Has it been so long?

It is only as I tread along the paths of orange maples that I realize how much time has passed since my last entry. From my exodus of Japan to my ridiculously abrupt re-admittance to Canadian life, I haven't had a chance to sit down and write anything cohesive...

But with Christmas around the corner I may find some time to catch up, to narrate recent adventures, and hopefully connect with my ever-increasing network of friends (strewn across the world it seems).

I hope you are all well.
Zoe

Farewell Speeches

Here are three goodbye speeches that I've written: the first is for the teacher's at my Junior high school (semi-formal), the second is for the students (informal), and the final speech is for the goodbye enkai (formal).

I wrote the speech in English and my friends Aki, Fumi and Sachi helped with the translation. Thank you!

The time has come that I must say goodbye t o you all and return to Canada.
このたび私は仕事を終わり、カナダにかえります。
Kono tabi watashi wa shigoto wo owari, Canada ni kaerimasu.
Thank you for all your help over these last few years.
みなさんながいあいだおせわになりました.
Minasan nagai aida osewa ni narimashita.
It is impossible to believe that my time in Japan has come to an end.
私の日本での時間が終わってしまうのが信じられません。
Watashi no nihon deno jikan ga owatte shimau noga shinjira-re-masen.
I have enjoyed working with you all so much.
私は、みなさんと一緒に仕事をすることがとても楽しかったです。
Watashi wa minasan to issho ni shigoto wo suru koto ga totemo tanoshikatta desu.
Whether you have helped me with a question…
みなさんは私の疑問に答えてくれたり…
minasan wa watashi no gimon ni kotai-ete kure-tari…
taken the time to chat, or taught me something new…
おしゃべりする時間をとってくれたり、またいろいろ新しいことを教えてくれたりしました.
oshaberi suru jikan wo totte kuretari, mata iroiro atarashii koto wo oshiete kuretari shimashita… your kindness, sincerity and affection will be impossible to forget.
みなさんの誠実で、愛情をもった親切を私は忘れることはできません。
Minasan no seijitsu de aijyou wo motta shinsetsu wo watashi wa wasureru koto wa dekimasen.
Although came to Japan to teach, I feel that everyday I have been learning.
私は、先生として日本に来ましたが、毎日が学びの日々だったと感じています。
Watashi wa sensei toshite nihon ni kimashita ga, mai-nichi ga manabi no hibi datta to kanjite imasu.
I have taught with several teachers now and wish to say that you stand out among them all.
私と一緒に教えた何人かの先生、そして、私は、みなさんは素晴らしいと言いたいです。
Watashito issho ni oshieta nanninkano sensei, soshite watashi wa minasan ga subarashii to iitai desu.
I feel that even without a common language we have been able to understand each other.
私は共通の言語がなくても、分かり合えると感じています。
Watashi wa kyoutsu no gengo ga naku-temo wakari a-e-ruto kanjite imasu.
Hoki sensei and Nabeshima san have taught me so much. Mostly about patience. Lots of patience.
ホキ先生と鍋島さんは、私に忍耐強くたくさんの事を教えてくれました。
Hoki-sensei to Nabeshima-san wa watashi ni nintai-zu-yoku takusan no koto wo oshiete kuremashita.
When I see how busy you are with your work and with your own lives, and yet you take the time to talk to me and help me…
仕事も実生活も忙しいと思われる時でさえ、私に話しかけたり手伝ってくれたりしました。
Shigoto mo jisseikatsu mo isogashii to omowareru toki desae watashi ni hanashikaketari tasukete kuretari shimashita.
I am so impressed and so grateful.
私は、とてもとても感謝しています。
Watashi wa totemo kansya shiteimasu.
Yoshinaga sensei, shitte iru koda-ka wakarimasen ga taiiku no sensei no shigoto wa- ALT ga “take nobori” ga dekiru yo ni oen suru koto desu.
Hagino sensei, issho ni “taiko” ganbarimashita ne! Sugu ni oboerete kando shimashita.
Mori sensei, Kyoiku Iinkai de naka yoku narete yokatta desu. Arata no shashin wa itsumo utsukushi shi, eigo de kaiwa mo tanoshikatta desu.
Tsutsui sensei, donna ni eigo ga jozu ka shirimasen deshita. Seito-san no tame ni tegami no honyaku ni tetsu date kurete arigato gouzaimashita. Itsumo osewa ni narimashita.
Onaka-san, kaiwa ga itsumo tanoshi katta desu. Anata no yasashii sekaku ga yoku tsuta wakarimashita.
Taniwaki san, Niyodo-chu to Agawa-chu de issho ni totemo tanoshi jikan wo sugoshimashita. Warai bakari deshita.
Sumida san, anata wa totemo shinsetsu de soshite totemo kandai na kata deshita.
Kocho sensei to Kyoto sensei, nimo kanshya shite tomoimasasu.
I really enjoyed Karoake!
私は本当にカラオケを楽しみました。
Watashi wa hontou ni karaoke wo tanoshimi mashita.
I learned too that Wada, Hashida, Komi have beautiful singing voices.
和田さん、橋田さん、古味さんの声はきれいな声だと分かりました。
Wada san hashida san komi san no koe wa kireina koe dato wakarimashita.
I have to smile, too, when I remember Tanimoto and Matsui sensei singing Princess Mononoke for me.
谷本先生と松井先生が私のために、もののけ姫を歌ってくれました。
Tanimoto sensei to Matsui-san ga watashi no tame ni “mononoke hime” wo utatte kuremashita.
That your voices could hit those high notes was impressive…
その時のあなた方の声が高音で印象的だった事を思い出し、笑ってしまいます。
Sono toki no anata gata no koe ga kouon de insyou teki datta koto wo omoidashi waratte shimai masu.
That you knew how to sing that song… was really funny!
みなさんはその歌の歌い方を知っていました。でもとってもおかしかったです。
Minasan wa sono uta no utaikata wo shitte imashita.demo tottemo okashikattadesu.
Matsui sensei, I will never forget the time you spent helping me perfect my Tosa-ben for Genki seinenkai musical. “ma! Hyosan nai chiya. Tada, kuroshio ni note kita dake yoe!”
松井先生、あなたが私に元気青年会ミュージカルの土佐弁 “まぁ！　氷山ないちや　ただ　黒潮に乗って来ただけよえ！”を教えてくれたあの時のことを、忘れる事はないでしょう。
Matsui sensei, anata ga watashi ni genkiseinenkai myujikaru no tosaben
wo oshiete kureta. Totoeba: “ma- hyouzan nai chiya, tada kuroshio ni notte kita dake yoe!”
Ano toki no koto wo, wasureru koto wa naidesyou.
My feelings upon leaving are complicated.
私は、この地を離れる事がとても複雑な気分です。
Watashi wa kono chii wo hanareru koto ga totemo fukuzatsu na kibun desu.
I am full of anticipation for things to come, excited about seeing my friends and family.
私は、友達や家族再会すること、そして, これから私の人生に興奮してるであろう事に期待でいっぱいです。
Watashi wa tomodachi ya kazoku ni saikai surukoto, soshite korekara watashi no jinsei ni koufunshiteru de arou koto ni kitai de ippai desu.
I am apprehensive too. After all, I feel that I have become so comfortable here in Japan.
でも、私には、気がかりなこともあります。 それは、あまりにもここの生活が快適だったので
demo wataashi niwa kigakari na koto mo arimasu. Sore wa amari nimo koko no seikatsu ga kaiteki datta node.
How will I manage without changing my shoes all the time!
部屋に入るとき、靴をぬがない生活ができるでしょうか？!
Heya ni hairu toki , kutsu wo nuganai seikatsu ga dekiru desyou ka?!
Without bringing chopsticks with me to parties!
パーティーでおはしを使わないでいられるでしょうか？!
Party de ohashi wo tsukawanaide irareru desyou ka?
And I will be the only person “hempai”ing at parties!
そして、私は、パーティーでただ一人の　“返杯”をする人間になるでしょう！
Soshite watashi wa “pa-te” de tada hitori no “henpai” wo suru ningen ni naru desyou!
You live in such a beautiful place. I have really come to love this place and the people.
みなさんはこのように美しい場所にすんでいます。私はここに来てこの場所とみなさんが本当に愛です。
Minasan wa konoyouni utsukushii basho ni sundeimasu. Watashi wa koko ni kite kono basho to minasan ga hontou ni aijyou desu.
Thank you for two incredible years, for the opportunity to work with the best teachers, and for the chance to be apart of so many experiences.
この信じられない位素晴らしい二年間と、最高の先生方と仕事が出来た事
そしてたくさんの経験をもてた事に感謝します。
Kono sinjirarenai kurai subarashii ninenkan to saikou no sensei to shigoto ga dekitakoto、soshite takusan no keiken wo mote ta koto ni kanshya shimasu.
Living in Japan has taught me more about myself and about being Canadian than I ever knew!
日本に住んだ事が、私自身がカナダ人であることを、今まで知っていた以上に
多くのことを教えてくれました。
Nihon ni sunda koto ga, watashi jishin ga kanada-jin de aru koto wo , ima made shittei-ta ijou ni ooku no koto wo oshiete kure mashita.
It is surprising in many ways that I came so far to realize my identity.
いろいろな方法で、私の独自性を気づかされたことは驚きです。
Iroiro na houhou de, watashi no doku-jisei wo kizuka sareta koto wa odoroki desu.
It is for this reason that I am returning to university this fall to study Canadian History and Geography.
それにより、私はこの秋カナダの歴史と地理学を勉強するために、大学に戻ります。
Soreni yori , watashi wa kono aki kanada no rekishi to tirigaku wo benkyou suru tameni daigaku ni modorimasu.
As well as English, I want to teach Social Studies.
英語と同じように、私は社会学を教えたいです。
Eigo to onaji youni watashi wa shyakai-gaku wo oshietai desu.
I will even be taking a course called “Canadian-Japanese relations through history.”
私は、“歴史を通してのカナダと日本の関係”と言うコースをとるようにしています。
Watashi wa “ rekishi wo tooshite no Kanada to Nihon no kankei “to iu “ko-su” wo toru youni shite imasu.
I think that I will have many experiences about Japan to share with people back home.
私は、カナダに帰り日本での多くの経験をそこで分かちあえると思っています。
Watashi wa kanada ni kaeri nihon deno ookuno keiken wo sokode wakachi-a-eru to omotte imasu.
I will always remember my time here.
私は、いつもここでの時を思い出すでしょう。
Watashi wa itsumo koko deno toki wo omoi dasu deshyou.
I hope so much that you may find the chance to visit Canada.
私は、みなさんがカナダを訪れる機会があることをとても願っています。
Watashi wa minasan ga Kanada wo otozureru ki-kai-ga arukoto wo totemo negatte imasu.
That the students in Niyodogawa may travel to other countries and teach others about Japan.
仁淀川の生徒が外国に旅行し、外国人に日本について教えるかもしれません。
Niyodogawa no seito ga gaikoku ni ryokou shi, gaikoku-jin ni nihon ni tsuite oshieru kamo shiremasen.
I hope that you continue to inspire your students.
私は、みなさんに生徒達に勇気を与え続けることを望みます。
Wattashi wa minasani ni seitotachi ni yuuki wo atae tuzukeru koto wo nozomi masu.
Your patience, your kindness, your devotion and your hard work are qualities I wish to take with me.
みなさんの忍耐、親切、忠誠　そして勤勉な特性を私はみならいたいものです。
Minasan no nintai shinsetsu soshite kinben na tokusei wo watashi wa minarai tai mono desu.
I am so grateful to you all and I will miss you more than I can express.
言葉では言い表せないくらい、みなさんに会えなくなることがさみしくなるでしょう。私は全ての方にとても感謝しています。.
Kotoba dewa ii-arawase-nai kurai, minasan ni a-e-naku narukoto ga samishiku naru deshyou. Watashi wa subete no kata ni totemo kanshya shite imasu.
Thank you.
ありがとうございました。
Arigatou gozaimashita.


