EIL Intercultural Learning

The moment I stepped into my first host family`s house, I knew I was going to have to make some adjustments to survive my six weeks in Japan: I immediately slammed my head into the top of the doorframe. This is not a country designed for six-foot plus, big-footed giants. However, as is clearly evident I have (surprisingly) lasted these first two weeks on the far side of the world! Not without a few mishaps, mind - but that`s half the craic, isn`t it?

The first shock came just after I`d stepped out of the taxi after a 4-hour journey from Tokyo: I was going to have 3 host families! I had no clue that was going to happen: my first thought was that I hadn`t brought enough gifts for everyone! Each of my host families are quite large; currently I`m living with the Miyazawas - all 7 of them! Otou-san (dad), okaa-san (mother), oba-san (aunt), obaa-chan (grandmother; -chan is a more relaxed form of -san used for young girls, close friends and elderly relatives), plus my three host siblings! Extended families are quite common in Japan, and my second host family (who I`ll be moving in with for a week around the 26th) are also 7-strong. I like it, though, there`s always someone to chat to!

After some ocha (Japanese green tea, they drink gallons of the stuff) and a few polite introductions I collapsed onto my futon, but not before being told I would be starting school in the morning! No rest for the wicked, as they say. I was in the chuugakkou (junior high school 12-14 years old) for three days, which was a good laugh. I started in 3rd year and worked my way down, and the 1st years were the best: they were so eager to chat! More importantly, I could understand most of what they were saying! I`ve noticed teenagers in Japan are quite shy - well, shy to start a conversation, anyway (they have no problem staring openly at you!). If it`s bothering you, the best remedy is to either stare back or say hi to them; either willsend the girls into a fit of hand-over-the-mouth giggles - that, or they will turn around and try to look invisible. It may sound a little harsh, but I`m sure neither of us means any harm by it!

The exception to that rule are the exchange students. Exchanges by Japanese students are quite popular; many students spend a year in America learning English. Considering most Japanese teenagers point-blank refuse to speak English in a real-life situation (oral communication in class isn`t really practiced, though they do have a high level of written ability), it must have been terrifying! My motto is the more hideous the mistakes you make while speaking a language, the more you learn, but my endeavours to empart this nugget of wisdom have fallen on deaf ears so far. Anyway, on my first day in high school a group of students came straight up to me and started talking in English! It was pretty surreal after talking almost only in Japanese for four days straight - but I must say, their English was fantastic! I`ll go on about the schools properly in a separate blog; there`s too much to mention here!

My host family speaks little English, so my Japanese has already improved greatly since I got here. Since there are three students in the house there are a good few English dictionaries lying around, so with a bit of patience we can usually communicate pretty well! I would recommend anyone coming to Japan to get an electronic dictionary, though. I had already put down a deposit for one (a birthday present to myself) before I found a great free one for my iPod, and it`s much handier than any paper dictionary. It has kanji recognition too, which means that I can (slowly) read in Japanese as well.

A few key differences between a Japanese and an Irish home: firstly, shoes are never worn in the house. When you walk in you take off your shoes, then step up into the house proper and put on slippers in an area called the genkan. In this house we only really wear slippers in the kitchen and toilet, though. I say "toilet" deliberately, because the bathroom is a separate room altogether; more like a wet-room, really. In Japan baths are only for relaxing in. You put a cover over the water, scrub yourself thoroughly with the shower head (making sure to get every scrap of soap off!), then get into the bath. It`s scalding hot, though: I practically cooked the first time I used it! Also, everyone uses the same bathwater, and they bathe in the evenings instead of showering in the morning like I`d be used to. It`s not as disgusting as it sounds, considering everyone is clean when they use the bath. Consequentially, you must NEVER empty the bath after you are finished using it!

Also, some rooms (in this house, the downstairs bedrooms) are floored with tatami mats, made from woven rushes, I believe. Not even slippers are worn on the tatami! Futons are laid out flat on the floor, and are cleared up every morning; it`s seen as wasteful to have so much space dedicated to a bed during the day when you`re not using it. Except for in the kitchen all the furniture is about a foot off the ground; everyone sits on zabutons (small mats) on the floor. Considering there`s no backrest, I`m currently typing this lying on my stomach. Sitting cross-legged for extended periods can be extremely painful if you`re not used to it; one time I couldn`t move my legs when I stood up, they were that numb! And, of course, everything is eaten with chopsticks. From what I know, it comes from Confucious, who said that a weapon (i.e. a knife) should never be brought to the table. That`s why Asian restaurants always serve lots of tiny portions of meat: steak is impossible to eat with chopsticks!

I`m staying in the countryside (Suwa is built around the shores of Lake Suwa, and is surrounded by forested mountains. In the mornings the mist clings to the trees and it`s absolutely beautiful, albeit unbelievably humid), and you can see small rice fields dotted around the place. My host family also farms, but it`s quite different from what I`m used to from the Irish countryside: it`s really just vegetables, fruits, etc., I haven`t seen one grazing animal anywhere! As a result, we eat TONS of fresh fruit and veg every day, plus rice at least three times a day. Undoubtedly very healthy (where else would you get sticky rice, egg, sliced cucumber and soup for breakfast?), but one of the first things I do when I get back is going to be going into McDonald`s, buying the biggest burger on the menu and covering it in chocolate sauce. Though today we had gyoza, honestly one of the most delicious things I`ve ever eaten! It`s little parcels of meat and vegetables which are fried in a pan then dipped in sauce. I must have eaten twenty of them!

So much written and yet I feel like I`ve said nothing! I haven`t even mentioned the festivals, or hardly anything at all! I`ll be sure to write about those soon. And upload a few pictures, when I can find a USB cable.

Last thoughts: Japan is all kinds of awesome, both good and bad. FACT.