Polestar May 2019 by Polestar

POLESTAR HOKKAIDO

May 2019

Editor’s Note

May 2019

H Editor • Dayna Andreous Designer • Andrew Gerber Front cover photo • Eric Hattig All photos are by the authors of the articles, unless otherwise noted. A special thanks to all of the contributors this month. You guys are the true champions behind Polestar and for that I am forever grateful.

ello everyone and welcome to May’s edition of Polestar. I must start by thanking everyone who contributed to this month’s issue. I am so fortunate to be the editor of this magazine in the sense that so many of you are kind and talented enough to send me such wonderful pieces. Polestar simply would not exist without your contributions. For Golden Week I found myself wandering around Tokyo with my brother in tow. Tokyo is such a nostalgic place for me, as it’s where I spent my year abroad at Gakushuin University, so taking him around my old stomping ground brought back some very strong and colourful feelings. I realised how much I had accomplished since then but also how much more I wanted to achieve. Revisiting places I had been to before, I felt such sentimentality and it put into perspective my future goals. I also got hideously sunburnt at Disney Sea but we don’t need to talk about that. This month I also celebrated my 23rd birthday, further reinforcing the self-reflection I’ve faced this month. Most of my friends always look at their birthdays with disdain but I look forward to mine. For me, it’s a time to reminisce and think about the year of your life that has just passed. Was it fun? Was it boring? Was it filled with laughter or tragedy? A birthday is a milestone and one that should be appreciated. If you find your life to be inadequate, it is in your hands to change it. So I challenge all of you to really think about the direction your life is going in, and whether it’s one you’re proud of. Peace and love in the community,

photo by Sonia Chand

In This Issue... H ajet 4 6 8 10

President’s Corner A Letter from the First Year Rep Interview with the New Bookseller HAJET Meetup @ the Lilac Festival

HEC 12 Indian Foodie Feast

E ducation 14 High-Spirited in High School!

A ll 16 18 20 22 24

over

H okkaido

There and Back Again: An ALT Journey First-Year Faux Pas Tales from Hokkaido Mothers’ Day Sumo Building a Dream

C ulture A genda 26 Monkey Punch, We Hardly Knew Ye

A round

the

‘D o

28 Hakodate

P hoto G allery

POLESTAR • MAY 2019

PRESIDENT’S CORNER by Sonia Chand HAJET President

Happy Reiwa! I hope you enjoyed this especially long Golden Week!

that the new ALTs will want to join when they arrive this summer. So be sure to visit the site every now and then to see what’s new!

What’s going on with HAJET you ask? Well, last month’s PC retreat was very productive, and several committees were set up to focus on increasing HAJET resources, promoting merchandise and improving website content. As I write our website is currently under reconstruction in order to revamp things in time for Sapporo Orientation. The site was last redesigned back in May 2018. However more recently we’ve been asking questions such as “Who is the site for?” and “What is the site for?”. So rather than just building a site for the sake of having a website, our Webmaster is redesigning it to better fit both current and soon-to-be HAJET members as well as their interests and desires. Changes will include a bigger spotlight on events with past events and current events becoming a more prominent feature on the site. Also, we want to have more photos to give everyone a better look at what’s going on. Hopefully the website, in tandem with Facebook, will be a better resource for keeping everyone updated within the HAJET community and provide enough intrigue so

Cape Eboshi is a small enclave hidden away on the road to Shakotan, just before the small fishing town of Furubira. The rocks are known as Ebisu and Daikoku. There’s an old legend of an Ainu woman who peed in the sea and the local god punished the people by pulling back the water and thwarting their efforts to fish. The townsfolk quickly repented and erected a Tori atop the Daikoku rock. This story is an interesting example of Ainu folklore blending with Shinto myth. When we

ey HAJET!

For Golden Week this year I decided to stay in Hokkaido and go sightseeing with an old friend from back home. Our week quickly turned into a beach hopping expedition around Shiribeshi (Southwestern region) which encompasses several coastal towns and cities such as Otaru, Yoichi and Shakotan. Our beaches are known to be amongst the best in Hokkaido. Shiribeshi region is filled with spectacular beauty and natural charm so the list of things to do was endless. Here are a few I hit up and how you can access them:

President’s Corner

visited, the sand was hot and the weather was perfect for sunbathing. If you’re feeling brave, then take a dip in the shallow waters which start to warm up around July/ August time. We stumbled across Shioya beach by complete chance. The plan was to climb Mt. Maruyama for a view of the peninsula but turned out that we were too early for hiking season. We kept walking until we turned up near a circular bay with colourful beach houses dotted across one half. The highlight of this beach was collecting seashells as lots washed up close to the port. Although we couldn’t go hiking, we still managed to enjoy great views of snow-capped Mt.Maruyama itself from the portside.

a small dark man-made tunnel. Once you see a shimmer of light towards the end, that’s when spectacular views hit you. Locals call the colour ‘Shakotan Blue’ being so crystal clear you can see through to the costal seafloor. This place is a real hidden gem that many in my region have put on their bucket list! As a car-less JET, I can safely say that all these locations are easily accessible by train, bus and bike. With summer fast approaching, I hope you can take some time to explore this lovely region. Till next time! ■

Next day we decided to go to Ranshima beach. We cycled through the tunnel which connects Yoichi and Ranshima, which took about 20 minutes from the centre of town. The cliffs on either side of the beach are dramatic and the stretches of empty sand made us feel like the beach was ours alone. The waves were large and fierce, perfect for the lone surfer who was out that day. Yoichi’s stretch of beach is easily accessed from this point. After the tunnel there’s a spot nestled in between some large rocks which protected us from the wind. We watched the sunset there and the sky turned a warm orange colour which contrasted with the chilly evening air. Facing the Sea of Japan, the rolling blue waves looked captivating against the mountainous backdrop. On our last day, we visited Shamimu beach which is by far one of the most beautiful places on the peninsula. If you drive into Shakotan town there will be a sign of the beach advertised on the main road. After the uphill drive, you can park your car and access the beach by climbing down a long line of rickety steps. It takes roughly 10 minutes to walk down. The beach is better for walks and exploring the rock formations than sunbathing due to a lack of sand. I advise a decent pair of shoes before you take on this beach! The beach is hidden on one side of Shakotan town and can be accessed by walking through

