I’ve never been a morning person. I like my days to begin gradually. Perhaps that’s why our present work schedule agrees so well with me. Not having to leave for work until noon or later most days is great! I guess it’s good that I feel this way as another class was added to my schedule yesterday and from now on I’ll be working until 9:00 p.m. on Mondays instead of 7:00. I now have the dubious honour of being the MIL teacher with the highest number of regularly scheduled teaching minutes per week.

I’m also a person who loves light. Getting up in the morning is so much easier if it’s light outside. On the other hand, I hate knowing that daylight hours are wasting away while I’m asleep. For this reason, I really think that Japan should adopt Daylight Savings Time! Right now, the sun is coming up a couple of minutes after 5:00 a.m. What a waste, especially since I don’t intend to get up for another three hours! It would seem that many of my neighbours wouldn’t agree, however. They appear to be early risers. Some of them had their first load of laundry hanging out to dry before mine made it into the washing machine this morning and since today is pick up day for cans and bottles, they started depositing those in the sacks below our window shortly after 6:00 this morning! Believe me, this is not a quiet activity!

Of course, it might be easier to get up with the neighbours if we went to bed earlier but we’re often eating dinner at 10:00 p.m. and somehow, going to bed as soon as the dishes are done just doesn’t work for me! I need some down time to relax after the day’s work. If I happen to be reading a compelling book, putting it down and going to bed is even more difficult. At the moment, on the good advice of my friend Tess, I’m reading The Time Traveller’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. It took awhile to get into but now I’m having trouble putting it down!

I teach a total of 25 classes a week at 4 different schools. Most classes are 45 to 55 minutes long though there are a few as short as 25 minutes or as long as 85. My largest class has 8 students!

My adult classes include 5 group lessons and 5 private students. Their interests and ability levels vary widely. Some are studying English because their employers require it while for others, it’s simply a hobby. My students include school teachers, a librarian, a computer programmer, an accountant, retired people and several housewives.

My 15 children’s classes include my Saturday morning playgroup with 4 preschoolers. They learn basic English vocabulary through games, songs and stories. Our first lessons have been focused on learning the colours. I’ve learned red (akai), green (midori) and white (shiroi) in Japanese through listening to them! Fortunately, their absorbent little minds are picking up more than that from me! Another interesting children’s class is my returnees. Returnees are students who have lived in an English speaking country for a period of time and who are trying to maintain the English that they’ve already learned. My class is made up of 3 eight and nine year old girls. It includes one student who technically isn’t a returnee. Arisa is a new student at MIL and is perhaps our most unusual. She was taught English at home by her mother who has also never lived outside Japan. At eight years old, this little girl speaks the language fluently and has read all the Harry Potter books! Her English is better than either of her classmates and she wouldn’t fit into any other children’s class at our school. Some of those kids are still learning the alphabet while others are learning basic reading and conversational skills.

A typical school day begins with a 15 minute walk to Kita Narashino school, the main school closest to our home. The school has a reception area, a teachers’ work area and 4 small classrooms. It’s located on the 3rd floor of a building in a busy commercial area and accessing the school involves climbing an incredibly steep set of stairs. I can judge my improving fitness level by how much easier it’s getting to climb those stairs!

Once at Kita, we sign in, check our mailboxes, check to see if there’s anything that needs to be delivered to whichever school we’re going to that day and check the schedule to see if there have been any changes. Changes usually involve the addition of a trial lesson or a ticket private student. Trial lessons are short sample lessons given to prospective students who want to know more about our school before deciding whether or not to sign up and ticket privates are students who pay for a certain number of lessons then schedule them whenever works best for them. This means that they don’t have a regularly scheduled lesson at the same time each week and aren’t guaranteed the same teacher for each lesson. I won’t have many trial lessons or ticket privates this term as my schedule is already quite full. Rich’s schedule is a little lighter so he’ll probably have several of these.

We each stay and teach at Kita once a week. On the other four days, after our quick check-in at Kita, we head off to the train station about a block away and depart for whichever school we’re at that day. Rich and I teach at the same school on Tuesdays but the rest of the week we’re off in different directions. Our days don’t necessarily begin or end at the same time either so keeping track of our schedules can be quite a challenge!

