I levelled up! Nabe in a traditional Japanese home
When I first arrived in Japan the prospect of being invited to a fellow colleague’s home wasn’t really one, I considered possible. Even at my job in the UK which I held for nearly ten years I only really visited a colleague’s home. The work cultures of both countries may be different, but I felt on the aspect of colleagues in a way they were similar. Not only did I have a language barrier and culture barrier to navigate, but I generally consider myself shy and slightly introverted. My first year in Japan was one of getting to grips with the work. I cannot really say I was overly close to any of my coworkers, but there were people I enjoyed chatting to during breaks and quiet moments.
However, it was during my second year where perhaps being seen as more seasoned I started to level up as an ALT in my eyes. I picked up a third visit school and gained new colleagues due to the usual staff switch at the end of the school year. It was these changes that brought about new encounters. For those who are debating applying for the JET program bear in mind your situations maybe very different and my experiences are unique. Every workplace is different and every prefecture is different. I consider Saga prefecture full of friendly people they do not see many foreigners with about 11,000 in total residing in the prefecture. But it is in Saga where I find people will approach me and strike up a conversation or try to help me. From local Obasans wanting to gift me origami and thanking me for making their day, to Ojisans asking for help reading a bus timetable as the writing was tiny. I have only experienced a handful of slightly less positive interactions here. In comparison to other prefectures. Saga stands out as friendly to me.
My second year flourished in places and suffered in others, but the area in which it truly started to flourish was my relationships with my coworkers. At my new school I was fortunate enough to work with a truly inspiration woman who was everything I aspired to be. She had travelled many times and with her husband they were completing the goal of travelling every local railway in Japan. Like my goal of seeing every prefecture! Her list of international countries was also impressive. Her English because of these travels was great and I often found myself having long conversations on a variety of topics. At my commercial school I met the best teacher ever! who truly was there for me at my lowest when no one else was. He is also the first Japanese person who called me Becca Chan which is informal but endearing. I consider him one of my first Japanese friends and he is far too kind to me. My relationships with these people really started to shape my perspective on the JET experience.
Whilst the job is teaching English, and the students are the forefront; the true experience is from interactions outside of the classrooms. I believe my interactions with students outside of lessons Is where they learn and scramble to use English the most. My students are very excitable, and they know I love anime and Japanese music; many will see me on the train and strike up a conversation. Because my Japanese level is so low they try doubly as hard to find the English. The same can be said for relationships with coworkers outside of school. It is during breaks and now my adventures at weekends where I believe I am learning the most about Japan.
Many of my recent blogs have been inspired because of conversations with these people. Whilst JET can be defined as a fun experience with other ALTS from all over the world, I believe the percentage of those who are able to share culture with Japanese coworkers or students is lower. Until recently I was in the very same boat, I felt like I hadn’t achieved a great deal with the people I worked with. Many will tell you that going to the drinking parties will fix this. But it was my experiences outside of work entirely where I felt I achieved this the most.
Every time I was worked with the above people, I found myself making time for conversations with them. Sharing my life and country with them and vice versa. Eventually January brought about two back-to-back weekends of sharing meals and growing closer. I was over the moon to be invited round my coworker’s house to meet her husband and share in a homecooked meal of Nabe. Nabe often features in anime as the meal of winter. Characters gather and cook vegetables and meats in a pot like shabu-shabu. It was my first time seeing a traditional Japanese home from the inside. The house was stunning and really made me appreciate the details in anime homes even more. The features of a Japanese home really feel like stepping into history. From the entrance way and small courtyard in the centre, Tatami rooms and sliding doors made from wood. The home had a tearoom, where depending on season the teapot is boiled in a small chamber in the floor or hung.
Like older homes in the UK who have poor central heating, traditional Japanese homes do not have central heating. The home had a family alter and a shrine which can vary from family to family on what deity is prayed to. I really felt like I understood more about family life and traditions from this one visit alone.
Nabe was an amazing experience; I am over the moon that I had a chance to experience it. The only other time where I had an amazing experience like this was in Fukuoka with a friend, we ended up in the mountains on a small allotment with one of his teachers. We met a couple who lived of the land and raised honeybees. They sold their honey and owned a small holding. We were invited for tea and I met their chickens, the experience will stay with me as one shared, in these moments I feel l see the true Japan. The kindness of the people who share their culture and lives with me for a moment in time.
Traditional Japanese homes are beautiful and very different from traditional homes in the UK. I can see why Kotatsus, and air con units gained their places in anime gags from seeing how cold these homes get. A few of my coworkers have even leaned into the same troupe seen in many shows, Kotatsus are dangerous once your snuggled underneath you no longer want to move and do anything. My coworker told me how she bought one and sold it, but then another cold winter would return, and the cycle repeated for at least 5 years. Each time a smaller Kotatsu would be bought in hopes it would not be as enticing. It is these moments in anime I can now appreciate more after experiencing it personally.
Out of all my time so far in Japan it is this January where I truly feel I have levelled up; I was given the honour of being invited into a Japanese home and shared two meals with my coworkers. I was also showered in kindness and offered a road trip to Costco an otherwise three hours round trip with a train and long walk involved without a car. This kindness allowed me to refill my pantry and elevate my comfort levels with more familiar foods.
I hope I can have more experiences like this before I leave, as it is these moments that will stay with me for the rest of time. Moments where I felt welcomed in a country so far from my home. Japan is more than its big cities and a step towards experiencing it truly is going away from the hot spots and visiting the smaller unknown prefectures. Some of my favorite prefectures are the ones I never see on must visit lists for tourists coming to Japan.
