Six
months in Natori, Japan
Hey,
everyone. So, this is Stephen and prior
to my big vacation to Hokkaido, I figured it would be cool to take stock of how
the six months have been. My thoughts,
feelings, big surprises, etc. So, we’re going to do that. This is kind of a six month review broken
into a few sections. We’ll go with my
journey, surprises, revisits, the city itself, and life in general. And away we
go…
My
Journey
My
journey started, effectively, well before the six month stay in Japan. One year of fruitless job searches in the US and
trying to survive on a salary that was better than minimum wage but still quite
low after personal taxes, had left me burnt out. I decided to leave the US, but not without a
sponsor. So, I hit Gaijinpot with the
same fervor I had shown the US job market and got a few potential offers. I accepted a position in a small school in
Natori, in the Miyagi region in northern Japan.
I was told a few things, mostly that we were close to rice fields and
that it would be cold, but I went there with my knowledge of Japanese and my
experience as a world traveler as my biggest tools for survival. Saying goodbye to my family and to my friends
was difficult, but once the journey had begun, there was no turning back.
The
flight in was difficult. I was in the
air for about 17 hours and awake for a good 20-22, all told. I dealt with sickness in my stomach and in my
heart, with heat, pain, panic, anxiety, and all of that, but I made it to
Natori. After a brief rest period, I was
introduced to my school, which was indeed smaller than I expected. The town gave a poor first impression due to
the cold and bleakness of the weather, but I had survived worse with
China. It was…an odd time, to say the
least. My experience is largely with
teaching adults and with the children, I had to find new approaches due to
their limited language skills. As one of
my bosses said, you need to fill their mind with knowledge, as they have none
right now, in regards to English. It was
a struggle.
Housekeeping
was easy enough, though I was grateful for the help of our native Japanese
teachers, who helped me navigate where my regular Japanese could not. It took me a full month to get internet set
up and while a trial, I persevered and enjoyed life by buying a few luxuries I
could never afford stateside.
Once
I’d hit my groove, I found that I enjoyed this work greatly. While the hours were less than what I’d
worked in China or the US, I’d argue the stress was much higher, for various
reasons. Classes could be good or bad,
difficult or easy, depending entirely on a students’ mood, rather than on my
planning, though that was a factor as well.
Planning had to change and evolve, along with my class procedures. However, I managed to find a nice balance
between biking and exploring and just vegging at home.
Big
milestones for me were in the summer, as the heat was miserable and I felt
close to death often. I had to deal with
humidity and heat that made even my AT&T job feel…almost worthwhile. Almost. After all that was said and done, we
also had to deal with the rainy season, which brought its own challenges. There were issues with teaching and getting
used to the new methodology, there were surprises sprung on me, like having to
teach extra classes for an upcoming field trip, and the ever-looming specter of
sickness. I even had to cover for someone when they got sick. I too suffered sickness, but I never missed a
day, though I had to go to the hospital once before school started.
I
would say that now, things are getting a bit harder. The schedule has rotated, as it is want to do
every six months, and now I work Saturdays.
While I do not mind, as I worked both Saturday and Sunday in China, it
is a challenge of a different sort, as the longest day is Saturday, with the
most classes. Getting used to that will
take time.
I
have been a ball of nerves for much of this trip. The journey started out with me high strung,
finding my path and my groove, and then becoming high strung again. Who can say where the journey will take me
from here.
Surprises
I
have visited Japan before, but I was surprised at a number of things. The accessibility of things I loved was
one. I could easily get a bike,
electronics, games, and American soda here, allowing the transition to be much
easier.
The
conveniences stores were a great and welcome surprise, as my experience with
them was limited. They are more like
small grocery stores, as they offer frozen food, semi-fresh/frozen vegetables
and meat, readymade meals, medicine, supplies, and all other things for those
who need an emergency change of toilet paper or a meal but cannot go to the
grocery store at 10pm.
I
had a chance to try a number of new foods here.
