First Entry! August 8th, 2022

Hello to anyone who is reading this! As you may or may not know, I’ve left the U.S. and am now teaching English at Noto Senior High School in Ishikawa, Japan (courtesy of the JET program). A lot has happened over these past three weeks, so I’ll do my best to condense it all for this first post. Half of the new ALTs (Assistant Language Teachers) and CIRs (Coordinator for International Relations) arrived in Tokyo for our hybrid orientation. It was fun to create energetic stories for classroom teaching, explore Shinjuku, and to feel the joys of waiting for elevators during the first few days with fellow JETs.

Moving into Ushitsu (a town district of Noto) has been quite the adjustment, as even supermarket shopping (reading and being able to choose certain supplies); trash sorting; taking care of a living space; workplace etiquette; and figuring out addresses in Japan have led me to methodically deconstruct how to do everyday tasks. It has been getting better day by day, however, as the support and encouragement among my three JTEs (Japanese Teacher of English), my predecessor ALT and his spouse; owners of a local church; fellow JETs in the area and throughout Japan; my grandma and uncle; and my family + friends back home has kept me alive in spirit and in health. It’s an adjustment, but as one veteran ALT has said, “It’s hard to first get the ball rolling, but it’ll be easier to maintain once it happens.”

On a different topic, summer in Japan is no joke! The humidity has caused a never ending battle while walking to school and “keeping cool” in an indoor space. At this rate, I should probably bring a gym towel to keep in my locker at school. Bugs too are something I’ve been watching out for—I’ve had a couple encounters with roaches and a Japanese hornet, but after three (or four) visits to the home improvement shops and advice from family, I feel a little more prepared against them (and no, it does not involve fire).

The summer has also offered ample time to start lesson planning before the students’ second semester (out of three). Recently, I had a chance to sit in on some supplemental English classes. Honing in on students’ pronunciation + comprehension of research papers written in English—with some reading passages being comparably difficult to the ACT or SAT—gave me a better idea of what to expect from the students. I’m excited to get to know the students further within these next few weeks and to team teach alongside the JTEs.

To cap this entry, I was able to attend the Horyu Tanabata Kiribati Festival in Suzu over the weekend. Seeing the 14 meter tall, 2 ton towers (called kiriko) being carried by local Suzu representatives—while the taiko and flute players guided the carriers’ rhythmic steps —was a joy to see. What really captured the evening, however, were conversations after dinner among fellow Suzu residents and JETs. I was able to converse with a resident who was curious about Minnesota, Colorado (thanks to my Durango shirt I was wearing), and California; and I asked about the person’s passions about environmental studies and ties between land and cultural heritage within Japan. While this was going on, we were both practicing using our non-native languages. After the fact, it made me realize that a cross-cultural exchange doesn’t just happen in a designated place like the classroom—but in everyday life. I’m happy to have met this person and for the fellow JETs that introduced me to the resident’s family.

As more adventures in Japan occur, I’ll be posting periodically! Thanks for tuning-in :)

Noto-cho, Ushitsu District

Temple near Keio Plaza Hotel in Shinjuku

The Kiriko in Suzu

Torii gate in Noto

One veteran ALT and a newcomer

Family in Tokyo

Mitsuke-jima in Suzu

ALT all-stars from Orientation