My earliest class is the Saturday morning playgroup at 11:30 but most days, I don’t start teaching until between 2:00 and 3:30 p.m. My days end between 7:00 and 8:30 p.m. Breaks between classes can vary from 5 minutes to a couple of hours though mine are pretty tightly scheduled this term. My longest break is about an hour. Breaks are generally used for lesson planning. Unlike at home in Canada, we don’t do any homework. Lesson planning is all done before, between and after classes. Saturday is my most grueling day with 7 classes between 11:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. so I try to fit in planning for that day earlier in the week. Now that we’ve become more familiar with the various textbooks and teaching resources that are available to us, planning is generally fairly quick. Of course, that’s never been our favourite part of teaching. For both of us, when we enter the classroom and are face to face with the students, the teacher in us comes alive and the fun really begins!

We were supposed to go on a church picnic this afternoon but it was canceled because it poured rain overnight and was still very chilly and wet this morning.   Since many people had packed picnic lunches, even more than usual stayed and ate together after this morning’s service.  Once again, we took advantage of this opportunity to spend time getting to know people.

Afterward, we headed off to Lalaport.  We’ve been told that it’s Asia’s largest mall and it’s right here in Funabashi!  Though it has over 500 stores, it isn’t as big as West Edmonton Mall and doesn’t have all the entertainment facilities found there.  I found the layout much more confusing, however.  Of course, I’ve been shopping West Ed since Phase One opened over 25 years ago so I’ve kind of grown with it.  Even so, I tend to prefer smaller malls and, if I ever have any serious shopping to do, I’ll probably return to one of the two smaller ones that we’ve already explored.  Of course, a cool wet Sunday afternoon might not have been the best time to visit a major mall!  Everyone in the Greater Tokyo area seemed to have the same idea and the crowds probably rivaled West Ed at Christmas time!  Since we were only browsing, however, the large number of people and the line ups at the tills didn’t really bother us.

We’ve sort of fallen into the habit of going out for supper on Sunday evenings.  After a day of exploring, it beats coming home and making a meal!  Since there are many restaurants to choose from within walking distance of home, we usually come back to our area to eat.  Tonight we decided to try an Indian restaurant that had been recommended by one of our fellow teachers.  I was a little worried about how the spicy food would affect my stomach, which has been bothering me again lately, but I think I must have shocked it into submission!  The curry was definitely hot but that was several hours ago now and I haven’t suffered any ill effects so far.  Touch wood!

A yukata is a light cotton kimono.  Unlike the traditional kimono, which is a complicated and very expensive garment, the yukata is inexpensive and easy to wear.  Though they are apparently a common sight on summer evenings, they are more often used for relaxing at home.  Before we came to Japan, I had decided that I wanted one to use mainly as a dressing gown.   I bought it at Hayashi Kimono when we went to Ginza on Sunday.  It’s a tiny shop tucked into a narrow and crowded shopping arcade but is advertised as Tokyo’s largest kimono boutique for foreigners.   The staff speak English and the gentleman who waited on me was incredibly helpful.  In spite of the fact that it was obvious that I didn’t intend to spend a great deal, he encouraged me to try on as many garments as I liked before making a choice.  He graciously showed me a variety of colour choices and tied each one carefully so it would look it’s best on me.  My yukata is brighter and more colourful than many but the more subdued colours made me look completely washed out.

Each yukata comes with a narrow belt made of the same fabric but when the salesman showed me how much better they look with the wider silk sash in a contrasting colour, I decided to buy one of those as well.  The entire ensemble cost me only 5400 yen (about $54).  The fabric is a very fine cotton and is completely washable.

Before we came to Japan, our employer sent us a handy little book entitled “Living  Japanese Style”.  It gives a couple of important tips for wearing the yukata correctly.  Apparently, I need to remember to cross the left side over the right when dressing.  Crossing the right side over the left would be a terrible faux pas as this is done only when dressing a corpse!  Apparently, I would also be laughed at if I wore my yukata with shoes.  Since it would look completely ridiculous with most of my shoes, this won’t likely be a problem.  Special sandals and socks for wearing with kimono are sold here but I doubt I’d ever find any to fit.  If I ever do decide to go out in my yukata, I could probably get away with wearing it with my flip flops.

