The Japan Guy - Part 4

Ichinensei Ni Nattara, A Catchy Elementary School Song

April 28, 2012
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Ichinensei Ni Nattara, A Catchy Elementary School Song

Yes, school is in session! Being at a Japanese shogakko means a new year of being  kanchoed (the finger enema game), meeting some awesome kids, and experiencing more of the Japanese culture. Songs are a big part of a country’s culture, and a can think of few places that sing more than a Japanese elementary school. Well I guess if you’re in a church choir, or if you’re a recording artist, or you’re in a band…OKAY, OKAY! There are better examples of places where people sing songs. However, they do sing quite a bit at my elementary school. For example, they sing their school song every morning at the school. Did my elementary school...

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Spring Time, Kafunshou Time

April 25, 2012
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Spring Time, Kafunshou Time

Do you know what the Japanese term kafunshou (かふんしょう or 花粉症) means? Well, this is pretty neat opportunity for a small Japanese vocab lesson I just learned. The term kafun (かふん or 花粉) means pollen. The term sho (しょう or 症) means symptoms or illness. When you put the two together, kafunshou, it means allergies. Cool right? Much like springtime in the U.S., every year, brilliantly-colored, blossoming buds release copious amounts of their flower love powder into Japan’s air. The resulting effect is allergies a plenty. Allergies give people the sneezes, runny noses, itchy eyes, and a small dose yearly hell for those who are really pollen sensitive. I used to feel quite lucky...

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Delayed Respect

April 12, 2012
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Delayed Respect

By the end of the year I had a few of girls that I just couldn’t reach. No matter what approach I took, they never seemed to like English class very much. Not every student you teach is going take a liking to your teaching style or the subject that you teach. I do think a good teacher is able to get through to most of their kids, but I think it’s nigh impossible to get every single student to like you. One of the teaching struggles I ran into while teaching at a shogakko (Japanese elementary school level) was teaching sixth graders. Oddly enough that was the same grade level where I started...

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Homesickness Movie Clip Post

April 11, 2012
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Homesickness Movie Clip Post

Okay, I admit it…I’ve been using again :_( . Last night…(Donald bites his lower lip in shame)…I was on YouTube again and I browsed…a lot. LOL! My YouTube binges are usually triggered by something. Today’s post isn’t really related to anything Japanese. Well, maybe a little bit if you’re a homesick foreigner living abroad, needing a homesickness solution. YouTube is pretty awesome because it has such a large collection of different clips and moves. When I need something to inspire me, I usually head to YouTube and it’s so easy to find something inspirational. If I can’t find something that suits me, I usually just check out something Bruce Lee-related (he’s always been pretty...

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A Quick Japan Guy Shoutout to Lukas G.!

April 10, 2012
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shoutout

I don’t want to forget to do thiseThis is a late shout out to one Japan Guy reader that bumped into earlier this year. I was on my way to the grocery store when a pleasant, fellow with a cool accent stopped me and asked if I was the Japan Guy. I was humble on the outside “Why yes…yes I am” but I was feeling pretty great on the inside “WOO HOO! I’M FAMOUS!” However, when I remembered just how empty my wallet was, my mental clouds dissipated, my feet came back down to earth and I had a chance to shake hands with one of my readers. The young man’s name was Lukas...

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Mt. Tsukuba Plum Blossom Viewing, Umemi

April 9, 2012
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I'm not exactly sure what the pink plum blossoms are called in Japanse, but they sure look nice.

It’s always makes me happy to know that spring is coming. Spring is one of my favorite seasons. I recently had a chance to go outside without having to wear a heavy coat, and I was ecstatic. It means that the cold winter chill is starting to break. It means running at night, it means no more cold toes, it means I can turn off that blasted heater and save myself a small fortune in energy costs. Yes folks, spring is on the way! You know, I feel like I haven’t done a picture post in a long time, and I can’t hold it anymore! Today, I have to make a picture post! It’s...