Speech at Agawa School Assembly

Hey everyone. Are you all genki?
みなさん　元気ですか？
Looking forward to natsuyasumi tomorrow?
明日からの夏休みを楽しみにしていますか？
What do you think? Should I speak in English? Or should I speak in Japanese?
私は英語話した歩がいいですか。日本語でいい田穂がいいですか。
watashi wa eigo hanashita hoga ii desu ka.
nihongo de iita hoga ii desu ka?
I think English is okay because everyone's should be high in the level now!
でも、 みなさんの英語のレベルはとても良くなっています。
minasan no eigo no “reberu” wa totemo yokunatte imasu.
But I will try to speak in Japanese now.
けれども、私は頑張って日本語をしゃべります。
Keredomo watashi wa ganbatte nihongo wo shaberimasu.
After all, you have all taught me some Japanese over these past two years.
やはり、私はこの二年間あなた達にいくつかの日本語を教えてもらいました。
Yahari watashi wa kono ninenkan anatatachi ni ikutsukano nihongo wo oshiete moraimashita.
Well. I learned various Japanese.
そう いろいろな日本語です
sou… iroiro na nihongo desu.
For example, “Oh my god. I can’t believe it!” and “uncertain” and “good job!”
たとえば、”oh my god…信じられな～い”　と “びみょう” と “じょずです！”
Tatoeba “Oh my god. Shinjira-renai” to “bimyou” to “jozu desu!”
You were very helpful! Thank you so much.
あなた達はとても親切でした。ありがとう
anata tachi wa totemo shinsetsu deshita. Arigatou…
Moreover, I learned too that children all over the world would rather play outside than study!
そして、世界中の子ども達は、勉強よりも外で遊ぶのが大好きだと言うことも知りました。
Soshite, sekaiju no kodomo tachi wa benkyou yorimo soto de asobuno ga daisuki da-to iukoto mo shirimashita.
But we enjoyed English class very much, I think.
でも、私たちは英語のクラスがとって楽しかったをもいませんか。
Demo, watashitachi wa eigo no kurasu ga tottemo tanoshikatta o moi masen ka?
I think that to go to school at Agawa is actually a lot of fun.
吾川中学校で住御することはとても楽しかったです。
Agawa chuugakkou de jyuugyo suru koto wa totemo tanoshikatta desu.
You have such incredible teachers, and there are great students at this school.
そこには、素晴らしい先生達やゆしゅな生徒達がたくさんいました。
Soko ni wa subarashii sensei tachi ya yushuna seito tachi ga takusan imashita.
I have so many good memories from this school.
この学校でとってもたくさんの良い思い出が出来ました。
Kono gakkou de tottemo takusan no yoi omoide ga dekimashita.
I was able to join you for Taiko lessons…
私はあなた達の太鼓の練習に参加することが出来ました。
Watashi wa anata tachi no taiko no renshuu ni sanka suru koto ga dekimashita.
This was actually a miracle to tell you the truth.
これは、実際のところ奇跡てきなことでした
kore wa jissai no tokoro, kiseki teki na koto deshita. hen I was young, my brothers had a drum set.
というのは、私が子どもの頃、私の兄がドラムセットを持っていました。
Toiuno wa, watashi ga kodomono koro, watashi no ani ga “doramusetto” wo motte imashita.
I hated it so much that I would throw their sticks out the window.
その頃、私はその音がとても嫌いで、そのスティックを窓から投げ捨ててしまいました。
Sono koro watashi wa sono oto ga totemo kirai de, sono “sutikku” wo mado kara nagesu-te-te shimaimashita.
And I have no coordination.
それに、私はリズムをとることができませんでした。
Soreni, watashi wa “rizumu” wo torukoto ga dekimasen deshita.
But somehow I found myself there, not once, but several times.
でも、どういう訳かここで 吾川で一度ではなく何度もリズムをとっている私がいました。
Demo douiyuwake ka, Agawa de ichido dewa naku nandomo “rizumu” wo totte iru watashi ga imashita.
I was able to get to know some of you better, and to enjoy that time so much!
私はそれらを、より理解し,楽しむことが出来ました。
Watashi wa sorera wo yori rikai shi tanoshimu koto ga dekimashita.
Now when I listen to drums I am filled instead with affection. And…although it is a little late, I know my brothers will be proud too!
私は今、太鼓の音を聞けば楽しい気分になるし、私の兄もそれを喜んでくれるだろうと思います。
Watashi wa ima taikono oto wo kikeba tanoshii kibun ni naru shi, watashi no ani mo sore wo yorokonde kureru darou to omoi masu.
I enjoyed teaching all of you…
私はあなた達に教えることが楽しかったです。
Watashi wa anata tachi ni oshieru koto ga tanoshikatta desu.
I have gotten to know many of you outside the classroom:
私は、あなた達のことを教室以外の場所でも知ることができました。
Watashi wa anata tachi no koto wo kyoushitsu igai demo shirukoto ga dekimashita.
Cooking together, having BBQ’s, writing letters or watching sports…
料理をしたり、バーベキューをしたり、手紙を書いたり、スポーツを観戦したり
Ryouri wo shitari, BaBe-Q wo shitari, tegami wo kaitari, supo-tu kansen wo shitari,
I feel that I have come to know a little about you,
それで、あなた達の事を少し分かるようになったと思います。
Sorede, anatatachi no koto wo sukoshi wakaru youni natta to omoi masu.
and I will miss you more than I can say.
私は言葉にできないくらい、貴方たちに会えなくなるのがさみしです。
watashi wa kotoba ni dekinai kurai,anata tachi ni a-e-naku naru-noga samishi desu.
But as I go on to teach in Canada, or in other countries,
しかし、私がカナダで教え続ける時、また他の国にいても
shikashi watashi ga kanada de oshie tsuzu-keru toki mata, hokano kuni ni itemo…
I will always remember Agawa Junior High School with profound feeling.
私はいつも吾川中学校のことを深い愛情をもって思い出すでしょう。
Watashi wa itsumo Agawa chyuugakkou no koto wo fukai aijyou wo motte omoi dasu deshyou.
As I go onto my own new challenges…
私が私自身の新しい挑戦をしているとき
watashi ga watashi jishin no atarashii chyousen wo shite-iru toki…
I hope that you continue to study hard, play hard, and practice hard.
私はあなた達に、ねっしんに勉強をして、遊んでそして、英語をれんしゅをしてほしともいます。
Watashi wa anatatachi ni nesshin ni benkyou wo shite, asonde soshite, eigo o renshyu wo shite hoshi tomoimasu.
More than textbooks, Bingo games, more than tests…
休暇小よりも、　ビンゴゲーム よりも、　テストよりも。。。
kyukasho yorimo. bingo ge-mu.yorimo, tesuto yorimo…
human relations can change lives and bring us together.
人間関係は人生を変え、そして私たちを一つにすることでしょう
ningen kankei wa jinsei wo kae, soshite watashi tachi wo hitotsu ni
suru koto deshou.
I want to thank you for teaching me so much,
私はみなさんにお礼が言いたいです たくさんの事を教えてくれたこと
watashi wa takusan no koto wo oshiete kureta minasan ni orei ga iitai desu.
And for making these last two years the most memorable, the most exciting experience of my life.
この二年間は私にとってかけがえのない時であり、人生の貴重な経験になりました
kono ninen kan wa watashini totte kakegae-no-nai toki de ari jinnsei no kichou na keiken ni narimashita.
Thank you.
ありがとうございました。
Arigatou gozaimashita.

