correspondence with my successor
In a short two months my time on the JET program will be coming to an end. Recently I've begun e-mail correspondence with my incoming successor.
In these e-mails I've been trying to sort through all the wisdom I've acquired in the past 3 years, and pass on what I think is valuable to my successor. Since this correspondence does a pretty good job of summarizing what I've been doing for the past 3 years, I thought I'd post it on this web log.

Perhaps it is the height of egoism to imagine that my life in this much detail is of any interest to anyone except my incoming successor (and even then...). But I often I wonder if anything I post on this web log is of any interest to anyone else. And since I had these e-mails already typed up anyway, and it was just a matter of copying and pasting it to the web log, I figured why not. Anyone who's interested can have a look, anyone else can just go back to what ever you were doing.

(Okay, small confession, I didn't simply copy and paste. I combined a few e-mails into one, and I edited out any info I thought was inappropriate to post on the web. But this was more or less how it was. Really).

The E-mail

Okay, as promised this is the “long e-mail.” I’ll try and summarize the job, the town, and anything else I think is worth knowing. It is a long e-mail. You probably don’t want to read it all in one sitting. I certainly didn’t write it all in one sitting. (And in fact since I started writing this before some of our phone conversations, you might find some repeated information in here). You might want to print it out first and read it, or read it in segments or whatever, but I hope everything in here will be of some use to you. (Also I’ve spent a lot of time writing this, but little time proof reading. You’ll have to forgive the typos, but if the meaning is unclear, e-mail me for clarification.)

First a little background
The town of Ajimu has had an ALT for the last 15 years or so, or close to the very beginning of the JET program. However that ALT worked primarily in the high school, and was employed by the prefecture, not the town.
The second ALT, the one employed by the town board of Education, is a recent addition. My predecessor was the first ALT in this position, I’m the second, you’ll be the third.
My predecessor I think had a bit of a rough time. He stayed only for one year. I by contrast have had a great time, stayed the full 3 years, and will be leaving with some sadness.
What this all says to me is that the actual situation is only half the equation. How the person reacts to it makes up the other half. For what it is worth, I’ve had a really great experience, and I think you will too, but since my predecessor had such a rotten time, I’m hesitant to guarantee anything.
When I was in your position now, the e-mail correspondance and phone conversations I received from my predecessor were a bit depressing. However, since I was already committed to coming out to Japan and making the best of my experience, I looked at what he had written me, and I said to myself, “Right, I’m not going to let any of this stuff get me down.”
And that (if I can say this without sounding too much like your dad) is I think the key to a successful experience. The job, like everything else in the world, has some positive things about it, and some negative things. Same with the lifestyle in small town Ajimu. The key is not to focus on the negatives all the time, and to try and make the best out of every situation.
I don’t know if it was his intention, but by focusing on the negatives I think my predecessor helped me a lot. I was already prepared for the bad stuff when I arrived, and wasn’t taken by surprise. I had already made up my mind that I could handle this stuff and still have a good time.
So, I won’t gloss over the negatives in my correspondence with you either. But I hope it doesn’t sound like I’m trying to discourage you from coming out here. You’re going to have a great time, and you may even end up staying the full 3 years like I did.
OK, so lets get some of the negative things out of the way.

1). They didn’t request you and they are not quite sure what to do with you.

“They” is the Japanese teachers of English in the junior high schools you will be working with. The Board of Education in Ajimu decided it would be a good idea to have an ALT, but the teachers you actually work with are often unsure of how to utilize you in the lessons. You will teach at 3 different Junior High Schools, with 4 different Japanese Teachers of English (JTE in JET lingo). Some of them are better than others in terms of involving you in the lesson.
This frustration is compounded by the fact that

2). English education in Japan is focused on written grammar and written examinations.

Since oral and verbal communication is not a factor in the University Entrance examinations, the JTEs and the students will be reluctant to focus too much on it. Also the Junior High School curriculum is very rigid, and the JTE has material he or she needs to get through in a certain amount of time, and there is not a lot of room for your ideas or for communication activities.

Of course the above is true for the Junior High School only. At the Elementary school there is no JTE, so you’ll more or less be running the show (which can bring frustrations of it’s own, but more about that later).

