all are skills that still

34

require developing, but I can attribute the fact that I’m aware of my need to develop them at all to my experience in Japan. Countless times, I saw these very skills modeled by the people who approached me to ask where I was from, to try and practice their English, or even to feed me a local specialty. I certainly don’t stand out as much in the United States as I did in Japan, but I already notice that this openness is missing, or at least diminished here when compared to Akita. Perhaps it’s a result of small town living, where neighbors are trusted more implicitly, or maybe it’s because of the communal mindset common in Japan that is so

THE AKITAN

alien to highly individualized American culture. Whatever the case, I feel its absence as I continue striving to cultivate it in myself.

As I do so, I can’t help but think: how many challenges facing our many countries and our entire species right now could begin to be overcome by letting our guards down a bit and taking the risk to talk with our neighbors or our coworkers? This simple yet daunting act is the first step in so much of the organizing and activism that have brought about much of the progress we now take for granted. It is what allows for a community in which people care for and support one an-

other. I’m not so naïve as to think that if we all just talked to each other a little more, we could solve all the world’s problems. But I do know that if we remain committed chiefly to ourselves, or too afraid to be a neighbor, that we can forget about bettering our world.

Maybe this is a bit of a dramatic turn to take in what was supposed to be a reflection on my time as a JET. I guess it was sort of a profound experience after all. So, if anyone were to ask me today if I achieved my goal of changing during my time in Japan, I’d have to tell them yes, a bit, but that I’m still working on it.

35

36

Brooke Dalgleish, Ishida Rose Garden, Odate-shi

THE AKITAN

Maria Scholes, Todo Falls (桃洞滝・とうどうたき) in Moriyoshi, Kitaakita City

37

SNORKELLING WITH THE YOKAI

Snorkelling with the Yokai

By Kim Bartos and

Ever heard of the Japanese old wives’ tale that warns against swimming during obon? Well we heard about it after the fact… Supposedly, if you go swimming during the week of obon, certain Japanese ghosts and monsters, otherwise known as yokai, might try to grab you and pull you deep underwater!

There are various ideas as to why this superstition came about, but one of the most popular comes from warning children not to interfere with the floating lanterns in the water. These lanterns are said to represent deceased family members’ souls transitioning back to the spirit world. So, if children were to disturb these lanterns by swimming in the water, their spirits might get taken right along with them! This tale then transformed into the superstition we heard about after our day trip. Another theory comes from Japan’s very own typhoon season. Although we swam in a lake, swimming in the ocean during typhoon season can be quite dangerous.

So many parents often tell their chil38

Brooke Dalgleish

dren to stay away from bodies of water during this time. Regardless of where this tale comes from, we were lucky to make it out of our swimming adventure intact!

Speaking of scary stories and bodies of water, have you heard any ghost stories from Akita’s very own Lake Towada?

After learning about the “do not swim during Obon” tale, Kim very excitedly told her coworkers that she did just that! A surprised coworker added to the excitement with this spine-chilling local tale about Lake Towada:

THE AKITAN

Istock, D-Keine

Around Towada there are a couple campgrounds where you can rent a space, set up a tent, and enjoy a nice evening under the beautiful stars. However, this beautiful night comes with a word of warning. Big bodies of water act as easy conduits for pesky spirits! Many are harmless, but others...might not be so keen on visitors coming to the lake.

It is said that during the night--around midnight to be exact--hundreds of sinister, ghostly hands will rise from the water and slither their way to the campgrounds. These hands will reach into your tents, grab you by the ankles, and tug you out! If you aren’t fast enough to escape this initial scare, those hands will drag you across the ground straight for, you guessed it, the dark depths of the lake!! Dragging folks underwater seems to be a theme here...

Are there any local ghost stories that you’ve heard? Summer is the time to ask about them!

Wait. Was this an article about ghosts or about swimming? Let’s get back on track!

Over summer vacation on a work day we took off, a small group of us decided to go to Lake Tazawa on a whim. Since it was a monday, there weren’t a lot of people at the lake. It was like we had the swimming area all to ourselves at some points! Although it was slightly on the chilly side, we were all willing to fight the cold in order to enjoy swimming in a lake at least once this summer. One of us had a few sets of snorkel gear, so we were able to go under the water. That might sound strange, snorkeling in a lake, but Lake Tazawa is very 39

SNORKELLING WITH THE YOKAI

clear and has an abundant amount of fish to look for! Thanks to the lack of people kicking up sand, the water was very visible. You could see quite far into the water, past the floating buoys of the roped off swimming area. We were able to take loads of silly underwater pictures and videos to remember this fun, spontaneous day trip.