Cow and pig tongue are far and away my favorite, perhaps even replacing ramen
and takoyaki as my previous record holders.
The ramen has been good and I got a chance to try Japanese KFC, which
felt healthier, but a nice taste of home.
I tried zunda, which is an interesting soy bean variant, and my love of
Japanese sweets was cemented by their different ice cream and treats.
Variations
are common here and variant sodas and foods are a dime a dozen, changing with
the seasons. One of my go to bento
places has new food every month, though there are some things which don’t
change. It’s very appropriate for
seasonal vegetables.
The
festivals are a family affair, but I’d never had the chance to experience them
before, so it was interesting to see the great hanging decorations that marked
Tanabata and the low key, but very enjoyable stalls of Matsuri.
Revisits
I
was able to revisit my love of biking when I came here. It felt right, free, and welcome as I had
more mobility than on my feet, but less than with a car, however the ease of
using a bike made it worthwhile and the effort made it feel like I was still
getting something out of all the work.
Old
favorite foods resurfaced not as a one-off treat from an Asian grocery, but as
a regular occurrence, like taiyaki, special ramen, and gyudon. The food has been a difference from the US,
but in many ways, I feel it has been a good experience.
Health
issues have also resurfaced. While my
family and I managed to deal with the problem of my eye medicine, I fell to
stomach problems numerous times, likely due to the change in diet and oils used
in the cooking. I also had a number of
issues with my throat and voice due to coughs and bronchitis, needing
medicine. While not as severe as my time
in China, the adjustment phase is…severe.
There
were many chances to revisit arcades and otaku memorabilia stores, where I saw
the coveted Gundam models of my youth, statues, games, machines, all
sorts. I found myself less in heaven
than one might expect, as I’ve mellowed a bit on that and become more pragmatic
with my money. I collected a few small
trinkets, but I left the big showy models behind, compared to my time in
China. Am I growing jaded or just
growing older?
The
signature politeness of the Japanese is often scrutinized by people. Some think it’s very fakey and unrealistic,
but it undeniably makes day to day life much easier for everyone involved. Everything from banking to going to a
convenience store is met with a chorus of welcomes and people happy to help if
you ask, but willing to leave you to your devices if you want. It’s a nice balance of independence and
reliability that I am always fond of.
Trains. I could ride trains for ages with a seat and
just watch the scenery pass me by. I
will admit, it’s a bit less convenient than I remember, as Chinese trains would
come by at a more regular pace, but Japanese trains are more reliable schedule
wise and offer more options for travel, effectively, making you much freer in
your journeying. I find that if I am
going on a long journey, they can be a fun place to rest and watch the world,
but for short commutes, like to Sendai, they are…a bit troublesome.
Natori
City
The
city of Natori and its surroundings are a bit different from what I was
expecting. The rice fields are nice and the city is nicely situated between the
mountains and the ocean. For me, it’s a
nice mix. I can ride to the ocean, and I
did, or I can ride into the mountains, and I did. It’s…not quite paradise, but it has a lot of
charm. The weather is a bit crazy,
though. We had the entire month of
August where it rained every day or was at least very cloudy every day. The humid, rainy season is…no joke. I have a lot of fun things to do here, with
places to see on my bike, a nearby train station, and amazing restaurants and
game stores. I was a bit skeptical when
I saw my apartment as well, but the convenience of everything won out. Separating trash is pretty easy and having
everything you need close by is nice.
Weather
is, as always, a weird issue, with some days being brutally hot followed by
cold nights and days after. There are
earthquakes pretty frequently too and the proximity to the sea can bring in
some strong winds and typhoons which shake my home. Natori itself feels very…rustic. Like my old hometown of Hillsborough. While I felt it was a bit gloomy when I
landed, the atmosphere has grown on me and at times it feels like I’m not so
far from home at all. A big part of that
will be that my house is located near the bypass, which helps me get my
bearings as the bypass is where all directions stem from.