BOE speech:

The time has come that I must say goodbye t o you all and return to Canada.
このたび私は仕事を終わり、カナダにかえります。
Kono tabi watashi wa shigoto wo owari, Canada ni kaerimasu.
Thank you for all your help over these last few years.
みなさんながいあいだおせわになりました.
Minasan nagai aida osewa ni narimashita.
Before I came to Japan I wondered if I could be away from my home for even four months.
日本に来る前は、母国をはなれてだだの４月でさえ居られるだろうかと思っていましたが…
nihon ni kurumae wa bokuku wo hanwrete tada no yonkagetsu desae ira-reru-darouka to omotte imashitaga
It is impossible to believe that two years have gone by.
もう２年も過ぎてしまったとは、信じられません。
mou ninen mo sugite shimattato wa shinji-rare-masen
But surely it is a proof to your kindness, your friendship and your support throughout that time;
でも それは ずっと皆さんのご親切と友情に私が支えられていたからです。
demo sorewa zutto minasan no go-shinsetsu to yuujyou ni watashi ga sasa-e-ra-rete itakara desu
… and that I feel such incredible heartache at saying goodbye.
お別れするのがこんなにもつらいのはその証しです。
owakare suruno ga kon-nani mo tsurai-no wa sono akashi desu.
Each and every person I have met here in Japan has shown me grace and generosity.
日本でお会いした人達は ひとりひとり 皆 優しく、寛大でした。
nihon de o-ai-shita hitotachi wa hitori-hitori mina yasashiku kandai deshita.
I have come to know you all for your generosity, your patience, your thoughtfulness, and for your dedication.
皆さんがいかに寛大で忍耐強く、また、思いやり深く献身的であるかを知りました。
minasan ga ikani kandai de nintai-zu-yoku mata omi-yari-bu-kaku ken-shinte-kide aruka wo shirimasita
Ono, Jun, Miyuki, Monica: Your friendship during this time has
オノさん、ジュン、モニカ、あなた方の友情は大切なものです。
Onosan, Jun, miyuki, monika to, anatagata tono yuujyou wa taisetsu na mono desu.
been significant. It is rare to find one good friend, let alone so many!
たくさんの友人はもちろん、一人の良い友に出会うことはめったにありません。
takusan no yuujin wa mochiron hitori no yoi tomoni de-a-e-ru koto wa mettani arimasenn
As you may know, my emotions about leaving are complex.
ご存知だと思いますが、私の気持ちは複雑です。帰国する期待と
gozon-jida to omoimasu ga watashi no kimochi wa fukuzatu desu.
The excitement and anticipation of returning home are mired by the heartache of leaving.
興奮もここを離れると思えばつらいものになります。でも、JETプログ
kikoku-suru kitaito koufun mo koko wo hanareru to omoeba tsuraimono ni narimasu
Still, it is the depths of those emotions that allow me to realize the success the JET Programme.
ラムが大成功だったから、このような深い気持ちになるのでしょう。　　　　　　英語を
demo “JET puroguramuga” daisei-kou dattakara kono youna fukai kimochini naruno deshou.
ｍore than teaching English, more than sharing our cultures with one another,
教えるだけでなく、また、お互いの国の文化を分かち合うだけでなく、
Eigo wo oshieru dake de naku mata otagai no kuni no bunka wo wakachi-a-u dake de naku
I see now that my vary character has grown through this experience.
私はこの経験を通して新しい自分が育ったと思います。
Watashi wa kono keiken wo toushite atarashii jibun ga sodatta to omoimasu
I have come to understand the concept of pride- for one’s country, for ones’s traditions, for ones’s beliefs and values;
それぞれの人の国やその伝統と、信仰や価値観に対する誇りという物が解るようになりました。
sorezore no hitono kuniya sono dentou to shinkou ya kachikan ni taisuru hokori toi-u-mono ga wakaru youni narimashita.
I have come to know the meaning of patience, the meaning of discipline, and decisions.
忍耐の意味、規律の意味、そして決心の意味を知りました。
Nintai no imi kiritsu no imi soshite kesshin no imi wo shirimashita
Yes, decisions! Final, conclusive, unwavering and firm decisions…
そうです、決心。　最後の決定的なゆるぎない堅い決心です。
Soudesu kesshin! Saigono, ketteiteki na, yuruginai, katai kesshin desu.
learned too about attention to detail in following directions.
それから、次のような小さな事に対する心配りについても学びました。
sorekara tsugino youna chiisana koto ni taisuru kokoro kubari ni tsuitemo manabi mashita…
Perhaps you know the story of the garbage?
皆さん、生ごみの出来事をご存知だと思います。　
Minasan na-ma-gomi no de-ki-goto wo gozon-ji dato omoimasu ga?
Should I dare remind you?
あえて思い出していただきましょう。
a-ete omoidashite itadaki-mashou ka?
One day I ran out of red garbage bags. And so I put my garbage in a red recycle bag.
ある日、私は生ゴミ用のゴミ袋を切らしてしまいました。そこで、赤い資源ゴミ用の袋に生ゴミを入れました。
Aruhi, watashi wa nama-gomi youno gomi bukuro wo kirashite shimaimashita. sokode aka shigen gomi youno fukuro ni nama gomi wo iremashita…
Later that day, Ono came to me and asked “Did you put your garbage in a red bag?
すると後でオノさんが来て、『ゴミを赤い袋に入れましたか？』と聞かれました。
Suruto… atode ono-san ga kite: “gomi wo aka fukuro ni iremashitaka?” to kikaremasita.
I was really surprised. I said yes. And then he asked me,
私はとても驚いて、入れましたと答えました。すると今度は、
watashi wa totemo odoroite iremashita. to kotaemashita “haiiii?”
“Did you put some lettuce in there? And some paper too?”
『レタスや紙のゴミも入れましたか？』と、聞かれました。
Suruto… konndo wa “retasu ya, kami no, gomi mo iremashitaka?” to kikaremashita
Oh my god! I was really embarrassed.
ああ、困った！ 私はとても恥ずかしかったです。　
aa komatta. Watashi wa totemo hazukashikatta desu.
We went to my house to pick up the garbage bag and we looked at its contents.
家に帰ってゴミ袋を拾って中身を見ました。その日、私はリサイクルについてたくさんの事を学びました。
Hirotte ie ni kaette, gomi bukuro wo nakami wo mimashita.
I learned a lot about recycling that day. I learned that details matter. Red is red and black is black!
詳しい材質、赤は赤、黒は黒です！
Sono hi watashi wa “risaikuru ni” tsuite takusan no koto wo manabi-mashita
kuwashii zai-shitsu: aka wa aka; kuro wa kuro desu
here were also misunderstandings here. Some were cultural, but others were linguistic:
勘違いもありました。文化によるものもあれば、言葉によるものもありました。
Kanchigai mo arimashita. Bunka ni yorumono mo a-reba kotobani yoru mono mo arimashita.
For example, once I thought we were having an emergency evacuation drill. I was really worried about it.
たとえば、防災避難訓練がある時に、私は本気で心配していました。
Tatoeba, bousai hinan kunren ga aru-toki ni watashi wa honki de shinpai shite imashita.
But later that day we all went outside and practiced spraying with the fire hydrant.
でも、その日は皆で外に出て消火栓の放水練習をしたのでした。
Demo.. sonohi wa minna de soto ni dete shou-kasen no hou-su-i renshuu wo shita no deshita.
We were laughing and having such a good time!
笑いながら楽しく過ごしました。
Warai nagara tanoshiku shimashita!
Actually, if a real emergency comes I am a little afraid!
実は, 本当の非常事態が起きたら少し怖いですが。
Jitsu wa, hontou no hijyou jitai ga oki-tara sukoshi kowai deshyou!
I learned a little bit about duty and responsibility.
義務と責任についても少しだけ学びました。　　　
gimu to sekinin ni tsuite mo sukoshi dake manabimasita
For example, in Canada, there is rarely the person doing harmful insect extermination in the workplace…
たとえば、カナダでは、職場で害虫駆除をしてくれる人はめったに居ませんが、
Totoeba, Kanada dewa sho-kuba-e gaichyu kujo wo shite kureru hito wa metta ni imasen
But when I had a Mukade, Jun took care of it;
しかし、ムカデが私の家にきていました、出た時はジュンはきました。
Demo, mukade ga watashi no ie ni kittimashita, detatoki wa Jun ni kittimashita.
when I had cockroaches, Ono took care of that too.
ゴキブリが出た時はオノさんがやっつけてくれました。
“Gokiburi” ga detatoki wa Ono-san ga yattsukete kuremashita
Thank you so much!
ありがとございました！
Arigato gozaimashita!