Today was my day off and I’d decided that finding somewhere to get my hair cut was a priority. I usually have it cut every six weeks and it had been over eight. Thick and unruly at the best of times, it becomes even more curly and unmanageable in humid conditions such as we’re experiencing here. I was desperate!

Finding a salon was no problem at all. There are several within easy walking distance. Choosing one and making an appointment when I don’t speak the language was another matter. I was determined, however. Obviously, I couldn’t live here for a year without having my hair cut so I pulled out my trusty Japanese phrasebook and wrote down “yoyaku o shitai no desu ga” (I’d like to make an appointment) and “heya-kat-to” (haircut). Armed with my note and the phrasebook, which also lists handy things like the days of the week, I set out to conquer the problem.

The only salon that had been recommended to me was Earth Hair. It was also the first salon I saw when I arrived here and I walk by it almost every day. I had pretty much ruled it out, however. Earth Hair is big and it’s all windows, mirrors and stainless steel. Like most Japanese salons, the prices are listed outside and they are significantly higher than the other shops in the area. A cut and blow dry is 3900 yen (approximately $39) and that’s if it’s done by a lowly stylist rather than a managing stylist or one of the many other higher ups such as the artistic director. I had come to the conclusion that it was just a little too posh for the likes of me.

As I was walking walking by some of the other salons this morning, checking their prices and trying to decide which one to venture into, I passed by a girl handing out advertising fliers. This is not at all unusual in Japan. Often, I refuse the offering knowing that it will likely be printed entirely in Japanese and that it will be of absolutely no use to me. For some reason, this morning, however, I reached out and took what was offered and what do you suppose it was? An advertisement for a promotion at Earth Hair! Amongst the Japanese, there were four English words offering a cut and blow dry for 2500 yen, approximately the same price it would be at any of the other shops! Must be a sign, I thought, and headed back to Earth Hair!

As soon as I entered, I was greeted by a girl behind the front counter. I asked if she spoke English but she didn’t. Neither did either of the other two girls behind the counter. I pulled out the flier and pointed to the cut and blow dry ad. The girl asked me something and I must have looked blank so she pointed toward the stylists at work. I nodded not knowing for sure what I was agreeing to and she indicated that I should give her my coat. I didn’t have to make an appointment, I was being offered a haircut on the spot! Bonus! One of the other girls came around the counter and took my purse, hat and umbrella then gestured to the chairs in the waiting area.

As I sat down to wait, I knew that I still had one more hurdle to overcome. I had to communicate to the stylist that I wanted my hair thinned. The phrasebook was no help at all but I quickly grabbed one of the hairstyle books and found a picture of a fairly short textured looking cut. When I showed it to the stylist, he looked a bit dubious but got to work. Noticing that I was holding my glasses, he rushed off and came back with a glasses case for me to put them in. He worked meticulously, cutting my hair dry then wetting it and blowing it dry. When he finished, he handed me my glasses and held up the mirror for me to check the back. A look of great relief crossed his face when I smiled and gave him a thumbs up indicating that I was happy with the results. He handed me a key with the number 12 on it and headed to the front counter. Following him, I wondered what the key was for until I spotted the lockers and realized that my purse and other belongings were safely stowed in locker #12! One of the girls brought me my coat and helped me into it. As soon as I paid the stylist he rushed to the front door, held it open for me while I exited and, in true Japanese style, bowed to me as I left!

For those readers for whom today’s title makes no sense, Katie is my hairdresser back home in Sedgewick.  And no, this isn’t how I dress on a regular basis!  I’ll tell you about the outfit another day.

According to new census data released by Statistics Canada last week, visible minorities have surpassed the five million mark as immigrants from Asia continue to change the face of Canada at a staggering rate.  Visible minorities now comprise more than 16% of the country’s population and should that trend continue, Statistics Canada predicts that one in five Canadians will be a visible minority by 2017, when the country turns 150 years old.