POLESTAR • MAY 2019

WE’RE SOARIN’ F LY I N ’ ! A LETTER FROM THE F I R S T- Y E A R R E P by Jacqueline Witwicki

ello fellow Northerners! I hope everyone is doing well and had the chance to kick up their feet and enjoy the nice extra-long Golden Week! I had the amazing opportunity to visit my good friend and college roommate in her hometown of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia where we saw the sights and then hopped over to Thailand to do some more exploring. This trip was both the hottest I’ve been in my entire life and my first time going somewhere where I had absolutely no grasp of the local language. There were definitely moments of sweaty confusion, but they all paid off. I had an amazing time and got to do, see, and eat things I never would have been able to if I’d stayed in my comfort zone. Honestly, if I had to identify the theme of my experience on JET, it would be breaking out of (and occasionally flat out ignoring) my comfort zone. “Can you bake ten pies for this event?” I can make one pie, how hard could making ten be? “Do you want to join community band/taiko/Igo (Japanese Board Gaming)/xyz club?” I’ve never done most of those things, but now’s as good a time as any to learn! “Do you want to try horse/crickets/durian/natto?” Sure, I’m hungry! Every time I’ve done my best to dive in head first enthusiastically and every time, except with the natto,

it’s paid off. Not that I was unadventurous prior to JET; living my whole life in the American Midwest, I just hadn’t had as many opportunities to test my boundaries and try new things. When accepting my JET placement almost a year ago to date I expected that I would improve both my Japanese and teaching abilities. What I didn’t expect was how my experiences on the JET program would make me more open to change and trying new things. If a year ago you’d told me that I’d be part of a Taiko group and that I would be comfortable driving six plus hours just to explore and see friends, I would have told you that you were crazy; that I hate driving and I have no sense of rhythm. While it’s still debatable whether or not I was born with a sense or rhythm, I’m thankful that JET has given me the opportunity to try to find it. Like a lot of you, these next few months will be my last on JET and in Japan. While leaving is bittersweet, I’m going to continue to take every opportunity while I’m still here to challenge myself and push the boundaries of my comfort zone. And hopefully, I am able to bring this newfound openness back with me to the States. I hope all of you keep stepping out of your comfort zones and I can’t wait to see y’all at the Summer Meeting! Until next time! ■

A Letter from

the

First-Year Rep

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A N I N T E RV I E W W I T H

THE NEW BOOKSELLER

As the bookselling role has recently changed hands for the first time in several years, I thought it apt to have a little conversation with our new bookseller, Max, to not only get to know him better but also to get an idea of what future plans he has for the HAJET bookstore. ————

Hi Max! Please tell us a little about yourself, for those who are not acquainted with you. Hi! My name is Max Turner, and I’m a High School ALT living in Nayoro, a small city in the north, ‘famous’ for snow and rice. It gets suuuper cold in the winter and the snow gets pretty mad. I’m from Essex in the UK, ‘famous’ for fake tan, and studied English at Southampton University. I’m interested in all sports, but particularly rugby and football. I love food, having a good few beers and relaxing or going on adventures with friends around the island.

What first attracted you to the role of Bookseller? It’s a great resource for people all over the island. I think we can share, learn and develop opinions so much by reading and swapping books. I wanted to continue providing a great service to people in Hokkaido and let them stack their shelves with interesting reads to get them through winters, weekends or maybe even slow days at work.

Did you feel any nerves taking over the role from someone who had kept it for so long? Adam and Marie did a great job of modernizing how the bookstore runs and keeping a tight ship. It’s known to people as a super reliable source and so I’m excited (if a little nervous) to keep that going!

Could you give us some updated information on how the bookselling will work as well as the prices for your term as Bookseller? Sure! The prices are: Bestsellers for 300円, Classics for 200円 and all other books for 100円 which is super cheap. We even have some DVD’s for 500円. All you need to do is take a look at the HAJET Bookstore database online before an event or even check out any reviews on Goodreads. Then, email me your list of things you want before an event and I’ll get them bagged up and ready for you! Alternatively I’ll always be bringing a selection of interesting things to events for you to take a butchers at.

What ideas do you have to put your own spin on the bookselling role? I think it would be really cool to occasionally offer themed selections of books at events for browsing, so I’m going to start working on a list of titles for events near International Women’s Day, Black History Month and things like Halloween!

the

New Bookseller

Interviewed by Dayna Andreous Polestar Editor-In-Chief

What are some of your favourite books? When studying for my degree, I had to read a whole load of things, from learning Old English in my first year (Ƿes hāl means Hello!) to studying lots of modern spoken word. I read a lot and I hated a lot but I loved a lot too. I’ve always been a big fan of the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, and I’m a bit of a theatre enthusiast too, so I’m partial to a bit of Macbeth or Hamlet.

———— If you have any further questions or queries for Max, please contact at him at his official HAJET email:bookseller@hajet. org.

If you could have tea with three authors (dead or alive!) which would they be and why? This is such a hard one! I’d love to meet Carol Ann Duffy, the first woman and openly gay writer to become the Poet Laureate, or the Queen’s poet. Her work is just fantastic and listening to her spout off lyrically at dinner would be such a treat. I’m kind of into 1980s cinema and I’d be really interested to meet someone like David Cronenberg, a Canadian who wrote and directed some ridiculously iconic body horror films. I’m sure he’d have some stories to tell. I think the last kind of has to be your boy Willy Shakespeare, purely from the basis that I’m fascinated that so much can be done by just one artist. I’d love to rub shoulders with him and get down to the truths of his sonnets, and maybe teach him some 21st Century lingo. ‘Bruh, Cleopatra’s soliloquy was straight fire’. ■