3. The Japanese work ethic stipulates that you be present at work for the entire work day, even when there is nothing to do.

Okay, this is probably the biggest one, the one that makes or breaks JETs. A typical day at the Junior High school will involve only 3 lessons. The rest of the time you have to entertain yourself in the office. When students are preparing for tests, or taking tests, you’ll have no lessons. All day entertaining yourself in the office. When there is no school and the students are all at home, you’ll be asked to come into the Board of Education. All day sitting at your desk entertaining yourself.
What do you do? This is great time to study Japanese. Read all those books you’ve always wanted to read, but never got around to. Write that novel that has always been inside of you. Make small talk with the person seated across from you. Use the internet if you are at the BOE (you’ll have internet access at the BOE, but not the schools).
There are some ways out of this. Tuesday and Friday afternoon there are free Japanese tutoring sessions in Oita city (ask the 2nd and 3rd year JETs about these). On a day with no school, the BOE usually lets me have the whole day off to go to these 2 hour tutoring sessions. Rest of the day you can wander around Oita city or whatever. Or you can find something you want to do, and ask the BOE if it would be okay to do that instead of sitting in the office. Or you can make something up (my predecessor wrote up a proposal that the ALT should spend days with out classes visiting the tourist cites in Ajimu to become more familiar with the town). Or sometimes I just sit nicely at my desk all morning, and around noon quietly ask if I can just go home for the rest of the day. Usually they say yes.
But, the above will only get you so far. You will have to spend some time in the office doing nothing. It’s part of being a JET. Perhaps JETs like me who are somewhat introverted and enjoy studying or reading a good book are at an advantage here.

When my predecessor was e-mailing me 3 years ago, he told me to go to the website www.bigdaikon.com It’s sort of the unofficial JET website. It has a lot of stuff in it you won’t read in the JET brochures. Keep in mind most of the posts on bigdaikon are just people blowing of steam, and don’t let it discourage you, but be aware that these complaints do exist.
Right, that’s all the really depressing stuff I can think off. Next topic

Ajimu Town
At 8,000, Ajimu is a pretty small town. If your vision of Japan is big cities and Neon lights and Tokyo, you’re going to be in for a surprise. This is probably not the Japan you’ve been picturing. This is the country side. That probably deserves to be emphasized, because every year there seems to some confusion about it.
For instance when I was corresponding with my predecessor Ben, he was trying to convince me that I needed a car. I was on a big “simplify my life” kick back then, and thought I didn’t need a car, I’d just walk or take the public transportation where ever I went. I can only look back and laugh at that now.
Or last year when Mike (the ALT at Ajimu High School) was preparing to come out, his predecessor tried to explain Ajimu was the country side. Mike e-mailed back to ask how many movie theaters were in Ajimu. We really had a good laugh over that one. Not, “Are there any movie theaters?” but “How many movie theaters are there?” (FYI, nearest movie theater is an hour drive away.)
On the other hand I don’t want to emphasize things into the other extreme as well. Although no one would ever go into Ajimu for a shopping holiday, there are some stores. There’s a couple convenience stores, two supermarkets, some Pachinko parlors, a sports store, a couple clothing stores, an electronics store, home supply stores, ect. There’s even a couple restaurants. And the town is big enough to sustain 3 Junior high schools, and one high school.
Whatever, you’ll see the place soon enough for yourself anyway. I won’t spend too much time trying to describe it perfectly.

My friend Greg has an online photo Album including some pictures from a day I showed him and a couple other friends around Ajimu. You can view them at this site. You'll have to create an account with Ofoto, but it only takes 30 seconds or so, really easy to do. Anyway, all the pictures in this set are taken in Ajimu. I'm the tall guy with the bad hair cut. Let
me know if the link doesn't work or something.

