Hanami in Japan

It is Spring again in Japan. This is actually my 5th spring in Japan. I even have to admit that I am suprised. When I arrived here in 2008, the plan was to only stay here for 2 years and then head back to Canada. A few years later and I am still here in Japan working and living life with my very awesome family.

I have to admit that my favorite time of year in Japan has always been spring. Back home in Canada, I love Fall. Fall in Canada is an amazing time that always brings back incredible memories of going back to school, Halloween, Remembrance Day (a sombre occasion, but as a kid somehow exciting) and of course the anticipation of Christmas.

In Japan, spring is a festive time. it is a time to shake off winter and get ready for Hanami! Hanami basiacally translates to "cherry blossom viewing." In Japan, the blossoming of the cherry trees is a very major thing. Across the country, people head out in the millions to look at the "sakura" or cherry blossoms, take pictures of them, have picnics under them and drink tons of booze. It is a festive and very fun time of year.

I wanted to share a few of my cherry blossom photos from this spring here in Kobe.

You deserve to be angry when...

It recently dawned on me that it has been more than nine years since I left my life as a 3D modeler in the games industry, moved to Asia and became a teacher. There was of course, time for teacher’s college back in Canada thrown in there as well, but I have been in Asia for a long time.

The entire time I have been here I’ve worked in education. I’ve worked in both South Korea and Japan and as a teacher in private language schools and private international schools. I have dealt with many types of employers, students, parents and colleagues. I have had wonderful experiences and some that have been anything but wonderful!

While out for a walk this evening (a beautiful spring going on summer evening here in Kobe, Japan) I was thinking of my own experiences, those of former coworkers and stories I have heard from the hundreds of teachers I have met over the years.

Often I have met “angry” teachers in Asia. At times I have been an “angry” teacher. Sometimes I think you have every right to be angry. Others times, not so much!


As a teacher in Asia…

You DESERVE to be angry if:

1. Your school doesn’t pay you on payday! I have met too many people (including my wife) who have worked for a school that only paid them part of their salary or none at all come payday. There are many fly-by-night organizations in both Korea and Japan.

2. Your school hires you to work a certain schedule or teach certain grades and when you arrive in the country, they change everything at the last minute!

3. The company that hired you seems to be (or just is) completely disorganized.

4. Your coworkers are more concerned with partying than teaching (therefore coming into work every morning, hung over or possibly, still drunk!).

5. Your boss (often in Korea) pressures you to drink on a regular basis and when you explain to him that you don’t like drinking very much, you are mocked!

6. You have to deal with pushy mothers (of students) who have no background as educators, but think they know everything and want to dictate your teaching style.

7. Your school doesn’t support you when pushy mothers are pressuring you.

8. You’re told not to teach too much because the students might become bored. Just play with them and make them happy.

9. Your school has no curriculum.

10. Your school has no training mechanism in place for teachers (it sucks to learn under fire!).

11. Your school tries to convince you that it is perfectly ok for you to work there on a tourist visa (very illegal).

12. Your school fires you in the 11th month of your contract so they don’t have to pay your severance pay or give you a return airplane ticket. This happens from time to time in Korea. Often the school gives some bogus reason to fire you like, “The children were scared of you.” Or “ You weren’t kind.”




You DON’T deserve to be angry if…

1. Your school expects you to actually work! Your school is a business and they have spent a lot of money for you to come to Korea/Japan to work for them and help them earn money. They didn’t hire you so you could “have an amazing adventure and travel experience”!

2. Your school expects you to show up 10 minutes before work! Welcome to a job. Teachers in Canada/America/Australia or wherever definitely show up long before classes begin in the morning and leave long after those classes are over.

3. You don’t get paid for prep (preparation) time. Welcome to reality! The entire time you were in school as a students, your teachers didn’t get paid for prep time either. Teaching is a salaried gig.

