http://genkijacs.com/blog/ News and commentary from GenkiJACS, a Japanese language school in Fukuoka, Japan en-us Nucleus CMS v3.33 © Weblog http://backend.userland.com/rss http://genkijacs.com/blog//nucleus/nucleus2.gif http://genkijacs.com/blog/ http://genkijacs.com/blog/index.php?itemid=196
Ad-sponsored paper

It’s notepaper with ads! The bottom 5th of each page has an ad for a local business, targeted at university students’ wants: karaoke bars, Internet cafes, cheap Internet providers, clothes, and so on. The student said that people were handing this out in front of the university, similar to the tissues that are often handed out at train stations.
It’s ingenious, in a way – there really is no place that advertising can’t reach!]]> Japanese customs for foreigners http://genkijacs.com/blog/index.php?itemid=196 Thu, 9 Oct 2008 13:02:30 -1500 http://genkijacs.com/blog/index.php?itemid=195 Suruga Bank, is ceasing to handle Western Union money transfers. This means that students cannot use Western Union to pay school fees anymore.
Their official release (in Japanese) is here. The only thing approaching a reason given is that their partnership with Western Union has expired, and will not be renewed.
The other options previously available for GenkiJACS students to pay are of course still available: International or domestic bank transfer, international postal money order, credit card, Paypal and Moneybookers.

]]> News http://genkijacs.com/blog/index.php?itemid=195 Thu, 2 Oct 2008 14:02:15 -1500 http://genkijacs.com/blog/index.php?itemid=191 Strange Japanese customs 2

At long last, a follow-up to our year-old post on strange Japanese customs. To recap, we put a blank sheet of paper on the wall and asked students to write any strange customs or cultural things they noticed in Japan on that paper. Last year we gave you numbers 1 to 20. This year, numbers 21 to 46:

21: Japanese gear shift! (We don’t know exactly what the student was surprised about – are they very different from those in other countries? Almost all cars in Japan are automatic, but also allow manual switching.)
22: Traditional Japanese bath (You are expected to wash your body before you get in the bath, and everyone shares the same water.)
23: Japan is the #1 importer of reggae. (It’s true that reggae, and hip-hop, are very popular in Japan – there are always posters and fliers around the downtown area for concerts.)
24: Girls stopping dead in their tracks to yell ă‹ă‚ă„ă„ïŒ (“kawaii”, or “cute”)
25: Overly complicated toilets (Many Western-style toilets in Japan include heated seats with temperature control, adjustable bidet functions, sound effects, and more.)
26: Customs has a mascot. (Sometimes it seems like almost all companies and offices have a cute cartoon mascot – even the tax office puts little animals on their documents
)
27: Everyone assumes I’m American. (Japanese people do have an unfortunate tendency to ask foreigners “Are you American?” This can be very annoying for non-US people.)
28: Bus drivers turn off the bus during red lights. (This is most likely to help reduce pollution. There is a fairly large campaign called “Stop the idling”.)
29: and my friend told me there’s a sign on the bus saying that the exhaust is good for the environment!
30: People saying えええええええええええええええ (“eeeeeeeeeeeeee”, an expression of surprise. Usually said with a rising intonation).
31: Public buses have no priority over other cars, and no separate lanes.
32: No napkins even in good restaurants. (Although, to be fair, they do give you a wet towel instead.)
33: I went to a Japanese party and they were separated into ć…ˆèŒ© (“senpai”, senior) and ćŸŒèŒ© (“kouhai”, junior).
34: Bike riders wear gloves to protect themselves from the sun, but no helmets!
35: Why do so many people hand out packets of tissues but it is rude to blow your nose in public?
36: Hand basin on top of toilet cistern. (This is often considered a case of good design – the clean water going into the toilet cistern can be used to wash your hands after using the toilet.)
37: Little flashing lights on kerbs and junctions at night.
38: Riding bikes with high heels.
39: Look! There’s another 怖äșș (“gaijin”, foreigner)! (Yes, foreigners are still somewhat rare in Fukuoka, but the number is increasing all the time!)
40: No laughing in the movie theater. (This might be because subtitles aren’t as funny as the original movie, but in general Japanese people are pretty quiet at movies – even scary ones.)
41: Swatting flies by clapping your hands.
42: Girls shave their arms and eyebrows as well as their legs.
43: There’s two settings on the toilet handle, 氏 (“shou”, small) and 性 (“dai”, big).
44: The public transport system – it works!
45: There are billions of vending machines!
46: My host father took off his pants after dinner because he was too hot! (We’ve seen this in several places, actually, including teachers at a high school unzipping their pants when hot.)]]> Japanese customs for foreigners http://genkijacs.com/blog/index.php?itemid=191 Sat, 5 Jul 2008 18:04:40 -1500 http://genkijacs.com/blog/index.php?itemid=190 Japan Times reports that London magazine Monocle named Fukuoka as the best city in the world for shopping! Reasons include the compactness of the central shopping district, the big selection of brand names, and the closeness to Asia.
Fukuoka was also chosen as the city with the 17th highest quality of life in the world – and only the second city in Japan, after Tokyo! Cities were ranked on a variety of factors, including friendliness, safeness, cleanliness, transport and more. Fukuoka is on this list for the first time, perhaps showing how much its profile has grown in recent years. As if you needed another reason to come here!
The original article is for Monocle subscribers only, unfortunately, but if you happen to be one of those, click here to read Fukuoka’s entry!