When you ask your students what they did this summer, did any of them say they went swimming? It’s not such a common answer as it is back home in America for us. One of the major differences we noticed about swimming at lakes in The U.S. vs. swimming in Japan is the way people enjoy their time at the lake. In America, it’s not uncommon to see plenty of people splashing around and diving under the water to feel refreshed. In Japan, however, we noticed that most people are fine with going until the water just hits their knees (unless they are under the age of 13, it seems).

We barely saw anyone in swimsuits either! Asking a Japanese friend about this, she said that most people prefer swimming in the ocean rather than in lakes. Some even think lakes are dirtier than oceans, so they simply enjoy the view rather than swim in it!

Another lake day given in The U.S. is the food! Although we’re sure people were eating at this lake beach area too, it seems like our group was the only one that really had it all laid out on a 40

big blanket.

Something that came as a bit of a shock were the public bathrooms and showers. Normally you’d expect to just waltz into the tiny cement buildings at a public beach and tiptoe your way around the facilities (avoiding spiders and whatnot). However, these facilities cost a fee! Of course it was only 300 yen, but the fact that there was any price to pay at all felt like a little bit of a culture shock!

On the other hand we did notice a lot of similarities! We saw many people using SUP boards, water floaties, watching the sunset, and a few people were even skipping rocks. It just goes to show that when there is a lake around, we may utilize it differently, but we can all enjoy a day at the lake!

Photos courtesy of Kim and Brooke

THE AKITAN

41

Andrea Danko, Beach in Yamada, Not Okinawa!

AJISAI IN AKITA

42

Ajisai in

n Akita

THE AKITAN

43

AJISAI IN AKITA

44

THE AKITAN

45

AJISAI IN AKITA

Photo credits First page: Andrea Danko, top-left, Multi-coloured ajisai Brooke Dalgleish, right, Heart-shaped ajisai , bottom right, Magenta ajisai Second page: Andrea Danko, top-left, Dragon fly and ajisai Brooke Dalgleish, bottom left, pink ajisai, bottom center, ajisai path, bottom right, crisp ajisai, top right, bamboo forest and flowers tope center, pristine ajisai.

46 Dalgleish, Hydrangeas together Brooke

THE AKITAN

Oga’s Unshoji temple If you are looking to see some Hyndrangeas or ajisai in Japanese. Oga’s Unshoji temple is a very good spot. This temple hosts an event every year around the beginning of July.

The temple grounds are stunning with loads of hydrangeas and some bamboo spattered around the area. At night the grounds are lit up highlighting the beautiful blue of the hydrangeas. Definitly a must for people living in Akita.

Philip Vyas, Unshoji temple, Oga

47

ENGLISH BOARDS

English Boards English Boards. The bread and butter of ALTs. Making engaging and interesting English boards is a great way to further immerse your students in the English speaking world. Its also an oppurtunity to have some fun!

Here we have some ideas of what ALTs having been doing around the prefecture. We hope this will give you some ideas for your next English Board!

Autumn Board Philip Vyas This Autumn board features autumn vocabulary. It also provides the students with an oppurtunity to use the words they have just learnt with an easy to do and fun crossword. The board also features an Autumn around the world section as well as a simplified version of the Persephone myth explaining why the world has seasons, according to the ancient greeks.

48

THE AKITAN

Rachel Stivicic, Merry Christmas

49

ENGLISH BOARDS

Merry Christmas Rachel Stivicic Sometimes too many words and too much information can be a bit much for an English board. The christmas board above is a great example of how keeping it simple and eye-catching can work very well. Most students will view your board in those few minutes between their classes so having an easy to do and quick activity works well.

Grammar board Philip Vyas A board reviewing the use of can accompanied by a poster with responses to “How are you?” I felt by using emojis it would be more relatable for the students

Halloween board Philip Vyas This board includes a quiz, story and movie recommendation list.

The quiz is made of a series of yes or no questions. As the students answer the questions they will progress along a path which will end up at one of the monsters. The point being to see which monster they would be.

The story is a basic children’s story called Bill the Bat.