POLESTAR • MAY 2019

HAJET Meet-Up @

LILAC F E S T I VA L

by Emily Lynn Schuster Sapporo Representative

ne of the most quintessential images of Sapporo is of purple lilac blossoms in Odori Park, framing the TV Tower, but did you know that Sapporo’s official tree is actually a fairly recent addition to the Hokkaido flora? Wayyyy back in the day before our favorite purple flower graced the trees of Odori Park, the founder of Hokusei Gakuen University in Sapporo, Sarah Smith, brought a lilac tree back from one of her visits home to America in 1889. The reason for her going to the trouble to take back the tree is unknown, but I like to imagine she wanted to bring a piece of her home in the US back with her to Sapporo. Little did she know, the lilac tree was the perfect fit for Sapporo’s cool climate, and it flourished and thrived, popping up all around the city and in private gardens. Fast forward 70 years and the lilac tree has gone from being an unknown transplant to one of the most prolific plants in Sapporo. Naturally, a festival to celebrate was in order and the first ever Lilac Festival was held in 1959. On top of that, the following year, in celebration of Sapporo’s population growing to over 500,000 people, the lilac was named the official tree of Sapporo. Quite the major feat for an expat tree! This year, HAJET made a trip to see what the fuss was all about! Throughout the week the weather was switching back and forth between rain and sun and rain and sun, so there was a little worry that our soirée

would get rained out. We were in luck, though! It was an absolutely gorgeous day, and it literally smelled like sunshine and summer. Odori Park was crowded with people, but we managed to find a sweet spot for ourselves next to lilac trees, tulips, and the band performance stage. It was the perfect temperature, and the smell of lilac on the breeze combined with the music floating through the air made for quite a magical atmosphere. Spring has definitely sprung in Sapporo! We had quite a mixed group coming from not only Sapporo, but also from Tomakomai and Yuni, the much further Niseko and Nayoro, and even an ex-Hokkaido JET visiting from Alaska! The festival was a great place to just lie out under the trees, soak up some sunshine, and shoot the breeze - basically an extension of the hanami season. What’s not to love? One of my favorite things about Sapporo is the abundance of events, like the Lilac Festival, held throughout the year. It’s such a wonderful opportunity to come together as a community and appreciate our beautiful city, and I’m looking forward to more such chances to meet-up in the future! Thanks again to everyone who came out and made for such a fun event!! ■

Lilac Festival

COMING UP NEXT IN

SAPPORO

YOSAKOI Soran Festival (June 5-9) Hokkaido Shrine Festival (June 14-16) Keep an eye on the Facebook page for official HAJET events (^^) and I hope to see y’all out there! For those of you who enjoy wine, here’s a tip! In recent years, the Lilac Festival is held along with the Hokkaido Wine Festival (both things are purple, so that totally makes sense, right?) Wine cultivation is quite new to Hokkaido, but already there are different strains of wine being produced in places like Otaru, Furano, Ikeda, Tokachi, and more! If you’re feeling adventurous, definitely check it out! (Pro-tip: go early as the best wines usually sell out quickly!)

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INDIAN FOODIE FEAST by Meghana Brandl HAJET Treasurer

ne of the main things I miss from home is my grandmother’s cooking. My childhood memories are filled with spreading melting thupe on freshly cooked parathas and the sounds of sizzling bhajis. Since moving out on my own and even more so since coming to Japan, the tastes and smells of Indian cooking have been a little absent from my life. Filled with a similar sense of nostalgia, Sonia Chand and I hosted HAJET’s annual Foodie Feast this month, but this time with an Indian twist. HAJET hosts Foodie Feast every May to raise money for the Hokkaido English Challenge (HEC). Normally the Foodie Feast is an elegant multi-course meal featuring cuisine from around the world. Sonia and I decided to shake things up a bit and make the event a casual Indian-themed buffet. We pestered our grandmothers for family recipes, including Sonia’s family’s Anda Bhurji (curried eggs) and my family’s Shankarpare (fried dough snack). Most Indian food that you find in Indian restaurants around the world comes from one specific area of India, making it really different from food most Indians grow up eating. Foodie Feast was an opportunity for us to introduce our fellow HAJET members and the larger Japanese community to the Punjabi and Maharashrian food Sonia and I grew up eating. In addition to the buffet, we set up tables with traditional Indian games, like snakes and ladders (yep! That came from India!), a henna station, fortune telling and traditional arts and crafts. It was an exciting opportunity to share Indian culture with everyone. Many Japanese attendees were especially interested in the henna and got henna designs in inconspicuous places so they wouldn’t cause problems at work, since the designs will last for several weeks. Recently, all the kids at the local preschool have been fascinated by my henna and it’s been fun getting to share that aspect of my culture

with them. I told them that henna is something we do for Indian festivals, and the kids were shocked to learn that the festival wasn’t hanami. A special thanks to Soraya Kadir and Crystal Hartsough for their work at the henna station! Putting on Foodie Feast was no small feat and required the effort of a small army of volunteers, many of whom arrived at the venue six hours early to help with set up. This success wouldn’t have been possible without our volunteers, especially our kitchen staff, who spent over seven hours cooking food for the feast. Despite this being the first time cooking Indian food for most of them, they were able to produce an absolutely fantastic meal! In all, 45 people came out to Foodie Feast and we were able to raise nearly 60,000 yen for HEC! This money will help pay for things like accident insurance for campers and attendees, and the cost of feeding 70 people for five days. Personally, I think this event was a success on two fronts: the financial and the intercultural. We achieved our fundraising goals which will help HEC immensely, but we also were able to share our culture with Japanese people. At the end of the day, JET is about intercultural exchange. In Japan, intercultural exchange can unfortunately often take the form of exclusively sharing a white-Christian version of Western culture. We often hear about ALTs hosting Christmas and Easter parties for communities, but rarely hear about similar Diwali or Chanukah parties. As someone from a minority diaspora community, it was really special to be able to share this part of Western culture with people. I don’t think I was alone in feeling that this event had a special impact; an eikaiwa student who attended even said that this event increased his motivation to study English. To me, these kind of events and experiences are what the JET program is truly about. ■

Indian Foodie Feast

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HIGHSPIRITED IN HIGH SCHOOL!