Alternatively, the article seems to be available as a PDF here, although perhaps not for long...

A couple of choice quotes:
“Friendly, cosmopolitan Fukuoka is tiny in comparison to Tokyo, but it beats the Japanese capital hands down with its cuisine and shopping.”
“these days it’s all about Fukuoka”

It's nice to hear that everyone else is finally catching up with what we knew years ago!]]> News http://genkijacs.com/blog/index.php?itemid=190 Wed, 2 Jul 2008 13:35:00 -1500 http://genkijacs.com/blog/index.php?itemid=188 We receive students from several agencies, including Languagecourse.net, which is based in Barcelona. They ask returning students to provide feedback on the school they studied at. Throughout the last year, GenkiJACS received an average customer satisfaction rating of 4.7 out of 5!

In Languagecourse.net’s own words:
"Only the very best schools receive the Excellence Award ... to certify that superior customer satisfaction has been acknowledged by LanguageCourse.Net. The feedback of your clients showed that your school did excellent work in providing satisfied customers throughout the last year. Overall rating: 4.7 (out of 5.0)"

Here's the actual document:
Excellence Award]]> News http://genkijacs.com/blog/index.php?itemid=188 Tue, 1 Jul 2008 11:50:19 -1500 http://genkijacs.com/blog/index.php?itemid=186 Hab.la logo

If you visit our main site, you may notice a little black bar in the bottom-left-hand corner. This is a chat box, and if it says "Click to talk to GenkiJACS rep!", you're just one click away from us! We can't promise to be online 24 hours a day, but when we are, we're happy to answer your questions straight away. And you're almost completely anonymous - no login is required, and the only identifying information sent to us is your IP address.

The service is provided by Hab.la, and is theoretically platform-independent. However, if you have any problems using it, please do drop us a line!

Unfortunately, at first only sales and marketing reps will be available to talk to you - no Japanese teachers on hand to answer your grammar questions instantaneously just yet, I'm afraid...]]> News http://genkijacs.com/blog/index.php?itemid=186 Wed, 21 May 2008 15:29:33 -1500 http://genkijacs.com/blog/index.php?itemid=184 Japan Online School logo

In our never-ending quest to improve our students' Japanese, we've linked up with Japan Online School (J-OS), a Japanese school offering webcam lessons over the Internet, to offer a special discount to GenkiJACS students who sign up with them.

First, the problem:
Many students tell us that they don’t have a chance to practice their Japanese after returning to their home countries. Without practice, you WILL forget what you studied, but if there is no Japanese community in your home area, keeping up your conversation practice can be very difficult.
This is where an online school like J-OS can come in very useful. Trained teachers and private lessons ensure that you don’t forget the Japanese you learned at GenkiJACS!
After considering all of the major online schools, we chose J-OS because of the good structure of their lessons, the quality of their teachers, and the simplicity of their system.