50

THE AKITAN

51

ENGLISH BOARDS

The ALT Sensei Tegami Service Alicia Alicia works at two elementary schools. In an effort to get the students to practice writing she has created “The Alicia Sensei Tegami Service.” This provdes an oppurtunity for the students to correspond with her. There are different themes as well as example letters to help the students along.

Students receive prizes when they complete correspondence with Alicia The student writes a letter, Alicia responds to the letter with some questions and finally the student answers the questions and returns the answers back to her. After this the correspondence is complete.

The prize for the students is a copy of a hand-drawn anime character or celebrity done by the Alicia herself. The students vote for what they would like drawn. Students that complete the correspondence will receive an A5 copy of a character. Upon second completion students will receive an A4 copy.

52

THE AKITAN

Alicia, The Alicia Sensei Tegami Service Postbox Right: students voting for characters they would like drawn.

Follow the artist on instagram at: @caffemochi 53

ENGLISH BOARDS

54

Alicia, Rengoku

THE AKITAN

Alicia, Jujutsu Kaisen

55

ENGLISH BOARDS

56

THE AKITAN

57

Brooke Dalgleish, Kamayahama beach, Mitane

ESTUARY

Estuary

Through the night I st on a curve of sand where the meets the river’s mouth. Row cast their years in rhythm to and fish fry that drift under t a pantomime of their reels an spanning the horizon.

They too rise before d as bouncing spheres of light dancing and merging togethe and replacing one another in a word unheard.

Erica White – June 2021

58 Dalgleish, Summer Sunset Brooke

THE AKITAN

tayed at the estuary, e sea’s soft palm ws of fishermen the crabs the waves, the foam nd wrists

dawn, dawdle to the shore like squid er, fading n this meeting place,

Morning sea and sky the fishermen’s silhouettes form a black pier

59

ELEGY OF THE FALLING

Elegy of the Falling Noel Glenn When was the last time you went stargazing?

The last time you went out under that vast, infinite darkness, and searched out the spots of light punching their way through the infinite, hungering void?

Was it summer, when the air is so hot the stars themselves tremble from the heat?

When the screaming of the cicadas drowned out even the white noise of your own head?

Or was it winter, when the cold silences the land so thoroughly that instead, it is the screams of the stars that reach you? When the howls of the wind only rarely lighten up enough to let the world breath, cold and numb and frozen?

Did the cold numb you, did the dark scare you, did the world itself seem at once too big and too little and too much?

Did you point the stars out to your friends? Share their names and their stories, the few of them that you could amongst that countless infinity?

Did you draw imaginary lines in the sky, give them meaning, give them lessons?

Did you listen to others’, argue over the accuracy of these myths you’ve made of uncaring, incomprehensibly massive floating entities of flame?

Were you alone, with none but the stars and the night and the abyss to keep you company?

Did you contemplate the ground beneath your feet, the earth, the universe? Did you recognize your own insignificance, of you and everyone you loved, everyone you’ve ever known?

Did it scare you? Did the size of your whole existence, as big as you feel and as small as you are, terrify you down to the very marrow of your bones?

Did it invigorate you?

60

THE AKITAN

When the universe gives you no meaning, no answers, no love, do you find them for yourself? Does the absence drive you?

Or do you cower under that blanket of stars, and pretend like they aren’t watching you die, every moment of your life?

Did time, for that one moment under the endless pattern of black and white, hold still? In your great moment of contemplation, with the whole of the universe spread out before you, beholden and beholding in turn, did the great flows of the world halt at your feet?

What would you do, with an eternity like theirs? Would you help someone? Destroy their very world?

Perhaps you’d simply watch, as our world, as many others, blink out.

It’s what we’re good at, after all.

Watching.

Did you watch them fall from the sky, a little piece of eternity burning itself out against the black night? Did you relate? Feel for that small part of the universe that sought to make itself into something, only to shatter into nothing for the effort?

Did you pity it? Sigh in shame at it’s great, wasted expenditure, mourn what could have been? Did it slip from your mind moments after, this quiet, lifeless death, unimportant for its absence of impact on your life?

Are there stars falling to the earth right now?

Landing right now?

Are they behind you?

Maybe you should check.

61

SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER (SAD)

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) Alina Imai As summer ends and the time for warm drinks from the vending machine and being trapped under your kotatsu begin, there’s something not so pleasant that a lot of us aren’t looking forward to, seasonal depression. It hasn’t been easy, especially for most of you who don’t have family in Japan, to have drastically altered your living experience so unexpectedly.