by Margarette Anne G. Abelar

t’s already been 10 months since I set foot in Japan! I myself can’t believe how time has passed by so fast! Japan has been so good to me and has helped me grow from a lesson- conscious teacher (who focuses too much on following the plan than prioritizing students’ comprehension) to the notoriously genki high school ALT that I am now! A bit about myself: teaching isn’t new to me, but winter is. I came from one of the beach paradises of the world: the Philippines! From sea and salt to wind and snow, this sums up my story of moving to Japan. Prior to coming to Japan, I had already been teaching for 3 years in my home country and the classroom environment and educational systems of Japan and the Philippines have a lot in common. While I wouldn’t say that my 3 years of teaching experience prepared me for the challenges that I’ve encountered as an ALT here in Japan, they have totally helped me find solutions to various little problems along the way. Today, I am blissfully going day by day as a High School ALT in Iwamizawa, Hokkaido. I spend two days of the week with the wittiest students in my base school, Iwamizawa Higashi High School. The other days of the week are my TREACH days (Travel and Teach days). I get on a train or bus or both and enjoy the scenic view of Japan to meet with my bubbliest

students in the countryside! Given the fact that I don’t drive to my schools and my visit schools are mountains apart, I made sure that I learnt about the commute system in Hokkaido. Opposite to how high-spirited I am inside the classroom, there was a time when I shut myself off from people in my school. The inability to talk to my co-workers was one of my greatest worries during the early months of my experience. Though I cannot speak Japanese well, I realized that it wasn’t a hindrance for me to build good work relationships with my co-teachers. What do I do to keep a good relationship with them? I speak to them first. Breathe in, wear my sweetest smile, and say a simple ‘hello’ to start. This was how I created an image as the ‘genki ALT’. No matter what the weather outside is, or may it be the busiest day ever, I always wear my sweetest smile when I greet everyone with ‘konnichiwa’. If laughter is contagious, smiles are infectious! Building a healthy teacher-student relationship is also tricky in a lot of sense. Because my students are in a confusing time of their lives when they are expected to be as responsible as adults and still act as obedient as kids, building a rapport with them in class is a bit of a challenge. For instance, one time I saw a student in the hallway and he was all smiles at me as if he had won last night’s lottery and I smiled back at

High- spirited

High School!

him. But when I saw him in class just minutes after, when I asked him “How are you today? “he said “I am su-ree-py”, matching it with a not so convincing act-sleepy face. The first thing you might think is that he doesn’t like English class at all. For some students, that may be true, but for some, they just need a little motivation to get started. This is where a short energizer comes into the picture. I usually prepare a 5-minute warm up activity to make sure that my students are all fueled up before we begin with the main activity for that day. One example is a simple activity I use to squeeze out giggles from my oh-so-serious-to-death students. To do this warm up activity, I prepared strips of papers with the name of an action (sweeping the floor, waving your hand, stomping your feet, etc.). A student draws 2 strips of paper from the box and the whole class has to do the combination of the actions. This seems too simple (okay, lame) but it does work well to get them started with following directions without worrying that they’d be embarrassed. It helps you as an ALT to create an inviting atmosphere! You can also modify this depending on your lesson for that day and target vocabulary! Another frustrating situation is when students fall asleep in class. I remember one time when a student

POLESTAR • MAY 2019

fell asleep in the middle of a short writing activity and I tried keeping my cool by saying “I hope she’s dreaming about me.” Just imagine the 5 second awkward looks I got from my JTE and students! So, I learned a trick for spatial learners. It is true and proven that there is an authority coming from how far or near you are to a person. Every time I see that a student is about to fall asleep, I would walk along their row or stand beside their table. This also helps them to be more aware of their own actions without calling them out. Just remember, never take these behaviors too personal. Sometimes, they don’t mean it… just like you didn’t mean to eat your roommate’s leftover pizza in the fridge back in college! Though a High School ALT’s job isn’t as spontaneous as the lower grades, it is the most fulfilling one for we see how our students transform from stubborn sleepy students to responsible citizens of this country. There is no greater joy than knowing that at the end of the day, you contributed to who they are as young adults and you helped prepare them for the challenges of the real world after High School. Keep your spirits high in High School sensei!. ■

THERE AND BACK AGAIN A N A LT J O U R N E Y by Jennifer Burdeen

t’s placement email season! Very soon, newly accepted JETs will be getting their assignments and will begin to prepare for their departure to Japan. I can’t believe it’s been almost a year since I was in their shoes. The day I received my placement was a whirlwind of emotion. Giddy with excitement, I opened my placement email, and was immediately awash with confusion. Akabira-shi, Hokkaido? Where in the world was that? A quick internet search revealed a quaint town tucked away in the mountains, with a population of just over 10,000 people. It was completely different from what I’d expected, but I wouldn’t let that stop me. I decided to roll with it and hope for the best. Though it took some time, I eventually warmed up to the idea of living in the countryside. Out here, it would be much easier to practice Japanese and attain my goal of reaching N2 fluency in my first year. My cost of living would be lower, and being up north for the first time, I’d get to experience seasons like I never had before in my home state of Florida. I hoped I’d grow close to the people in my small town, and that I would come to love my placement. JET was not my first time in Japan. I had studied abroad in Tokyo during university, and was confident that my previous experiences would prevent me from falling victim to culture shock -

instead, I’d immediately find my stride and would feel right at home. Ah, hubris. Instead, it seemed like things started going wrong from the moment I landed. From having a nearly unfurnished apartment with broken appliances and no internet, to the earthquake in early September, to health issues exacerbated by the cold - I was completely overwhelmed. Worst of all was my teaching situation. As the middle school ALT, I was reduced to a human tape recorder, and would spend weeks on end at my desk. On the days I visited the elementary schools, I was nothing more than an assistant to my coALT. I’d gone from a rigorous university schedule to a mind-numbingly empty existence, and it left me feeling like I’d made a huge mistake. Despite all of those things, when it came time to decide whether or not to recontract I was extremely conflicted. I still loved Japan. I told myself before coming that I wanted to stay at least two or three years. I felt so much guilt at the thought of “giving up” early, and fear at not knowing what the future would hold if I decided to call it quits. After a trip back home during winter break to clear my head, I finally reached my decision. I would complete my JET contract, but would not renew. Once my year was up, I’d begin preparing for graduate school, either in a bigger city in Japan

There

and

Back Again

or back in the United States. Ultimately, I realized that leaving JET would bring me closer to my future goals than staying. Though I’ve decided to end my JET tenure in August, by no means have I thrown in the towel. My role in school had been the biggest issue so far, and I realized that it would continue to affect those who came after me unless I spoke up. I worked with my co-ALT to devise a plan that would give me more responsibility, and together we presented it to the Board of Education. We proposed a reduction in middle school hours, and that I switch to elementary school to take over the 3rd and 4th grade classes, while my co-ALT continued to manage the 5th and 6th grade. We came prepared, and our supervisors decided to implement our proposed changes. Since the change, I have been so much happier in my placement. I am building a rapport with my students, and am cultivating new skills by developing curriculum schedules and lesson plans. I finally feel like I’ve established myself within my schools and my town at large. Even so, I have not regretted my decision to leave. I will miss my friends and students dearly, and will treasure the memories that I have of my time in Hokkaido. However, I know that it’s time for me to move on to the next chapter of my life.