4. You come to work hung over on a regular basis and your manager/head teacher gets angry with you. You are being paid a salary to teach. That means you are now a professional teacher. Act professional.

5. Your manager/head teacher is angry cause you came to work drunk. If you did that in a Canadian/American/British school you’d be fired faster than you can imagine. Your license would be revoked as well!

6. Your school expects you to work hard and teach.

7. You have singed your contract, come to Korea/Japan and then realize other teachers you meet earn more than you. Hey, you should have done more research! If your school offered you a certain salary and you accepted, you don’t really have the right to complain about it. Finish your contract and then move on to something else.

8. Your school doesn’t ant you to speak Korean or Japanese in the classroom. They did hire you after all to teach English. They are not paying your salary to practice the language of the country you are in!


Sometimes, teachers in Korea and Japan can have a reputation of being complainers. Sometimes those complaints are completely justified. Other times, not at all.


You can follow me on Twitter: @jlandkev

Feels Like Spring in Japan

Spring is just around the corner here in Japan. At least that’s what the stores and shops are telling me! Spring themed products are all over the place. Starbucks Japan has now filled its shelves with Sakura themed cups, tumblers, snacks and drinks and many shops are getting ready for Hina Matsuri 雛祭り (Girl’s Day) and Kodomo no Hi (Children’s/Boy’s Day).

Another telltale sign of the approach of a warmer time is the appearance of “ume” or plum blossoms on the trees. In just a few more weeks the “sakura” or cherry blossoms will start to appear and that is always a great time to start the spring party!
Of course, spring is a time of change everywhere. It is a time for new things and a time for the world to be refreshed. I’m looking forward to the warmer weather and celebrating my first “Hanami” or cherry blossom party with my son.

I thought I’d show you wonderful folks some fun pictures from today, a beautiful day in and around Kobe. It was great day to be in Japan.


Hina Matsuri 雛祭り (Girl's Day) in Japan is just around the corner. Families buy beautiful and expensive displays of dolls to celebrate having a daughter.


Plum blossoms in a local park.


More great plum blossoms in a local park.


A very creative and silly student of mine wrote this on the white board at lunch today. I liked it! I'm a home room teacher from Monday to Friday, but I have a part time ESL job on Saturdays. It's a lot of fun teaching these kids!


I saw a unicycle locked up outside of my apartment today and just thought it an odd sight. I never saw children driving unicycles growing up in Canada. I see it all the time here in Japan. It's like an entire generation with dreams of someday going to clown school!


I was at Toys R' Us this afternoon buying some fun toys for my little son when I saw the display for Hinamatsuri dolls. Check out a little video I made with my iPhone about it:



I also wanted to share a new Japan oriented site with you folks. A friend and fellow Starbucks fan has created a blog dedicated to all things “Starbucks in Japan.” Check it out here. It is a new site and your comments and encouragement will keep a good thing going!

A week it has been

I really have to take a little more time in the week and write some more things on this blog type thing. I suppose that i have ben spending most of my weekly internet time on my May 2010 project. What is that project you might ask? Well, I promised to post one video blog per day on my jlandkev You Tube channel. I have been maintaining that promise, but other things such as this blog get neglected as a result.

You can see today's jlandkev vlog right below. It is a nice little waling tour of the waterfront area of Kobe, Japan.



You can also check out some of the sights and sounds of today's Kobe Matsuri 神戸まつり right here on my BusanKevin channel:

Hanami 花見 "Cherry Blossom Viewing"

Spring is not just in the air; it has officially arrived. For the past two weekends, people in this part of Japan have been celebrating spring’s arrival by having picnics and parties in local parks. Japanese people enjoy picnics at any point in the year (maybe not Winter), but the most anticipated season is cherry blossom or hanami season. In Japan, cheery blossoms are know as “sakura” 桜 and the act of going out to look at the cherry blossoms and potentially picnic or party in their midst is referred to as “hanami” 花見．

Last year was my first opportunity to enjoy Hanami in Japan. I went to several parties and family outings during the few weeks of the cherry blossom season. I was able to enjoy the revelry and more “hard core” drinking around Osaka Castle Park and then the following weekend, spend quiet time having wonderful picnics with my in-laws and wife in different part of the Kansai area.