Kurokawa-san took me to the hospital when I got something in my eye;

黒川―さん、私の目に何か入った時に病院に連れて行ってくれました。
Kurokawa-san, watashi no me ni nanika haitta toki ni byounin ni tsurete itte kuremashita.


Miyuki, sometimes you were a nurse, bringing me things when I was sick, taking me for acupuncture.

ミユキ、あなたが病気の時必要な物を用意して、針の治療に連れて行ってくれました。
Miyuki, anata ga byouki no toki hitsu youna mono wo youishite harino chiryou ni tsurete itte kuremashita.

Sometimes you were a travel agent, sometimes a translator (most of the time actually)…
貴方は何時もは通訳あるときは旅行の世話人。。。ああ。。。通訳者がいつもでしょう。
anata wa itsumo wa tsuuyaku, mata arutoki wa ryokou no sewanin, Aaa… tsuuyakushya itsumo deshyou…

Komi-san, you have been so helpful in making everything run smoothly.
こみーさん：あなたたちは私がやりやすいようにいろいろ助けてくれました。
Komi-san: anatatachi wa watshi ga yariyasui youni iroiro tasukete kuremashita.

And in keeping us entertained. Especially: “I have five families”!!

そして、何時も楽しませてくれました。と問えば：“私は、五の家族をもっています”
soshite, itsumo tanoshimasete kuremahita. Totoeba, “watashi wa, go no kazoku wo motte imasu” Moreover, after the Amazing Race, everyone, you were demolition experts
特に、皆さんアメイジングレースの後片付けのプロでした。
Tokuni、minasan “ameijingu reesu” no ato katazuke no “puro” deshita.

Thank you everyone!
ありがとございます。
Arigato Gozaimashita!


Tai-san has been so kind. She made me a bit vat of rice, she gave me a Yukata and a beautiful teapot
タイさんはとても親切で、ごはんを作ってくれました。
浴衣やきれいなティーポットもいただきました。
Tai-san wa totemo shinsetsu de: gohan wo tsukutte kuremashita, yukata ya, kirei na “tiipotto” mo itadakimashita!
And, she came in on the weekend and dressed me in Kimono. Thank you.
それに、週末には着物を着せに来てくださいました。名野川であなたとコーヒーを飲むのをいつも.　ありがと。。。
Soreni, shuumatsu niwa kimono wo kiseni kite kudasaimasita. Arigato…

Yamamoto-san, I always looked forward to having coffee with you at Nanokawa.
山本－さん、楽しみにしていました。
Yamamoto-san, Nnanokawa de anatato kohii wo nomuno wo itsumo tanoshimini shiteimashita.

Ono, you helped me organize so many events,
大野-さんには本当にたくさんのｲﾍﾞﾝﾄの準備を手伝ってもらいました。
Ono-san niwa hontouni takusan no ibento no junbi wo testu datte moraimashita.

You introduced me to Japanese culture and nature. I enjoyed planting and harvesting rice!
日本文化や自然についても教えてもらいました。お米を育てて収穫するのは楽しかったでした。
Nihon bunka ya shizen ni tsuite mo oshiete moraimashita. Soreni, okome wo soda-te-te shuukaku suru nowa tanoshikatta deshita!

And your BBQ was so much fun! We shared many jokes together I think.
バーベキューは本当に愉快でした。冗談を言い合って楽しかったですね。
BBQ wa hontouni yukai deshita。。。joudan wo ii atte tanoshikatta desune
ｙou have all been so generous with yourself and your time.
みなさんはとても寛大な方でした。
Minsan wa totemo kandai na kata deshita

When I came to Japan I didn’t even know how to say “konichiwa.”
日本に来た時、『こんにちは』の言い方さえ知りませんでした。　　　
nihon ni kita　toki “konnichiwa” no ii　kata sae shirimasen deshita

Now I know important words like “isogashi ne!” and “coffee suki desu ka?” and “jodan desu!” and my favorite: “kojanto…!”
今では重要な言葉を知っています。『忙しいね』、『コーヒー好きですか』、『冗談です』とか、私のお気に入りの
ima　dewa juuyou　na kotoba wo shitteimasu. Totoeba: “isogashiine” “kouhii suki desu ka” “joudan desu” toka watashi no okini iri no “kojanto desu”


『こじゃんと』です。


I didn’t know about Kagura or ikebana or “hempai.” I could not imagine such beautiful
神楽や生け花、返杯も知りませんでした。　　　　　秋葉神社、仁淀川、ゆの森、そして
kagura ya ikebana henpai mo shirimasenndeshita akibajinshya niyodogawa yunomori

places as the Akiba shrine, the Niyodo river, Yunomori, or Niyodogawa mountains… I
仁淀川町の山々のような美しい場所を想像できませんでした。
soshite niyodogawachou no yamayama no youna utsukushii bashowo souzou dekimasen deshita

did not know about kappa, about Ryoma, about Yakuza, or about ampan man!
河童、竜馬、浴衣、そしてアンパンマンも知りませんでした！
kappa Ryoma yukata soshite anpanman mo shirimasen deshita

I had many first experiences here:
初めての経験がたくさんありました。
hajimeteno keikenga takusann arimasita

My first okonomoyaki
初めての　お好み焼き
hajimeteno okonomiyaki

my first Kirin beer!
初めての　キリンビール！
hajimeteno kirinbiiru

My first onigiri
初めての　おにぎり
hajimeteno onigiri

my first ocha, macha and mocha
初めての　お茶、抹茶と（もち?　）
hajimeteno ocha maccha to (mochi?)

my first geisha photoshoot
初めての　芸者姿の撮影
hajimeteno geisha sugatano satsuei

My first typhoon, earthquake and rainy season.
初めての　台風、地震、梅雨
hajimeteno taifuu jishin tsuyu

I had my first ever Mukade kill
初めての　ムカデ殺し
hajimeteno mukade goroshi

mu second mukade kill
二回目の　ムカデ殺し
nikaimeno mukade goroshi

thankfully no more mukade kills.
ありがたいことに、もう殺していません。
arigataikotoni mou koroshite imasenn

My first visit to a temple
初めての　お寺参り　
hajimeteno otera mairi

my first visit to a limestone quarry!
初めての　石灰岩採石場
hajimeteno sekkai saisekijou

My first enkia, first undokai, first bunkansai, first nomikai, first tomodachikai…
初めての（えんかい？）、運動会、文化祭、飲み会、友達会・・・
hajimeteno (enkai?) undoukai bunkasai nomikai tomodachikai・・・

As I go on to do other things, these memories will stay with me forever.
これから私が他の事をしても、これらの思い出はずっと私の中に残るでしょう。
korekara watashiga hokano kotowo shitemo korerano omoidewa zutto watashino nakani nokorudeshou

I hope that you won’t be too surprised when I write my experiences down and have them published.
私がこの体験を記録して、それが出版されてもあまりおどろかないでくださいね。
Watashiga kono taiken wo kirokushite sorega shuppan saretemo amari odorokanaide
kudasaine

Already I know that I will return to Japan one day. I feel that I have only seen the
いつか日本に帰ってきます。　　　　　　　　　　　まだ日本のほんの表面を見ただけで、
itsuka nihonni kaette kimasu mada ninon no hon no hyoumen wo mitadakede

surface and have so much to learn.
学ぶ事がたくさんあると思っています
manabu kotoga takusan aruto omotte imasu

You are truly the most incredible people I have ever had the pleasure to work with.
皆さんのような　すばらしい人たちと一緒に働いたことはありません。
minasan no youna subarashii hitotachito isshoni hatraita kotowa arimasen

Thank you for two years of wonderful experiences, the opportunity to work with the
この２年間のすばらしい経験と、最高の人達と一緒に仕事ができたことに感謝しながら、
kono ninenkan no subarashii keiken to saikouno hitotachito isshoni shigotaga dekitakotoni kansha shinagara

best people, and for a chance to be apart of this profound and memorable experience.
ひとまず、この深く心に残る体験とお別れをします。
hitomazu kono fukaku kokoroni nokoru taiken to owakare wo shimasu

Thank you.
ありがとうございました。
Arigatou gozaimashita

Spot the Symbolism

It was destined to be an anomalous day right from the start. After all, the day began miserably raining while the sun shone though. But the case was truly made as I opened my textbook to today’s ninth grade lesson:





I read over the dialogue and then I read it again. Something just wasn’t right; something was, in fact, agonizingly, glaringly wrong. Before I had a chance to think about it further, however, I was ushered into my morning meeting with Nabeshima, my co-English teacher. We had finished discussing the lessons when he mentioned that he had been quite sick the day before. “I hope,” he grimaced, “that I can just make it through to lunch. There are no classes after lunch, at least.” I nodded sympathetically, feeling run-down myself.