We were thrown from leaving our homes thinking “keys, wallet, phone” to “let me double check for my face mask” and although we’ve normalized it, that could very well have been a scene from a dystopian movie.

For those of you who have experienced seasonal depression before, you know very well that the shortened days and grey weather can’t help but cloud your mind and sometimes get the best of you. To the people who have just recently experienced what I’m calling Seasonal Depression 2.0 Covid Edition, take a deep breath, straighten your back, and try to remember if you drank enough water today. These days it’s quite hard not to be further discouraged when it feels like every time you open an email it’s about canceled enkai’s or events and your Monday work small talk is no longer about where you went over the weekend instead it’s about how safely you stayed at home but you can’t let that stop you from trying to have fun in any small way you can. It’s heavy and maybe just now bringing it up again made you feel down but here’s what I have learned about dealing with depression, depression is an unfair war between you and your own brain.

Depression will tell you to lay in, cancel plans, isolate yourself and binge watch anything because it’s comforting and doesn’t require any energy but you have to actively fight those thoughts. Similar to working

62

THE AKITAN

out every day, fighting depressive thoughts requires self discipline and energy, it’s hard because a lot of times you won’t even realize which behaviors or actions are being controlled by depression and the only way to learn is with time.

My final and hopefully useful opinion is that humans were not meant to be completely alone, we’re sociable creatures that function and feel better when we have other people in our lives. Although we may be physically restricted and bound by covid regulations, you can still get together with friends in your area and make an event out of watching a movie at home with snacks and drinks, maybe even dress up with a theme like the MET gala. You can start regularly scheduling video calls with your family members you miss so you can look forward to those Thursday nights when you know you’ll see their smiles again.

As cheesy as it sounds, we really do need each other and sometimes the best way you can help yourself is by helping others too. You never know who might be casually hiding their depression, not knowing the laughs they could be having or the drunk heart to heart talks at 3am on the living room floor. I know from personal experience sometimes even guilt can factor in, not having responded to messages in weeks, posting memes while ignoring invitations, but start small and just say Hey.

Andrea Danko, Yuzawa Sunset 63

ELEGY OF THE FALLING

64

Philip Vyas, Painting in the sky, Kamayahama beach, Mitane

THE AKITAN

Brooke Dalgleish, Up in the sky

65

AKIRA

Akira

Peter Bond

Cities come and go, sometimes in an instant.

Early on as we see Tokyo destroyed, one can not help but think of those two cities. As the plot continues and we learn more about Akira, his power and that explosion the film starts to ask us about this power. How do we relate to science? To technology? Can we learn from our mistakes? If we don’t learn, there is a cost to pay. The film lays that out clear in its stunning finale.

Early in 1988’s Akira, Tokyo is destroyed in a great flash of light. Japan rebuilds, and the movie takes us into Neo-Tokyo. The city has returned but has changed. Reborn as a city of towering skylines, grimy streets and citizens either turned violent or numb. The military enforces its will on the street, and the government hides deep away work- After our mistakes, how do we rebuild? ing towards its own preservation. One city destroyed, and a new city made.

Otomo Katsuhiro’s drove this 1988 film adaptation of his own manga. It had a massive influence on science fiction, Japanese cyberpunk and left a mark as a piece of adult animation. The film follows Kaneda, the leader of a biker gang and his friend Tetsuo. Tetsuo acquires psychic abilities and the film spins out from there.

The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are instantly invoked in this film, and run as a throughline throughout it.

66

THE AKITAN

If a city is destroyed in an instant, who defines what it’s rebirth looks like?

What values take root in this new city?

Neo-Tokyo is a city that has not learned the lessons of the past, has not learned what it should have. It is the future, but it is not a future most of us want. So is it progress?

and societies progress through time, and some ideas progress through them and others do not. If we are not able to learn from our mistakes, they will proceed into our futures.

What happens when these mistakes are our own and they are what brought out cities to destruction in the first place? If we let the same values take root again, In a way, the city has been reborn, there if we exploit the same technologies, the is a great flourishing of both technology same people, the same planet, in all the and economy. But Is this the progress same ways, we will be doomed in a cyyou want? Who is this progress for? cle of self-destruction. If we define our Who benefits from this progress? What progress into the future, we must reckideas are progressing in this city? on with our pasts.