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7 Ways To Deal With Problem Students

April 8, 2012
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ProblemKids

With the new school year starting and all, I felt compelled to write an article about the best ways to deal with a child that’s misbehaving. If you’re a teacher in America you can communicate to fully, in English, to those students when they are cutting up. Albeit if they’re really bad kids, they’re probably not going to listen to you, but you can at least communicate with them. In Japan, how to control a misbehaving kid who doesn’t understand a lick of what you’re saying? Can you just punch them in the side of the head? Nah, I wouldn’t recommend doing that if you really value your job. But wait a minute, let...

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Do You Remember Your Elementary School Graduation Song?

April 3, 2012
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tomorrow

You know, one interesting similarity about American and Japanese elementary school graduations is that there is a song that the students have to sing. I must be getting old or something because I can’t remember what my 7th grade, elementary school graduation song was**. I want to say it was Michael Jackson’s “Heal The World,” but I really don’t remember. My Dad was also a teacher at one point and I do remember what his elementary school kids were singing at his school for one of his graduations. I remember because I want to say my Dad practicing the piece on his saxophone at home (remember when saxophones were cool?). That song was Tevin...

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A Japan Guy Review: My First Year Teaching As An ALT In Japan (Part 2)

March 30, 2012
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A Japan Guy Review: My First Year Teaching As An ALT In Japan (Part 2)

…read Part 1 of this article… Wait, are you supposed to start with the bad news first? Damn it! Ah well, I won’t say anything if you don’t. Let’s take a look at some of the downsides of my first year as an ALT in Japan. THE NOT SO GOOD I’ll try to say these as tactfully as possible. They are my honest opinions, but I’m still working here. Training I honestly felt that initial training wasn’t at organized or as effective as it could’ve been. I think I was okay because I AEON training was so incredibly thorough. But I would imagine that a person who was new to Japan could feel like...

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A Japan Guy Review: My First Year Teaching As An ALT In Japan (Part 1)

March 29, 2012
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A Japan Guy Review: My First Year Teaching As An ALT In Japan (Part 1)

It’s official, I have signed on for an additional year as an ALT. I will have a chance to teach many of the same great students that I had last year, and work with many of the same teachers, too. In many respects, it’s wonderful news. The first year I think was a chance to get my bearing and see what teaching/working for another company was like. So I want to give you my honest to goodness review of what it was like to work with Interac as an ALT for the very first time. I am currently working for the company, but I’m still going to give as honest a review as I...

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Japanese Elementary School Graduation Ceremony 2012

March 26, 2012
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Japanese Elementary School Graduation Ceremony 2012

March 16, 2011. Today I saw my first Japanese Shogakko graduation ceremony, or そつぎょう(sotsugyo), in Japanese. I had heard that Japan really values ceremonies, but hearing about it and seeing it first hand are two totally different things. THE CROWD It was incredibly cool to look into the crowd and see some of the mom’s dressed in traditional hakama. Dad’s in suits, grandmothers in dresses, video cameras out in full support of their children, children who have an entire future ahead of them. THE CEREMONY The ceremony began with everyone standing in unison, bowing. After being seated, parents, other students, and teachers looked on in awe as the graduating 6th graders ceremonially walked in...

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Assume The Position: Zoukin Gake

March 5, 2012
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Assume The Position: Zoukin Gake

Nearly every single day of the school week, teachers and students clean their classrooms and hallways, together. There is a staff member who helps to take care of some of the odds and ends that don’t get taken care of (like the emptying the trash in the the copy room, or keeping the staff kitchen clean), but by and large everyone is responsible for helping to keep the school clean, yes…even me. I remember my first time seeing “souji jikan” or “cleaning time” and I was so interesting for me to see ALL of the students cleaning…even the more rambunctious kids! Being the product of the Georgia Public School System, I was required to...