If you’re from an urban area, you’ll probably find the adjustment to small town life just as difficult, if not more than, the adjustment to a foreign culture. Living in a small town has the same advantages and disadvantages of small towns anywhere else in the world. On the plus side small town people are very friendly. The Japanese country side is breathtakingly beautiful (as I hope those pictures indicated). You can see the stars clearly at night. Everyone knows who you are and you become a little a little mini-celebrity in the small town (as opposed to big city JETs who sometimes get lost in the crowd).
On the negative side, there aren’t that many people your age. When the young people graduate from High School, they go to University, and most of them never come back. So it’s a town filled with children and their parents, but not too many 20 somethings (although there are some). Night life is pretty boring to non-existant.
I’d be lying if I said there weren’t times when I wished I lived in a bigger city with more things to do and more people my age around, but again, the key to survival here is attitude. If you become bitter about being in a small town, and are always comparing yourself to big city JETs, you’ll have a miserable time. Enjoy the small town. Go hiking and enjoy the beauty. Take advantage of the small town community to make some really good and close Japanese friends, and become part of the community.
And besides, the way I figure it is people in small towns can always drive into the city for a night out, but people in big cities don’t often go into the country, so I like to think small town JET life gives you the best of both worlds.
Now as mentioned there is practically no public transport in Ajimu, but with a car Usa is only about 20-30 minutes away. Usa is a town of about 30,000. The JETs in Usa will complain about what a small country town Usa is, but it’s all a matter of perspective. Coming in from Ajimu, Usa feels like a big metropolis. Usa isn’t a huge place, but it does have video rental stores, shopping centers, and some semblance of a night life.
Oita, the prefectural capital is only an hour away, and if you really get the big city bug, Fukuoka, one of the 7 biggest cities in all Japan, is only 2 hours away.
So you’ll probably spend a lot of time in your car, but you don’t need to worry too much about being lonely in a small town. Most nights, even week nights, I find myself hopping in the car and going into either Usa or Oita or another neighboring city.
Oh, and you have no private life in a small town. This can’t be emphasized enough. If you have a girl spend the night, and the neighbors see her leaving the apartment in the morning, you will be surprised how quickly that information will travel back to the board of education, where you will be bombarded with all sorts of questions about this girl. And then every day afterwards for the rest of the time you are here the Board of Education will ask how she is doing.

Temperature
I guess hot and cold are all a matter of perspective. Coming from Michigan, I found the summers in Ajimu unbearably hot and humid, but the winters pretty mild. JETs from warmer areas of the world have had the opposite perspective.
Here’s the kicker about the winters though: there’s no central heating or insulation. I guess central heating and insulation is one of those things you don’t truly appreciate until it is gone. I never realized how cold even a mild winter would feel if there was no way to escape the cold. There will be a heater in the apartment, but it doesn’t work all that great and because there is no insulation, you’ll find 30 minutes after you turn it off the room is cold again. So you either have to run it all night or go to bed wrapped up like an Eskimo. In the winter when I wake up in the middle of the night, I can often see my breath. You’ll be able to see your breath in the schools as well, since those aren’t really properly heated either.
Right, so bottom line, try and bring clothes for both summer and winter extremes. I know it’s difficult because you only get two suitcases, and then besides plus once you get over here you’ll find the apartment has very little closet space to put things in. But as much as you can, bring a lot of clothes for both extremes. The winters aren’t so much freezing cold as they are constantly cold where ever you go, so you’ll want to bring a lot of long sleeves and sweaters and stuff you can layer on.
And I guess while I’m on the topic about clothes, I’ll mention some other stuff here about what you might want to consider bringing.

