Teaching with Tim

Nagoya from the “Sky Tower”

Nagoya is starting to feel like home–sort of.  People can get used to anything.  Already, things that used to seem new, exotic, and unfamiliar have begun the fade to beige—they’re part of the routine now.  A few examples:

• Hitting my head on low doorways. 
• Sorting all my garbage into different bins for burnables, non-burnables, and two types of recyclables.
• Not being able to read menus in restaurants.
• Trying foods I can’t identify.
• Saying itadakimasu (literally “I’m ready to receive”) before beginning to eat.   
• Always cleaning my hands with a hot towel before eating. 
• Eating with chopsticks.
• Never having paper towels in public restrooms.  
• Keeping a personal towel on hand at all times.
• Taking the bus and subway everywhere.
• Knowing that the bus and the subway will arrive on time.
• Bringing an umbrella when its raining or even looks like rain.
• Being one of the only people I know who uses a rain jacket.    
• Being lost all the time. 
• Taking my shoes off in my apartment, at school, in traditional Japanese restaurants, and just about everywhere.
• Bowing (or at least dipping my head) in a wide variety of social contexts.
• Being stared at by small children.
• Leaving my laptop, projector, and other valuables unsecured at school, confident that no one will take them. 
• Avoiding bicycles on the sidewalk.
• Looking to the left first when crossing the street.   
• Carrying coins in a coin purse. 
• Being welcomed and greeted and offered help constantly. 

All of this now seems normal to a certain extent.  More subtle differences—like the contrasts between Western and Eastern social norms—will take longer to master.  Referring to myself in the third person in conversation and calling colleagues the equivalent of “Mr. Schlosser” (“Sato-san, Suzuki-san,” etc.) even when we’re at a party still feels weird. But I already feel pretty comfortable with Japanese life.  There’s a safety and civility to the culture that I appreciate.  The food is delicious, the people are courteous, and the country is beautiful—there have been a few times when I’ve felt that Japan is only a few short steps away from paradise.  I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to call it home in the true sense of that word, and I guess it’s possible that there will come a time when everything fades to beige—when the excitement is gone and I just miss friends, family, and familiar things.  Already, especially when I’m alone in my apartment, I often have those feelings.  But the excitement of working with the students at Meito and exploring Nagoya still has the power to put that on the backburner most of the time.   Here are a few recent shots:   

Students give a presentation on Japanese pop star Kaera Kimura

Moving the god's carriage--part of last weekend's Nagoya festival

The paradisal world of Meiji-Mura, a full-scale recreation of Meiji-era Japan