In this section I will attempt to give you a rough guide to living in Japan, from an Englishman's point of view.

1. The climate.          2. The people.          3. The food.          4. Th eDaruma Doll.          5. School life.

6. A typical Japanese model shop.         7. Minka.               8. The mask.                         9. Meetings.

10. Sliding Doors.        11. Seasons in Japan.      

The climate.

Picture England enjoying the hottest day for 100 years.  Well, that is what it's like here from July to September.  Except it is really humid much of that time.  Humidity is the killer.  I don't want to talk about sweating too much, so just think sauna.  Often in the summer I don't feel like going out, as the minute I step out the front door I begin to sweat.  Not something one is used to in England.  But the heat does means that tropical plants such as Hibiscus and Passion flowers thrive (have a look at my garden pics).  In the hight of summer it rarely falls below 30 degrees celsius at night.  This lets us enjoy a wider variety of plants and flowers than can survive in sunny England.  As I write this, early July, my tomatoes are ready for picking, and have been picked since mid-june.

Sounds great!  You forgot that as plants enjoy the heat, so too do the insects.  The good ones are truly fascinating.  Dragonflies buzz over the buddleia, my hibiscus has a resident praying mantis and the bats love looking for insects after the sun goes down.  But wait.  Here's a question you should find easy if you've ever been to a hot country.  What insect annoys you most?  No, not slugs, they're lovely in comparison.  I'll give you a hint.  They begin with the letter 'm'.  That's right mosquitos!  No malaria but lots of itchy bites.

Then there is winter.  Quite comparable to England.  It snows about six times but we don't get so much of the icy roads.  Leave a geranium outside and it will shrivel up faster than something that shrivels up very fast.  So extreme is a good word to use over here.  At the moment it is the rainy season.  Close to three weeks of hard rain, most at night.

All types of media are very subjective.  This is unavoidable as we, humans, can't help injecting our views into what we say.  So, what is seen on TV let's us see only what the media wants to show.  All Japanese eat raw fish, do crazy TV shows, are workaholics and wear glasses.  Hmm...  Like saying The English like room-temperature beer and eat tasteless food.  Untrue!

In my ten years living in Japan I have come to view the locals with admiration and fondness.  Oh yes, there are good and bad people, and all  hues in between.  Once you get through the smiling politeness you realise that most people are genuinely kind and warm.  I regard myself as fortunate to have such a rich and satisfying life here in the land of the soy bean.  More on that later.

If you don't know any Japanese people you are missing out on a whole different world of experiences.  Trust me, get to know this lovely land with equally lovable people.

Raw fish, that's all they eat.  A bit like saying The British only eat Fish n'chips.  Of course we do eat raw fish.  Let me try to explain with the help of my first job in Japan.  I was working at a Junior High School with students between 13 and 15 years old.  Ugh, school lunches!  Far from it.  Our school had a monthly menu, everyday a different meal.  Not only that, some meals only came round once in three months, others were seasonal.  The favourites, like curry, Chinese noodles and Italian spaghetti were usually once a month.  And that only covers about one hundredth of what we eat here.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that the Japanese diet is extremely varied, with of course rice being the staple.  Though I think bread has recently become much more popular, judging by the number of bakeries one sees.  I used to miss some food that I couldn't get over here, like a good kebab, roast leg of lamb, fish and chips etc..  But that was soon forgotten as I learnt to cook what I really wanted, and other food was replaced by so many great Japanese dishes I discovered. 

If you are getting hungry for a Japanese dish then get the to a Japanese restaurant.  But be willing to pay for the opportunity.  With all things it is best to get the real thing in the country that makes it.  But I will be adding to this with a few recipes later on.

Daruma is the founder of Zen Buddhism in Japan (552 AD). Originally an Indian priest named Bodhidharma, he crossed all over China to introduce Buddhism in Japan. The legend says that he crossed the sea from China to Japan standing on a bamboo or a reed. Daruma is mostly shown in a position of meditation. He is said to have lost the use of his arms and legs by meditating for nine years in a cave or outside the temple of Shaolin (Shorinji). Therefore he is often shown as Daruma doll without legs and arms. The Daruma dolls, or today simply called Daruma, are a symbol of good luck in Japan.