So what is it like to be a visible minority?  In Canada, many face language barriers, discrimination, culture shock and the rejection of foreign credentials.  I completely understand the language barrier.  While we have found Japanese people very helpful, not knowing the language is definitely a handicap to daily living and were we planning to stay longer than a year, we would be making a much bigger effort to learn the language.   Of course, because we’re here to teach English, not knowing the language doesn’t stop us from working but in any other field, we’d be unemployable.

As a visible minority, we really have not experienced discrimination.  In fact, if anything, looking different from those around us is an asset.  People don’t expect us to understand the language or the customs and, though some just ignore us, most are very willing to help in any way they can.  On occasion, there are those who clearly choose not to sit next to us on the train but there are few of them and no one is outwardly rude to us.  That would be so unJapanese!  MIL has on staff, at the moment, several young teachers of Japanese American descent and I think life is actually more difficult for them. Because they look Japanese, people automatically assume that they are and expect them to understand the language and the culture.

For the most part, as I go about my daily life here in Japan, I forget how visibly different I am from those around me!  In fact, once in awhile when I catch my reflection in a train window, I’m surprised at how different I do look!  Japanese women value pale skin, however, so my difference is not looked at as unattractive.  MIL also employs several black teachers and I don’t know what their experience has been.

Perhaps the biggest handicap to immigrants in Canada, visible or otherwise, has been the rejection of their foreign credentials and work experience.  Of course, there need to be checks of some sort to ensure that their qualifications meet Canadian standards.  Obviously, I don’t want a doctor whose medical training has been inadequate operating on me.  On the other hand, we are facing a doctor shortage in Canada while we have medical professionals driving taxi!  Surely, if we’re going to allow or even encourage them to immigrate, something could be done to provide the upgrading that they might need in order to begin to practice.  Instead we have professionals working in low paying service jobs who could be contributing in much more valuable ways and whose lives would be much more fulfilling if they were able to pursue their chosen field.

Fortunately for us, our credentials as teachers are highly valued here in Japan.  In order to teach at a language school such as MIL, one doesn’t have to have a teaching degree, but Japanese law does require a university degree of some sort.  Richard and I are very highly respected, however, especially by the Japanese staff members and the students because we are “professional” teachers and it is clearly a feather in MIL’s cap that they are now able to advertise themselves as a school that employs professional teachers!

After church yesterday we stayed and ate lunch with many of the people there then headed into Tokyo to see Ginza, one of the city’s famed shopping areas. It was an interesting place to browse but Ginza appears to me to be Japan meets downtown Manhattan or any of the world’s other snobbish and opulent shopping areas. It reminded me of walking Chicago’s Magnificent Mile when I attended a conference in that city some twenty years ago. The streets are lined with swanky stores like Gucci, Prada, Christian Dior, Tiffany’s and Chanel. Customers are greeted by uniformed doormen as they enter. We went into only one such store, a place where watches sell for upwards of $3000 and purses for over $1300! Needless to say, we didn’t open our wallets or stay long. It actually felt quite obscene to me!

On Sunday afternoons, many of the streets of Ginza are blocked to traffic. Seats are even set out in the middle of the street for those who want to take a break from walking or shopping. Interestingly, I noticed that, in spite of the wide open streets, the Japanese tended to stay to the sidewalks. Perhaps they feel more comfortable in a crowd!

Ginza had a much more international flavour than most of the places we’ve visited and many who were there were clearly tourists. I hope they see more of Japan than that or they really won’t have seen Japan at all!

Just before nightfall, we stopped at a luxurious little coffee shop where I enjoyed a cafe mocha and Richard sipped a maple milk latte while the sun went down. Starbuck’s seemed to be around every corner but this was a Tully’s and, with the exception of the Japanese signage, it could have been tucked into any North American city. Unlike everywhere else we’ve been recently, McDonald’s was conspicuously absent from Ginza!

Ginza was definitely a place to see lit up at night. In fact, the entire side of one tall building was an ever changing light show!

