Memories of Japan, part 2: The National and Prefectural JET Orientations, 1997
Jun 12 '09 (Updated Jul 31 '09)
The Bottom Line In this article, I explore the first two weeks I spent on the JET Programme.
As I wrote in Part 1 (http://www.epinions.com/content_5186822276), I had successfully applied for and was accepted into the JET Programme, a teaching program sponsored by the Japanese Ministry of Education to recruit and import English teachers from across the globe. In Part 2, I reminisce about my first two weeks on the JET Programme, namely while attending the National and Prefectural orientations organized by the JET Programme.
Flight to Tokyo
On July 27, 1997, my Japan Airlines flight left Los Angeles International Airport at around 12 pm. I settled into business class, enjoying the wide leatherette seats and boring the life out of the woman (another teacher who had joined the JET Programme) who sat next to me. I could not help but talk constantly about Japanese history and culture, sprewing forth the years of knowledge I had accrued as a student of the Japanese major. The woman was attentive and appeared to be interested, though my future wife (who happened to sit behind and to the left of me) recalled how much of a blowhard and know-it-all I sounded like. She recalls this with the best humor, of course.
After an 11-hour flight, the jumbo jet touched down at Narita International Airport, located in the outskirts of Tokyo. I remember exiting the airport and being hit with the thickest, hottest humidity I had ever personally encountered. Being from Southern California, I had never encountered such humidity as it is usually a dry heat in Los Angeles. However, this humidity was new to me, covering me with a heat that permeated my clothing.
All the JETs that landed at that time were escorted with bags in tow to highway buses. We all rode for what felt like two hours to Shinjuku, which is Tokyo's business district. I checked into the Keio Plaza Hotel at around 5 or 6 pm, went up to my room, set down my bags, and then went out with my fellow L.A. JETs to check out Tokyo.
Walking around Shinjuku with 15 other people, I could not help but feel great elation and wonder. This was my first trip out of the United States. Yet, more pivotal than that, this was the first time I got to experience first-hand the country that I had studied for four years. The neon signs, the narrow streets, the people -- I found it hard to believe that I was finally in Japan.
The National JET Orientation
Upon landing in Tokyo, the JET Programme organized a three-day orientation for incoming assistant language teachers and international relations coordinators. Considering the sheer numbers of JETs accepted and imported into Japan from many of the English-speaking countries of the world, the JET Programme powers-that-be saw fit to divide Orientation attendance into two groups. The Los Angeles group of JETs, along with JETs from several other regions and nations, comprised the second wave of JETs, and was made up of over 1,500 (if I recall correctly) people. The opening address was a spectacle in itself as multiple hotel conference rooms were combined into one auditorium of teeming humanity. People in suits and dress clothes took in introductory remarks.
Shortly thereafter, for two-and-a-half days, we all were free to choose classes addressing issues to prepare us for language teaching in high schools and junior high schools. I do not remember much about what I learned during those three days, but I do remember the excitement of nighttime and exploring shopping streets, Shibuya, and some of the nearby massive electronics stores. I got to know my acquaintance from the Nikkei Student Union, John (the guy I mentioned in the first article), as well as my future wife, who was becoming a friend. I also remember the eggs served at breakfast everyday -- they were runny scrambled eggs. And the milk... it was creamy and tasted a little burnt. I would learn later that Japanese dairy companies flash pasteurize their milk, boiling the milk at 105 (?) degrees Celsius for 3 seconds as opposed to heating the milk at 60 degrees Celsius for 30 seconds. My memory on this point is spotty, but the taste of oddly-burnt milk was one of which I had to become accustomed... at least until I found the slow-pasteurized milk!
Flight to Nagasaki and the Prefectural Orientation
After three days in Tokyo, all JETs were shunted to buses that took them to Haneda Airport, from where they were then sent to one of the 47 prefectures and 2 municipalities (Tokyo and Osaka, I think) in Japan. I had chosen Nagasaki-ken ("-ken" is Japanese for prefecture, a kind of county/state governmental delineation) and was assigned to Hirado Island, which is a small island off the northwest coast of Kyushu, the southernmost of the four major islands. Thus, I boarded a bus with all the Nagasaki-ken JETs.
On that bus, I met the JET with whom I would spend my time on Hirado -- a Canadian JET named Daniel. As he and I were sports fans, Daniel and I immediately became fast friends. He was a passionate Blue Jays fan and I just liked sports in general, so we talked about that. Then, we talked about our other shared passion -- 80s music. His knowledge of 80s music was extensive. More importantly, though, I sensed a man of a similar character to me: earnest, sincere, and not predisposed to partying and carousing. He seemed, and proved to be, a straightforward guy of a laidback character, but with strong convictions in his faith and outlook on life. I appreciated these characteristics.
After boarding an Air Nippon flight from Haneda Airport, Daniel, the rest of the Nagasaki JETs, and I landed in Nagasaki at an airport built on an artificial island. The Japanese are well-known for "reclaiming" land (i.e. adding earth to shoreline to extend it) and constructing islands, so Nagasaki Airport was a curiosity.
A one-hour bus ride took us all to the heart of Nagasaki, near its Chinatown. We were then booked into a business hotel overlooking a shopping street of fishmongers, small grocers, and a Daiei supermarket. We all had private rooms, thankfully, as opposed to the Tokyo Orientation where I had a roommate (I don't remember him, which means he must have been decent).