Everyone buys a Daruma doll for good luck.  At the end of the year they are all burned and new ones bought.  The locals of Takasaki started making Daruma dolls when famine forced them to do something else other than farming.  Daruma is the most famous thing from Takasaki so I think it fitting that it is the logo/icon of this railway.  One gets a certain satisfaction from doing something original, perhaps this is part of the inspiration for scratch-building.

I have been teaching English in Japan for just over ten years now.  I came over on the JET Programme with a one year contract and have never looked back.  The contract got extended and extended, I changed schools and now teach in a senior high school.  I have never taught in a school in England so I can only compare things to how they were when I was a pupil at secondary school.  I expect many things are the same though I do believe that a Japanese school is heavily influenced by the traditional Japanese culture.  Oh yes, I know that society and culture play a large part in how a school functions ( I haven't forgotten everything I learnt in my MEd in psychology).  I just think that a Japanese school is a unique institution which one can only understand first hand.  Let me try to explain myself.

A sense of togetherness.

At the end of the school day all the students, closely supervised by the teachers, clean the school.  Floors are swept and sometimes hand moped with cloths, toilets are cleaned and bins emptied.  Each group od pupils have a designated area to clean, rotating each week.  The thinking behind this group cleaning is to instil a sense of togetherness and respect for one's surroundings.  'Don't drop litter there!  I'll have to clean that up later.' is a great way to show children that the mess we make is our mess so clean it up.  It also dispenses for the need of paying cleaners to clean the school.  There is no graffiti in the toilets or on the desks (well almost none)!  This sense of the group sounds fantastic doesn't it?  Well, yes and no. 

As a teacher I have four official meetings per week, a teacher's meeting, a grade meeting, a subject teacher's meeting and a project team meeting (I'm on the school trip project team).  These meetings, time permitting, can last over an hour with some teacher's meetings lasting over three hours.  I'm sorry but neither my back or my bladder can last three hours without some relief!  Why do meetings last so long?  Well, rather than a few teachers sitting down and working out what to do the topic is discussed so all teachers have the chance to give their opinion or ask questions.  piles of handouts are distributed before the start of the meeting and usually each handout is read in it's entirety by whoever wrote it.  Rather than saying 'Read it and get back to me if there is anything you want to say' we have to all make sure we understand whatever is being discussed whether it affects us or not.  Yes, some things merit discussion, but teachers have got into the 'it's always been like this' mind-set and either don't see the need to change or don't feel they should say anything.  As I sit at my desk in the open plan staff-room enduring another 30 minute explanation on the next school-wide test that we have have every year since whenever, I notice that many teachers are not actually listening to what is being said.  Some are typing on their laptops, some marking papers and some nodding off.  Group participation or presence is what is occurring even though it drags on and on.  Sorry for seeming so negative, I do understand the importance of some things we discuss and I also realize how hard teachers work, but I do sometimes wish for brevity.

There's always something else happening.

In my school, a private high school, the curriculum and consequent syllabus is fundamentally determined by the entrance requirements of the next level of education, be they university, junior college or vocational college.  Acquiring the knowledge and skills to pass the all important exam to move to the next educational establishment severely restricts what can be taught.  There is, however, some room for variety with the way one teaches.  In the English department I have been trying to get us to use more modern teaching methods such as task-based or communicative learning rather than the traditional grammar-translation method.  I can see many weak points that come from an over emphasis on grammar and vocabulary learnt just as things to memorize and not actually use.  This approach to teaching, while suitable for some students and enabling them to pass paper tests fails miserably to teach them how to actually communicate in English.  Hence the mass of English conversation schools and cram schools that try to show people that English is a language and not just a subject.  Ah, well I suppose it is fortunate in a way as I will always have a job as a native English teacher.  But the frustration is something one has to learn to deal with early on or stress takes it's toll.  I do think that the teachers do a fantastic job here and we do have some time to chat as friends.