Like any good science fiction, here the future is the present. We live in Neo-Tokyo today. Questions about our relationship to both the modern and the newest technology abound. Our cities

67

RESTAURANT RECOMMENDATIONS

Restaurant Recommendations June Kim

Need some places to eat around Akita?

Here’s a couple spots to try out!

Pieno di sole, Mitane If you’re in the Noshiro or Mitane area, this place is a can’t miss. Pieno Di Sole has freshly made Neapolian pizzas to order a brick oven in-house to crisp up the crust. The menu rotates slightly between seasons but they never disappoint.

It’s a very clean and cozy little shop and sometimes they’ll put pastries and handcrafts for sale too. The owners are very friendly and they love meeting new ALTs! Hours: 11AM - 4PM, Wednesday - Sunday (closed Monday and Tuesday). Address: Moritake, Mitane, Yamamoto District, Akita 018-2303.

68

THE AKITAN

TDK Guesthouse (TDK Museum, Nikaho While the TDK museum is a really neat place to check out, make sure you don’t miss out on their restaurant either! This unassuming lunch time shop has a touch of class with a very affordable menu. You don’t even need a reservation! It’s also a great place to try some local Yuri beef (sourced from Yurihonjo). Make sure to swing by here before heading to the museum.

Hours: 11AM - 3PM (LO at 2PM), weekends and holidays (check their website for updated hours). Address: Egakimen-15 Hirasawa, Nikaho, Akita 018-0402

Marine Blue, Lake Towada You can find this cafe alongside Lake Towada, near the Akita/Aomori border bridge. They advertise apple pies which have chunks of apples and light on the sweetness (so don’t expect an American-style cinnamon-heavy apple pie here). If you’re not in the mood for pies (or if they’re sold out), you can also enjoy a cup of coffee, tea, or apple sorbet. The shop is also located on a pier with outdoor seating so you can sit alongside the lake and enjoy a drink.

Hours: 8AM - 6PM daily. Address: Yasumitai Towadako, Kosaka, Kazuno District, Akita 018-5511 69

RESTAURANT RECOMMENDATIONS

Budou No Ki, Kitaakita If you like your food handcrafted from scratch, this little cafe might scratch that itch. The owner makes most (if not all) of the food, desserts, and specialty drinks to order. While their food is usually served only at lunch, their desserts are also not to be missed.

Hours: 11AM - 8PM daily (may close early if there’s no business). Address: 2-11 Hanazonocho, Kitaakita, Akita 018-3312

Kandon, Akita City With another Akita winter coming up, Kandon offers Korean spicy tofu soup (soon dubu) to warm you up! You can also order various Korean bowls too including bibimbap or if you’re a Korean BBQ fan, they offer various meats and cuts on their bowls as well! Ramen is also offered including Yukgaejang as well. This is located conveniently in central Akita near the central post office and Hodono Starbucks.

Hours: 11AM - 10:30PM daily. Address: 8-19 Koyosaiwaicho, Akita, 010-0967 70

All Photos courtesy of June Kim

THE AKITAN

71

Andrea Danko, Rice Field Sunsets

RESTAURANT RECOMMENDATIONS

72

THE AKITAN

73

Philip Vyas, Gate in Hirosaki park

OH, YOUNGLINGS...

Oh, Younglings... ...I didn't know whether or not to correct her since she was so excited. So, I just smiled and nodded....

74

THE AKITAN

by: KIM BARTOS

75

OH, YOUNGLINGS...

76

THE AKITAN

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

A Huge thanks to all the people who contributed with lovely articles and pictures. This magazine is entirley independantly made and would not be possible without your contributions. Again really impressed with the quality of articles and pictures.

A special thanks to Brooke Dalgleish (Kazuno ALT) and Andrea Danko (Kazuno CIR) for providing so many beautiful pictures.

Andrea Danko has left the Jet programme this year. We wish her all the best for the future and her photos will be sorely missed!

Andrea Danko, One last Yuzawa

77

Sa

ANDREA DANKO, ONE LAST YUZAWA

78

a r a n o y

Andrea Danko, Bales of Hay, Iwate near lake Gosho

THE AKITAN

Su m

m

er

79

ANDREA DANKO, ONE LAST YUZAWA

80

Philip Vyas, Kiminomachizaka, Futatsui

THE AKITAN

Welcome Autumn 81

Thank you for reading

T H E A K I TA N

S E E YO U I N AU T U M N