Harnessing our secret stash of “teacher might” (mine was coffee, his was an energy drink) we went forth to class where twenty lethargic souls stared back at us unimpressed for ten minutes solid, until this event took place:

I was walking up and down the rows, checking the work of the students, when all of a suddenly a bee flew in through an open window. It was larger than any bee I’ve seen in Canada, in fact larger than any bee I have seen anywhere, for that matter. It was not so much its abrupt appearance into our lesson, however, that caused a stir but its inebriated “plunk plunk plunk” against the windowpane. Over and over it circled the room and came rudimentarily back the same spot, no doubt perplexed by the transparent shield that prevented its freedom, and which was the cause of its imminent death.

Having caught the attention of each and every child within the room, the bee proceeded to dive low into the crowd, creating a wave of screams and flapping arms in its wake. A boy (we will call him Taro) jumped courageously on the desks and began leaping from one to the other in a heroic effort to quench the beast’s life. I, meanwhile, was just as busy making everyone sit back in their chairs and “pay no attention to it, for heavens sake,” and “get back into your seats. What did that bee ever do to us?”

And then there was a moment. Deep within me there was a moment of telepathy as what was about to happen dawned on me, and there was nothing to do but flinch in anticipation.

And there it was… Taro, in slow motion, leaping from one desk to another, his fist striking an abrupt blow against the windowpane. It struck a blow and then it struck again, and without defying any rules to objects that are inflicted so, Taro’s hand went clean through the glass.

The room was silent. We looked from the window to his hand where blood was now beginning to swell. He smiled at the class, as cool as ever, and jumped down from the desk, laughing softly as he made a graceful exit from the class. There were drops of blood leading from the shattered glass down the hallway.

It is impossible to predict how things will effect you. Through the next and final class I stood in a bit of a daze, waving between shock and indifference. All in a day around here, I thought to myself. Just last week I caught the same boy climbing on the roof outside the third floor. When I hauled him into through the open window he was wet from the rain. Are you crazy! I cried. There were other boys standing there with their hands in their pockets. Are you crazy, I said again. I stared at them all with astonishment. Later that day I learned that a boy had died in Tokyo the day before. He had climbed onto the roof of the school and had fallen to his death.

Half an hour left of class. The sixth graders were more sober than usual because they had heard about the bee and the broken glass. They were given a stern lecture at the beginning of class, warning them to leave the bees alone, to ignore them, and to never, ever hit the glass. I looked outside and saw that it was beginning to rain again. It was insufferably humid. A bee entered the class. It made a silent flight around the room and then it predictably struck itself against the window. The students turned all at once and stared crying “sensei sensei!”

Called to arms, Nabeshima took up a piece of paper and rolled it. He struck out at the bee, hitting his mark and crushed it under his shoe. Only minutes later he was after yet another. He stumbled around the room after it, swatting and swatting. Inside I was screaming. I watched the scene like a spectre. There was a moment of confusion as several shoes joined the fight, and then all at once a second corpse lay on the ground.

I stood for a moment, feeling overwhelmingly stunned. What I wanted to do then was to walk away from that class, to walk away from the entire school. I stood for such a long time fighting the impulse that had to call my name several times before I came back to consciousness. Everyone was staring at me expectantly. I gazed at the textbook. I had no idea what we were doing; none at all. Before I could find my place in the book a third bee flew into the class. Like the bee before it, and the one before that and the one before that, it entered, it flew, it meandered, and it made for the window. And there it landed as one final, one tremendous, fatal blow was struck with Nabeshima’s rolled up textbook.

Taking Direction(s)

On Friday afternoon I received an invitation from a student to watch a local Kagura festival. Though I've been to several of these Shinto celebrations before, I was eager to see this one, knowing that it would be the last before my return to Canada.

As I had never heard of the shine where it was being held, I dropping into my supervisors office and asked if he could draw me a map. "Mmahhh!" he cried ambiguously and proceeded to pour over several resources. At long last we found the shine. "Woo woo," he said, looking baffled. "It's muzukashi (difficult)!"

"No, no," I assured him, "Just up this road I think," I pointed to a route off the main highway next to the dam. It appeared to twist and turn a bit into the mountains.
My super looked scandalized "No! Not here!" He laughed as a way of letting me know I was young and foolish in all things map-related and pulled the map towards him. "Here," he pointed. "Zupe zupe zupe."

This was the sound of his finger tracing the alleged path I was to take. The "zupe" referred, incidentally, to the zig-zagging path I was to follow through the mountains. When I looked for myself I noted that part of the map was missing. Rallying all his efforts (the ladies in the office), he proceeded to create a collage-like map by photocopying and gluing bits of the map together from various sources. The end result was magnificent: before me was a gigantic re-creation of the region, large enough even that I could possibly have driven ON the map to get there.

My supervisor has lived in the far reaches of the mountains for the majority of his life. And so, on Sunday afternoon I set forth in search of the shrine.

As I heaved my car up the most daunting mountain pass ever created by man it began to rain. It was a romantic sort of drizzle that ushered an eldritch fog over the entire mountain. The road seemed to narrow, too, as I drove up and up and up. It was an old road, built perhaps for the sole purpose of employing some delinquent public works servant. In many places the road was so narrow that if another car had come down the mountain towards me (and I was sure no car would) one or the other would be forced to back up or down the mountain several meters in order for the other to pinch by.

It was around the time that I began to consider whether it was safer to be wearing a seatbelt if my car took a sudden turn off the cliff edge, or whether it would be better to be buckled in for the thousand foot roll, that I came to a fork in the road.

"This can't be right" I said out loud, because by now I was quite lonely and quite scared and wanted the comfort of at least my own voice. I gazed at the map and found that I had entered the formidable "missing" patch of surveyed terrain. No matter, someone had simply drawn the missing patch in with a thick black pen, and I soon realized this was where I lay.

I contemplated the scene. And then I contemplated my life a little too; death and other things crossed my mind. "I should tell someone where I am, just in case," I thought. But then I (laughingly) remembered that not only did people know where I was (precisely), but had personally directed me to my impending doom. I decided, perhaps belatedly, to turn back. Literally. I reversed my way down the narrow narrow mountain pass, reaching an edge on the cliff where my car was able to make a ten-point turn and find itself tumbling back down the mountainside.

Back on the main road (breathing for the first time in at least thirty minutes), I did what anyone might do in my situation. I shook my fist at maps, men and folly of every kind and turned towards the dam.

The story ends like this: I had no sooner made a turn off at the dam when the sun shone beautifully, nay, miraculously through the sky (this, by the way, is know as pathetic fallacy). I ascended a road that looked as though it was frequented by cars, and which took me almost soothingly up the mountain to a quiet shrine, tucked restfully back in the woods.

Perhaps it is a test of worthiness, a shinto custom, to track down these remote shrines. After all, I have never known one to be easy to find. Indeed, as I took my place among the (surprised) elderly crowd, I thought that I might be on to something: Shinto is sometimes translated as the way of the gods, or the philosophical way, after all.

Truth be told, a great deal of philosophical thought had crossed my mind as I searched high and low that day (mostly high...). It seems no coincidence either that shintoism revolves around a reverence for nature. Here, tucked into these remote and seemingly inaccessible places, you truly have to respect the path that takes you there.

... A bit of sake, pictures with the local oba-chans, and a gleeful hug from one of my favorite students were by far worth the journey.

Thus, having escaped death yet again, I thus lived to see another day, somewhat wiser and certainly more vigilant...

Canada: cold... okay maybe; epic...definitly!

"Once upon a time, I, Chuang Tzu, dreamt I was a butterfly, fluttering hither and thither, to all intents and purposes a butterfly. I was conscious only of following my fancies as a butterfly, and was unconscious of my individuality as a man. Suddenly, I awoke, and there I lay, myself again. Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly dreaming that I am now a man."