Now, the package:
Standard private lessons are roughly 1,900 yen for 50 minutes. However, GenkiJACS and J-OS have teamed up to offer a special deal for graduating GenkiJACS students:

1) Free trial lesson (normally 980-1280 yen)
2) 1 extra lesson free when you first buy lessons (so, for example, 5 lessons for the price of 4)

There is no extra cost to students for this - GenkiJACS pays for your trial lesson by cutting costs elsewhere. We took this step because we don't want students forgetting the Japanese they spent time and money learning, and the only way to keep it up is regular practice!

This deal is only open to graduating GenkiJACS students. If you are a GenkiJACS student who graduated between January 1st, 2008 and now, you are also eligible. Contact us for details!]]> News http://genkijacs.com/blog/index.php?itemid=184 Tue, 20 May 2008 12:58:22 -1500 http://genkijacs.com/blog/index.php?itemid=181
Myself as Other and the Beauty of Internationalism

I sway with the rhythm of the train traveling the forty-five minutes from Chikushi Station to Tenjin Station. I am crammed between business men all holding identical black suitcases and young women in high-heeled boots and short skirts text-messaging to unknown recipients on their cell phones. All around me, men and women sleep in seemingly the most uncomfortable positions, and yet I wonder at their collective ability to wake up right as their stop comes up. “Gojyosha arigatou gosaimashita,” the cool feminine voice rises above the familiar clackaclackaclacka of the train, “Kono denshya wa Fukuoka Tenjin-eki kyuuko desu.” As the polite recording goes on to explain that the next stop is Futsukaichi, I finger the flash cards attached by a ring to my purse, feeling flustered and yet never more at home. As I savor every moment—my third morning, my fourth morning—I feel the disconcerting prickle on my skin that tells me that at least one person is staring at me. I look up, and a businessman turns away. I look around and two more women pretend to be looking at something incredibly interesting just to my right and left. I am unsuccessful in fighting the urge to roll my eyes, and then wonder guiltily if Japanese also know of this American expression. Here I am, all of my American-Woman-Jewish-Latina-White-Bisexual self, and yet to those around me, I am only known as one thing: gaijin, foreigner—other. For my senior project, I traveled to Fukuoka, a city on the northern tip of Kyushu, South Japan. I stayed with a host family and took classes at Genki Japanese and Culture School for foreigners in Tenjin, the heart of Fukuoka, for four to six hours a day. As soon as I arrived, I felt the strong sensation of being at home, of being whole, more so than I had ever felt in any place other than my hometown in Colorado, and even then Fukuoka was a strong rival. I loved everything about Japan; I loved fat, chewy udon soup noodles and the pleasure of being able to slurp them into my mouth without being reproached, the heaven of my futon with its layer after layer of silky, thick blankets, so many that the first night I felt like a bear hibernating under the snow. I marveled at how polite people were, always willing to go out of their way to lead me to a zenzai restaurant or help me look for a dictionary in a bookstore. Everything was so clean, so quiet, and yet, so full of life.
My ‘otherness’ began comfortably my first day at school: I was, happily, the only American learning in the school at the time (when I left, I was one of three). Students had come from Belgium, Germany, France, Holland, Denmark, Thailand, Taiwan, China, England, and Mexico, among other countries, in order to study Japanese. The Mexican fascinated me, because his journey seemed an inverse of my own. He had grown up in Mexico City, learned English, and now studied Japanese (and spoke with greater fluency than I did). As I was introducing myself to others, a robust, lively woman from France asked me where I was from. On the twenty-ninth of February, I wrote about the experience:
When I said that my dad was from Mexico, she said, ‘I knew it! You look Mexican!’ She lived in Mexico, and Eduardo, who was sitting nearby, nodded. Ironic that I am accepted as a Latina not by other so-called ‘Latinos,’ nor by even Americans, but internationals in Japan. But I am learning that there is a lot more to diversity than I thought; you can be a Mexican studying Japanese and fluent in English, or a Japanese person who used to live in America and is now studying X or Y thing 
we all are such a mixture of cultures and ideas, feeding off each other via technology; how can we even begin to concretely label ourselves?

