A whinge...?

Just before I begin, here`s a few photos from a recent day-trip to Tokyo, relevant for the Sensoji stuff which I neglected to include in the last entry...









The last two are from Ginza, which was apparently one of the first places in Tokyo to Westernise...it makes sense, as this was done off the back of Emperor Meiji (1868-1912) and the Imperial Palace is only up the road. The Meiji period ended the 264 year Edo period, wherein Japan closed its borders to the rest of the world and let its indigenous culture foment. Born of the Komei family, the new fifteen year old Emperor took the title Meiji, meaning "enlightened rule" and embraced Western culture throughout his reign, sometimes called the "Meiji Restoration"(I still find it slightly strange to read Japanese writers talking about "Western Enlightenment"). The Japanese middle classes of that time are satirised in Natsume Soseki`s "I am a Cat", the protagonist observing their foibles with cool feline detachment.

But anyway...

I`ve mentioned the Japanese work ethic before, and touched on the very strong possibility that the long hours put in are a way of keeping face with the group. To leave work early can be embarassing. Not surprising then, that my illustrious employers, being a Japanese/American company are aware of this cultural quirk. Since they are a business first, rather than an educational institution, they wish to groom their product (me) to fit the expectations of their customers (the dilligent teachers), which tends to leave me, once the lessons are over, sitting on my Great British backside, invariably twiddling my thumbs, waiting for 17:15, or to be told I can go home. I don`t intend this blog to be a pedestal from which to complain, but this entry was conceived whilst I was doing just that.

The thing is, once in a Blue Moon, a teacher will say to me "There are no more classes today Chris. You can go home." The other thing is that after 14:30 EVERY DAY, there are no classes. Some days are more special than others, it would seem...

Now JET ALT`s on the other hand appear to have it very sweet. JET is a joint program between the Japanese government and sundry counterparts in the "West" (although Australia is included). They do the same job as me, but the application process is a bit tougher, lasting about a year. From where I`m sitting (my gradually numbing arse) the benefits sound rather tasty, ie, an extra　￥40,000-50,000 (200 quid) a month, and the ability to go home early if you have nothing to do.

Grrr!

But I`m not really whinging - I have benefits, in that I have to involve myself in school life, which is pretty rewarding. As a result of many an afternoon with nowt to do, I`ve been participating in the after school Brass Band, when their schedule matches mine (ie, when they don`t start at five pm). Anybody who`s played in one of these before will know what I mean when I say "pompous-wanky-military-band- arrangement" (let`s call it a "PWAMBA"). In one of the bands, we`re playing a PWAMBA of "Can`t take my eyes off you", with a highly skilled drummer, who can`t read music and loves rock, so the beat is rather Satanic and my ears are delighted.

This week, the school across the road from me has been preparing for its annual culture festival, so that gave me something else to do in my not inconsiderable down-time.

















Murakami Sensei`s class was performing a traditional Kawasaki dance, fused with healthy doses of Hip-Hop...being teenagers, not all of them were prepared to do it, and some got rather nowty about the whole thing...the good news is maybe an hour or two ago, he phoned me up saying that his class had actually been selected as the best performers of the day. He wanted to thank me for the help I gave him...the "help" being participating in rehearsals for the dance...those of you who know me will be aware that I have all the grace of an epileptic hippo throwing a tantrum induced by electric shock in the middle of an earthquake. And I`m not really that flexible. I struggled enough with following instructions in Tai Chi, and that was in English...

...this week at school surprised me...more on that in the next entry, the ominously titled "Children".