POLESTAR • MAY 2019

Here’s my advice to anyone involved with JET, either incoming or current. Manage your expectations, but don’t be afraid to stick up for yourself. If your current situation is leaving you unfulfilled, do whatever you can to change it. But if at the end of the day you’re still unhappy, don’t sweat it. Realize that JET is not permanent - it is a stepping stone. Cherish the good moments here, and use this experience to bring you closer to your next goal, whatever it may be. I’d like to end by saying thank you from the bottom of my heart to the people that kept me sane through the worst of my adjustment, and made my time here special. It’s been real, y’all! ■

F I R S T- Y E A R F A U X PA S

was eating lunch with the kids when all of a sudden I saw some of them flip the bird on each other. Trying to be the teacher in the room, I said stop and used the “cut it out” (aka stop it) gesture. (If you’re not sure what I mean, google it.) After seeing this, my HRT swoops in to have me explain to the kids why not just the bird, but the cut it out gesture are both wrong! I had not realized I was essentially giving them back the ultimate curse, in Japanese. —Annabel Baker-Sullivan Nemuro

have a really hard time pronouncing “kawaii” (cute) correctly. Every time I try, it comes out as “kowai” (scary). So far I’ve managed to tell a woman I just met that her socks were terrifying and a 13-year-old girl that her new hair cut was really scary —Meghana Brandl Asabu

was super excited to buy my first ever car when I got to Japan. However, my whole first week of car ownership, I kept finding and smashing little bugs in my car. Later, while on a roadtrip to Asahikawa, I left a red bull unattended and came back to a swarm of ants that, turns out, had been living in my car doors. Apparently the car had been parked in a picturesque Hokkaido field, teaming with life. Moral of the story: when you buy a used car, find out where they’ve been keeping it first. —Jacqueline Witwicki Esashi-gun

his April, I decided to offer up an interesting observation on etiquette differences in Japan and the US to some of the teachers sitting near me. I mentioned how surprising it was to me that burping was seen as being very rude in Japan, while farting is rather benign. I emphatically declared that farting is way nastier and ruder than burping, and that this was simply not a culturally subjective opinion, but a fact. It smells way worse, it comes from your butt, etc. However, I got a ton of pushback, and pretty quickly there were four teachers huddled around just shaking their heads and muttering `hidoi`. My teachers started explaining how burps are way grosser, that they make a horrible mess everywhere, and that they can spread disease. At this point I was getting riled up, I pressed my point even harder, saying that my teachers were `zenzen chigau` (totally wrong). Then one of the teachers who had been listening in looks at me, and says, “Jacob, do you understand the word you’re using? Gebo?” He then proceeded to do an incredibly animated demonstration of ‘gebo’; screaming gutturally while flailing his hands in front of his mouth in a spilling motion. I finally realized that I had been using the word for vomit instead of burp. I gasped, and yelled out, “oh no, I meant geppu!”.

First-Year Faux Pas

O The entire teachers room burst into laughter and two other teachers and I couldn’t stop crying for laughing until the kocho sensei told us to cut it out. —Jacob Prusak Takikawa-Shi

had a couple of friends visit my town for the night and I wanted to take them to a small but extremely popular yakitori bar for dinner. I was so pleased when we got a reservation because this place is seriously amazing. When we sat down there were a whole bunch of different plates which was slightly confusing. I told them one must be for the meat and the other for the soy sauce. So that’s what we did. Halfway through the meal, the owner’s son rushed over to us looking horrified. Turns out we’d been using the cigarette ashtrays as dipping bowls! —Anonymous

ne time I got on the wrong night bus. I was supposed to be going back to Hakodate but I ended up in Asahikawa, even further away from my original destination. Worst is I didn’t realise until I was virtually at Asahikawa Station with the sun already rising. Worst. Morning. Ever. —Anonymous

got lost going to work during my first week in my town. One of my schools was in a more mountainous farming area and I made a wrong turn along the way. As the path grew more and more ragged, certainly turning into ‘bear country’, it hit me that I was lost. Worst still, I had no phone signal. I was wandering around for ages trying to find the main road again. It was around the time where fruits were falling from the trees so I was really nervous about bears. I eventually found my way back and the parent of a student recognised me wandering aimlessly (she must have been told about the new ALT in town) and took me to school in her car. It wasn’t until a few months later I was told that that same week a bear was spotted in the exact area that I was lost in, snacking on the dropped fruits… —Dayna Andreous, Yoichi-cho

made the mistake of thinking I could put plates back on the zaitenzushi train. I didn’t realise it was dame until several staff members came over to scold me in Japanese. My cheeks were bright red from embarrassment for the rest of the meal. —Anonymous

POLESTAR • MAY 2019

TALES FROM HOKKAIDO by Ryan Gilbride

his is a story from almost 2 years ago, of how I was almost arrested in Sapporo due to a bureaucratic error. My crime spree began innocently enough, with me unwittingly parking my car in the wrong place in North Sapporo. I went back to the car and found the ticket on the windscreen. After asking him what to do, my Japanese friend explained that I should take the ticket to the precinct police office which had issued the ticket. Around this time, I`d been getting the paperwork together to convert my Northern Irish license to a Japanese one, because my international driving permit was set to expire on September 29th. I figured I`d kill two birds with the same stone by going to the Asahikawa Driving License Center, and from there to the North Sapporo police station on September 13th. Unfortunately, I couldn`t get the Japanese license that day because one of the necessary certificates from my town hall was too old to use. But this wasn`t a big problem I thought, because I still had 2 weeks left on my international permit. Little did I know that the residence certificate being a little too old to use for getting the Japanese license would be the final catalyst for my descent into the criminal underworld. I walked into the North Sapporo precinct police station completely relaxed and oblivious to what was to come. Nobody there spoke even a lick of English so we had to rely on my poor Japanese. I was having good banter with the cop at the front desk, jokingly trying to convince him that Ireland was a utopia where the idea of a parking infraction doesn`t exist, as we waited for the officer who`d issued my ticket. The officer came and immediately I could see she was irritated at the prospect of

