Week Six

Yet another week has whizzed by, and now there's only a fortnight left before the program is over and I leave 函館市 for 東京 (Tōkyō)! It was a busy week with plenty of work and plenty of activities: here are some highlights.



Each 留学生, in addition to his or her normal coursework, must complete an 'Independent Study' project about 日本文化 (nihon-bunka/Japanese culture). I chose to learn more about 神道 (Shintō, lit. the way of the gods), the native, polytheistic religion of Japan which coexists with 仏教 (bukkyō/Buddhism, lit. teaching(s) of the Buddha) as the faith of the majority of Japanese. Last week, I went to an お祭り (omatsuri/(honorable) festival) at 豊川稲荷神社 (Toyokawainari Jinja/Shinto Shrine), established 安政一年 (Ansei 1/1854). 豊川稲荷 is a god of abundance, and this was the single largest event of the year. It was quite an event! Dancing, libations, カラオケ (karaoke, lit. "'invisible' orchestra"), and an hour-long prayer service all were occuring at the same time.



Earlier I had also visited a shrine commemorating war dead, 護国神社 (Gokoku Jinja), and I also received a note this week from that 宮司さん (Gūji-san/(hon.) head priest containing some photos from my visit and a very kind letter wishing me all the best in my future studies and work. This was in addition to the bag of お土産 (omiyage/souvenirs) he gave me at the time of my interview. He was a truly kind person!



Every day in class, we each take turns with 日直 (nicchoku/day duty). The 日直 comes early, prepares the classroom for the day, gives the day's announcements in the morning, and then gives a short speech and leads a discussion on a topic of his or her choice. For my turn last week, I decided to give a speech about 四字熟語 (yo-ji-juku-go/four-character idioms). These are idiomatic phrases consisting of four 漢字 (kanji/Chinese characters). Examples include 十人十色 (jūnin-toiro/"Ten people, ten colors"="Different strokes for different folks") and 美人薄命 (bijinn-hakumei/"A beauty, a thin life"="A beautiful woman is destined to die young"). After my speech I had my class break up into small groups to come up with their own 四字熟語. My favorites are 大笑長命 (daishō-chōmei/"A big laugh is a long life") and 一話二訳 (ichiwa-niyaku/"One word, two translations"). The latter has been demonstrated to all of us many times here!



I went bowling for the first time in many years last week with my host 弟さん (otōto-san/(hon.) little brother) and host お父さん (otō-san/(hon.) father). I bowled 104 and 105, which is much better than I usually do. In a characteristic display of Japanese modesty, my host お父さん beforehand insisted he was completely 下手 (heta/unskilled, lit. "lowly handed") and proceeded to near a score of 200.



This is オリエンタルキチン (Orientaru Kichin/Oriental Kitchen), a small, nook-in-the-wall restaurant where I usually grab my lunch. For a mere 五百五十円 (go-hyaku-go-jū-en/¥550≈$6) I can get a delicious グリーンカレー (gurīnkarē/green curry) and アイスコーヒー (aisukōhī/ice coffee).



At the ジム (jimu/gym) the other day, there was an adult dancing class. This reminded me of a great film, Shall We ダンス? (Shall We Dansu?). There is a lot of interest in ballroom dancing in Japan.

On Saturday, I headed with some other 留学生 to climb 函館山 (Hakodate-yama/Mt. Hakodate).


(Chris Purdy, Purdue '11; Laura Specker, Williams College '08/University of Hawaii at Manoa; Hilary Ledwell, Williams College '12; Sandra McKee, CSU Monteray Bay '10; and Samik Sikand, Boston University.)



Although I had been up via the cable car before, it was definitely satisfying having climbed to the top! I celebrated by buying a little treat at the café on the summit.



Afterward, Chris and I continued to hike around the 公園 (kōen/park) for a couple hours. It was truly a きれいな日 (kirei na hi/beautiful day); it's hard to believe that so much 自然 (shizen/nature) is so close to the 都内 (tonai/metropolitan area) of 函館市.



Little Buddhist statuettes and shrines dotted the trail throughout the hike.

Finally, this past Sunday I participated in the yearly お祭り of 北斗市 (Hokuto-shi/Hokuto city), the city adjacent to 函館 in which my host family and I actually live. I volunteered with my host お父さん to help carry an お神輿 (omikoshi/portable shrine) of good fortune in the parade. It was a lot of fun! The shrine took about twenty people to carry. It was fun seeing people watching realize that a 外国人 was helping and then start excitedly talking to one another. The procession took about two hours, but, thankfully, we got to take plenty of breaks using stands being carried alongside us.



Oh, I forgot to mention that various women and children took turns riding on top while we carried them through the city.



Needless to say, my shoulder was quite sore the next day! Luckily I had two towels wadded up beneath my robe.



じゃあ、また後で！

Week Five (A typical day)

In lieu of a normal post, and lest one think, most mistakenly, that the majority of my time is spent wandering the country as a tourist, I should like to take the time to adumbrate a typical weekday for me here.



This is my host family's house, on the coast of 函館湾 (Hakodate-wan/Hakodate Bay), designed and built by the housing 会社 (kaisha/company, firm) of my host dad. From the house's balcony one can see the water, though the times I've been down to the beach it has always been deserted.



