english teaching in japan and ALT musings

Today I was team teaching in a class, and watching the kids chant their usual dictation in various ways, over and over. Many high school English classes here seem to consist of word memorisation, pronunciation practice of isolated words, and repeated drilling of passages. As a result, students can achieve high comprehension levels but are shy about speaking off script (ie. in every day life) and find it more difficult to express themselves. 

It's taken me a while to get used to this: a couple of weeks ago I was asked to start the class by pronouncing a list of words for the students to repeat. They were pretty complex - things like "monarchy", "harassment", "revolution, "tyranny" and "apathy." At the end of the lesson, to fill in the last 10 minutes, I asked the kids to write a sentence or two in their journals. We'd been learning the grammar point "If I had___, I would...", so the subject was "If I had a million dollars, I would...". Many of them struggled, and I was truly surprised at the disparity of their ability in the two aspects of English learning. 

This difficulty with more spontaneous expression isn't helped by the fact that in Japan, the onus is more on the listener to understand what is being said, rather than on the speaker to be clear (one of the many subtle reversals here of social dynamics that I'm used to taking completely for granted). So, speaking with a foreigner can represent a stressful situation for a shy learner. 

However, this morning the chanting felt particularly strange and somewhat ironic. Why? The subject was media literacy and critical thinking. I couldn't help but wonder how these methods will prepare them for university and beyond - especially in a world where lateral thinking and research are fast becoming skills more prized than memorisation and regurgitation. Of course, the same could be said of the general school system in most developed countries - this article is fascinating - but for me it's particularly noticeable in Japan. 

A month ago, my main general goal for school was to foster an enthusiasm for learning English in the students, to create positive associations and illustrate ways English is relevant to their lives. Now, increasingly, I also want to help them develop ways of learning that might be a tad more relevant in the real world. I've written before about the incredible work ethic of the students here. It's common for them be in school for a 12-hour day, study till midnight, and survive on maybe 5 hours of sleep. The ill-effects of sleep-deprivation on growing brains aside, I've seen what amazing results their practicing can produce - in recitation, dance, music, sport and in their English learning. But, I also think there's more to it than putting in the hours. We learn and remember better when we are actively engaged in making decisions, testing theories and solving problems - not only acting as passive receivers. 

Once the chanting was over today, I had the students work in teams in scan a newspaper article, answer some of the questions it posed, pick out the most important parts, and summarise the main paragraphs. Even translated into Japanese, it took a while to explain what is meant by 'summarising', which I also found surprising. But, once they understood that they'd do better if they gave an answer, even if it wasn't 100% correct, they began to take risks and enjoy themselves.  

It's only now, nearly 3 months in, that I feel I'm finally getting to grips with the varying tones and levels of each class, what turns them on and off, and to remember names and faces: the keen beans, the power nappers, the shy but gifted ones, the whisperers. I have a lot to learn, but as each week passes I'm becoming just as involved in my job as in the taiko, tea and travel. 

osaka part 2: big wheels, purikura and jellyfish

We spent the rest our afternoon in Minami, which is packed with shops, arcades, cafes and garish street signs. This particular one in Dotonbori is called the Gilco Man, and is apparently a famous sight - thanks for the tip-off Hana! He's been around since 1935 and is altered for various events like the World Cup and to support the Osaka Baseball team, the Hanshin Tigers. 

  

 

We browsed some exquisitely named shops... and of course, we couldn't leave without a purikura session. 

G proved to be a complete natural. 

As evening fell we decided to make our way to another Osaka date spot, the Tempozan Giant Ferris wheel. On our way we passed a pragmatic approach to a common problem: when I bought my iPhone I found the camera shutter sound couldn't be disabled, apparently because men like to take pictures under women's skirts on the tube...

In between bouts of paralysing fear, the view was pretty nice. 

 

Back in Kita, after more wandering through stations and tunnels, we found an awesome place to eat an Osaka speciality, okonomiyaki (basically an awesome omelette stuffed with octopus, bacon, cabbage, and topped with cheese and barbecue sauce). 

We passed the time by watching the salarymen around us get more and more smashed, having consumed about two beers apiece. The tube ride was just as entertaining as we watched the normally staid, suited gentlemen help each other on and off the train, with red faces and untucked shirts (this was a Monday night...) 

Having a slightly higher alcohol tolerance, however, we started out bright and early the next morning for Osaka Aquarium back in Tempozan, supposedly one of the best in the world. Amid many shrieks of Kawaiiiiii, we spent hours winding through tropical fish, otters, sea lions, crabs, and just about every sea creature you can think of. 