Natori
isn’t full of amazing cultural sights, but it is the definition of middle town
charm. It’s not too rustic, as we have
trains, proper roads, a decent number of people, game stores, etc. but it’s
still got a lot of hidden gems and cultural identity, without all the crowding
or tourism of somewhere like Sendai. It’s a nice place to live and grow old, I
think…whether or not I will, however, is a different matter. I haven’t decided yet. Life in Natori isn’t always easy, as my home
in particular has a separation of A/C and kitchen, so my kitchen and bathroom
area can be hot while my bed area is cold, but it is…strangely fulfilling. I feel like I could transplant some of this
feeling to the states with a bike and being a bit closer to things that give me
calm, like temples, mountains, or the ocean…but I’m wondering if it would be
the same.
Natori
is Natori and it’s something special.
Life
up to now
Life
up to now has been full of surprises. I
have kept working on my book, but I have also battled with sickness and
exhaustion at every turn. I feel my
greatest pride is that I have taken the skills I learned in poverty and been
able to apply it even when I have money.
Alongside that, I am pleased to say that despite my anger at some
situations, I have been courteous and polite, because I am a god damn
professional, after all, and a man of honor.
Work
has its moments. I like many of my students
and the ability to see them learn, grow, and improve is always nice, though I
frequently wonder how much of that is my doing.
My great joys are the times when I can explore or relax. I have the ability to play games again,
though at times I feel so tired I don’t bother.
I can play as much as I want on days off or none at all if I want to go
to Sendai and explore. The freedom is a
nice change.
I
have more financial luxury than ever before in my life, such as with the
planning of my trip to Hokkaido. I have
to say that I am pleased beyond words with the money I am making and the
feeling of having wealth, to an extent at least, and being pragmatic enough to
not really need all of it, enabling me to save 800-1000 dollars a month.
I
have dealt with loneliness, but I am well acquainted with living by myself and
for myself. I have kept better contact
with those I love, true, but I am mostly on my own here. Friends you make in Japan are courteous,
sure, but seldom true blue…the façade of politeness gets in the way of that and
it takes a long time to break through it to true understanding. That is one of
the few issues I would say I have with living here. The loneliness. However, I have made due.
Games,
exploration, decent enough weather, and financial freedom are all nice, but I
have had to suffer through an inordinate amount of stress. Honor and my own personal drive have kept me
going, despite the desire of my body to just collapse into a heap. This is one
thing I could do without. While the
stress in China was extreme, I found that my work environment was more
agreeable to my personality. While the
lack of finances was a problem in the US, I found the freedom I had with my
time and my career was refreshing. Here,
I have found a balance between the two extremes, but not in the best of
ways. The stress is extreme, but the
money is good. The freedom I have is
nice, but I cannot use it for everything I want. I like my job, but there are…inconveniences
that keep me from wanting to plant roots, just yet.
Knowing
Japanese has been a blessing for me. My
knowledge of the language has made life infinitely easier for me, though a part
of me does think it could be just easily handled with a phrase book. Still, the ability to understand some
students and to buy goods and ask for medicine without help does wonders for
feelings of independence. I’m not
learning as many new words as I want, but…it’s a start. I am still learning some.
In
the end, I feel that my life here will be decided by a mix of big and small.
Part of why I wanted to leave China was just that it had so many tiny
inconveniences. Fears were a big part of
that too, such as a fear of being cut off from my family should my laptop die, and
other fears, like of being trapped in a city where the pollution is
visible. Those were the big
problems. There were smaller ones as
well. And that applies here as
well. There are one or two big problems
that are largely out of my control. The
small problems, however, are more manageable.
Ultimately, it will be up to my employer if they want to hire me on for
a second year. I would probably say I
want to stay here, even if I had to live with the big problems. However, the future is unwritten and I do not
know what comes next. One thing that
will remain true is that I will hold true to my promises and stay, forever, as
a man of honor.