My room is a 和室 (washitsu/traditional Japanese room), which means that I sleep on a 畳 (tatami/i.e. tatami mat) which I put away in the closet during the day. Shoes that are used outside are not allowed in Japanese houses or rooms. On a typical day I'm up by 六時 (roku-ji/six o'clock) for a shower, unless I have homework to finish, in which case I wake up early at 四時半 (yo-ji-han/4:30) or 五時 (go-ji/5:00). After シャワーを浴びる (shawaa wo abiru/taking a shower), 歯を磨く (ha wo migaku/"polishing" my teeth), and 洋服を着る (yōfuku wo kiru/dressing in Western-style clothes, as opposed to 和服, Japanese traditional clothes like the 着物, kimono, which are still sometimes worn), I make my way downstairs at 七時 (shichi-ji/7:00) to have 朝ご飯 (asa-gohan/breakfast), which my host mother prepares.



Typically I eat with my 翔太 (Shōta), my host brother, though sometimes alone and other times with both him and my host dad.



Although perhaps slightly 失礼 (sitsurei/discourteous), my host mom is O.K. with me reviewing for my daily 小テスト (shō-tesuto/quiz) while I eat. Every day we receive a list of about fifty vocabulary words (意味と読み方と漢字/imi to yomikata to kanji/meaning, pronunciation, and kanji characters) to memorize for the next day. 朝ご飯 varies between a traditional Japanese meal, with 御飯 and 肉 (gohan and niku/rice and meat) and Western-style 卵 (tamago/egg). Whatever we are having, however, my host mother is nice enough to put out a bowl of ヨーグルト (yōguruto/yoghourt) and a バナナ (banana), both of which I put on my housing form as favorite foods to have with breakfast.



At 七時半 (shichi-ji-han/7:30) I leave the house with the traditional word of depature, 行って来ます！(Itte kimasu/literally "I go, later to return") to which my host mom answers with the traditional response, 行ってらっしゃい (Itterasshai/"Have a good day", lit. " Travel/exist having gone") after checking to make sure 忘れ物はない (wasuremono wa nai/"Is there nothing you've forgotten?").



With two or three other 留学生 I take the 七時四十四分 (shichi-ji yonjyuuyon-bun/7:44) 電車 (densha/train) from 久根別 (Kunebetsu) to 函館, at which point the announcement on the train also tells us 忘れ物をございませんよ (wasuremono wo gozaimasenn yo/"Please don't forget anything!")



It's a 1.3 mile walk from 函館駅 (Hakodate-eki/Hakodate Station) to the 北海道国際交流センター (Hokkaidou Kokusaikouryuu Sentā/Hokkaidō Internation Foundation Center). Along the way we pass through the morning fish market as sellers greet us.



After the trek up the final hill to HIF, which is so infamous that it was mentioned (that is, complained about) in the student-written literature we received for the program in the States, but which in truth is not really that bad, the chatting in English ends and class begins at 九時 (ku-ji/nine).



My class is E組 (E-gumi/class group E) taught by 齊藤先生 (Saito-sensei). It runs from nine to 12:15. That may sound like a short time period, but it's actually pretty intense! Class time is divided between various activities like grammar exercises, discussions, videos, and group activities. There are two short 休み時間 (yasumi-jikan/break times) and also a longer break when a very sweet local merchant sets up a table to sell us 豆パン (mame-pan/bean bread) and other delectable treats for which we all wait in line, as pictured below.



After the break class finishes, usually with a debate or mini presentation of the final activity.



After class and 昼ご飯 (hiru-gohan/lunch) either in the school dining hall or at a local restaurant, on 月水金 (gessuikin/Monday-Wednesday-Friday) I walk to the gym, where for merely 百円 (hyaku-en/¥100, about $1.15) I can use their weight training equipment and treadmills.



Afterward, I usually head to the 町づくりセンター (Machidzukuri Center), which has free wi-fi and no Japanese-only rule, and therefore is a popular place for 留学生 to do homework, of which we all have many hours every night!



I usually take the 電車 back home in time for 八時 (hachi-ji/eight o'clock) 晩ご飯 (ban-gohan/dinner) with my host family. As I enter the house I yell the traditional phrase of return, ただいま (tada-ima/"I'm home!", lit. "Just now") to which my host mother answers お帰りなさい (okaerinasai/"Welcome home!", lit. " Return home!"). My host dad, if he's home, often adds お疲れ様でした (otsukaresamadeshita/"That's it for today", lit. something like "You must be exhausted"), to which I sometimes reply with a joke, like 宿題がまだたくさんありますから、終わりません。残念ですね。(shukudai ga mada takusan arimasu kara, owarimasen. Zannen desu ne!/Something like, "Well, since I still have a lot of homework, I'm really not done. It's too bad, isn't it!"). After dinner I head upstairs to do the rest of my homework before going to bed.



And that's a typical weekday!

Outside of class, other activities of note this past week included a trip to the お祭り (o-matsuri/festival) at my host brother's high school. Highlights included a very elaborate parade through part of the city and living whack-a-mole.



Finally, this past weekend was the コンサート (konsāto/concert) of the 北大オーケストラ (北大オーケストラ/Hokudai (Hokudate University) Orchestra) with whom I have been practicing twice weekly for about a month. Participating in the orchestra was a great cross-cultural experience, as I was the only 外国人 (gaikokujin/foreigner). I admit sometimes I had to scramble to find what measure number we were starting at during rehearsal.




The concert itself took place in the largest concert venue in 函館, the 芸術ホール (Geijutsu Hōru/"Fine Art" Hall) in the heart of the city. It was a big success! The soirées after the dress rehearsal and the concert were likewise quite memorable. I even managed to give a toast to the orchestra to thank them for having me play. Here's one picture of me posing with 坂井絵里花 (Sakai, Erika) another member of the orchestra (using the requisite peace sign so ubiquitous in Japanese photos) before I leave for the night.



じゃあ、またね！