Clothes
Right, as mentioned above, you are in a bit of a pickle because you can only bring two suitcases. So you might not even have room to bring everything I suggest, but I’ll make the suggestions anyway, and you can see what you have room for and make your own calls about what you think is important or not.
You’ll need your suit and tie for the orientation at Tokyo, and then after that very seldom. Graduation times, other ceremonies, very seldom. I’ve probably worn my suit only about 10 times over the 3 years I’ve been here.
Everyone at the Board of Education usually has a nice shirt and a tie on, but don’t follow their dress code. Instead pay attention to what the other teachers wear at the schools, and you’ll notice the dress code is pretty casual.
You definitely don’t want to wear anything nice to the elementary schools. You’ll have kids climbing all over you and grabbing your sleeves and wanting to be picked up, etc. And you’ll notice the other teachers at the elementary school usually dress really casually as well.
Even at the Junior High Schools, I frequently play sports with the students during noon break, so my general rule of thumb is “never wear anything you can’t play soccer in.”
My predecessor says he used to wear shorts to the schools. I think that is pushing it personally, but the fact that he got away with it I think demonstrates probably anything goes. What I usually try and do is wear something like corduroy pants or khaki slacks or something that looks kind of semi-professional, but that I can still run around in and don’t feel too bad about playing soccer in the mud. You’ll make your own calls of course, but you might want to keep that in mind for packing.
Footwear is another important thing to consider especially since you change shoes so many times in Japan, and because if you have big feet like me (I’m 30 centimeters) you won’t be able to buy shoes in Japan.
You can’t wear your shoes inside the schools, but just going in your socks is considered bad form (not that I haven’t done it though). You might want to bring either inside shoes or slippers for inside the school (an inside shoe can be anything as long as it’s never been worn outside). Since you’ll be going to 7 different schools, you can either take the same pair of slippers everywhere, or bring a few different pairs and leave some in your shoe locker at the school. Also you’ll need separate shoes for the gymnasium.
Because you are always taking your shoes on and off, you’ll wear through the heels pretty quickly. You might want shoes that come on and off pretty easily. Also you’ll probably be asked to participate in a lot of sports festivals and town marathons, so running shoes are a good idea. And there’s a lot of great hiking around these parts, so a good pair of hiking shoes is another thing to consider.
Alright, now let’s move on to the actual...

Job
You’ll start and finish each day at the Board of Education. You don’t actually do anything at the Board of Education, but that is where you’re based. It’s where you clock in at morning, clock out in the afternoon, and where you’re desk is. The BOE is also where you have internet access.
You are supposed to arrive at the BOE at 8 O’clock. I’ve certainly been late my fair share, and in fact most of them are rarely there at 8 sharp either, but as with any new job it is probably a good idea to start out being on time.
You’ll leave from the BOE to go to your school. There seems to be a slight miscommunication between the BOE and the schools, since when I first arrived the BOE told me to be at the schools by 9, but since first period actually starts at 8:55, it is a good idea to try and get to the school by at least 8:45.
You’ll be at the school from 9 (or 8:45) until 3, when you head back to the BOE. Although since I don’t actually do anything at the BOE, I will agree to stay later at the school if there if they want me to teach 6th period or if there is something to do.
You’re contract states that you have to stay at the BOE until 4, at which point you are free to go. Because you are a JET, you get better treatment than everyone else there, who has to stay there till 5. And they do notice that.
You’ll have to make your own call about what to do. My first year I voluntarily stayed until 5 with everyone else, which I think was greatly appreciated and helped my relations in the office. (Group mentality is very valued in Japan). Although after a while it seemed like there was just so much to go out and do, and especially since it gets dark so early around here I started to really want that extra hour back, and started to leave at 4 again. At which point I think I did start to feel some bad vibes again. But I knew it was my right to do so, and I wanted to go out and do stuff in the afternoon, and I wasn’t doing anything important at the BOE anyway. You’ll have to make your own call about this, but the last couple years I’ve been leaving at 4, so they’ll be used to you doing this. If you start staying later, they will appreciate your effort to show solidarity, but then if you decided you want to leave at 4 again it may be harder to do.

The Schools
You’ll teach at 7 schools, 3 Junior high schools, 4 elementary schools. In a normal week you’ll visit all 3 of the junior high schools, and 2 out of the four elementary schools (you’ll hit the other 2 the following week).