After only a few days of being in Japan, I was discovering how much more complicated the process of self-identification had become because of internationalism, and it was a wonderful, relieving feeling. Maybe I didn’t have to explain my family’s complicated past, or fight for my Latina identity to be recognized by others. The people around me moved fluidly from one situation to another, their identities becoming more and more complicated to explain as they experienced, learned, and took from the essences of different cultures from their own. The French woman, for example, was born in France but had never worked there, and had visited many of the countries on every continent except Antarctica. She spoke seven languages with varying levels of fluency, but retained the skill of being able to joke in all of them. One of the students who arrived shortly before I left was born in England, grew up and went to school in Los Angeles, and returned to England to attend Oxford University. She is now studying Chinese as well as Japanese, and has lived in both countries for extended periods of time. How could any combination of complicated labeling accurately describe these people, the nuances of their characters, the different shades of their smiles? I began to doubt the usefulness of the American hobby of self-labeling, insisting that we are somehow more interesting than ‘just American,’ more complicated, better. “Isn’t that obvious?” I began to wonder.
Throughout my trip, I was never once identified as American when people guessed my country of origin. “Italy?” they plied. “Spain? France?” In some ways, it felt reassuring to at least be somewhat separated from my label as an American, if not be separated from my imposed label as a foreigner. As I slowly gained the ability to talk about politics in Japanese, shocking images of the Iraq War played on the ten o’clock news, images of bloodied and armless soldiers that would never be aired in America, because then the war truly would be over. Hilary and Obama debated and were debated heatedly on Japanese television programs and in newspapers. America’s relationship with China was analyzed as Tibetan protesters were beaten and suppressed. In the midst of all the visible chaos of my country, and my own quiet, internal shame regarding my country’s actions, I was able for a short time to shed my American-ness for the wider label of being a foreigner. It was a small but satisfying freedom, as I was judged equally harshly for being un-Japanese, at least in my appearance. For the first time in my life, I experienced what life was like as an outsider, an ‘other.’
It wasn’t until I couldn’t blend into a crowd, when I couldn’t choose when and where I wanted to be noticed, that I began to realize that I had those privileges when I lived in America. Wherever I went, I was stared at. Some people looked away when I met their gaze (only to stare again when I turned my attention to something else). Some people met my eyes boldly, gazing unabashedly at my foreignness. I became more aware of how I was different from the people around me; I always shifted my weight to one hip while waiting to cross a street, while Japanese women kept their feet neatly side by side. My body shape was all wrong—too wide, the breasts too large—I never wore skirts, and one day when I wore a low-cut shirt, I felt eyes staring at my strange fashion. Japanese women wore tasteful clothing that emphasized their legs and behinds, which were widely considered their best assets. I only saw one Japanese person wear a low-cut shirt the entire time I was there. No one wore puffy black jackets like I did; no one had backpacks, but rather fashionable briefcases. No one walked with the wide, purposeful stride that I did. Even without my face and ethnicity pointing out my otherness, people could tell at first glance from behind that I was different. And I was; I was a foreigner, stared at constantly, whether I liked it or not. It made me feel self-conscious and shrunken at times, annoyed and defiant at others. It did not seem to be a matter of acceptance or of not being accepted, because that implied in one form or another that I was there—to stay. Rather, the stares of strangers made me feel like a spectacle passing through, as interesting as a cheap carnival, and equally forgettable. In that and many other ways, being an outsider in all parts of society was quite different from being part of a marginalized, or even persecuted, group, although I do not intend undermine the painfulness of such experiences. I was not hated or discounted, just ignored and shut out of being part of the group because I was seen only as ‘other.’ This was hard for me, as all I wanted to do was to mix intrinsically with the culture and people around me, to become part of the Japanese essence itself. As an outsider, I would never be able to do that. Even if I fully molded every mannerism of mine to mimic Japanese customs, my face and body would still give me away as a foreign person.
Ironically, as soon as I ventured to talk to the same people who stared at me in such a shocked manner, they were extremely polite, complimentary, and helpful beyond what any American stranger would consider necessary. Although I never made any lasting connections with those I met, I keep the memories of the many fleeting interactions I had with Japanese people close to me; their genuine kindness helped me become braver at asking for directions and, subsequently, exploring Fukuoka on my own. The strange transformation from staring stranger into kind friend, from being seen as an outsider to being, briefly, accepted as a person, was so strange that after a week I dared to ask my host family about it. Reflecting, I wrote about the experience:
Nori-san, my host father, said that people stare at me because foreigners are rare in Japan, and because they're afraid that I'll talk to them in English. Even though students learn English in school, they don't learn how to speak English, only the grammar and how to read/write it. Even the English teachers, apparently, don't know how to speak English! "They want to be friends with you, but they are shy and don't know how to speak to you." He said. This seems to be the case, since whenever I speak with someone in Japanese, they are very nice to me. In any case, I'm choosing to believe this whole-heartedly.


