10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT JAPAN - Well actually 20 odd things!

The last week has been horrible. I haven't been myself. I have felt horrible, I've had no motivation, I've been sad and really depressed.

I don't know what to do. I really don't know if I should stay of if I should go. I have 18 days to decide. Right now I am not happy here. I don't actually know if I would be happy anywhere though. That is the problem. I trying to decided if it is Japan that is making me unhappy or if it's me. I have done a lot of thinking lately, about my life and about my future.

I am going to have a rant to see if it makes me feel better. Hopefully it does.

1. No one speaks English (not that they should). When JTE’s don’t speak English it is very frustrating. How can this country become better at English when the JTE DOESN’T SPEAK ENGLISH?

2. People that spark up random conversations in the bus stop etc. This doesn’t happen back home – If would be rude and not done. These are the same people that ask “Can I practice my English on you?” ‘Well no you can’t, fuck off; I’m tired and hung over!’ Pay for English lessons if you want to ‘practice’ your English.

3. The feeling of being unwanted/unneeded. To be honest I sometimes feel that if I got up and left no one would give a shit. I have no love prospects. I feel ugly and horrible looking here. SOME (not all) of my JTE’s would rather me gone too. I am a burden on them. I will say this, the ones that don’t like the ALT are the ones that need the ALT the most. They are the crappiest at English. The JTE’s I like and like ALTs seem to have very good English – FUNNY THAT!

4. The fact that people are seen as white and only that. We are all one person, we all look alike and we all have the same interests. Ridiculous!

5. The stares. The snarling looks. The people that laugh at you when you walk past. I have feelings too you know.

6. The fact that the closest decent city is 3 – 4 hours and about 5000YEN away. I like to go out but struggle to justify paying 5000YEN to get to a place for a night on the piss.

7. The Japanese way of teaching English. Memorize non functional English and never be in a position to practice it in real situations. Granted though that some JTE’s are coming round. As students you actually have to be able to speak English!!! Writing and memorizing is not the only aspect. Communication is as important if not more important than accuracy.

8. Inflexibility – “The lesson plan doesn’t say it so we cant do it.” If a class is not going as planned (or well) changing it during the lesson is ok (I think). I have been told by some teachers that the lesson plan can’t be changed and we can’t do or say things in the lesson unless they are discussed. This for me is one example of the inflexibility I have seen.

9. Lack of ability to make own decisions. I know that Japan is a group society and I know that you must confide in the group to make decisions but sometimes just sometimes it is ok to make your own decision. I believe this is summed up when top business men JAN KEN for multimillion dollar business deals. I know that’s not how I’d decide it!

10. If its the way, it’s the way – and it can’t be changed. This point ties into the inflexibility argument. It can be changed. Things can be looked at as a case by case basis.

11. It is winter and it is cold!!! There is no reason for windows to be open in classrooms. To see students huddled around the heater makes me feel awful for them. I looked at the thermometer in one of my classrooms the other day and it was 6 or 7 degrees Celsius. A little cold to be learning (and teaching) I think.

12. This brings me to my next point. The school uniforms. It is COLD, IT IS WINTER. Skirts are not suitable attire for the winter. Jumpers and jackets are. LET THE STUDENTS WEAR CLOTHES!

13. Hot buses. Now I agree it is cold outside. In contrast to some of the classrooms the buses pump the heat out like nothing I’ve never seen. I’m sweating and removing layers. A bus does not need to be 30 degrees Celsius. Keep it at a reasonable temperature – OR at least give some of that heat to the classrooms.

14. The way Japanese girls try to be cute. Giggling and fainting over Winnie the Pooh is ridiculous. It is not necessary and quite frankly stupid behavior. It is not cute. For me it is a grave attempt to fit into some ridiculous gender roles that this society has.

15. On gender roles. I hate the way Japanese boys are pansies. It is not normal for boys to touch each others hair and caress their hands through it. When the boys look like girls and you can play “Is that a boy or a girl?” game, you know there are problems.

16. But somewhere along the line things change. The Japanese boy changes from a ponsie, prancing fairy to a sake swilling, snack bar goer who works till all hours of the night (and doesn’t spend any time with his wife and family). What happens? Why is it acceptable to drink heaps and work a lot leaving the woman at home to do the housework, look after the kids and cook dinner (that probably won’t be eaten). Look after your kids, take an interest in their lives. Maybe that way your boys won’t migrate to touching other kids and looking like a bad rendition of the characters on the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Be a role model.

17. The Japanese teachers that teach English but have never left Japan. How can you teach about a language and a foreign culture if you’ve never left your country? AND if you don’t know a lot about other countries – WHY NOT USE THE ALT MORE?

18. ‘How are you?’ ‘I’m fine thank you and you?’ There are other emotions. It just reiterates the notion of how things are engrained into the culture through years of wrote learning.

19. ‘What’s your favorite food?’ If I hear this question again I’m going to shoot myself.

20. The Japanese sports kids MUST practice sport EVERYDAY after school. These aren’t small practices and can often be 3 – 4 hours long. I have 2 main problems with this. First, they are still really crap at sports. Second, they are kids, they should be playing, watching TV and doing stuff that they want to do.

21. Japan is worried about the population decline. Well to be honest the solution is obvious. Japanese people work too much. To have a family you MUST HAVE SEX! To have sex you must spend time with your spouse. To spend time with your spouse you mustn’t spend all your time at work. Reduce the working hours. Make it compulsory to leave work at 6pm. The next point is somewhat related to this.

22. INEFFICIENCY - To leave work earlier the answer is simple; become more productive. Instead of spreading the work load over 15 hours do one task after another and do it in 8. It is possible! I often get compliments on my efficiency. I’m not overly efficient and waste a lot of time. It just so happens, quite unbelievably, that Japanese people waste even more time than me – I didn’t know it was possible! Stop wasting time, become more efficient, leave work early and have some fun.

23. ENGLISH LEECHES. I like to have a break between classes. Let me have my break – Leave me in peace. After encounters with such people I find myself irritated. This makes me a worse teacher. I do the job for the kids NOT the English Leeches.

24. “Oh they’re not good at English, they’re a bit slow – Don’t worry.” I do worry – I’m their teacher – I WANT THEM TO SUCCEED. I have been taught never to give up on a student – no matter how slow. This shouldn’t happen anywhere. They maybe slow but help them out!

25. Public transport is far too expensive. The bus ride to Yamaguchi SHOULD NOT BE 2000YEN. It is only a 40 minute drive!

26. HIROSHIMA – The bombing and the impressions on World War 2. I get frustrated by the misrepresentation of World War 2 in Japan.

27. JAPAN IS THE BEST – No other country can beat us. Although this has never directly happened to me apparently some Japanese people think that the Japanese are a superior race, physiologically different from every other race. This is ridiculous and almost impossible (scientifically). WHAT A LOAD OF RUBBISH!

28. I hate having no car. I hate relying on public transport to get everywhere. I find that I’m less efficient because I don’t have one and that I waste a lot of time in the day waiting for connections etc. I hate wasting time. Life is too short to be waiting for buses.