having to deal with me. She was even more irritated when I asked her to speak to me in simpler Japanese (she`d been using pretty formal keigo which I could barely understand). She took me inside the actual police`s area through the main office of about 30 desks. The cops in the office seemed mighty confused by my being there; some stared, others glanced up and quickly averted their gaze, one dude burst into fits of laughter and another guy stood up from his desk and bowed to me. She led me past everybody else and straight into an interrogation room. This room was about the size of a typical Japanese bathroom, with no windows and only a small table with 2 chairs. I still wasn`t at all worried at this stage. I assumed she thought communicating with me would be troublesome and wanted to do it somewhere private, so as not to bother her coworkers. We were making progress with the big stack of paperwork you need to fill out when some random middle-aged cop comes in and starts scrutinizing my passport. He flicked through a few visa pages of the passport and then yelled accusingly, “MAY! You came to Japan in May!” He`d assumed I`d came here on a 3-month tourist visa and had overstayed. I explained to him without insulting his intelligence that I`d visited Korea in May and that was just the reentry stamp, I told him to flick back a few pages for the 3-year work visa. He looked at it and seemed satisfied, but then all of a sudden he yelled again, “YOU CAME TO JAPAN ON SEPTEMBER 6TH!! YOUR DRIVING LICENCE IS NO GOOD!!” With all the racket 2 more cops (junior officers) came rushing in, probably expecting a code 343 (gaijin-smashing in a confined space), so they were surprised to see me calmly sitting down smiling at them. They awkwardly stood there staring at the

Tales

from

Hokkaido

floor for the rest of the interrogation. So now there were 5 people in this tiny room the size of an elevator, all standing except for me. Although I knew things had taking an unexpected turn for the worse, I somehow couldn`t take the situation seriously, I was still careful not to be rude or shout back, remembering that they were more scared of me than I was of them. So it had transpired that I’d been unknowingly driving for a week with an invalid license. For a minute the two more senior cops hurriedly discussed what to do with me, then finally one turned to me, looked me in the eyes and said the only word in English of the whole ordeal, “ARREST!”. As she said that the seriousness of the situation still didn`t sink in, I remember just thinking that walking voluntarily into a police station to pay a parking fine has to be the stupidest possible way to end up getting arrested. Fortunately for me, at that point my Deus Ex Machina walked into the interrogation room in the form of a sixtysomething year old senior policeman. I`m not sure what his rank was but he seemed to be the boss; he had apparently heard that there was a funnylooking foreigner in the interrogation room and his interest had been piqued. He was a really nice guy and his arrival dissipated the tense atmosphere that had formed. As the other officers brought him up to speed on everything he burst into laughter a few times. Since he was the boss my fate was now up to him, and thankfully he used his discretion

POLESTAR • MAY 2019

and influence to overrule the others and have me let me off the hook. He told me I wasn`t under arrest but to call someone to drive my car out of the police station because I couldn`t drive again until I got my Japanese license. I called and woke my friend John Sernal up from his afternoon nap. Then I asked the cops, if it`s the case that I’m not under arrest, can I wait in the car? They hesitantly agreed and peeked at me a few times through the blinds to make sure I wasn`t going to drive away as I waited for John. After chatting to my supervisor on the phone, we drove to his mother’s house nearby to ditch the car. I was too dejected to even explain what had happened and why the hell me and John were at her house; I just gave her the keys, and left her standing confused in the driveway as we set off on foot for 2000-yen yakiniku tabenomihoudai. I proceeded to drown my sorrows with some poor quality meat and beer. I guess the lesson here is: ** Don`t trust the expiry date on your international driving permit, it`s only valid exactly 1 year from your date of entry into Japan. ** I`d like to thank John for his assistance during the crisis, and Finlay for driving my car out of there the next day. A Dustin Wrangler story. ■

M O T H E R S ’ DAY S U M O by Santos Daniel Torres

he rokunensei, the sixth graders, squatted at the edge of the ring, their feet planted firmly into the ground, their back as straight as their opponent’s. Behind them, the other wrestlers followed suit. The gyoji (referee) asked them to begin the warm-up. Taking a deep breath, one rokunensei lifted her right leg, raising it above her head before bringing it down with a loud stomp. The echo of sixty-one feet hitting the ground filled the small clearing as the others followed her example, together performing shiko – the sumo stomp. On Mother’s Day, I visited the little town of Fukushima, about an hour and a half west of Hakodate, for their annual women-only sumo tournament. Spectators sat around the small amphitheater inside the grounds of one of Fukushima’s Shinto shrines, waiting for the tournament to begin. Behind the rows of seats, a canopy was set up, where vendors sold a variety of food and drinks. Among them was chanko nabe, a stew traditionally eaten by sumo wrestlers as part of their weight-gaining diet.

As the opening ceremony proceeded, the ritualized aspects of sumo were apparent. The gyoji stepped out into the clearing, followed by three female wrestlers. Each wore a kesho-mawashi – a ceremonial belt which opens into a heavily embroidered apron. They walked to the inside of the dohyo (the sumo ring), the other wrestlers lining up on the northwest and southeast side of the arena. From there, the gyoji went through a series of Shinto rites before the tournament could begin. He started by praying to the onusa, an abundance of zigzag streamers (shide) attached to a wooden wand resembling a pom-pom. Then, onusa in hand, he walked around the arena, shaking it from right to left, warding off evil spirits. After, he purified the arena with salt, starting from the north corner and working his way clockwise, saying a small prayer before tossing a handful of salt onto the arena. Once finished, he made a final prayer, clapped his hands twice, bowed twice, and clapped a final time. With the rites complete, the tournament could begin. The spectators and participants seemed eager for

Mothers’ DAY SUMO

the matches to start. As the women ran through practice matches, the crowd cheered them on. When last year’s victor, “Mako Deluxe Yama,” walked into the ring, a chorus of cheers filled the amphitheater. Her fans clapped and hollered, their pink shirts a bright spot against the rest of the crowd. Yet, with a sport as ritualized and set in traditions as sumo, change can be hard to come by. The Japanese Sumo Association (JSA) has banned women from competing professionally in sumo, continuously citing tradition as the reason for the ban. Instead, they view women’s roles as the supportive wife of a sumo wrestler or surrogate mother to his trainees should he ever become a stable master. They state that a change in this tradition would be an insult to the ancestors who created it. Some go as far as believing women should not enter the sumo ring at all, an opinion born from the belief that women sully the ring because of their “impurity.” This mentality came under scrutiny early last year. In April 2018, during an exhibition tournament in Kyoto, the mayor of Maizuru collapsed while giving a speech inside the sumo ring. Women rushed to his aid, trying to provide medical support, but were denied that chance. Instead, the referee repeatedly demanded that the women leave the ring, until the women complied. The banning of women from certain places has existed through the ages, most bans stemming from religious beliefs, and are all rooted in misogynistic attitudes. Yet, Fukushima’s women-only sumo tournament shows us that some traditions are meant to evolve.