I just realized I haven't said what I originally meant to say yet, so...   There's always something else happening.  Meaning, even with the pressure to fulfil the requirements of the syllabus there seems to be so many extra-curricular activities going on that turn teachers into proverbial plate jugglers.  You know, the guys who spin plates on long poles and have to go back and forth keeping all the plates spinning.  The 'Homeroom Teacher' or tutor has a much wider responsibility over his/her pupils than the counterpart in England.  They become a kind of parent to the pupils, not just while they are at school but even when the pupils are not at school.  Sports and cultural clubs are popular here too.  I think our school has over 40 different clubs ranging from Japanese archery to tea ceremony, from the baseball club to my English club.  Some clubs meet every day.  The sports clubs often have practice sessions early in the morning before school begins.  pupils are encouraged to join one or more clubs.

Furthermore, there are always other events occurring which take up much of the non-teaching time of teachers resulting in teachers staying at school well after 6 or 7 in the evening most days.  I am on the 'school trip project team' which meets once a week to plan and discuss future developments in the 2nd grade school trips.  Currently we are talking about taking a future 2nd grade to Australia for 10 days for home-stays and culture & language learning.  That is over 300 pupils!  I'm lucky as I don't have the same level of responsibility as other Japanese teachers.  I think my wife and daughter appreciate the extra time I can be at home (I hope).

If your reading this then you almost certainly have and probably enjoyed visiting a model shop.  They come in all sizes, some meet your needs and others, well...

This is a short adventure around a very typical model shop in Japan.  This one is a minutes drive from my house, ooh too close for the security of my wallet.  Aha, you would think so.

Pull up at the car park to find only six spaces for cars.  Luckily there's a Mr.Donut next door (I know, the spelling is terrible but one gets used to that over here).  The first thing you see is the sign with 'Hobby the Tommy' in large bold capitals.  This is most probably due to the reverse grammatical patterns of the Japanese language.  Yes, I am an English teacher after all.

Enter through the a-typical swinging door (not sliding) and one is met with rows of shelving more at home in a wand shop that Harry Potter might search for a wand in than a model shop.  The first two rows are pellet-firing replica guns, a minor market here.  The next five rows are solely concerned with radio-controlled racing cars 1:6 to 1:24 scale.  Here one can buy enough bits to construct a scratch-built car or turn the standard Tamiya racer into a hot rod from hell!

Keep going past the row associated with helicopters, who can afford them anyway?  Pass two rows of radio-controlled (or radi-con in Japanese) planes.  Finally we are getting to the more interesting sections.  A turn to the left reveals two long rows of mainly 1:24 scale model car kits, all Japanese brands.  Her one can find a kit to exactly match the car you drive everyday, no matter how old or new it is.  The neighbouring aisle is chock-a-block with battle robot kits, Gundam being the favourite here.  This is not just for kids but the hard-line collector too.  The next aisle is devoted to, one side of small scale aircraft kits (Airfix and the like) and the other is...yes...railway things.

But wait.  They're all too small.  Much too small.  In fact they are N-gauge!  Bugger!!!!  So where is the section for HO or O or G scale?  Sorry, that is oh so frustratingly absent.  So, no chance of a few 16mm narrow gauge items?  Really! You might as well ask for track and points.

Well, what is there then to interest a budding garden railway hobbyist?  One must really look and think of things he/she truly needs, not wants but needs.  I inevitably end up in 'Hobby the Tommy' searching for something that I cannot make or would cost much too much to order from England.  Today I'm after a small gearbox with some kind of cunning reduction system either a worm or similar. 

Halfway up the stairs to the upper floor of jigsaw puzzles (What?  I know, nothing to do with models) I spy some small boxes with motor-gearbox pictures.  'Yatta!' Or 'Great!' if you like.  Eight different Tamiya gearboxes with small motors included that are perfect for me to use as the power drive of 16mm narrow gauge railcars, speeders, diesels and outline steam locos.  The only thing missing are the wheels (Cambrian  or Coopercraft models for the cheapest) which I can get over the net.

What else is to be found here?  Come back another day for a further trip to Hobby the Tommy.

Minka, or traditional Japanese rural houses, deserve a mention as they are a fascinating part of Japanese culture.