That pretty much sums up the sensation of waking up in my bed, in Japan, this morning. How did I get here! Wasn’t I eating Belgium waffles with maple syrup only a few moments ago! Am I Zoë living in Victoria dreaming I am in Japan or am I Zoë living in Japan dreaming I went to Canada?

After an epic one-month journey home to Victoria, I have a lot more to reflect on than my metaphysical self!

To sum up our trip: dash into Victoria, via Tokyo, for a quick hello before jetting off to Alberta with Teresa, Aki and Shauna. One 10 hour drive later, gap at the majestic rises of the rocky mountains and the miles of snow that roll across the planes before us.

We stayed in Alberta for four days, visiting with the long lost Herron clan (Ken and Barb, Chris, Lita, Cali and Paige) with intermittent visits to the Bad Lands, Tirell Dinosaur museum, Hoodoo’s, Shanks Sports Bar, Tack and Leather shop, and the smallest town you will ever see- population 4 people and shrinking…

I was also able to “reacquaint” my cousins Dan and Kathy, Evelyn, Codi and Devon, learning about the finer points of Calgarian hospitality whilst receiving tips on how to catch a cowboy… yee ha! Just point me in the right direction!

With all that excitement and melting snow behind us, we set out for the West coast once more, winding our way through the Kootney’s (Fort Steele was so cool!)- come sun, come snow, come sleet and finally typical west coast showers- to end up back on the Island with it barely having noticed we had left!

Second week in Canada: hair cut, shopping and maple syrup on everything! Marian and Stephan treated Aki, Rosa, Cori, Jay, Nancy and Daryl and I to dinner at Mattise! It was, it goes without saying, delicious! Mmm… lamb… Brule!

Oh… and let the wedding prep begin!! On Saturday eight glamorous ladies piled into two minivans to celebrate Kristy’s Stagette. We were driven out to Deep Cove and proceeded to drink our way back into town via some of Victoria’s finest wineries. My favourite: Sterling Farms. Their scientifically proven wines are rare and stunning.

Sunday Aki, Ian and I set up an Amazing Race Wedding Edition for Kristy and Sean and co. Teams raced around the city playing golf, answering questions and hunting down clues. It was such a gorgeous day that I got my first “colour” of the year… forgot how intense that Canadian sun can be!

We stayed with Stuart and Jan during all the ensuing madness, with hikes up Mt. Doug and my first Shabbat as intermittent moments of peace through it all!

Our third week in Victoria was a bit of a gong show… between taxes, dinner with friends, picnics in the park, Matteus took us out to the Victoria Symphony. And then the Isberg-Cunningham families united all fronts in pre-wedding labour. Joel and Olivia put together some stunning flower arrangements for the Wedding and Marian, John, Elijah and Co. and I put the finishing touches were put on the tables.

Michelle and Joel looked incredible on their wedding day! Michelle was so stunning as a bride that she could have done it for a living! Everyone enjoyed themselves so much at the wedding and we had a great chance to catch up. They had a beautiful reception out at Dunsmur Lodge, and though I didn’t catch the flowers I was confident that at Kristy’s wedding I could come through ;)

With one wedding behind me, the daunting task of Maid of honor lay before me. On Monday we went to stay with Pam and Bruce in their incredible home out in Saanichton. I have to say, I might be a vagrant the rest of my life! Food shelter and kayaking… who can beat it?

The night before Kristy’s wedding we stayed up late into the night (oh, and did I mention I played Wii for the first time!? Got a blister on my thumb from “rocking out” too much on the guitar…) giggling like girls. It was probably in the list of DO NOT’s before your wedding day, as we were a bit haggard the next day… Nothing a trip to the hairdresser and make-up wouldn’t fix.

Another beautiful and hot day in Victoria… Kristy looked breathtaking in her wedding dress. (one might even say Bell-like!). After a service at St. Josephs we spent the afternoon getting photos done at Sax point and down at the Admiral’s house, which was a stunning location! The reception, overlooking downtown from the Base, was fantastic. Marian did an incredible job on the flowers for the wedding… which made not catching them (again) all the more painful. Haha… Always a bridesmaid… All in good time.

Watching hockey at Pearks with Liz, catching a ride on Ian’s sexy motorbike, lunch with Daniel and Mike at Mattocks, dinner with friends at Glow, one last whip around Victoria… and somehow I found myself at my desk here in Niyodogawa, wondering if it all really happened!

I know I speak for both Aki and I when I say that this trip could not have been more epic. It was so much fun to see long lost family and friends, and to find time in all the wedding madness to so you all. Thank you so much to Ken and Barb, Shauna, Olivia, Jan and Stuart, Pam and Bruce, Grandma and Ruth for having us over to your homes, for feeding us, and most of all entertaining us!! You are all so kind and generous!

Thank you to Marian and Stephan for all their help and for the lovely meals! And to Mattise for such fine service and the most delicious dinner I have had since… well, since last time!

With such a choice of experiences and friends, I am not sure what Aki will say to her family and friends. But at the very least she will see that Canadians are a bit more than you ever bargain for!

I can’t wait to see you all again when I return in the summer (indefinitely). It sounds like Aki will come in July, so please make her feel welcome (again) and keep her out of trouble!!

Otsukaresamadeshita!

See you soon!
Love Zoe

ps. pictures coming soon! (it will take a while to cut them down from 1023!!)

I wandered lonely as a cloud

Ever since writing a thesis on the sublime I have become a bit obsessed with the notion.

"Brook and road
Were fellow-travelers in this gloomy Pass,
And with them did we journey several hours
At a slow step. The immeasurable height
Of woods decaying, never to be decayed,
The stationary blasts of waterfalls,
And in the narrow rent, at every turn..."

Who can resist it?

So it was that I conjured up the most sublime plan in the world: Ichizuchi- Dawn till Dusk.

The plan was simple: I invited some friends to join me in an all day hike of the highest mountain on Shikoku Island, commencing in the glory of pre-dawn unconsciousness and then drawing the whole sublime experience to a close as dusk set in around us. The plan was foolproof. Sublime and foolproof!

The days before the trek loomed and volunteers were dropping like flies. Apparently Wordsworth's "giddy prospect of raving stream" and "unfettered cloud and region of the heaven" was not inspiring enough to wrench people from their beds at 4am.

No matter. I was determined! So it was that I set out before dawn, driving some 45 km to the base of Ichizuchi. The night was dark, the sky was clear, and I was scared shitless by the impeding darkness that surrounded me. Yet as I drew nearer and nearer to the mountain's "skyline" assent, visions of violet and crimson rays filled my idealistic mind.

And then suddenly, there it was!! a phantom tollbooth

What? A tollbooth? At the base of the mountain... a blockade against all things dawn, sublime and attainable!

I stared at the sign with mild shock: mountain closed from 7pm to 7am.

Closed? How can you CLOSE a mountain? What could possibly happen between seven pm and seven am that Japan would feel obliged to CLOSE off the mountain.

And then it occurred to me. Ha! Only two things happen in those hours: DAWN and DUSK.

!! !!! !!!!!

Words escape me.
My hopes were severed.
My Romantic notions destroyed.

Imagine Shelley, Wordsworth, Coleridge coming to the passage before Mt. Blanc only to find that their anticipation of sublimity are restrained to business hours!

Beneath the tollbooth We Pondered thus
the inaccessibility of yon mountain pass
Forbearance and pitied self reclined
in lost hope for yon opening time.

Curling up in a sleeping bag I waited... and waited...
I fell asleep and dreamt that my car drove off the edge of the cliff.

I woke sometime later to see the sun beaming though the mountains... dawn come and gone.

I fell asleep again and dreamt that it cost sixty dollars to pass through the tollbooth. "But sir, I only have 6 dollars!" And I was turned away...

I woke again at ten past seven and low and behold, the gates to my tarnished hopes were open for business. I packed up my bag, revved the engine and conjured hopeful ambitions of a dusk that would make it all worth while. The day had, after all, only just begun!

As I ascended the mountain, the trees lost their leaves and the snow began to mount.
"Snow!" I thought, "how wonderful!"
And I drove on.

I reached the summit of the mountain and gazed out over the well-lit scene before me: it was glorious. Kind of dead looking and really post-winter/pre-spring. But glorious because I wanted it to be.

And so I set off on the 4.5 km trek to Ichizuchi, rice balls and camera intact.

It was a quiet morning. There were no other hikers on the trail this early in the day. There was actually nothing on the trail really. Save some fallen trees and scattered branches. There were crows as well. It was foreboding. Or perhaps heralding?

I had traveled 1 km when I reached the first traces of snow. It was lovely in its own way, dirty and crusty. Like traces of winter resistant to departure. I walked a little ways on and found the snow a bit deeper... maybe up to ones ankle... and hip... and then possibly neck...

Yes. Up to ones neck. I know because before me the trail was washed away and what stood in its place way a ravine and a precarious snow path, dotted with suicidal indentations about one or five meters deep.

Huh, I thought to myself and sat down on a nearby fallen tree to reflect on the matter. I pulled a rice ball from my pack and ate it meditatively. Just then a man came towards me, crunching though the snow with ice-picked boots and ski poles. He smiled and nodded to me and gazed at the looming trail.

