Tokamachi: Month One (Part IV)

I'll take a little time to explain the layout and design of my little apartment here. By Japanese standards it is very large, consisting of a kitchen, three rooms, a toilet and shower, and a small entrance where shoes and coats are left. All the heating and water in the place is gas powered, and the design is anything but easy. The pipes, switches, bells and whistles attached to the sink, shower, and stove are enough to make a rocket scientist cry. Slowly but surely, though, I am figuring things out, and now I can actually take shower without freezing or burning myself. A short note about Japanese showers, they consist of a whole room, and the bathtub is separate from the shower itself. You actually stand on a wooden platform (at least in my place) and take a shower, and if you wish, then you can soak in the (taller than American-size) bathtub. This took some getting used to for me, being accustomed to taking a bath in a small confined area. I felt at first as if the whole world could see me! The floors, with the exception of the bathroom and kitchen which are hardwood, are covered with tatami, or tightly woven straw mats. We were told at Tokyo orientation that these are relatively easy to clean with a simple sweeping and use of a wet towel, but, for those of you that know me, this may present a problem. I can make a mess in an empty room. We'll see how well it works out in the end! I have a regular western-style bed and three futons, plus a load of blankets, sheets, and pillows, so there should be no problem when I have visitors. I have lots of sliding doors and "shoji" (paper-covered doors), some of which I have taken down to make room for airflow. The summer here is extremely hot, "mushiatsui" in Japanese, and as I have no AC I am creating new and exciting methods of keeping cool. When I get my first paycheck, my first expense will be another set of fans to cool the whole apartment. After that, I will consider buying a bike or used car in order to get to my other school, Kawanishi Sr. High School, about 15 minutes away by car or 20 by bus. Tokamachi City is set in a valley in the south-central part of Niigata Prefecture, north of Nagano (1998 Winter Olympics) and southwest of Niigata City, the prefectural capital. The population is around 45,000, and geographically it is long and stretched out due to the mountains on either side. The Shinano River runs through the city, and you can see beautiful brick-lined canals and tributaries running throughout the town. All of the main streets are covered by awnings to allow people access to the shops during the heavy snows of December through February. The city is also experimenting with underground pipelines that run heated water through street sprinklers to melt snow and ice. Tokamachi is mainly an agricultural and textiles area, and in fact I think it is famous for kimonos that are made here by hand. Those of you who wanted me to send home kimonos will be glad to hear that! The town itself reminds me a little of Greenville, in that they are both towns struggling with the desire to remain rural and the need to become more cosmopolitan. All of the people I have met here are fantastic, and they have treated me like a family member in every way. I haven't yet met the nasty downstairs neighbor that my predecessor warned me about, but now there is nothing he could do to sour my impression of Tokamachi. All around my apartment building are gardens that the neighbors have grown to defray the high cost of fruits and vegetables in Japan. At night you can hear the thousands of cicadas singing amongst the gardens, and the sound really helps to relax me and put me to sleep. Tomorrow I am meeting with my supervisor, Inomata Sensei, to discuss meeting with the teachers at Kawanishi H.S. next week. I think that next week will be my busiest time since Tokyo orientation, because I also have to go to Niigata City for our prefectural orientations. Although I am still getting used to things, I am also anxious to get to work and see what kind of difference I can make as an English teacher. Watanabe Sensei, the head teacher, asked me to correct some diaries that his summer class wrote in order to become familiar with their competence level in English. Most were very good, although they seemed to be afraid to write things that were personal or expressed too many emotions. Hopefully, with luck and a little encouragement, I can draw them out a little and give them confidence in writing and speaking English more fluently. Hopefully, they will help increase my Japanese ability as well! Anyway, more to come later. Take care, all! Tim Tim Strange JETAA 2001-2004 Niigata Prefecture