These are some pictures I snapped of some cherry cheers close to my apartment.





I assume that this weekend may be one of the last weekends for Hanami in this part of Japan. Already, lots of the cherry blossoms have begun to fall off the trees. Next year it will be such a great experience to enjoy this very Japanese tradition with my wife and new little one!

A lot of stuff about Japan

it is another rainy and cold day here in the Kansai. I am still on vacation, but as it draws to a close I find myself doing work at home. I just finished typing some reports and will soon head out and buy some new supplies for my new classroom. I have changed schools this year and will have a new role. I am quite excited to mix things up and work with new students and people.



I have sumo hands! these are two souvenirs i picked up while at the sumo tournament on the weekend in Osaka. The one on the left is Baruto's hand (he is an up and coming Estonian wrestler) and the one on the right belongs to Hakuho. Hakuho is the curent Grand Champion or Yokozuna. the hand prints were about three dollars each.

Random stuff I wanted to post:

Looks like South Korea and Japan are at it again....disagreeing with each other.
Japan, S Korean scholars again differ over history

it just isn't my home country of Canada that is having a doctor shortage. Japan is facing the same problem. I remember while living in Ottawa, seeing OC Transpo buses covered in advertisements about the medical professional shortage we were suffering from. Looks like that here in Japan, the government will make things easier for foreign doctors to practice here.


if you are in Tokyo this upcoming weekend you might want to take in the Tokyo You Tube Hanami party. You don't have to be a You Tube person to take part. It will be held in Yoyogi park on March 27th. Hanami means "cherry blossom viewing." Basically it is a great chance to drink under the blossoming cherry trees. For a lot more info, check out the Tokyo Cooney vid with all the details:

Kansai Music festival

Last weekend saw the first Kansai Music Festival come to Osaka. I thought it was a pretty cool deal because it afforded me my first chance t meet fellow You Tuber and musician, Fatblueman. Fatblueman is actually a band based in Nagoya, Japan and is comprised of one Canadian, two Americans and one Japanese person. The lead singer, John, has been a very active member of the Japan You Tube community for quite some time and launched himself and his band into a sort of micro-stardom with their viral video, "Christmas in Japan" (which I appeared in).

They performed at a showcase at a live event bar in Hommachi called mother Popcorn. This was the first time for this festival so there were apparently some major hiccups. I was told that the keynote speaker failed to show up and at the showcase i saw, one of the bands failed to do so as well. Luckily, Tom Fallon (a member of Fatblueman) and Brian Cullen stepped in for an impromtu set.

Check out some of my videos from the showcase at Mother Popcorn in Osaka:

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I wanted to upload some pictures, but unfortunately, Blogger isn't allowing me to put them online!

Happy 4th of July and stuff

To Americans all over the place, "Happy Independence Day." Hope the day finds you up to your eyeballs in all things patriotic like fireworks, bbq's and beers. I'm not really sure what happens here in Kobe or in the Kansai area, but I'm sure there a lot of folks out drinking some beers and having a grand ole time somewhere this evening.

Summer is here and I unfortunately heard my first cicada whining in the trees today. That truly means summer is hear in Japan. The Japanese are quite fond of the ear-splitting noise of cicadas and are taught from a very young age that the loud noise is the "song of summer." I of course am not Japanese and although I admire many aspects of Japanese culture and beliefs, the "song of summer" thing....I think it's a load of bull-cocky!

Some other news on the Kevin front. I have a new machine in my home. Yep, it's time to put my 5 year old Samsung laptop out to pasture. I bought a new and shiny iMac. I've entered the world of Macs and am excited about the move. I primarily did it to make my BusanKevin videos a little more spiffy and besides, Macs are just damn cool! I have been playing with iMovie this evening and seems relatively easy to use. I'll have some new videos up soon.

