Sports Day and Enkai

Well, it’s been an interesting few weeks of ups and downs. It’s amazing the mood swings I can go through in just 24 hours.
Now we are in full swing teaching classes, and it is a lot harder than I ever thought it could be. I feel like I have so much responsibility to these kids because I am their chance to speak with a native speaker...but sometimes that pressure just seems to much. I don’t know how to teach! I have never been formally trained on lesson plans! The teachers I work with don’t even have a set curriculum for me to teach, so I am on my own to make it up. So when I planning my lessons I get really frustrated because I’m not sure how I should spend my one hour per week with these kids. It seems so short and so long all at the same time. And then I have to calm down and remind myself that it IS only one class per week, my class is not their only English class, I am not responsible for their education, and they have to meet me half way. After all, a teacher is only half the team - the student has to be willing to learn. It’s hard to remember this when you have a room full of rambunctious teenagers with after lunch.
So, I’ve done my self-introduction about eleven times - and seven more to go. It gets old really fast! I feel like it gets shorter and shorter each time I do it. At one point I ask the students to write down a question on a piece of paper to put in the “Question Box” and then we play hot potato and answer the questions. Of course I get the usual: What’s your favorite sport, food, Japanese food, Do you like Japan? But occasionally I get some that throw me for a loop such as: “What animals are going extinct in the United States?” or “What is your image of Japanese people?” or “What is the most important thing in your life?” Where do they get these things!? It’s good for variation, but hard to answer these types of questions. So I do my best.
Overall the students are really enthusiastic about me being here, and seem to enjoy a class taught by someone other than their usual Japanese teacher. But sometimes that excitement translates into talking to friends while I’m trying to speak, throwing things around the room, or laughing hysterically when they have to introduce themselves. Even the simplest question can throw them of., I swear some of them had forgotten their first names when I ask “What’s your name?” It’s pretty funny. They look around to their friends as if to try and remember what their names are. After about what seems like 10 minutes they get out all their giggles, their embarrassment and they stammer in the softest voice “My name is ____.” I see them studying difficult English vocabulary in their other English classes but when it comes to actually talking, it’s a whole different story. I suppose I can relate, speaking in a second language is really scary. We’ll have to work on that whole confidence thing :)
It was suggested my next lesson be about telephone calls in English. (Right about now I’m wishing I had a telephone lesson in Japanese, but would I have remembered it anyway?) As a warm up I wanted to show my students the Budwieser commercial featured in the superbowl a few years back - the famous Wazzzuuupp commercial. Excellent example of phone etiquette in the US, don’t you think? No, really, it would be for entertainment purposes only. Unfortunately there is no real technology capability in the classrooms, no TVs or projectors, only chalkboards. I was quite disappointed. I could probably ask where I can use one, but making the whole class move for a 5 minute warm up seemed excessive.
So, aside from the occasional feelings of doubt about my teaching capabilities, I feel like things are going pretty well. I’m sure I’ll get the hang of things, and will gain confidence as the year progresses. This is my first full week of teaching, after all.
I take it back, it hasn’t even been a full week of teaching! On Monday all day we were out on the track practicing for the legendary School Festival. This is a very interesting cultural thing that you can’t even compare to anything we have in the United States. For three entire school days there are no classes, there are performances, culture showcases, and a Sports Day. I can’t explain it better than that because I never really get full details about anything, I only hear the summarized broken english version. (which i really appreciate, don’t get me wrong, but the lack of details that has characterized my life recently is getting annoying! If you have seen Lost in Translation think about that scene where Bill Murray is shooting the commercial with a Japanese director...) Anyway, on Monday was a chance for the students to practice for Sports Day. All the teachers watched or helped, so most of the day was spent outside, melting.
The idea of Sports Day isn’t to have a competition or even to showcase traditional sports clubs or games. Rather, it’s a chance for all students regardless of athletic ability to work together and enjoy being active. The events reflect this philosophy - they are elaborate obstacle courses, dances, cheering events, marching, tug of war, sprints, and even a giant chicken fight (more about this in later entries). All the students had to learn the formation of each event and who goes where so that when Sports Day arrives, it runs smoothly and on time.
The event is coordinated by the teachers, but come Sports Day, is entirely student run. The Broadcasting Club is in charge of the PA system and narration throughout the day, the Band plays the opening music and dance routines, rotating leaders usher groups to the start and finish lines, students set up and break down all supplies for each event. Every student participates in at least one event (probably more) even the student in the wheelchair. In Elementary School, Sports Day is practiced many times the month in advance because it is an exercise in group cooperation, and although may seem like a waste of time from the American view point, major Japanese lessons are learned through this sort of event. In the book, Japanese Lessons, there is a great portrait of Japanese school life if you are interested.
Sports Day is a tradition from elementary through high school, every year, during this second trimester. I wish I had a video camera, and maybe I will by the time the actual day comes along... but I did manage to take some pictures during the practice. This is a shot of one particular obstacle course, and in the background you can see how the participants are getting lined up to come on the field.