Although I learned a lot and benefited from truly experiencing what it is like to be an outsider, there came a point when the power of the stares of others, their silent labeling of me as foreign, broke. It happened on my last day in Japan: Saturday, March 23rd. I was determined to see as much as I could, sight-seeing like a steadfast, weary colonel, refusing to give up. When I woke up late the next morning though, it was a beautiful, warm day; more buds on the plum and cherry trees were bursting into bloom, and the sun shone kindly on my back. At some point between eating a leisurely breakfast and setting off to my first destination, I gave up trying to hurry to every place I still wanted to see in Fukuoka, and just took in the day. Eventually I made my way to Momochi Seaside Park. I hadn’t been to that area of Fukuoka before, and made a few more acquaintances before I found the beach. I rolled up my pants and took off my shoes and socks, aware all the while of my strange appearance, a foreigner with a large plastic bag and strange clothing. Most of the Japanese people, however, were engaged in playing volleyball, and didn’t even notice me. As I walked leisurely along the wet of the shore, methodically picking up small shells and daring once or twice to stick my feet into the still-frigid waters, I saw a strange sight: a group of dark-skinned people— the only woman’s loose, colorful clothing indicated that they were Indian—were congregating by the shore side up ahead, washing their arms and faces repeatedly in the ocean water . As I watched them, I was reminded of the bathers of the sacred Varanasi River, seen only from movie clips and my favorite movie, Water. Emboldened by the knowledge that this, indeed, was my last day to embarrass myself, I snapped some pictures of them. As I got closer, I saw that they were washing in the red areas of water, which looked similar to blood, although my first thought was that it was red alga that sometimes washes ashore. The rest of the sea around them, though, was blue. When I got closer, I saw that the men and woman had red and green all over their faces, like thin, watery paint. We looked at each other for a moment before falling into conversation and, just as easily, into friendship. They explained in English that they were in Fukuoka on business, and that today was Holi Day in India, in honor of one of the many feats of Lord Rama; it was the festival of colors. They invited me to join them, and I didn’t hesitate for a moment. After seeing Water and pictures of the festival in National Geographic, I have always wanted to take part in the festival. I put my bags up on the shore, and they poured some red power into my hands. One had to get the powder wet and then rub it onto others’ faces, saying “Happy Holi Day.” Laughing and enjoying each other’s faces, we washed off in the ocean, the reds and greens coming off in vibrant hues. It was so amazing to me, to fall into friendship with these men. I felt so exhilarated, as if that moment was magical. Here I was, in Japan, celebrating an Indian holiday with newly-made friends. Once again, I reveled in the beauty of internationalism, the beauty of cultures giving and taking from each other. In that moment, I felt truly free of the burdens I was carrying, the awareness of being ‘other.’ In an entirely different part of the world, strangers were befriending each other just as I was now, throwing all colors imaginable into the air and celebrating life. Even if others saw me as foreign in Japan, I was still a citizen of the world, changing and becoming harder to define with every cross-cultural interaction. I belonged just where I was in that moment; at ‘home’ in a country that was my own even if I was not a citizen or had the blood of its traditional inhabitants running through my veins. Did it matter? I was home in my body in the world around me, with friends I cared about surrounding me. My friends and I, “Japanese” and “Indian” and “American-Woman-Jewish-Latina-White-Bisexual,” may not all speak the same languages, or have the same beliefs on a fundamental or societal level, but when we truly connect, as I did in that moment celebrating Holi Day with new friends, there is no ‘other’ and no ‘same.’ We are all members of an increasingly united international community of indefinable, endlessly diverse human beings.
After speaking to my friends some more about my desire to eventually learn Hindi, and explaining the purpose of my visit to Japan, we exchanged e-mail addresses and bade farewell. Ironically, I was actually stared at less when my face and arms were covered with red, green and black, a mixture of the two colors. I washed some of the paint off my face in the ocean, but it was far from gone. Wonderfully, I wasn’t burdened by my otherness anymore. “Who cares?” I thought fearlessly as I walked into a shop to see if I could buy any soap. There, the salesperson, even though I was covered in paint, kept an entirely straight face and spoke to me courteously and professionally as if I were any other clean-faced customer. I wanted to laugh and give her permission to do the same. My language skills, however, prevented me from doing so; I just smiled, paid for the soap, and cleaned up in a public bathroom. ]]> General http://genkijacs.com/blog/index.php?itemid=181 Sat, 26 Apr 2008 15:25:21 -1500 http://genkijacs.com/blog/index.php?itemid=179
Chapel Wedding