Junior High Schools
We’ve been over some of this ground before. You’ll be team teaching at the Junior High Schools, and the JTE won’t always know what to do with you.
You’ll be at 3 Junior High Schools. Of those 3 only Ajimu Junior High school is big enough to justify having 2 JTEs, so you’ll be working with a total of 4 JTEs. (Ajimu Junior High School is also the only Junior high where you might be asked to do more than 3 classes in a day.)
Some of these JTEs are better at involving me in the lesson than others. Some of them make communication activities for me to interact with the students, some of them just have me do the “human tape recorder” bit, where I just do model reading and pronunciation for the students.
Because you are only at each junior high school once a week, and because the teachers don’t have a lot of flexibility in the curriculum, it is difficult to coordinate lesson planning with the JTEs. I usually don’t do any preparation at all for the JHS. I show up, and they tell me what I’ll be doing that day.
I was content to leave it at that. Having been an education major at University, and aware of how much work lesson planning is, I thought it wasn’t such a bad deal. I was getting all the fun of interacting with the students during class, and none of the hard work of lesson planning outside of class. The flip side of this though is that sometimes the complete lack of any responsibility makes you feel a bit useless some days, and can be a bit mind-numbing too. On the other hand, I feel that if I had volunteered for more work, I would have some days where I would regret having asked for the extra work. So I figured both were equally as good, and I just left it alone.
If your keen to get in on more of the lesson planning you could give it a try. Some of the JTEs are very protective of their classrooms, and won’t want you messing around with it, but I have the feeling some of them might be open to more joint collaboration if you suggested it. (I think you’ll get a feel for who I’m talking about once you’re here). Again, since your only at each JHS once a week, if you wanted to plan some of your own lessons you’d have to coordinate it at least a week in advance with the JTE. Ask them what they think they’ll be studying next week, and ask if you can design an activity or help teach it.
But other than that, your job is basically just to assist the JTE in the classroom with whatever he or she is doing. Although some of the JTEs you teach with can at times be over controlling or dismissive of you, it is to your advantage to stay on good terms with them, so try and be friendly and helpful to them even if you feel slighted. Be careful about correcting them in front of class (or maybe don’t correct them at all during class), if the students talk with you about the JTE outside of class, assume that whatever you say will probably get back to the JTE. And offer to help marking the homework. The JTEs really love that.
I tend to look at the main part of being at the JHS as just interacting with the students. I eat try and eat lunch with them (some of the schools will invite you to each lunch with the students. At other schools you’ll have to take the initiative). I play sports or cards with them at noon break, and I help them with cleaning time. And just look for anything else you can plug yourself into. Again, you won’t always get an invitation, but if you take the initiative and ask you can join the kids when they are in PE class, or outside doing yard work, or watch them practice for music class.
There are also after school clubs and activities. I never did this, but it’s not a bad idea if you want to. The obvious problem is because you will only visit each JHS once a week, it will be hard to become involved in any after school clubs. Plus it involves staying later than your scheduled time, and after a long day of sitting doing nothing in the office, you may find yourself itching to bolt when your time is up (I know I sure did). So that is why I never did it. But it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get involved in the clubs if you feel like it. Again though you won’t receive an invitation. You’ll have to take the initiative.

Elementary School
Forget everything I just said about the JHS, the Elementary school is night and day difference.
There is no JTE (which can also mean there is no one who speaks decent English, but you’ll get by) and there is no English curriculum. Everything is on you. The kids pretty much know nothing, so assume nothing is too easy or too simple.
The first year I was here, the elementary school teachers helped me prepare lessons. Then gradually the schools started to transfer the responsibility onto me, until now I really do everything, and am often alone in the classroom. I’m not sure if it will follow the same pattern with you. After 2 years of having me do everything, they might have gotten accustomed to it and expect the same of you right off the bat, so you should be ready to hit the ground running.
Typically you’ll do 3 lessons a day. Since the elementary school is 1st through 6th grade, and since you are on a bi-weekly schedule, this means that you’ll only see each class once a month. And by the time you’ve met them again, they’ll have forgotten whatever you taught them last time. So I’ve more or less given up on trying to teach any solid material, and just try and do fun ESL games instead. I’m sure with your experience you have a few of these in your pocket as well. If during the next year you hit a bump or need some ideas though, feel free to send an e-mail anytime.
The 4 elementary schools you’ll teach at very according to size. Sada Elementary school is the smallest, and small classes make a big difference. Ajimu Elementary school is the largest, and I was certainly challenged in terms of classroom discipline.
Which brings me to an important point: classroom discipline in the elementary schools is a mess. The Japanese schools tend to operate mostly by internal motivation instead of external. There aren’t any external controls, but the students will often motivate themselves to be diligent and study. This works very well at the Junior high schools. At the elementary schools it doesn’t work very well at all.
The Japanese teacher really has very little weapons except to sternly scold the children. Sending the kid out of the class is illegal, and there really isn’t any other sort of discipline system in place. You’ll have a few kids in the larger classes who will never shut up, and you’ll just have to talk over them. I’ve had fist fights break out during my lesson, and after the Japanese teacher broke it up, the combatants were simply told to go back to their seats and there was no further repercussions (the fist fight resumed 5 minutes later, with the same result). And of course kids will be bouncing in and out of their seats.
So, if the Japanese teacher has very little control, you can only imagine how you, not speaking the language and not being an authority figure to the kids, are going to struggle. Therefore bring in boring lessons at your own risk. You can get away with a lot of stuff at Sada, but at Ajimu elementary I usually try and limit myself only to games that can be played in the gym.
This year a teacher was transferred from Sada Elementary to Ajimu. Since because of combined classes I am able to teach all the grades at Sada in one visit, the teacher was a little disappointed to learn that at Ajimu I only teach 3 grades a visit. He asked me if I’d be willing to teach all 6 classes.
Since Ajimu elementary is my worst school, I wasn’t thrilled at the idea but how could I say no when I do so little work as it is? So I agreed, and you’ll probably inherit this decision. Sorry and good luck.