"Taihen" I said, evoking the universal Japanese word for "fuck this looks hopeless" or "fuck. Good luck with that!"

He nodded solemnly and asked if I would go on. No, I said. No I would not. He asked me where I was from and I said Canada.

"Canada!" He cried. "That is a long ways away! And so cold!"

I sat in my snow drift with onigiri sticking to my fingers and nodded knowingly. Cold. Yes. We said farewell and he crunched on, sinking deep into the snow as he passed though the ravine. Luckily there were many fallen branches and trees and boulders to help him along.

I turned back and trudged through the snow towards the parking lot. I was not giving up. I was merely saving sublimity for another day.

I had gone some way when I met an elderly man and what I presumed to be his son.
"Oh! Oy! It's a foreigner!" The younger man cried to the older man. They had tripods slung to their backs and a enthralled gleam in their eye. "How is the walk?" They asked me and I shook my head solemnly. "Taihen desu ne!" I said and told them that the snow was very deep yonder.

"Snow" the older man cried. He was very enthusiastic.

"Chotto takai" I warned them, glancing over their sneakers and tripods. Maybe a bit dangerous, I offered, and they glanced though the trees contemplatively.

"Well!" said the younger man. "Well let's take a picture together!"

And we did. I posed and we all took pictures in the snow bank. Me- the only strange and exotic thing on the mountain that day; Them- the only hopefully thing I would see that day.

In the 1km back to the car I passed several more hopeful hikers. We exchanged hellos. I said taihen and ki o tsukete! and posed for a picture.


And so for a day... the early better part of part of a day, I wandered lonely as a cloud on the ranges of Ichizuchi... and have gained sudden appreciation for all things sublime.... but in that Gothic melancholy sort of way:

"Not seldom clad in radiant vest
Deceitfully goes forth the dawn,
Not seldom evening in the west

Sinks smilingly forsworn."

- W.Wordsworth

A Garden of One's Own

Spring is making a phlegmatic start this year. For the last few weeks we have had pseudo-blizzards, which look lovely as you sit cozy in your office chair, but are really quite anti-climatic as you walk into the night with anticipation of glazed mountains and rivers only to find everything really as dowdy as before the torrent passed though.

It might be said every year (and it is), but this year it seems particularly appropriate to say that the students are more restless than ever and looking forward to next weeks spring break. When I quizzed them on what they would do for the holiday they excitedly said “nothing!” and truly looked thrilled.

As a way of jump-staring spring, I asked Ono-sensei if it was possible to get hold of a neglected plot of land that I might poke around in (I can already see some of you shaking your heads!). He seemed surprised by my request and sort of stood there processing it for some time before he jumped up from his chair and cried “for the flowers and vegetables” (which really sounded more like “for the love of God!) but I knew what he meant.

I was staring wistfully out the window a couple of weeks later when Ono came into the office and fairly stumbled over the desks between the door and my desk before saying (breathlessly) “I have found you some land!”

No man’s eagerness could have been greater! Not only had he found a plot of land (about a 15 minute walk from my house, and really neglected, just like I had asked) but he was taking me there RIGHT NOW.

I can’t remember the last time I wanted to cry over an untamed patch of weeds and loam, but cry I did (in a local and private sort of way) as I gazed upon my very own garden-to-be. We stood reflecting on the land for sometime until the reverie was broken (a freak blizzard was setting in again) and I was taken to meet the mayor of Niyodogawa, “so that I might ask for a hoe.”

It’s true. The mayor of Niyodogawa had not only secured the land for me, but with much enthusiasm he implored me to use his trowel and his plow.

“And you must come and wash your hands at my house,” Ono said, gesturing enthusiastically to a house not far away. “And take the tools at any time! And use a tractor to toss the earth! And we will show you how to plant the Japanese vegetables! And you must have the help of students, who at any time will be willing! And grow many many things. But mostly spinach, we we love most. The mayor loves most. And to sell the ripe vegetables at the market! And-“

. . . .

“You do realize that you are probably the mot unusual foreigner these people have ever met,” my friend says to me a few days later when I tell him of my beloved new plot of land.

“What! How so?”

“Well, besides the obvious,” he chortles a bit, “think about what majority of the population takes up farming.”

I think for a bit and answer wisely, “The old people?”

“Exactly. And they do it because no one else in Japan wants to do it.”

It is true. Farming is primarily the employment of the elderly and the retired. As young people move onto more exciting cities and white-collar jobs, the time old tradition of rice, tea, fruit and vegetable planting and harvesting falls to those seemingly too advanced in years to be doing such laborious work. One in ten of my students want to be farmers. The others dream of being bakers and teachers and airline-stewardesses (this is the ultimate dream).

And so, along comes not only a foreigner, but a young foreigner whose idea of Sunday fun is toiling the earth. It is either the greatest mockery of Japanese culture (many people do in fact think that a source of derision) or the greatest impression yet to be made. I hope, truly, that it is the latter.

For Ono and the mayor, at least, it is a source of unending amusement.

The idea of my garden, though, has shocked my students more than anyone. I was diligently weeding away when the first of these students happened to pass by. About eight or so, he stopped and stared at me with unbelieving eyes. His mouth dropped open and the words "ego-no-sensei!" (my English teacher! ) were barely audible. And even as I waved and said hello he stared and stared. At last, regaining consciousness, he sort of stumbled backwards and walked crab-like up the hill, watching me all the while with disbelief and wonder.

About an hour later, one of my more silent and sullen students walked by. There is a scene in The Grinch Who Stole Christmas where Cindy Lu spies old grinchie stuffing the tree up the chimney and cires "ahhh!"

I cannot more accurately liken the shocked little cry that came from her lips when she saw me there.

“Hi Natsumi,” I smiled and held up my trowel by way of explanation. She stared at me for a moment, and then (like a small little miracle, for I never, never see this poor girl smile), a grin breaks out on her face and she says “sensei! Taihen!” which really says it all: Teacher: awful (alternatively: dreadful, terrible!).

I nodded solemnly to her, which seemed the only appropriate thing to do in response to such a proclamation, and then I beamed ridiculously and said, “kite!” Oh yes, join me in my folly!

Peas, and carrots and corn; potatoes, parsley and sunflowers. I will show them all! Feeling a little like Chicken Little, but also willing to share my bread, I have the distinct impression that my Tales of a Garden have only just begun.

Hinamatsuri

Akari o tsukemashou bonbori ni明かりをつけましょう　ぼんぼりに
Ohana o agemashou momo no hanaお花をあげましょう　桃の花
Go-nin bayashi no fue taiko五人ばやしの　笛太鼓
Kyo wa tanoshii Hinamatsuri今日は楽しいひな祭り

Let's light the lanterns
Let's set peach flowers
Five court musicians are playing flutes and drums
Today is a joyful Dolls' Festival.

"Ureshii Hinamatsuri (Happy Hinamatsuri)."

Today is Girl’s Day!

Hinamatsuri is a festival that dates back to the Heian Era (794-1185) and is a day to wish girl’s good health and a long life. From generation to generation, ornamental Hina dolls are placed on display and offered sweetened puffed rice (hina-arare), white sake (shirozake) and lozenge-shaped rice cakes (hishi-mochi) and cherry or peach blossoms.

Also known as “momo no sekku” (Peach Festival), on March 3rd, the dolls are placed on a display in homes, schools and business’ on a five or seven-tiered stand covered in red carpet. On the top tier are the Empress and Emperor. The costume of the Empress is called the "juuni-hitoe (twelve-layered ceremonial robe)." Even today the juuni-hitoe is worn at the Royal family's wedding ceremony; on the second tier are three ladies in waiting (sannin-kanjo); on the third shelf are five court musicians (gonin-bayashi); on the fourth tier are two government ministers (udaijin and sadaijin); and on the bottom shelf are three court officials. In some displays, court furniture and various small dishes of food are also represented.

The girl’s festival of today is far different from the original Hina Festival (which may have originated in China). Originally it is said that people transferred their own impurities and misfortunes to dolls and floated them away down the river. These dolls became associated with children’s dolls of the Heian Era and soon the ritual became known as Hina Festival. It wasn’t until the Mid-Edo Period that the dolls became displayed on shelves. A custom called "hina-okuri" or "nagashi-bina," in which people float paper dolls down rivers late on the afternoon of March 3rd still exists in various areas. The Shimogamo Shrine in Kyoto celebrates the Nagashibina by floating these dolls between the Takano and Kamo Rivers to pray for the safety of children.

The displays range from lavish and expensive presentations to small and simpler sets. A traditional set of dolls can be very expensive. There are various grades for the sets, and some full sets cost more than a million yen! (But who can put a price on the preservation of the spirit or a children’s well-being!) Unless there is a set handed down from generation to generation, grandparents or parents buy them for a girl by her first Hinamatsuri.. However, since many Japanese live in small houses, royal couple version (with only the Emperor and the Empress dolls) is popular nowadays. There is a superstition that if you don't put away the hina-ningyo soon after the Festival, the daughter will get married late.