Hi Everyone!

These are a few pictures of my wedding from last Saturday in Fukuoka. The ceremony was beautiful, my wife was even MORE beautiful.
We had a ceremony in a chapel at first (all of the orders given in Japanese, of course), then we had the reception filled with speeches from family and friends to wish us luck in the future, followed up by the nijikai (second party), and a sanjikai (third party). Unfortunately i broke my promise of controlling my alcohol intake by the end of the san jikai and was really drunk. Lucky for me, my wife is very forgiving.

Anyway, I wanted to say thank you again to everyone for making my experience at Genki JACS so enjoyable. The flowers on my last day and the card were so thoughtful.

Thomas-san: if I ever visit Roche in Basel i would love to visit you =) Good luck in Switzerland and I hope you had a nice flight home.
Makus-san: I have no doubt that you will find a Bijin in Fukuoka. Going to rainbow plaza will speed up the process exponentially, trust me! Please be nice to the teachers and no chair throwing!
Patrycja-san: Enjoy your time in Fukuoka until March! It would be cool if you become a translator for Japanese to Polish and vice versa.
Mitsuko-san: You`re leaving soon too aren`t you? I hope you`ve fully recovered from your cold by now and are enjoying your last days in Japan until you go back.
To all of my energetic and helpful teachers: The fun atmosphere you created in the classroom and the natural way you all taught Japanese was exactly what I was looking for in a Japanese school. I am sorry I won`t be able to stop by the school with my wife before I leave but I will be sure to say hi the next time I am in Fukuoka.

Take care everyone,
Peter

Nikko hotel Wedding]]> StudentsïŒç”ŸćŸ’ http://genkijacs.com/blog/index.php?itemid=179 Wed, 26 Mar 2008 12:17:47 -1500 http://genkijacs.com/blog/index.php?itemid=177 Yamasa has three...) Whether you already graduated from school, or plan to visit in the future, join one or both of these groups to meet up with other people in the same situation:

Genki JACS Facebook Group 1
"Were you a member of the Genki JACS school in Fukuoka City, Japan? Then you should join this group! Keep in touch, eh? Share photos! Reminisce. Whatevs."
Admin: Stephanie Throssell

Genki JACS Facebook Group 2
"For students or alumni of Genki Japanese and Culture School, Fukuoka Japan. Because what is a day without having fun with the Senseis of Genki? I swear, my Fridays are going to seem lonely as hell without a party going on from here on."
Admin: Eric Detweiler

If you haven't been to the school yet, the guys and girls in these groups are a great resource to give you info on what the school is really like. Have fun!]]> General http://genkijacs.com/blog/index.php?itemid=177 Sun, 2 Mar 2008 16:04:06 -1600