Extra Curriculars

English Conversation Class
I’m putting this under extra-curriculars, but it is probably more of a grey area. It’s not in your contract, but most BOE JETs are usually expected to do an Adult conversation class in their town. But it’s not in your contract, so it is your decision.
When I first arrived, the BOE suggested to me I set up an adult class, and I went along with it. But that was 3 years ago, and because everyone gets transferred around every year, it is no longer the same BOE that it was 3 years ago. So it might not even be a priority to this BOE, and you might not even get asked.
However I’d recommend doing it, whether they bring it up or not. For one thing it’s a good way to meet some of the other Ajimu people. For another thing it is pretty laid back, and it’s volunteer anyway, so you can have some fun with it. Plus since the elementary schools are all basic English, and the JHS you have no control over, this is a good outlet for your creative impulses in terms of doing lessons.
When I started the class 2 1/2 years ago, we ran an ad in the local Ajimu paper. The ad specified all ages were okay. I was thought that was a good idea because I wanted Junior High and high school students to feel free to come as well. However it turns out “all ages” really means “all ages”. A large number of parents signed their elementary school age kids up for the class.
I then decided I couldn’t really teach adults and little kids in one class, and split the class into two groups. I did the kids class for about a year, and it was a lot of fun and the kids were really great and cute and everything, but working with little kids does take a lot of energy, and after a year I decided I had had enough of doing this as a volunteer, and ended the class.
The adult class had about 40 people sign up for it, of drastically varying abilities, and the first 6 months it was a difficult class to teach. But then people began to drop out rapidly, and before too long I was left with only about 10 regulars. And that is pretty much where the class is today.
If you decide to do this class, you have two options. You can put in an advertisement in the newspaper and start fresh, or I can arrange to transfer my class to you. Or, maybe you’ll want a little time to get settled in and think about it. In which case I’ll just give you the contact information of my current students, and you can just wait on making a decision. Just tell me what you want to do.
Although the class size is much smaller, the ability difference is still pretty significant. What I’ve ended up doing is splitting the time. From 7:30 to 8 we do something a bit challenging, from 8 to 8:30 we do something ridiculously easy, and from 8:30 to 9 we have cookies and tea and just do free conversation. I tell the students they can come late and go early as they please, and just do the parts of the class they want.
For the 7:30 to 8 part we have been working through a comic book called “Addicted to War: Why the U.S. Can’t Kick Militarism.” As the name implies, it is a critical examination of the US foreign policy and why the US is in a constant state of warfare. This book has a lot of advantages. For one it is a comic book so it contains a lot of illustrations to accompany the text. Secondly it has been translated into Japanese, and I have both versions. So typically I’ll photo copy a page, (or section of a page) hand it out, we’ll discuss the meaning and I’ll try and explain the book in easier English, and then at 8 I just stop wherever we are, and hand out the Japanese translation.
I use this book because I think peace education is important, and I thought this was a good way to combine peace education and ESL. It is about American foreign policy, but since Japan has been getting sucked into America’s foreign wars recently, I think it has relevance for a Japanese audience.
With all the political vocabulary in this book, it is a bit challenging even for the better students. But I think some of them like being challenged. And they like the feeling of working through “real” English material. And when I pass out the Japanese translation at the end, even the less advanced students can understand. And I’ve had some of the less advanced students tell me they enjoy learning about history and English at the same time.
But, admittedly, the primary motivation for using this book is to do peace education, and if that is not high on your priority list, you’ll probably going to find incorporating this book into your lessons more trouble than it is worth. As I have several copies, I’ll leave you a copy of each translation in case you want them, but it will be your class from August, and you can take it in whatever direction you want.