POLESTAR • MAY 2019

Before each match, the yobishi enters the ring. She announces the next fighters by singing their names. Some matches last longer than others, though none more than a minute. During the tournament, when wrestlers from different weight classes faced off, audible whispers filled the amphitheater, followed by an eruption of cheer when the underdog emerged victorious. One after the other, woman after woman entered the dohyo, one leaving victorious. During the match, an air of seriousness passed over most wrestlers. They grappled with each other, attempting to break their opponent’s balance while maintaining their own. When the match ended, the seriousness was dispelled, sometimes followed by a gleeful cheer for their own victory, an outstretched hand to help their opponent up, or a fit of uncontrollable giggles. In the end, Mako Deluxe Yama won the tournament, taking victory for the third year in a row. Fukushima’s women-only sumo tournament is a fun way to enjoy a sport deeply rooted in Japanese culture. As the hometown of two Yokozuna grand champions, Fukushima honors the sport by giving women the opportunity to compete in the sacred ring. Starting in 1991, this free event is held every Mother’s Day, so if you missed it this time, there is no need to worry. The 29th annual women-only sumo tournament will come again next May. As for the women of JET, if participating is more your speed, registration is from mid-March to midApril. ■

BUILDING A DREAM

by Andrew Gerber

hadn’t planned to do construction work during my vacation. I spent Golden Week as a bum, drifting from town to town on local roads. Knowing that Shiraoi’s museum was closed, I had no reason to stop there. But when my departure from Lake Toya was delayed, I decided to abridge my marathon drive back east and stop someplace closer – which meant Shiraoi. Shiraoi Furusato 2000 Nen no Mori Campsite has a bumpy, winding name, and a bumpy, winding road running up the west side of Lake Poroto, past the freeway and into the woods. The tree-enclosed, mossy campsite seemed divorced from the busy world of Japanese towns. So I was surprised by the flurry of people hauling wood and pounding hammers on the other side of the visitor center. When a young man left to move a sign, I approached to inquire, and by my luck, he happened to be the originator of the project, and answered me in English. Hinato Tezuka, wanting to learn about the Ainu and experience the forest, quit his IT job in Tokyo and moved to Hokkaido. While working at the town hall in Shiraoi, he began dreaming — about a place, kind of like a traditional Ainu home, where travelers could hang out and drink coffee, and he could play guitar in the woods — and then he began planning. Hinato pitched his idea to town officials as a kind of 地域おこし (chiiki okoshi) or ‘regional revitalization’

project – generally, bottom-up initiatives by locals to create something in their community. They gave him approval to use part of the Poroto area, and offered wood salvaged from old houses. But he would be building it himself. Hinato got a few friends from town hall to help out, but the project really took off thanks to a lucky connection. Shuhei Nagano has made a name for himself as a wood expert. He is the author of several books, and a spokesperson for Swedish knife company Morakniv. Together with another woodworker, Mr. Majima, he founded the “DIY unit” ハンマーズ (“Hammers”) to conduct DIY workshops around Japan. He also happened to be a native of Shiraoi and grew up with Hinato’s boss. When that boss mentioned Hinato’s project, Mr. Nagano was interested. So Shiraoi town arranged for Hammers to come during Golden Week and basically teach them how to build a house. With the attachment of Hammers to the project, the number of volunteers swelled. I can empathize with Mr. Nagano, because I too was intrigued, so I paid for an extra day at the camp and joined in. I started by learning how to make tables from tree branches, and ended up raising part of the roof – old boards, later to be covered in Ainu-looking thatch. The core of the building is an old railroad boxcar. They had already added a porch, supported by whole fir trunks as pillars.

Building

Dream

Far left: the sign anouncing the project. Left: venison and drying pots over the campfire. Center: Mr. Majima explains the differences among carving knives. Top right: Making a table from logs. Bottom right: a tripod chair made by the workers

Over the course of the work I got to talk to many other workers, including the director of a nature school in Daisetsuzan; a fisherman who taught me how to make knots; a Japanese-Russian couple who communicate in English; a Japanese woman who grew up in San Diego, and more. Many of them were drawn from other towns by the chance to work with a woodworking legend. At night we ate jingisukan made from deer, with more venison being smoked over a wood fire nearby. Hinato and his guitar serenaded us with a song he had composed in a mixture of Japanese and Ainu. Before bed, Hinato took me on a tour. The boxcar was already fitted out with a variety of small tables, pictures, and a collection of books, from flower guides to an encyclopedia of philosophy. He pointed out a space between two beams where he wanted to install a tree sculpture. He himself was sleeping on the floor of the boxcar, and was planning to rent out the building as a bungalow before officially opening it to business. I started my trip home early the next morning, before work started again. Sometimes vacations don’t go as planned. But sometimes the best parts are the ones you didn’t plan for. ■

POLESTAR • MAY 2019

Hammers doesn’t have its own page yet, but you can check out #ハンマーズ on Facebook. Mr. Nagano will also be conducting a workshop on behalf of Morakniv at Lake Onneto in July. He says he would love to work with foreigners again.

