Saying Goodbye the Japanese Way

Over the next few days and weeks I’ll be coming across the last of many things.  There will be last classes, the last time visiting the three schools I work at, a last time in Motoyoshi, one last surf, my last calligraphy lesson, the last time driving my fantastic Honda Civic, and countless others.  It’s a very sad time because after all that I’ve done and experienced, it is coming to an end.  Will I come back to Motoyoshi?  Of course I will, someday.  But that could be in a year, or it could be in twenty years.  Things will be different then.  The time has come to say goodbye to what has been my life, my world for the past three years, and look forward to the next chapter in my life.  But I can’t just say goodbye anyway I please- showing respect is of utmost importance.  And in Japan that means giving lots of speeches, gifts, and having a few formal farewell drinking parties.

The Speeches

There are going to be many speeches.  Two speeches are given at each school; one to the entire student body and one in the staffroom to all of your colleagues.  There is also a speech for the people in charge of you at the board of education.  There is a farewell party with each school and most of your social circles, which all require a speech.  So why not just use the same speech?  While it might be tempting to try to use the same speech over and over, there are several reasons why this is not a good idea.  Different speeches, using varying levels of polite language will convey different (but very important) levels of respect.  You’re not going to want to come off sounding stiff and formal in front of a room full of junior high students, the same way you don’t want to sound like you’re talking with your best friend when addressing your school principal.

The Gifts

It wouldn’t be Japan without some sort of gift-giving taking place.  When you go on a trip it is standard to bring back a little gift for your co-workers.  The gifts say I’m sorry for inconveniencing you with the time I took off of work.  Leaving the workplace is no different.  It is proper decorum to bring a little gift for your colleagues. Sweets and snacks are the best for this purpose.  There are packages of sweets specifically made for these occasions and they are available anywhere throughout the country.

There are also the non-obligatory gifts that you want to give to those who you have gotten close to or those who have really helped you out a lot.  People like your supervisor, landlord, English teachers who you’ve worked directly with on a daily basis, and students you’ve gotten to know well.  A picture with a short message is a good idea.  A handwritten letter is also fitting for those who’ve helped you out a bit more.

The Enkais

An enkai is a Japanese drinking party.  There are several occasions where it is standard practice to have one of these, including when saying farewell to a colleague or friend.  This type of enkai is called a soubetsukai.  There will be a soubetsukai with probably every social circle you are a part of in Japan.  There is an soubetsukai with each school staff room, your board of education, past co-workers, other foreign assistant language teachers, and any sports or hobby groups you have been a part of.  What happens at these parties?  You sit at the head of the table and are roasted in Japanese.  Not really.  Actually you have a nice dinner, people thank you for being around and all you’ve done.  They’ll give you a little going away present (hopefully something that will fit in your luggage to take home), and then you’ll give your speech.  All the while people are drinking, often heavily to make use of the dinner’s two-hour nomihodai (all-you-can-drink).  In the end it turns out to be a relaxed and fun night, a great way to say goodbye the Japanese way.

Four Things Everyone Should Know About Australia

Total Reading Time: 5 Minutes

After two weeks of practicing how to say ‘G’day mate’ in my best Australian accent and listening exclusively to Men at Work’s “Land Down Under”, I felt fully prepared to hug some koalas, wrestle crocodiles, and fight Russell Crowe.

Instead I had to settle for some innovative architecture, kangaroo steaks, a lot of flashy utes (think El Camino), Melbourne’s stellar transit system, Sydney’s beautiful harbor, Australian football (gotta love footy!), and witnessing the march of the world’s smallest penguins.

Here is a short post on a few things about Australia that everyone should know:

  1. Foster’s is Not Australian for Beer
    When you hear the name Foster’s you think of those 25 ounce oil cans and that catchy slogan in a thick Aussie accent (pronunciation tip: Aussie= Ozzie).  Well, it turns out nobody drinks the stuff in Australia.  You’d be hard pressed to find it in a restaurant- it’s just not served.  It’s just as bad in Australia as it is in the United States.  What you have here is an Australian company with a good marketing team, not a good beer.  The Foster’s group is a large company that produces and distributes many different wines, spirits, and beers, including the Foster’s brand we all know.  If you are looking for a good Australian beer, give James Squire a try.
  2. Sydney is Not the Capital
    I think this one would have stumped a lot of people on that show, “Are you smarter than a 5th Grader”.  Many people are surprised that Sydney isn’t the capital of Australia since it’s Australia most famous city (don’t let the Melbournians hear me say this).  The real capital of Australia is Canberra.  It is about four hours southwest of Sydney.  Canberra was chosen as a compromise between Melbourne and Sydney in 1908 (those two never got along).  If Nemo had been swimming to Canberra perhaps it would be more well-known.
  3. Every Australian Does Not Have a Kangaroo For a Pet, and They Don’t Wrestle Crocodiles
    Contrary to popular belief every Australian does not have a kangaroo for a pet.  That’s not to say that no one does, but its not that common.  Actually, Continue reading

My Trip to Malaysia

This past winter vacation was spent in the tropical climate of Malaysia, enjoying the food and sights that the country had to offer.  It was a very nice break from one of the coldest winters in Japan in recent years.  The following includes some brief highlights and impressions from the trip, along with a few pictures.

A Wild Beginning

The trip started off with a real bang!  When my girlfriend and I arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) we grabbed our bags and looked for signs for the terminal carrying AirAsia flights, the airline for our flight to Langkawi, an island in the northwestern part of the country.  Our flight was not listed anywhere though, so we asked around and found out that the LCC (low-cost carrier) terminal that we needed was not only separated from the central terminal (we assumed this much), but that it would take a 30-minute car ride to get there.  It was about 8:15 pm, and we needed to catch a 9:15 flight.  We ran out of the airport to catch the next bus, only to find that the next bus to the terminal wasn’t for a half hour, so we had to take a cab.  To stop cab drivers from making up ridiculous rates to charge, KLIA has a system set up where you purchase a ticket from the airport taxi desk for where you need to go beforehand which you then give to the cab driver.  A very good system, but it does require a little more time, time we didn’t have…

First, we had to go back into the airport and find the taxi desk.  There was a line, of course, and when we finally get our ticket it was nearing 8:25.  We had less than an hour left.  We needed to hustle.  We ran to the taxi area only to find that this well-organized system included a well-organized (and well-developed) queue.  We ran to the front and told one of the workers that we had a flight to catch Continue reading