At 7:02 p.m. yesterday we experienced what one news report called a moderate earthquake.  Apparently it registered a magnitude of 5.0 and was centered about 60 km north of Tokyo, so not too far from here.

Richard and I were between classes at our respective schools so there was no one around except us and the Japanese receptionists.  In both cases, they seemed considerably more frightened than we did.  Perhaps we’re too naive to be afraid!  The buildings definitely rattled and shook but it wasn’t nearly violent enough to cause any damage or serious concern.

In spite of our somewhat relaxed attitude, earthquakes definitely are something to take seriously here.  Every school has a disaster response notice posted showing where we should evacuate to in the case of a serious quake.  A couple of weeks ago, we received by mail from the City of Funabashi a 62 page multilingual disaster prevention guide complete with maps of the area and information on safety precautions as well as evacuation areas and shelters.  It is provided specifically for the use of foreigners living within the city.  Hopefully we never have to use it!

I especially love watching the little lady who lives in the corner house across from us. Whenever the weather allows, she’s outside in the mornings working on her planters and it’s been a delight to watch her flowers bloom. Like many elderly Japanese women, she is very stooped over, probably the result of malnutrition during wartime. She can hardly move around but she tends her plants with great care and keeps her yard looking absolutely clean and tidy. She appears to live alone but several women drop by on a regular basis. One, perhaps a daughter, is there most days.

Across from the elderly lady, an old man is often observed out working in his yard. One day I noticed that he was taking a break from gardening and practicing his golf swing. He didn’t have a club in hand but a fellow golfer recognizes that motion! I’m a little worried about him right now though as he has a terrible cough. Walls are thin here and I can hear him from here!

We also love watching the tiny children who gather with their mothers at the corner just down from us each morning to wait for the bright yellow bus that picks them up to take them to preschool. They look absolutely adorable in their little uniforms!

In addition to being able to watch life unfolding around us, there is a definite bonus to living where we do. On a very clear morning, we can see Mt. Fuji from our window!

We love our neighbourhood, a quiet residential area made up of small apartment buildings and private homes. Streets are narrow and buildings are close together but people do have small yards that they tend with great care. The area is safe, peaceful and very clean. Yesterday was a good example. On Tuesdays people put out recyclable cans and bottles for pick up. Sacks are provided for this purpose. Yesterday was extremely windy, however, and the sacks kept blowing over and emptying themselves. As pop cans rattled their way down the street, neighbours scurried out of their homes to pick them up! It was almost comical to watch. I’ve also seen people out sweeping the edge of the street in front of their property, cleaning up leaves and debris that have fallen from their trees. I can’t imagine such a thing happening back home.

Many of the homes in our area appear to be three generational with children, parents and grandparents living together. There are lots of kids in the neighbourhood. In fact, most mornings they’re our alarm clock as they pass beneath our window on their way to the nearby elementary school at about 7:45 every morning laughing and calling to one another. We’ve missed that this week as the school year ended recently. It’s basically year round schooling here, however, so they’ll be back in school next week.

Though our immediate surroundings are very peaceful, there are two train stations, one of our main schools and a busy commercial area all within easy walking distance. There are also two department stores each with a large grocery section less than a kilometer away. We’re fortunate in that two train lines intersect at one of our nearest stations so it’s easy to go in any direction from here.

Last week we acquired a bike from a teaching couple who were leaving to go back to the States. They sold it to us for 2000 yen, approximately $20! We also bought computer speakers from them for 300 yen and they threw in a folding canvas chair, a couple of cushions and a kitchen clock for nothing! I went for my first bike ride today and discovered a great park, also within easy walking distance from here. In fact, it’s right across the street from the post office. We’d seen the ball diamonds before but didn’t realize that they are at one end of the park which also contains tennis courts, gardens, a big playground area and many cherry trees! The park was crowded with people this afternoon and as is the custom at this time of year, many of them were picnicking under the cherry blossoms.

I wasn’t sure how well I’d navigate the bike up some of the hills around here but apparently all the walking this past month has been good preparation. Like most of the bikes here, ours is very basic with no gears but I cruised up the hills with little difficulty!