Haru ni narimasu

Spring is coming. Flowers are blooming.


Japanese people are very proud of their four seasons. Some think that Japan is the only country that has four distinct seasons, and I sometimes get asked if there are seasons in America. They are very impressed when I tell them that South Jersey has the same climate as Japan.

Many people are enamored with the beauty of the seasons, especially the cherry blossoms in the spring and the falling leaves in autumn. But, I think the main reason that the seasons feature so prominently in Japanese culture is the change in temperature. In America, we completely control our indoor climate – buildings and houses stay virtually the same temperature year-round (68 in winter, 72 in summer). But, the Japanese allow the weather into their houses (and many other buildings). Most houses are not insulated. It gets cold inside in the winter and unbelievably hot in the summer. In the winter, families gather around kotatsus (little tables with heaters on the underside) and in the summer they open all the windows. The seasons really affect their state of mind.

I know that many people in America are also affected by the seasons. But, imagine that it was 40 degrees in your house in the winter. When spring came, yes the days would get longer and the flowers would bloom, but you’d be pretty thrilled that your house was getting warmer and you could come out from under your little heated table.

Side note: I was talking to the vice-principal about the cherry blossoms. Last week he told me that they wouldn’t be in bloom by the time I got to Kyoto. But, he was wrong. They’ve already started blooming. (Not such an expert now, are you?) Anyway, we started talking about some of the other flowering plants – like the hakumokuren tree with the white flowers that is directly outside the window. I commented that it was beautiful, but the flowers have already started to fall off. He compared it to a woman who is very very beautiful, but who has very dirty behavior.

But, he’ll be leaving. The teachers all found out if they’re staying or going. The Vice Principal is going, which is a shame, because I enjoyed talking with him. Other notables: Dai Sensei is leaving. He’s, like, the nicest person ever. And he loves practicing his English with me. A couple weeks ago, I helped him prepare for an English proficiency test by doing a mock-interview. I’m sad to see him go. The staff room won’t be as genki without him. Who will belt out the tenor part of the school song? Also leaving is the secretary – Yoshihiko Sensei – another extremely nice person. She wants to get lunch again sometime. Oh, and Fukasawa Sensei – the really cute teacher who played flute in brass band – is leaving too. She’ll be teaching at elementary school from now on.

After Graduation

So, last week was graduation. The ninth graders are out of here – they all got into their high schools of choice, which is good. The school is pretty quiet without them. Why am I still at school, you ask? Graduation apparently does not mean the end of the year.

For two weeks after the ninth graders graduate, the 7th and 8th graders still have classes. This makes no sense. Then there’s a week off, and then its back to school. Weird. I don’t like it. School years should not be separated by a mere week. There’s something brilliant about a summer vacation. Done in June – return in September. Each year feels distinct – with a clear ending and a true beginning. Can you imagine if, when you graduated from elementary or middle school, you only had a week before you had to go to your new school? Welcome to the Asian school system.

Oh, there’s a summer break. But it’s hardly a vacation. The kids still come into school everyday, but instead of classes they do their club activities. No one ever gets a long break. The longest is a week at a time. The kids are never out of school for very long – even during the day. They get here at 7:30, and, now that the days are getting longer, they stay until six. Six! The system is designed so that the kids have no lives outside of school. They even come in on Saturdays for club activities. In the West, you go to school, do your schoolwork, then go home. The process is streamlined. School just feels like one part of your life – not the whole thing.

I don’t know why anyone would want to be a teacher in this country. The pay is relatively low and the hours are insane. The kids are frequently in school for over ten hours but the teachers stay even longer. Many times it ends up being a twelve-hour day. Do they have so much work? No. But the culture dictates that everyone come in and look busy for the better part of the day. Oh, I forgot to mention that there’s no such thing as tenure, and teachers are moved from school to school approximately every 3 or 4 years. These changes are made during spring break. This year, spring break starts on Wednesday the 26th. The teachers will be told by the Board of Education if they are being moved on the 25th. Then, they will have the week of spring break to move themselves to a new school. What if you get moved across the prefecture, a one-and-a-half hour’s drive away? Sometimes this requires uprooting your family. Other times it requires getting an apartment near your new school and living there six days out of the week (if you’re at school for 12 hours a day, you can’t afford another 3 hours of commuting time). The whole thing is crazy.

Ugh, the teachers are about to have a meeting. Who knows when they’ll be done? I think, last time, the meeting lasted until 7 (its 3:30 now). Why do they have these meetings? Many of the teachers have admitted to me that the meetings are pointless – just a forum for the vice principal to ramble endlessly. I mean, he’s an expert on so many diverse topics (photography, astronomy, carpentry, the dangers of the yakuza, the city of Miami, big-band jazz, coffee, etc.). Why wouldn’t you want to listen to him for hours?

Graduation Practice

I had to get out of there. Graduation practice is so boring. Practice walking in, practice clapping while the graduates walk in, practice sitting down, practice standing up, practice bowing… Everything has to be so meticulously choreographed. “When I take the first step up to the podium, everyone stands up. Now lets practice that a couple times…. Ok, when I sit down, everyone sits down. Now lets practice that a couple times… Ok, when I bow everyone bows… When I put this paper over here, everyone sits down. Now lets practice that a couple times…” I was ready to go crazy.

They even practiced getting their diplomas – step up, bow, principal reads what’s on the diploma, student receives the diploma (left hand, then right hand), bows and exits, all set to music – for all the graduates. Why bother having a graduation ceremony? We just did the whole thing.

Update: The teachers just came into the teachers’ room to have a meeting about how graduation practice is going. I assume the students are still in the gym, practicing. They discussed what needed to be worked on, and then left to go do more practice. How much longer is this thing going on? Isn’t it time for lunch yet?


ps - Wow. Today was the first day we haven’t had milk for lunch. Instead, we had liquid strawberry yoghurt to drink. Chigaimasu – chotto hen desu ne.