English Speaking Society
The English Speaking Society (or ESS) is the English club at the high school. It usually meets once a week, although it can get cancelled often for various reasons.
Under the Japanese system, Ajimu High School is run by the prefecture, not the town. So it is not connected with the Ajimu Board of Education. So it is not part of your job, and no one at the BOE will care one way or another. They won’t be upset if you decide not to do it, and you won’t get any extra points if you do. Mike, the ALT at the high school, doesn’t mind my help but he doesn’t really need it either. The only reason to do ESS is because you enjoy it.
And I do enjoy it. A couple years ago I asked the ALT at Ajimu High school if it would be okay if I came in and helped out with the ESS. When Mike came took over at Ajimu High School last year, I’ve continued coming in and helping.
For one thing it is a good way to get your foot in the door in the high school, met some of the high school students and the high school teachers. And if you stay here long enough, it will become a good way to stay in touch with your former students. I’ve been here long enough that all of the high school students are my former JHS students. (except those from Innai JHS, the neighboring town).
Because the club is made up of students who come voluntarily, it is very enjoyable to work with students who like English and who are good at it.
The timing is a bit inconvenient. When I first came to Japan, the high school had school on Saturday. That has since been eliminated, but they have been experimenting with lengthening the school day, which often results in ESS being pushed late in the day, like at 5 or 5:30.
But aside from that inconvenience, I recommend you do it. Talk to Mike if you’re interested.


English Section in the Ajimu Library
After about a year or so in Japan, I had picked up enough Japanese to be able to read a few characters. Not enough to read any books, but I found out comic books were great practice. You could just look at the pictures and tell what was going on. Any words you could figure out were a bonus, but otherwise the pictures told the story.
So I decided comic books were a great way to learn another language, and decided the Ajimu Library should have some English comic books.
With the cooperation of the BOE and the librarians, I set up an English comic book corner in the Ajimu library. I filled it with any thing I could get my hands on. Everything from the usual superman and batman comics to political cartoons to the picture bible to a comic book introduction to Noam Chomsky. Admittedly some of this is not ideal for ESL, but I just wanted to get enough books to get a section large enough to attract people’s attention in the hopes that they would look through it and find something interesting. Every time I get my hands on a new comic book, I give it to the Ajimu Library.
This is pretty much just my project, and no one else at the BOE really cares about it at all. But if you brought a couple comic books with you from Australia and presented it to the library, they would probably appreciate the gesture. Anyway, if you have anything you want to donate, just give it directly to the librarians. I’ve been trying to limit myself to stuff that is actually bound in book format and suitable for a library, rather than the cheap comic magazines.

Home stay
Now this is definitely going way above and beyond the call of duty. And is probably not even a good idea the first year (it might be better to let the town get to know you a bit better first before they entrust their kids on an overseas trip with you). But if you go far enough back in my weblog, you’ll notice I did bring eight kids back with me during Christmas this year.
If you ever decide to do something like this, feel free to e-mail me for advice or tips, etc.