Below: the author with Mr. Nagano

W E H A R D LY K N E W Y E

by Dayna Andreous Polestar Editor-in-Chief

iving in Japan, the influence of anime and manga is unavoidable in our daily lives. Even those of us who had no prior interest in the eccentric storylines or the elaborate characters of the manga world seem to develop an interest in some form over time. One of the most recognisable manga is Lupin III or Lupin the Third, a story about a third generational thief who steals valuable objects and gets up to general hijinks along the way. The story was created by Kazuhiko Kato, under the name Monkey Punch. He based his character off of Arsène Lupin, a character created by French author Maurice Leblanc in 1905. Leblanc’s original character was portrayed as a ‘gentleman thief ’ and this depiction was continued by Kato in Lupin III. Although the Lupin III artwork is widespread, the life story of Kato is not as well-known by the average person perusing the comic section of bookstores. In honour of his passing this year, in April 2019, it is important to look back at the life of such an inventive and creative individual. Kato was born in 1937, in Hamanaka, Hokkaido, a town located in Kushiro Sub-prefecture. Although he started drawing from a young age, it wasn’t until junior high school that he began to dabble in manga art. In fact, his manga comic strips were featured in his junior high school’s newspaper. After his schooling, he moved to Tokyo where he studied electronics. He only drew for fun, his great Lupin III creation not yet realised. He eventually joined a group of other artists, working on self-published manga; from here, he was recruited to draw gag comic strips. The editor that ‘discovered’ his talents suggested he use the penname ‘Monkey Punch’ for whatever works he produced. Although he did not like the name, Kato decided to go along with it anyway. The creation of Lupin III did not come into fruition until 1967. Kato was writing another manga series at the

Drawing by Andrew Gerber, character by Monkey Punch, of course

Monkey Punch, We Hardly Knew Ye

Above, and below: The characters and artwork of Monkey Punch adorn signs in his hometown of Hamanaka. time called Pinky Punky which featured another outlaw-type of character. It would seem that Kato favoured protagonists that were not ordinary, but rather unconventional and always up to no good. The story of Lupin III was influenced by a combination of James Bond-esque elements mixed with other pop culture motifs. The instantly recognisable red jacket of Lupin accompanied by his smug grin gave way to a new icon in the Japanese manga universe. The storyline is colourful and outlandish, much like its western counterparts. On realising his idea and pitching it to some editors, he was given a three-month stint in a weekly manga anthology. Lupin III proved to be an overnight hit; it received overwhelming positive praise for its originality and eccentric, brash main character. As a result, Lupin III has continued as not only a manga sensation, but also as a well-developed anime television series and several feature movies. It even received several live-action adaptations, one featuring Oguri Shun as the titular character. Beyond Lupin III, Kato cultivated his academic

POLESTAR • MAY 2019

side in 2003 when he studied at the graduate school of the Tokyo University of Technology and even taught as a professor from 2005 at Otemae University in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture. His specialisation was, of course, manga. He also contributed to several lectures at the Freer Gallery of Art in Washington D.C in the United States, where he spoke about the ‘interaction of manga and culture throughout the world’. During his lifetime, he received numerous awards including an INKPOT Award at San Diego Comic-con in 1981 and the Tokyo Anime Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015. Kato died on April 11th 2019 at age 81 due to a bout of pneumonia. Although his absence has left an enormous hole in the manga and artwork world, his spirit continues on in his character of Lupin III. If you have never heard of the character before, now is the time to experience Kato at his best and appreciate his artistic abilities in this timeless series. Rest in peace, Monkey Punch. You will be missed dearly. ■

Aroun

Hakodate

the ’ d

by Amelia Wisehart

akodate (the third largest city in Hokkaido) is known for a few things: salt ramen, an adorable squid mascot, and its early encounters with the West. Hakodate’s rich and sad history has given way to an unusual city. Defined by the fishing industry, the tourists who visit, and the surrounding mountains, Hakodate makes a great place to spend the weekend. A quick and easy tram ride from Hakodate station will land you in Hakodate’s beautiful Motomachi area. Did you know that Japan has four seasons? And Hakodate is a great place to experience them all! Motomachi is one of the top reasons to visit Hakodate and is lovely in every season. Grab some soft serve and walk among the roses in spring and summer at the Former British Consulate, or cozy up at one of the many cute cafes in winter. Check out the Western-style Old Public Hall for a peek into the 20th century and the reconstruction of Hakodate after its Great Fire in 1907. See more historic aspects of Hakodate and make

your way around the massive temples and churches. The Hachimangu Shrine is crowded during the summer festivals, and you can see priests ride horse up the shrine stairs for the New Year celebrations. The Koryu temple is the oldest temple in Hakodate, famous for its Japanese-style architecture and intricate wood carvings. Resting on a steep hill, Higashihongan temple is an imposing, concrete-reinforced temple with a shining, black-tile roof. If you have seen enough temples in Japan, walk further up Hisgashihogan hill to find the three Motomachi churches: Roman Catholic, St. Johns, Orthodox, and the United Church of Christ Japan. Motomachi’s hilly streets are perfect to see the famous Hakodate night view, even if you don’t make it up Mt. Hakodate (which you absolutely should try to).On a nice day, Mt. Hakodate is an easy, hourlong hike for some quality shinrinyoku (forest bathing). In spring, the trail is dotted with azalea flowers. If there’s snow or rain, you can still take the three minute gondola ride to the top from the Rope Way

Hakodate

Station and enjoy the view of the city below. Refresh yourself after all that hiking or view-enjoying at one of that many wonderful restaurants and cafes in Motomachi. When people hear Hakodate, one of the first places that come to mind is the restaurant Lucky Pierro. It’s fun, campy, and the fast food is fine. However, a few other spots make a trip to Motomachi more memorable. In the renovated Daisanzaka building is the hip café She Told Me. It’s one of the only places besides Starbucks with espresso and they make a delicious burger. The entire food menu is great, with an awesome salad and a Philly cheese steak sandwich. Bonus, they make real malt milkshakes, and serve cocktails and beer! The tall windows, tiled floor, and beautiful bar make this a great place to unwind. The other burger specialist in Motomachi is Fine Day’s burger shop. Enjoy a coffee or beer with a huge selection of great burgers and the house pickles. No burger, no problem. Pazar Bazar is next up. This rustic, two story restaurant is easy to miss but worth the search. They serve kebabs as well as vegan and vegetarian friendly fare. Come here if you are looking for something different to try in Hokkaido. The friendly owners have thoughtfully prepared a Muslim-friendly Hakodate food guide to take for free. Just need a snack? If you love to tear into some crusty (read:real) bread, Tombolo bakery is a must. Grab a fig noix and continue your walk. Check out Green Gables for tea and the homey, floral atmosphere. D’ici café makes a great coffee date spot, especially if you need a break from the cold. Lastly, you can experience a traditional Japanese tea house at Yuuhi. Only open in spring and summer, this old house looks over the water and provides a truly authentic atmosphere. Motomachi is just one reason to visit Hakodate, but one that sets it apart from the rest of Hokkaido. ■

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