Bonus Update: Six Months in Natori

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.