To find out more please click on this http://www.freewebs.com/takasakilr/minka.htm

My goal for this year is to make a minka (traditional house) to be placed permanently beside the line.  I want a typically high thatched roof suitable for a minka in the Gunma region.  Haruna station (currently being designed) will have a traditional style with many common Minka traits.

Update:  Sorry to type, but I've not made much of a start on Minkas.  I'll get round to it soon, trains keep my interest much of the time.

Probably one of the most useful things that most Japanese people think of as a necessity is the mask.  No, not like Spiderman, more like the mask a dentist or surgeon would wear.

There are two situations in which a simple white nose/mouth mask is worn.  The main reason for wearing a mask in the winter months is if one has a cold.  Instead of coughing, sneezing and spluttering your germs in the direction of anyone you happen to be facing at the time, why not contain all those nasty particles of your cold within the confines of a mask.

At £1 for three, washable and reusable, they certainly won't break the bank.

But they look silly I hear you protest.  Well, you get used to them, mainly because they are so common.  You can even buy masks with a tastefully small cartoon character displayed in one corner.  Many of my students wear masks as a prevention measure so they lessen the chances of breathing in someone else's germs.

The other time that masks are really common is during the hay-fever season, which begins around the end of February, due to the abundance of Cedar trees.  All that hay-fever doesn't come cheap and you end up trying to suppress the symptoms rather than preventing them.  Stop the pollen ever getting to your nose, well most of it anyway!

To be honest, I don't really enjoy wearing a mask for any serious length of time.  Then again, I really don't enjoy hay-fever or the Flu.

Well, that's my take on masks.  With a rectangle of cotton or cloth/paper and a couple of elastic straps to hook around one's ears we have a cheap and easy way of beating the sniffles.

This particular section refers to one of the many traditional aspects of Japanese school life, the school life of a teacher to be be specific.  Not as clear as you might think at first glance.  The meeting plays an important role in the everyday runnings (no trains here) of the school.  Let me explain...

Out day begins well before 8:30, as we get to school, park and go to the staffroom.  he first order of business is to sign-in, not with a pen but the Japanese equivalent of a signature the 'hanko' or 'inkan'.  A handy 10mm thick 60mm long stamp, made of wood or plastic, with one's name in Chinese characters on the bottom end.  Either they have self-contained ink (red, of course) or one stamps them in a handy red ink pad and then apply the stamp to the teacher's register.  Sorry, I digress.

At 8:30 is the morning meeting, the deputy head or vice-principal officiates.  Here pertinent info is spoken to one and all no matter whether the info has been circulated in a memo and is on all the teacher's desks.  This meeting is held even if there isn't anyone with anything to say.  We all stand and say 'Ohayougozaimasu' (Good morning), bow and then begin.  This meeting lasts as short as 5 seconds to up to 15 minutes.  Now we can attack the day fully knowledgeable of what is going on or will be going on at school.

Every week I attend three other regular meetings.  One is a project team meeting regarding the school trip, which of recent times no member has shown any sign of remembering to attend.  In my heart I devote one whole second to thank the other members for not remembering.  Perhaps they do the same thing too.

The next meeting is the grade or year meeting.  I am part of the 2nd grade and our 16 member group have a meeting every Thursday from 12 noon until around 12:50 (lunch begins at 12:45).  Our illustrious leader briefs us on all we need to know, and much of what we (alright 'I') don't need to know.  Much of what is mentioned is common sense, which appears to pass one or two teachers by.  Sorry I just said that but it does seem to be true.  Each week a meeting agenda is given out prior to the meeting which is rigorously adheered to.  A regular feature is about what the naughty boys and girls are doing.  The punishment system here consists of either telling off in a soft, normal or bloody great shouting voice, or ignoring the problem.  No sides, lines, detentions, until the final straw is broken and a suspension is given. 