The Apartment

Um, yeah to be perfectly honest space wise it is not great. Among the other JETs, I live in the smallest apartment I know of, which is a bit ridiculous considering I'm out in the country side, where you would think there would be lots of room for
bigger housing.
My predecessor was a bit upset about it. But since he had already told me about it, I had resigned myself to having a small apartment before I even got to Japan, so just accepted it.
It's small, even by Japanese standards, and smaller than any of the other JETs I know. But I figure, how much space does a man need, right? I don't run laps or go jogging in my apartment, it is just a place to keep my clothes and to sleep in.
On the plus side it is pretty new and modern. Working stove (no oven unfortunately) hot water in the shower, western style toilet, heater and air conditioner (all the above luxeries that not every JET has).
I'll get more into this later, but I'm somewhat embarresed to say the place has deteriated a bit under my care. I guess at this point all I can do is say I'm sorry. Some of it was my fault--I'm just a messy guy as everyone else around here will vouch for.
But some of it I don't feel was really my fault. I didn't know how to deal with the moist humid climate when I first came here. I come from Michigan, so no one had told me the importance of keeping the place aired out and dry so that mold doesn't grow everywhere. And no one told me the proper care of a futon (how you are not supposed to leave it on the ground all the time because mold will grow under it).
How was I supposed to know that stuff?
Anyway, I'll try and make some of that up to you by giving you a good deal on any stuff I leave behind,but I guess all I can really say is sorry.

Social Life
The first 6 monthes I was here I did spend a lot of time on my own. Afterwards I began to make connections, and really from that point on I felt like I've led a pretty busy social life.
One way to avoid isolation is to plug into the JET community. When you arrive in July, there will be a whole lot of other 1st year JETs in the same boat, and you can exchange phone numbers and e-mail addresses and once you get a car (did I mention you'll probably want to get a car?) you'll be able to meet up with them all the time.
But of course you're not coming to Japan to hang out with other JETs only, right? You want to make Japanese friends and plug into the local community.
That is going to be a bit more difficult, but here's some advice.
1). You can join a lot of clubs in Ajimu. My first year here I joined the local tug of war team, the local volleyball team, and the Ajimu choir. I wasn't even interested in any of these activities per se, but it was a great way just to meet people. Once I felt my social life had picked up enough, I gradually dropped out of stuff.
2). Do an adult English conversation class sometime during the week. I do one on Wednesday night, and if you're interested in picking it up, I'll help to arrange a smooth transition. Some of the other young people in Ajimu who you might not otherwise meet might come to this class.
3). But to be perfectly honest, most of my Japanese friends either come from Usa or Oita. Ajimu just doesn't have that many young people in it. There is a once a week Japanese club on Thursday nights in Oita city, taught by Japanese volunteers, mostly around our age. It is an hour drive there and an hour drive back, so a bit much on a weeknight admittedly, but I've made a lot of great friends there. If your interested, Aaron occasionaly goes sometimes, and he can tell you how to get there.
Also my friend Eion in Usa does an English conversation class, which has turned into a social club. Eion is a 3rd year like me, and so will be gone when you get here, but I imagine someone will pick up the class. You can ask to go in and help teach. Lots of young people at this class.
4). The people you work with. There are some young teachers around your age in the schools. They won't make the first invitation, but if you initiate something, like ask them if they would like to go to out for Yakiniku or Karaoke some time after work, most of them will be happy to do so. But they won't make the first invitation, remember that.

Car
Oh, right, the car, I almost forgot. The system in Japan is a bit odd. Cars are actually relatively cheap, but tax, maintence, and insurance are where the expenses come in. Every two years a car in Japan has to undergo a "Shaken" during which everything on it is fixed, and it is certified to be road worthy. For a second hand car, the Shaken will often be more expensive than the car itself, so the sticker price only is a bit decieving. How much time the car has left on it before it needs to get a new "Shaken" is an important question in Japan.
I paid 150,000 Yen for my car, and then the same price two years later to get the Shaken renewed. Although I suppose my car is bit nicer than many of the cars ALTs drive. 100,000 for a car should be about average, and the same for the Shaken.



Okay, whew, that is everything I can think of for now. You’re probably just as sick of reading this as I am of typing it. If I think of anything else (and I know as soon as I hit the send button I’m going to think of something I should have included), I’ll e-mail it later. In the meantime keep the questions coming as they come up.
Joel