The Nagasaki JET Orientation for new arrivals was five days long. We learned about the ins-and-outs of teaching in Japan, team teaching, lesson planning, and survival. Sadly, I do not remember much about those training sessions, but, like Tokyo, it was the time spent after training that was most fun. One night, my new friend, Daniel, and I went to a "beer garden" on a boat (i.e. an outdoor beer bar) along with several of the new JETs. What was memorable about that was that Daniel and I opted to walk back to the hotel, but got lost. We strolled and chatted for a few hours before we finally hailed a cab, but that, in a way, established a pattern: Daniel (and a few other JETs) and me on the margin, and then the party people in the majority group. The JET Programme felt a little like high school in that regard: there was an "In Crowd" and then the rest.
The Anatomy of a JET Participant
Before I continue, I should describe the character of most of the JETs I had encountered in Nagasaki and in other prefectures. As I found in my year in the JET Programme, the program seems to appeal to certain people. Generally, JET looks for people who are gregarious, personable, motivated, and adaptable to entirely new social situations. One does not have to (and ideally should not) speak Japanese; in fact, the less Japanese one spoke, the more one's students would be compelled to speak English. This tendency was shown to me as someone I knew was rejected, probably on the grounds of his not being outgoing and being rather shy and reserved. The JET Programme seemed to prefer cheerful, enthusiastic people who liked people, and with good reason: for the most part, JETs are entertainers who are hired to teach English, but to do so in an engaging way.
That said, the downside of this selection criteria is that the program was dominated by party people, which meant lots of drinking and rumors of carousing and ...er... fraternizing. I don't mean to seem prudish (which I may have been and still am), but I was never predisposed to big groups and drinking; I enjoy smaller groups with deeper conversation and sobriety. Besides, I never acquired a taste for alcohol. I like sodas, though... And energy drinks... A lot of them. In any case, Daniel and I were somewhat exceptional among the JETs we encountered. Within a few days of arriving in Nagasaki, rumors were already flying about JETs sleeping together, making out, and so on. Drunken exploits were often the topics of conversation at the start of each training session. I recall Daniel and I often rolling our eyes at the relative disregard for decorum. But, what do I know? I must have been a prude.
One thing I should note is that it is not that earnest people do not drink, and it is not that party people are bad people, per se -- what I am saying is that people who consistently drink themselves to drunkenness as teachers in JET are often not the most earnest people about teaching and being in Japan.
Anyway, during those five days of the Nagasaki Orientation, a class system of JETs became apparent to me, numbered in no particular order and based on motivations and demeanor:
1) The Traveler: Some people were motivated to join the JET Programme by the promise of Asian travel and the opportunity to live in a foreign country. Many of these travelers, though well-meaning folk, were usually party people, though there were some earnest people in the mix.
2) The Scholar: These people were motivated to learn about the various facets of Japan. I fit into this group, for the most part. Scholars were the ones who dove headlong into relating with grassroots Japanese people and were generally among the more earnest and focused JETs. I would say that Daniel fit into this category even more than I did.
3) The College Debtor: These people were a mixed bag, to be sure. Some people joined the JET Programme to pay off school loans, which is as admirable a motive as any. I had several friends who joined JET partially for this reason, so I don't have anything to say against them. I would contend that this class of JETs were also quite earnest to do well on the job and pay off loans. However, there were those who were merely escaping debts -- that subset seemed primarily to be comprised of partiers who were more on the depressed or angry side of things.
4) The Escapee: Some JETs joined the program to escape from their lives in their home countries. Some escaped because of debt (see Class 3), some escaped for personal reasons and catharsis, and some escaped responsibilities at home.
5) The Aimless and Uncertain: In some ways, I fit into this category. What was I supposed to do after graduation? What job did I want? I wanted to teach, but in high school? Several JETs had at least partial membership to this class, like me.
6) The Partier: Some appeared to join JET to have fun, meet the opposite sex, and exercise as much carnality as possible. I cannot see this as the overriding reason for anyone to join JET, but many JETs seemed to either fall into this class immediately upon arrival or came to be in it shortly thereafter.
7) The Evangelist: There were also a small number of JETs who joined to spread the Gospel. This motive, in retrospect, is one I greatly admire. Often, JET provided a means through which a Christian could get a taste of missionary work and evangelism in Japan, which is one of the more evangelism-friendly countries in Asia. That said, some Evangelists (like the one that lived on the island which neighbored Hirado) were a bit condescending and haught with their faith. Such a demeanor is counterproductive, but was sadly endemic to some of this subset of JETs. Otherwise, Evangelists comprised the most earnest of the JET participants.
These classes of JETs were not clear delineations: many JETs appeared to be members of two or more classes, but I know that I never could relate to Escapees and Partiers, and, oddly enough, I found that primarily-predisposed Travelers seemed to have a tendency towards marijuana and a neo-Hippie lifestyle.
Going to Hirado
As the five days of the Nagasaki Orientation wound down, I recall being relieved to leave. I had had enough of English speakers, partiers, drunken people, and feeling marginalized. By Friday of that week of the prefectural orientation, I was eager to proceed to my next destination.
That day, one of the teachers at the school to which I was assigned arrived to pick me up. His name was Kanemoto: he was about my height, which was tall for a Japanese man, he wore glasses, and he was tan. Apparently, he had just returned from vacation, which was almost taboo for teachers to take, even during the vacation months. He was also only a couple of years older than me, so he had a youthful outlook: with no family responsibilities, he was merely a Japanese guy in his twenties who was more interested in enjoying his free time than working. This was an oddity among Japanese people, so I could sense that Kanemoto-sensei was different and oddly American-like, much like Gedde Watanabe's character in the Michael Keaton movie, "Gung Ho." Despite this, Kanemoto-sensei would quickly prove that he was as staunchly Japanese as many of the other teachers I would meet.
Next Article...
In the next article, I will cover Hirado Island, as well as my role as a high school assistant language teacher and the apartment in which I lived.
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