Monday, July 7, 2014
Song of the Week #4
Artist: Maki Asakawa (浅川マキ)
Title: Watashi ga shofu ni natta nara (私が娼婦になったなら)
Genre: Jazz
Maki Asakawa might be the Japanese equivalent of Janis Joplin, but with a more pleasant voice. I found out about this awesome artist over at /r/JapaneseMusic, which is a great place to browse if you're new to Japanese music (like I still am) and want to discover new artists and genres.
The song is just cool. I don't know any other way to describe it. The slightly dark, jazzy style is carried over into her other work (see the links below). According to Wikipedia, Maki Asakawa had her start singing on American military bases in the late sixties, which explains a lot about her style.
I love listening music from other generations because it can tell you a lot about the culture and social atmosphere at the time.
The title of this song in English is "If I become a prostitute..." which makes sense, having been written around 1970. The Japanese post-war economy hadn't quite entered into the "bubble" phase yet, and being an artist in an experimental genre like Asakawa wasn't exactly a solid career choice.
Thankfully her music took hold and she continued to produce and perform for almost 40 years, leaving behind a veritable discography with some awesome and unique music!
More Maki Asakawa!!
Maki Asakawa - 花一匁 (Hana Ichi Monme)*
Maki Asakawa - 朝日のあたる家 (House of the Rising Sun)
Maki Asakawa - かもめ (Seagull)
*Hana Ichi Monme has no literal translation into English, as it is a children's game played in Japan.
Friday, July 4, 2014
Pre-Departure Orientation
Last weekend the Boston Consulate held an optional pre-departure orientation for the new JETs.
Although I live pretty far away from Boston, I decided to go because it would be good for networking and an opportunity to learn some helpful things about living in Japan. I was getting really excited to go... but then I came down with a cold a couple days before the orientation. Boo.
When Saturday finally rolled around I felt awful. I had a slight fever, nasty cough, and some serious congestion. Still, I forced myself out of bed at 7:00 a.m. in order to make it to the Boston Children's Museum for orientation at 10:00 a.m. (Luckily my wonderful boyfriend offered to drive me into the city, otherwise I might've just skipped altogether!)
No program was provided prior to arrival, but the topics covered included money and banking, using a car, emergency preparedness, dress code, teaching strategies, how to study the Japanese language, et cetera. Every single piece of information was frustratingly prefaced with the mantra of the JET Program -- "Every Situation Is Different."
While the presentations were interesting, I didn't find them particularly helpful since I had already lived in Japan for a year. A lot of the information was also geared towards ALTs (Assistant Language Teachers) and dealt with working in Japanese schools.
Although we were there from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. we never had the opportunity to do self-introductions, which was shocking considering their importance to our future jobs! We did get to hand in our work visa applications in-person, which was super-convenient. We were sent home with General Information Handbooks, a Japanese textbook from CLAIR, and a few of us received a CIR Handbook (written totally in Japanese... eep!)
I do have to give the Boston Consulate props for their choice of the Boston Children's Museum as a venue. It was a unique experience to be in the museum, since unaccompanied adults (a.k.a. someone without a child) are NOT usually allowed in the museum. This orientation gave us the opportunity to visit the Japanese house -- Kyo no Machiya -- a full-scale replica of a 100-year-old Japanese house that they used to teach us about what our future apartments may be like. Check out the website here for more info about this unique exhibit!
At the end of the day I felt even more miserable than I did in the morning. One of my coughing fits (embarrassingly) required me to run out of the conference room in the middle of a presentation. I was exhausted and cranky, so I skipped the cocktail hour sponsored by NEJETAA (New England JET Alumni Association) and headed on home.
For future JETs -- I really recommend that you attend any orientation activities offered by your consulate or alumni association... even if they are optional! Although I felt that the information was stuff I already knew, it is an invaluable opportunity to get to know people who you may work closely with over the next few years.
I'm looking forward to our next orientation in August (but without the fever)!
Although I live pretty far away from Boston, I decided to go because it would be good for networking and an opportunity to learn some helpful things about living in Japan. I was getting really excited to go... but then I came down with a cold a couple days before the orientation. Boo.
When Saturday finally rolled around I felt awful. I had a slight fever, nasty cough, and some serious congestion. Still, I forced myself out of bed at 7:00 a.m. in order to make it to the Boston Children's Museum for orientation at 10:00 a.m. (Luckily my wonderful boyfriend offered to drive me into the city, otherwise I might've just skipped altogether!)
No program was provided prior to arrival, but the topics covered included money and banking, using a car, emergency preparedness, dress code, teaching strategies, how to study the Japanese language, et cetera. Every single piece of information was frustratingly prefaced with the mantra of the JET Program -- "Every Situation Is Different."
While the presentations were interesting, I didn't find them particularly helpful since I had already lived in Japan for a year. A lot of the information was also geared towards ALTs (Assistant Language Teachers) and dealt with working in Japanese schools.
Although we were there from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. we never had the opportunity to do self-introductions, which was shocking considering their importance to our future jobs! We did get to hand in our work visa applications in-person, which was super-convenient. We were sent home with General Information Handbooks, a Japanese textbook from CLAIR, and a few of us received a CIR Handbook (written totally in Japanese... eep!)
I do have to give the Boston Consulate props for their choice of the Boston Children's Museum as a venue. It was a unique experience to be in the museum, since unaccompanied adults (a.k.a. someone without a child) are NOT usually allowed in the museum. This orientation gave us the opportunity to visit the Japanese house -- Kyo no Machiya -- a full-scale replica of a 100-year-old Japanese house that they used to teach us about what our future apartments may be like. Check out the website here for more info about this unique exhibit!
At the end of the day I felt even more miserable than I did in the morning. One of my coughing fits (embarrassingly) required me to run out of the conference room in the middle of a presentation. I was exhausted and cranky, so I skipped the cocktail hour sponsored by NEJETAA (New England JET Alumni Association) and headed on home.
For future JETs -- I really recommend that you attend any orientation activities offered by your consulate or alumni association... even if they are optional! Although I felt that the information was stuff I already knew, it is an invaluable opportunity to get to know people who you may work closely with over the next few years.
I'm looking forward to our next orientation in August (but without the fever)!
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