One of the most popular dishes associated with the festival are the pink, green and white diamond-shaped rice cakes called "Hishimochi." The pink (red) is for chasing evil spirits away, the white is for purity, and the green is for health.

“Kodomo no hi” or Boy’s Day (also known as Children’s Day) is celebrated on May 5th, and, alternatively at this time boy’s dolls are placed on display. Unlike the “purification” associated with Girl’s Day, however, Boy’s Day dolls represent strength and success in life. Carp, which are said to be able to swim up waterfall and are therefore associated with strengths, have also become associated with this day. One of the most beautiful displays across Japan is the sight of multicoloured carp flags are stretched across rivers and seemingly endless valleys.

New Photos

Photo Update:

- Christmas Cookies with the kids
- Christmas Dinner
- Thailand Trip

February Update

Spring is just around the corner and life is as busy as ever! In Japan, the end of the school year comes in March, rather than June, so this is one of the busiest times of the year for teachers and students as they draw this school year to an end and prepare for new students.

I already have big ambitions for this new school year ahead; especially as I am now familiar with everyone and with the system; and am slightly more confident in my language skills (I have also gotten really good at gesturing!)

The 3rd year students (Grade 9) are rearing to enter high school and leave their young frivolous Junior High days behind. Entering high school is a big deal here, maybe even more than back home. The students practice testing for months in order to complete “high school entrance exams.” Those who fail have the privilege of studying for months and months again in order to re-test. Each school, too, has its own form of examination, especially with regards to English. Students vying for one of the better English programs in the city have to work twice as hard.

Last week was the dreaded day. I have never seen students so wrought in all my life! I had an interesting experience though, last week, in attending the kids to the shrine where they prayed to the exam god for success.

“Is there an exam god?” I asked a teacher, surprised despite myself.
“Oh yes,” she answered. “There is a god for everything. The kitchen, the hallway; for spring and for summer; there is a god for testing and there are gods for babies. There are over 8 million Shinto gods. Because they are in everything we see, and in everything we do.”

The Shinto religion is the most prevalent in my region. There are festivals throughout the year celebrating harvest and planting, spring and fall, Coming-of-Age Day and Respect-for-the-aged Day. Unlike Christians who attend a regular service, however, it is more of a casual affair (or a really big Celebratory affair!), which is why I was so surprised when I joined my students at the shrine.

It was the first formal Shinto “service” I have been to. I watched somewhat shyly as they entered the grounds of the shrine, washed their hands (first the left and then the right) and then took a drink of purification (from their hand, which is important, because so many foreigners are unsure as to whether they should drink from the cup or not) and put salt on their tongue (also a step I have never observed before). They bowed once, hands together, and then found their seat for the conclave (boys on one side, girls on the other- which I am not sure is a regular assembly, or simply my school’s archaic notion of sexual segregation).

The ceremony was not long but it was really interesting to watch, despite my not understanding most of what was said (chanted rather). The students presented mocha (a heavy pounded rice bread) and sake and these were “mediated” over. After naming each of the students and asking for a “blessing” on their exams they were each tapped a string of bells and the ceremony was concluded.

It was quite a somber affair upon arrival, but as we left my students were back to their jovial selves, showing me things around the shrine and teaching me the names of everything.

It was one of the most profound experiences I have had here in Japan. It made me realize, more than anything, what a privilege it is to be involved in the school system, which is the epitome of opportunities for cultural experiences. After all, most of these kids are learning right alongside me!

It is in the midst of all this cultural immersion that I have been asked to stay on another year. It was a really difficult decision this year round. My feelings were that although I wanted to stay I have things to get started/finish back home. After weeks of restless nights and heaps of consultations from friends and family though I have decided to accept the contract for another year!

YEAH!! (this is where you are excited!!!)

I am looking forward to these next 18 months ahead. I feel as though this past year and a half have laid the groundwork for this next year, and know that I will be able to really enjoy the relationships and the experiences I have only just begun.

… Japan had a distinct way of getting hold of you and not letting go. It is a place that is easy to fall in love with, and because the Japanese are so friendly and welcoming, it makes it all the easier.

On hearing my news yesterday, my friend Jonathan said “you know, the longer you stay here, the harder it is to leave.” Which is ironic considering that Japan considers itself to be an “enclosed” society that does not easily accept foreigners (geijin).

I will return!!

I am actually really excited to use this time ahead to prepare for the rest of my Uni education for when I come back. After teaching in the elementary school and Junior High’s here in Japan, I am really set on working towards a Senior high/ Junior high Education degree in English with a concentration in Social Studies. (more cheering!!)


I will be returning to Victoria for three weeks in April/May for two weddings (Joel’s and Kristy’s… not to each other!), and hope to have the chance to catch up with everyone while I am there! I will send an email with dates as soon as possible.

So! Life is busy and exciting and looking to be a great year ahead!!

I will be attending the Akiba festival this weekend, and the following marks the beginning of rehearsals for the Japanese Musical, so more busy times ahead!! I will write again soon and try to keep my blog updates (sorry I have been so negligent!!!)

Ikebana: my new calling!

I've been looking forward to immersing myself in the sacred art of Ikebana for some time now.

I've heard everything from raving reviews to warnings against the tediousness of the art. Well, not the art form perse, so much as the ceremony that is inevitably intertwined in it.

Ikebana (flower arranging) is an art form that has been practiced in Japan for over 600 years. Though it originally started as a religious ritual (Buddhist offerings to the dead), it has developed over the years to become a form of (modern）art. Fundamentally, ikebana uses flowers as a medium for expressing nature and feelings. Though it was originally practiced by men, ikebana is now considered a more womanly art.

Deciding that a lesson in "womanly art" might be somewhat beneficial to me, I asked to tag along with Miyuki to the New Year's Ikebana class and she was more than happy to take me. Meeting twice a month, this particular group of women study and practice in the Shihoryu style, which incorporates grace with brightness. In all schools, importance is placed on combining the elements three elements are likened to the earth, the sky and man to form a (scalene) triangle.

Not unexpectedly, there was a bit of ceremony involved in the process. Miyuki and I were invited into Yamanaka sensei's washitsu (tatami room) where we were offered zenzai (a sweet red bean desert with mocha) and green tea. We chatted about the weather and about many "womanly" things and finally got down to business, arranging the flowers on newspaper and commencing the key part of the entire process: choosing a container.

While most arrangements are made in low, shallow containers, a great emphasis is more recently placed on the artist’s individual expression. Still, I humbly chose a small clay pot, leaving the enormous teal goblet to the more experienced Miyuki.

For New Years arrangements, pine is traditionally the focal point in the arrangement, but for ours we were given two Kara (Calla lilies), four agisai (hydrangea sprigs), two derufuriniumu (delphinium) sprigs and two large tani wa tari leaves (palm like leaves).

Once the flowers are set out you must first choose the most appealing hydrangea sprig, which will be the pieces largest point of reference. The sprig is then cut to an exact measurement: width (of container) x height x 2.


The sprig is placed on an angle in the center of the khaki (container) on a kenzan (metal oasis). (cut the flowers under water to ensure freshness!)


The next sprig is cut to half the first's length and placed on an angle, leaning back and away.


The third sprig is cut at 3/4 the original's height and is placed to the right of it, also at an enticing (okuyuki) angle .


The final sprig is cut to 1/4 and placed leaning towards the arranger at a sharp (kyakui) angle.


(this is all, by the way, very meditative, despite apparent rigidity)


Next, the Kala's are cut at two varying heights, approximately 2/3 the highest sprig and 1/2. They are places leaning forward, with the highest Kala displaying the largest blossom, and the second one opening towards the arranger. Their position is a bit ambiguous. From what I gather, it is more of an innately known position...


After the flowers come the foliage, which should be artistically arranged to frame and shelter the arrangement. A little twist in the leaves adds character.


Last comes the delphs, which are used as "filler." The arrangement should not look crowded and busy, so much as it should look full and spontaneous. In short, flowers artfully poised as symbolic and
illustrative expressions.

I sat before my finished work of art, smug and satisfied. The arrangement before me was everything I had ever dreamed it to be: elegant, expressive, naturally flowing, and (least of all) an expression of ME.

"Owarimashita," I cried triumphantly and moved aside for all to see.
Sensei pondered my arrangement for some time, gazing upon it respectfully before emitting a much humored "cute."

Cute? Cute!

I guess that is not such a bad thing.

It wasn't, at least, until she asked if she could move some pieces around to their correct position.

"Of course!" I answered, ever eager to learn. But then I watched with growing trepidation as she took one piece after the other until finally the arrangement was striped of its "cuteness" and created whole... and new...

sigh.

Though perhaps not the protégé that I thought I would be, this doesn't mean the end of my Ikebana career. I foresee great things in the near future in all things symbolically representing man, earth and sky. And if all else fails, I am beginning tea ceremony classes on Saturday with Aki...