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Setsubun 2012

March 4, 2012
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Setsubun 2012

This is a retro post that I did on Setsubun. Before I put the video in it’s proper place, I’ll let everyone see it first. ENJOY It’s that time again. It’s time for the bright red and bright blue oni (demons) to rear their evil heads only to be relentlessly attacked with roasted beans! If you’re not familiar with this custom, it’s Setsubun! Setsubun is a one Japan’s famous traditions that happens every February. I’ve only really participated in it one time while working at Aeon. My manager had us do that part of the ceremony that’s most common among adults. You take dried, roasted beans known as fukumame (副豆) and you throw them...

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Answers to the Top Three Japanese Family Names Quiz

February 28, 2012
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Answers to the Top Three Japanese Family Names Quiz

Thank you for checking out the Top Japanese Last Names Quiz. Now, let’s take a look at the answers: The top three Japanese last names here in east Japan (Ibaraki) anyway, the ones that I heard from all 20 surveyed were: 1. Suzuki 2. Sato 3. Tanaka Did you guess those three. I know I didn’t. I was thinking maybe Honda, Yamada, and Tanaka but when nearly every Japanese respondent gives the EXACT same, I guess it has to be more than a coincidence. Donald Ash P.S.-Oh yeah, I don’t want to forget about he English names. When I saw the names I though, “yeah, that makes sense. Based on an old census report,...

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Top Three Japanese Family Names Quiz (名字)

February 24, 2012
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Top Three Japanese Family Names Quiz (名字)

I was at work the other day, I was looking at some of my students’ name tags. I am really trying to study more kanji and I thought that I might be able read some of the name tags I was seeing. Needless to say, I didn’t do so well, I struggled to figure out the exact readings of many of the names I was looking at. So I guess it’s back to the drawing board for me and my kanji studies . However , while I was botching the readings for the names, and having students correct me, I noticed that some of the family names (miyoji (みょうじ or 名字) in Japanese) were...

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The Funny Perspectives of Being an ALT in Japan

February 22, 2012
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The Funny Perspectives of Being an ALT in Japan

I don’t know if you’ve been on Facebook lately, or not, but I’ve been seeing these funny pictures that show different perspectives on professions, sports, etc. It’s usually a series of six photos that put a pretty funny twist on the given subject. My friend, and fellow ALT, Regina sent me this photo last week and I thought it was pretty funny because it’s true. Here’s the photo: I wonder if they could make another one of these for eikaiwa (English conversation schools) teacher here in Japan? I bet it’d be funny. Thanks for the funny photo, Regina. Just a quick post for today. I’ll see you next time Donald Ash

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How to Stay Warm During a Japanese Winter (Part 1): Enter the Kairo

February 20, 2012
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How to Stay Warm During a Japanese Winter (Part 1): Enter the Kairo

I don’t hate winter, but let’s just say it’s my least favorite of the four seasons. Even during Japan’s summer heat and extreme humidity, I would always say “Yeah, it’s really hot out here, but at least being too hot, isn’t as bad as being too cold.” To me, being the Georgia boy that I am, walking around in the cold is about as much fun as having a monkey double fisting handfuls of feces at my head. Not cool…not cool at all. So today, let’s take a brief look at a cool, inexpensive, Japanese item to keep you warm this winter season: enter the kairo!! What is a kairo? A kairo is essentially...

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Learning Katakana? Here’s a Cool Trick

February 17, 2012
By
katakanausualsuspects

The Japanese writing system is an interesting one indeed. Learning hiragana (the most basic of the Japanese system), learning katakana (used for loan words or foreign words) and learning kanji are the three essentials of being able to read and write. Japanese is perhaps one of the more complex writing systems of the modern world. I don’t know who was responsible for creating the system but perhaps it was some ancient Japanese scholar whose flagship class was Memory Torture 101. For today, let’s focus on a finer point of one of the three systems, katakana. Katakana is made up of 46 different characters. Here’s the katakana list: When I started learning katana there were...

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