Izakaya Food

Aji fry, Shishamo, and side dishes.

As Seen on TV': Lawson's Sapporo Miso Ramen

Supposed to be the bomb.

The verdict: rich miso flavor, as promised At about 200¥, cost performance (an expression I despise, but there it is) I eat cup men infrequently; my gustatory habits won't be changing.

University Cafeteria Lunch

Character of the Year: 熊

Check out this video, "2025 漢字" https://share.google/YwYVXDBI3ESiA0kMv

An ALT in Japan

The Mainichi is running this in it's opinion section. As a former municipal ALT with 16 years' experience, I feel qualified to share a few observations. Assistant Language Teacher: 外国人指導助手 (助手= assistant). The author states "the Ministry of Education insisted (is that the word?) foreign educators (ALTs) be labeled 'assistants', not 'teachers'" when the program was established. They are in fact both: teaching assistants. Further: "The goal was simple: introduce international contact while preserving domestic authority." I sense the author regards "preserving domestic authority" as somehow problematic. Allow me to demur: Foreign teachers who lack Japanese teaching qualifications and possesss limited Japanese skills work under authority of local school officials, as is right and proper. (For that matter, the same is true of both Japanese ALTs and licensed teachers.) "The same job title produces vastly different experiences -- sometimes empowering, sometimes unsettling." I am afraid that is the case with most jobs (and in life, generally) and is certainly not unique to nor the product of the ALT title. What is missing from this broad statement is reference to the personalities and practices of the individuals involved. Even a veteran, effective ALT may encounter the gamut of classroom experiences at a single school, from considerable freedom and responsibility in one class to constraint and disengagement in another. This is not the fault of the "ALT title". That's just how it is. (Professional athletes know a thing or two about this experience.) "Yet the ALT system -- the country's largest point of contact between Japanese youth and international residents -- has barely evolved since 1987." This is simply naive, uninformed; perhaps it is disingenuous.The program has grown from its birth in 1987 as the Japan Exchange and Teaching program with 848 participants from four countries to over 10,000 ALTs representing dozens today (including Japan- why is our correspondent mum on the subject of his Japanese ALT colleagues?). Moreover, senior municipal ALTs now advise local education authorities on matters pertaining to foreign teachers. This is not mere expansion but also evolution. "What Japan's schools have taught me, after 16 years, is that change does not begin in ministries or boardrooms. It begins in classrooms". Has the writer served on boards, worked in ministries? The changes the author advocates, in title and status, will originate (if at all) not in classrooms but meeting rooms at the local BOE if not the Education Ministry itself. Symbolic openness If you're keeping score: foreign teacher at public schools, permanent residency (given the 16 years and family), national health care... Not openness but mere empty promise (like the Statue of Liberty) ? I could go on, but won't. My advice: put in your seven hours a day, then go about your business. Do you really want to attend interminable meetings, deal with difficult parents, or undertake the myriad of onerous tasks facing Japanese teachers day in and day out? Accept the ALT job for what it is- it's not a bad gig, there are many worse. Or quit (as I did). If you want more out of your teaching career, consider working at a private school (which will arrange for a provisional license if you're teaching solo) or in tertiary education.

Is Life Better in Japan? But of Course.

Safe. National health care. Superior food. Public transportation that works. Affordable higher education. Affordable housing. Government that functions. Government not curtailing one's reproductive options. And on and on. Cherish your indispensable country, MAGA.

What's in the Chips?

Imported potatoes, snacks, and other items contain traces of chemicals banned in Japan. This: https://earlybirds.ddo.jp/bunseki/report/agr/potatochips/1st/index.html

Wherefore the Clapping of Hands?

Writing in the late 1900s, Lafcadio Hearn reports that templegoers clap the hands thrice before praying to the Buddhist gods. Why three times?, he asks on a visit to a temple in Kamakura. His guide: once each for the Sansai, the three powers: Heaven, Earth, and Humankind. Hearn: Is the clapping meant to summon the gods? No, replies the student of the religion (the temple guide speaks English- Hearn himself never learned much Japanese)- it is to awaken oneself from the slumber that is existence, and from which prayer frees us. Apparently this practice of clapping has been discontinued since Hearn's day. https://www.kantsuji.tokyo/information/column/1592/

Eikando Temple, Kyoto

Sunday evening news digest:lead story the fall color at Eikando. Home page: 永観堂(Eikando,Kyoto) https://share.google/MC8A2rkRD7cRimEGB Photos: 永観堂紅葉

Sunday TV: Little House in the Mountains

Available here (tonight's episode from 徳島 is especially good). ポツンと一軒家 | TVer https://share.google/aCrXSdAKW7TCAAXqx

Asahi "Vox Populi" on the Unfolding American Tragedy

VOX POPULI: Insolent Trump presidency is the joke that is no laughing matter | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis https://share.google/ArxbHxiBpejkUjtWZ

Surprise, Surprise: Another Member of the LDP Takaichi Cabinet Embroiled in Scandal; and, WorkX5

This time it's Finance Minister Katayama Satsuki, one of only two female ministers in government (after PM Takaichi pledged "Scandi-level" female appointments). The PM has downplayed the seriousness of her party's financial promiscuity, refusing to tackle the issue head-on (by banning corporate donations) despite overwhelming public support for such legislation. Plus ca change... https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/c23bd4f8a12804503ff7db5592822f0f11848a9b Anyhow, Takaichi was recently recognized for her contribution to Japanese popular culture in her declaration- promise/ exhortation 働いて 働いて 働いた 働いて 働いて. Maybe twice would have been enough. There's a Japanese word for that, Takaichi: 過労死。

Sumo Emperor's Cup

The tournament ended a few minutes ago, the champion a first-year student (18 or 19) at 日本大 university. A future professional wrestler, no doubt. https://www.youtube.com/live/Y0QIwtDg5r4?si=PW-IARYuqagiYPmv

Touching Story, Sexy Car

https://youtu.be/UiYliMxhuXE?si=kJCNUh_iWiMcgS7Y Makes one want to drive a Nissan.

Yuki Onna: 雪女

Yuki Onna is a Japanese tale of the supernatural first introduced to Western readers by Lafcadio Hearn, or 小泉 八雲 as he is known in Japan. My copy is a graded reader level 4 in the series, or N2 on the Japanese language proficiency test. The kanji are accompanied by furigana readings for ease of understanding.

Sample page:

Crow Boy: からす たろう

Excellent 絵本 by やしま たろう。First published in English by Viking. I strongly recommend this book. It could change your perspective on a lot of things. Do read.

Smorgasbord

Photos

Lower photo: ザクロ、or pomegranate

Monumental Cleaning

Vending Machines

The vending machine, or 自動販売機、shortened form 自販機。This week's Vox Populi column in the Asahi celebrates vending machines stocked with hot canned drinks to warm the hands and soul on cool autumn days. From Ozaki Yutaka's song "15の夜" (1983): “Warmth you can buy with a hundred-yen coin, gripping a can of hot coffee tight.” Live version: Check out this video from this search, 尾崎豊 15の夜 https://share.google/utiJQ6gDkniymGElJ VOX POPULI: The charms of a vending machine with hot drinks on colder days | The Asahi Shimbun: https://share.google/VdwtvNkJLujs7FW4X