Giant Spiders and Lunch

I'm supposed to have a picnic with my class tomorrow morning, but by the looks of the weather forecast, that won't be happening. Too bad. I worked my butt off tonight (I exagerrate)to make a bento box. I went to my local supermarket, bought a lunch box, came home and got to work. You can see the end result.


My wife tells me that I make a lunch box like a Japanese woman! I love a loaded compliment!



And in other news (not that the above qualifies in any way as news):

Giant 'spiders' march through Yokohama
YOKOHAMA —

Two huge mechanical spiders marched through the streets of Yokohama on Sunday as part of events to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the city’s port. The 12-meter-high, 37-ton spiders with eight legs, operated by members of La Machine, a French art performance group, paraded near Yokohama port. They were followed by musicians performing on raised platforms attached to accompanying vehicles. Read More...



English lessons by 91-year-old woman in Kagoshima gaining popularity

KAGOSHIMA —

A 91-year-old woman, who spent her early years in the United States, is giving English lessons at her home in Kagoshima, which is gaining popularity among people who feel that regular English schools are difficult to follow. Hatsune Honda started the Grandma’s English Salon in June 2004. She was born in Taiwan on Dec 15, 1917 but grew up in Los Angeles until she turned 13 years old.

Honda was once an interpreter for Sean Connery when the Scottish actor was filming in Kagoshima in 1966 for the movie, ‘‘You Only Live Twice’‘—the fifth James Bond film in the series. For her, English is easier to speak than Japanese. Read More...


I posted a new You Tube video on my BusanKevin Channel last night. I was wandering around downtown Kobe yesterday afternoon when I stumbled across a samba party. Luckily, being the You Tube geek that I am, I had my camera in my pocket to capture the event.

Japanese Samba Party



In my quest to find more cool and informative podcasts to listen to, I downloaded a few episodes of Planet Japan Podcast and will give them a try during my commute tomorrow. This podcast won the "Best of the Best" award at the Japan Podcaster Awards last year.

Hanami 花見 in Osaka and Beef

The weekend has passes, Hanami season in Japan has officially begun and my vacation is grinding to s slow halt. Sunday involved me heading into Osaka and taking part in my first Hanami party. In a nutshell, Hanami is Japanese for "flower viewing." The cherry trees are beginning to blossom and to ring in this seasonal change, people all across Japan throw blue tarps on the ground under the cherry blossoms, fire up their bbq's and get pissed!

On Sunday afternoon, some local Kansai-based video bloggers (including myself) got together at Osaka Castle Park and had a little party.


People doing the "Hanami" thing in Osaka-jo Koen.


More Hanami in Osaka Castle Park.


Here's my Osaka Hanami contribution to You Tube!

Hanami in Osaka 花見





Last night I joined some coworkers for some Yakiniku 焼き肉. Yakiniku is basically Korean-style bbq! It was all you can eat and it was spectacular. I'm pretty sure that this as only the second time I've eaten this type of food in Japan.

Some great beef about to be grilled!



This yakiniku restaurant is located in Amagasaki, close to the JR Amagasaki station.


Yakiniku (焼き肉 or 焼肉), meaning "grilled meat", is a Japanese term which, in its broadest sense, refers to grilled meat dishes.

Today, it commonly refers to a Japanese style of cooking bite-sized meat (usually beef and offal) and vegetables on gridirons or griddles over flame of wood charcoals carbonized by dry distillation (sumibi, 炭火) or gas/electric grill. In North America, China and Taiwan, Yakiniku is also referred to as either "Japanese barbecue" or "Korean barbecue" [1][2] due to its Korean origins.

It is thought to have originated from horumonyaki, a dish of grilled offal, invented by Korean immigrants in the Kansai area after the Second World War.
Wikipedia....read more.