This meeting gradually reminds me that my yummy lunch box awaits me back at my desk.  Getting hungry is actually a good thing as it prevents me from nodding off (a common group participation sport that many meetings sponsor).  I must confess to doing the odd doodle in my diary as I listen to whoever is talking (97% it's the grade leader).  My empathy for the students grow as I realize I have said nothing for a whole hour and the guy leading the meeting has had all the fun (such as it is).  As I head off to my next class I make a resolve to give my students as much opportunity to speak as they can.  After all, English (EFL) is a language and not a subject (don't tell them I said that though).

This brings us to the main staff meeting.  I confess that I often miss this meeting as I teach at another school on Mondays, which is the day of the epic meeting (I wonder who wangled that, hmmm...).  Anywhere from one hour to close to three or four hours in length it takes its toll on my back, my bum and my patience.  But, 'Glory be' I have a laptop on my desk, connected to the Internet, which has saved me from many a trip to the land of nod.  This is the time when a lot of teachers catch up on marking and type long memos to hand out and read to the staff at the next meeting. 

A lot of what is said at these meetings has already been decided and the only reason is to tell the other teachers what is going on.  Even though it is structured as a 'contributions welcome' meeting, in reality almost all of what is suggested by other teachers is irrelevant.

More later, I have a class...

My first experience of doors without hinges was watching Star Trek.  Captain Kirk just had to look at a door and it we would hear the ‘sheeek’ and the door would automatically slide open.  Real doors have handles and hinges, everyone knows that.  This was one of the pereconceptions I took with me to Japan.

On arrival at Narita Airport I was greeted by wide glass sliding doors, not a ‘sheek’ to be heard though.  They glided open on approach as if I were a king.  Well, of course they would have nifty doors at the airport.  Keep your eyes open Matthew!

As far back as one decides to research, back to the times of sword-wielding samurai, when the closest thing to fast-food was pickled-radish, doors have slid.  Typically, the inner doors were (and still are) made of a wooden frame with paper panels (shoji) and the outer ones just of wood.  Doors have always slid open and closed.  This feature of Japanese architecture has remained to this day, though there have been some upgrades.

Almost every building one enters has sliding doors, sometimes just the one, often a pair.  A small PIR sensor located above the door detects movement and tells the doors to get moving.  One notable exception to this is with ‘convenience stores’, where one has to push or pull the door open just like back in Blighty.  One of the ironies of the convenience store (never call them shops).

On the whole, sliding doors are a blessing.  Carrying two heavy bags of shopping, the last thing you want to do is fumble for the door handle, or give it a solid push with your shoulder only to find out you need to pull!  Private houses are different and usually have the less traditional handle, hinges and a lock.  They make a satisfying ‘clunk’ when they close.

Not every portal is fresh from Star Trek though.  The older buildings occasionally have slightly antiquated doors that require a hand to open them.  Others have sensors set up only to allow access if one is moving at the pace of. Say, an asthmatic ant with heavy shopping (sorry Blackadder).  This dictates that one hesitate while the door trundles open or risk smacking the glass.  The difficulty is that you never know how old the door mechanism is until it’s too late.

Another feature ot look out for is the ‘open me’ button (more of a narrow panel actually).  Press the panel and the door obediently permits entry.  This, I believe, is to prevent small children wandering through a doorway to the dangers of the outside world while the parent is busy inside.  I’ve seen a foreigner standing in front of one of these doors with a perplexed expression, trying to read the entry instructions (‘push here’ in Japanese).

The best feature?  On the bottom edge of all doors are small wheels, sometimes flanged to run along grooves.  Some made of metal, some of plastic.  For 60yen (about 30p) I can buy a set of four wheels with double flanges.  These make perfect wheels for my rolling stock.  Usually the most expensive part of a scratch-built truck or carriage – not for me!  Of course, when I add points and more track to my railway I’ll have to remove the outer flange so they don’t get stuck on the points.  Until then, sliding doors have a special place on my list of ‘Things to love about Japan’.

Autumn

'Koyou'.  That's what it's called in Japan.  One might say 'the Autumn leaves' (to quote Nat King Cole) or the changing leaves.  Red, yellow, orange and gold.  These are the colours I can see from my school windows at the moment.  No, I'm not teaching, just taking a well-earned break between classes.  All around me are other teacher's voices, the paper shreader eating unwanted memos and a hundred hum-drum noises.  But I can't hear any of them.  Well, perhaps I hear them.  Maybe a better way of putting it would be that I don't notice them.  Let me explain...