 If you're in Osaka, it's definitely worth spending half a day there. 

My favourites had to be jellyfish - they were absolutely beautiful and made me wish I could use watercolours. Kind of hoping they somehow come into vogue like owls - just me?

Although these buddies come a close second. ^^ 

 

Naturally there were llamas outside. They are EVERYWHERE in Japan (so if anyone fancied a Pepe of their own, give me a buzz). 
























Our accommodation for the night was somewhat unique. Two minutes away from Namba station, it hasn't changed since the 70s and has been made accessible for travellers on airbnb by the owner's son.  

Apart from the dust and peeling wallpaper, it was amazing fun to stay in.

Minami was even more fun at night and the streets were bustling with girls dressed to the nines, businessmen accompanied by older women shuffling in kimono and tabi, salesmen, vendors and tourists. We found a quiet corner to sample sushi and sake. 

I was pleasantly surprised by a Osaka, having been given to believe that it's a bleak urban  sprawl. Instead, I found an trendy, vibrant city and brilliantly pushy, busy, no-nonsense locals. If you're in need of good food, shopping and nightlife, it's the perfect way to see the less traditional aspects of Japan. 

osaka part one: osaka-jo, umeda sky building and a CAT CAFE

It's been almost a week since I got back from visiting Osaka, Kyoto and Nara with Gabby, and my head still hasn't settled back into Miyakonojo-mode. It was a pretty fantastic trip - although saying goodbye was even harder this time. 

I'd been quite apprehensive about making my way to Osaka by myself, but it was astonishingly easy - my bus arrived at each stop on time to the minute, and it took me a grand total of of 13 minutes after arriving at the airport to be seated at my gate, coffee in hand. Japanese Efficiency strikes again. 

I couldn't resist taking some shots from the plane - the sun and the prospect of seeing G again in my most daydreamed-about city made it one of the better journeys of my life :) 

Osaka sprawled out beneath us as we landed. Famous for its food, Kansai-ben dialect and friendly locals, it promised to be a fun place to spend 3 nights. 

We somehow managed to reunite in Yodoyabashi, and headed out to see Osaka-jo, the city's 16th century castle. The current building is a 1931 reconstruction of the original, which was destroyed by various armies and rebuilt many times.

 

 G got straight into the Japanese spirit of things. 

We had a classic soba lunch set by the river, and wandered around a wee museum with some very sweet dioramas. 

That evening we made our way to the famous Umeda Sky Building, described as a "space age Arc de Triomphe and designed by the same guy who did Kyoto Station. After wandering through the Kita underpasses and super-malls for a while, utterly lost, two locals took pity on us and escorted us to the right tunnel. 

 

While admiring the view we ran into a couple who'd taken our picture at the castle earlier in the day.

The two towers are connected by a circular viewing deck, sky garden and vertigo-inducing escalator ride, all of which turned out to be the apparent hot spot for first dates in Osaka. 

Hello, UV lights.

We finished the evening in a tower block of trendy pub-eateries, people watching and ordering Peruvian nibbles, Italian anti pasti and French fries. The people in Osaka were intimidatingly stylish in general - just about every woman on the tube would be dressed impeccably and wore heels with even the most casual outfit. 

The next day we headed to Amerika-Mura, an area in Minami full of young shops and bars, that was the place to buy Zippo lighters and Americana after the war. We were to fulfill a long-held dream of mine by visiting a CAT CAFE!!!!!!!! aghhh dj fioeifj

These establishments have been on the rise in recent years, presumably as a reaction to the difficulties of pet-ownership in an urban environment and the stress of modern working life. Unfortunately they can often ben pretty sad places, but this one, Neko no Jikan, was fantastic - clean and peaceful. The cats were clearly well cared for and had their personalities and histories detailed in albums lying about the room. For 1050 yen you could have a drink, play with the kitties for an hour, and rent toys and catnip to entertain them with for a small extra charge. 

As you can see, I was QUITE happy.

 

 Yes, that is a Halloween-themed bandana on his head.

 

Exactly.  

Box friends. 

We rounded off the morning with some pork ramen by the river. Each station had folding partitions in between, and a blind could be drawn down in front of you after you circled your options on the paper menu and your food arrived from the kitchen. 

 

I'll post more about Osaka very soon. Tomorrow I run a 5km race in Aya with a fellow ALT and 2 co-workers - let's hope my hours of training (a grand total of 1 hour) pay off...