In this event, four people are strapped together around their legs (think three-legged race) and they have to step over the bars on top of the cones. Then, on the mat they have to do a synchronize summersault, get back up and carry on down the course. It is really comical to watch, and again, emphasizes group cooperation. Come to think of it, I don’t recall hardly any individual events. There are a few individual races like the 100M dash, but heat after heat of students go and there is no one winner. Like I said, it’s not about winning, I’m not even sure they keep track of winners in any event. Its the process not the end result they are focused on. *Notice the sweet PE uniforms - matching by class, from headbands down to the tennis shoes.


This picture is showing how the students set up and clean up each event.





And here are some students just relaxing when it isn’t their turn to participate:





The whole thing was really amazing - and it was only the practice day! I am excited to watch the real day, and I even get to participate in one Tug-Of-War event with the teachers.
Last weekend Shawn and I were invited to participate in a teacher’s union sports tournament type thing. It was teachers from high schools in the east side of Oita City. There was softball, volleyball, ping pong, and tennis. My school only had entered a volleyball team and Shawn played on his school’s softball team. It was really fun, both our schools lost - if we had won we could advance to a prefecture-wide tournament! Apparently some schools really practice for this thing, but we were just there to have fun. Volleyball was really funny, and there were some really bad people! We played with 9 people in the court, instead of the normal 6. Also, if someone hit a bad serve - in the net, or out of bounds, everyone got a second chance. It was a really great atmosphere and I was happy to see the usually very serious and hardworking teachers loosen up and act like kids again. Here’s a bad picture of volleyball:





Of course, after every major event with the teachers, it was followed by an enkai. An enkai is another Japanese cultural phenomenon, I guess the English word would be a party. Japanese work relationships are formed outside of the work place, so often social circles ARE your coworkers. This is completely opposite in the US where people like to keep their work and their private life separate. So, every month all the teachers pay about 2000 yen (about 20 dollars) into this enkai fund (party fund). Then for occasions such as my welcome party, or this sports competition, and even after the school festival is complete, there will be an enkai. These take place at a nice restaurant and are paid for by the enkai fund - usually all you can drink, sometimes all you can eat. Japanese food is served family style (just like you would order in a Chinese restaurant in the states) so there is plenty of food to go around. The common drink is beer, in the enkai of about 60 people Shawn and I went to only two people ordered something else. The official opening of the enkai begins with a kanpai! which is cheers, and then everyone can eat and drink.
The Japanese, by American standards, are usually very formal - everything begins and ends with some ceremony (be it a speech or just saying, ok we are finished) and people are very courteous so as not to lose face or make anyone else lose face. During the enaki is the time when people can drink, let down their guard and really get to know their co-workers. As a general rule there is a “don’t ask/don’t tell” policy - whatever happens at the enaki, stays at the enkai. Alcohol plays a very important role in Japanese society - there is not the social stigma that alcohol has in the US. Alcoholism doesn’t really exist - and by that I mean it’s not really recognized. People drinking and having a good time after work is completely normal, even if sometimes you end up passed out on the subway stairs in Tokyo (yes, I saw this the three days I was there). However, I have heard from 2nd and 3rd year JETs that they have never seen a Japanese person get sick at an enkai. They do drink their alcohol but it seems there isn’t the excessive usage that we perceive in America. It should also be noted here that the driving limit in blood-alcohol percentage in Japan is ZERO. You cannot even have a trace of one drink, or one sip, if you are driving. Perhaps this contributes to the more ‘relaxed’ attitude toward alcohol.
Of course some very inappropriate things can happen at enkai (there is no plural in Japanese, so the word ‘enkai’ can mean in English ‘enkais’), especially as the night wears on. Usually restaurants have 2-3 hour time limits that you can stay there. Then, people may proceed to another “second party” or “third party” which may be at karaoke, or another restaurant. Traditionally it’s the men that move on to these after parties while the women go home. This is a separate subject altogether and one I don’t think I really understand yet, but there is a darker side to Japanese culture that has to do with these parties and men going to ‘snack bars’ to be entertained by women. Entertained is a loose word and can be anything from a nice conversation and meal to what we might associate it with... Don’t judge! I’ll have to do more inquiring on this and I’ll get back to you. :)
Back to the story, Shawn and I went to this enkai at what seemed to be a really nice restaurant. The teacher’s union was floating the bill but everyone had to chip in 1000 yen (about 10 dollars) and we got all you can eat, all you can drink. After about 20 mins everyone was laughing and having a good time, and people had the courage to come talk to me and use their English. I must admit I was also feeling a little more confident about my Japanese at that point. :) It was nice to meet people I see everyday and actually talk to them. After about two hours, the enkai was over and we had been initiated.
When we had pre-departure orientations, everyone told us to expect a few enkai the first week we arrived. Shawn and I haven’t had that (I’m grateful actually) and so I have been told there will be a few welcome parties in the future.
I feel like there is a lot more I could write, but I will save some for future entries. My fingers are getting tender!
This weekend we will go watch a traditional Japanese Noh theatre performance. It’s free for the ALTs and although many Japanese people tell me they have fallen asleep during the performance, I feel like it’s one of those things you just have to see. And it’s free.
Hope everyone is well.