Outside the window...the wind is blowing, gradually liberating the trees of their leaves.  As they blow into drifts on the ground I can hear a wonderful rustle.  This brings back memories of an unofficial school trip to Amsterdam.  My friends and I tramped through great piles of Autumn leaves outside the Van Gogh Museum.  Here, in Japan, the leaves are being taken by the sometimes strong winds to end up in all the nooks and cranies. 

My father-in-law gave us about 20 tangerines from his tree.  This is the tangerine season, which lasts well after New Year.  At the weekend we had what was probably our last picnic in the garden, with tangerines of course.  Along the roads and fields the tall grasses have turned dry and almost silver in colour.  Back in England it is getting bitterly cold, though we are still able to get away with shirt sleeves.  But the nights are a touch cooler now.

Back in the garden, all but the most resilent grasshoppers have faded away.  The marigolds are still going strong with their jolly yellow and orange heads.  This is the perfect time of year to catch up with all those odd jobs.  The ones that I'd put of during summer due to the heat and the mosquitos.  Painting the garden gate, planting the winter vegetable seeds, tidying up some of the trees and shrubs and spending some quality time in my sanctury.  I mean my shed, where I get a lot of my projects for the railway moving along.  Put a Terry Pratchett CD in the player and I can happily while away the best part of an afternoon.  Oops, the dreaded chime is telling me to get ready for the next class.  More another time.

'Haru' is Spring, which is my favourite month of all the Japanese seasons.  This begins officially in February, but is really from March.  The worst part is at the beginning so let's get that out of the way first. 

For many years, many of the building in Japan were made with the wood from the cedar tree.  This wood is long-lasting and smells fantastic when cut.  I built my shed from cedar obtained for free as off-cuts from a friend's log house.  Wonderful wood to work with, though with a serious drawback.  The pollon from the cedar tree is the worst kind and causes misery to milloins every year.  My hayfever is at its worst during 'sugi kafun' or cedar pollon season.  Nowadays, construction companies pressure-treat other kinds of wood and cedar is on longer an essential tree.  As a remnent we have the remaining forrests of cedars that yearly cause me to cry and revert to wearing 'the mask'.

About the end of march life gets better.  The hateful pollen abates and attention turns to spring flowers.  Soon the cherry blossom will be blooming and people will be sitting under these lovely pink trees, drinking beer and having picnics.  The flowering cherry trees are a major part of a Japanese Springtime.  Couple often go for walks around their neighbourhood or further afield to view the splendour.  As one school year finishes and another begins, the pinkness is at its best.

The absence of those dreadful mosquitos is another reason to enjoy the outdoors.  Soon tulips and daffs will pop up and wave their greetings, the Azalias will be blooming along many street pavements and fronds of 'fuji' or wisteria will be hanging from arbors in local parks.  This is a time to get outside and stroll with someone and take in the simple pleasures of nature. 

Simply put, summer is hot!  It begins in earnest around the end of June and is still giving me grief (end of September).  Anyone who gets in the garden has to put up with two things, the heat and the insects.

This year it reached 40 degrees in Gunma and there were many days, back to back, that were over 36 degrees.  The night temps. are around 30 but the humidity is the worst.  In England occasionaly the temperature goes up to 30 but it is a dry heat without the sticky heavy oppressive humidity of the Japanese summer.  The weekend before last it was 35 and I got sun burnt from a morning watching my daughter's sports day.

But for me even worse than te heat is the huge amount of insects.  I'm not talkng about an anoing fly or slugs, though we have them too, but mosquitos and grasshoppers.  The mozzys attack from July to September making it hard to enjoy the garden even when it isn't so hot.  Spray protection helps but there are always a few that seem impervious to poison or repellant.  The grasshoppers and cicadas make such a racket that it is impossible to open the windows when the breeze is cool enough for it to have a cooling effect.  Now I am looking forward to the autumn, a time of cooling temperate weather and an absence of bloody bugs!