Shark attack

Reuters had a report today that caught my attention - but it was a comment buried in the article that made me raise my eyebrows:

NASSIRIYA, Iraq (Reuters) - A two-meter shark has been caught in a river in southern Iraq more than 200 km (160 miles) from the sea.

....

Locals blamed the U.S. military for the shark's presence.

Tahseen Ali, a teacher, said there was a "75 percent chance" Americans had put the shark in the water.

"This is very frightening for us. Our children always swim in the river and I believe that there are more sharks. I believe that America is behind this matter," said fisherman Hatim Karim.

That's right - the locals blame the US for a shark that swam up the Euphrates.

So much for winning their hearts and minds.

NOVA - don't cry for me

I must say, when I began to read about the NOVA scandal, I was not surprised. I had long heard the advice: "if you want to teach English in Japan, avoid NOVA at all costs. If you must teach there, get your visa, and move on as quickly as possible."

Those who took that advice were the smart ones. Those who were recruited this summer and arrived in Japan to learn for the first time that the company was imploding were unlucky I suppose, but I also have little sympathy for someone who could have easily googled NOVA and found dozens of articles in the English press describing the early stages of the implosion.

But this raises some more important questions about the state of the industry, and English language education in Japan itself. Why do the Japanese spend so much money on "learning English," and have so little to show for it? If you add up all the money spent on English language education (schools, books, study guides, conversation school, etc.) you would have the GDP of a medium sized country.

Japan has the second lowest TOEFL scores in Asia - only North Korea does worse.


What is the obsession with "eikaiwa?" I propose that for many, studying English or sending your kids off to Nova is a status symbol - right up there with the coach bag where they stash their electronic dictionary." Others believe that they need to study English to "career up." You can also see the salary-men, who slacked off in their high school and college English classes, being told that they're going to spend a few years at the overseas subsidiary...

There are many reasons for Japanese to study English - but should we be surprised to see the largest private school in the country implode? I don't think so. Thus, while I feel sorry for those caught up in this mess, I must also say that they should have seen the writing on the wall.

History, in reverse

History in Japan and the United States is taught in the same order - from the beginning to the present day. Obviously, "the beginning" is different in each of the two places. For the U.S., the beginning is found in Jamestown, VA or Plymouth, MA. We must stretch to imagine that for some of us, there was actually another beginning in Nova Scotia (the early viking explorers) or in the Bahamas (Columbus' first landing). It takes an even further stretch to also recognize that the Bering Sea is yet another beginning. However, for most "U.S. History" classes, it started when the white guys got here.

For Japan, the origins are seemingly clear - all desendants of Amaterasu? Well, perhaps this is no longer acceptable. Finding Japanese roots is much harder. As author and philosopher Jared Diamond said, "Just who are the Japanese? Where did they come from and when? The answers are difficult to come by, though not impossible ― the real problem is that the Japanese themselves may not want to know."[1] Despite this, as someone one once pointed out to me, history seems to be taught through a progression of eras, culminating with the Edo period, followed by the Meiji "Restoration," and then the war post-war era. Like American history, it is taught from a beginning, and time runs out before more recent history can be considered.

I have heard it said that Koreans and Chinese, instead, teach their history "in reverse." They start with the the war (and how bad Japan was), then progress backwards, leaving the question of origin open ended in some early mist of the past.

Is this why, then, that Japan and its neighbors have such a hard time reconciling their histories? Perhaps it is true. However, another vein within these descriptions is the reality that no one likes to talk about their own skeletons, and everyone always talks about others skeletons.

How do we get out of this rut? How can the forward-looking Japanese look over their shoulders a bit more, and how can over-the-shoulder-gazing Koreans and Chinese look a bit more towards the horizon? And more importantly, how can Americans look more at any history - be it their own or someone else's? History matters, but what matters more is an understanding that there is not one history, but many histories. Understanding how others view their own history is important to being able to deal with them. Likewise, understanding that history and the truth are not the same is also important. Keeping these things in mind, the importance of history remains the same.

[1] http://www2.gol.com/users/hsmr/Content/East%20Asia/Japan/History/roots.html

Capital Hill Education

Today I visited two elementary schools on Capital Hill. As part of a wider project, another Rotarian and I delivered dictionaries to each third grade student at the two schools.

The first school was simply depressing. No one was excited to see us, and few people really seemed to know what was going on. We had a hard time finding who to speak to. While the buildings are old, they were clean and freshly painted. However, it was still a tired, depressing place. Old tattered textbooks were stacked in the halls. It was unclear if any student would use them, or if there were enough of them. (DC Public Schools have a terrible history of having textbooks available when classes start.)

We had each of the students come up to get their dictionary. While most mumbled thanks, they seemed about as excited as if we were handing out pencils before a No Child Left Behind mandated test. Sadly, it was obvious that these children were likely to be left behind - by a number of factors.

At the second school, we went to the classroom to deliver our dictionaries. The second teacher was much more engaged, and excited that we were there. She got it - she knew we were there to ultimately play a part in the success of these children, however small providing a dictionary may be. However, there was something about her - some spark that gave the room an energy that is hard to describe - that made me smile. She cared. And the children knew it. Perhaps the only shame is that this petite gray haired teacher had obviously been around the block a few times, and seemed to me that she had considered quitting at many points along the way. However, she was there, doing her best to lead these young children, and despite the many difficulties that face these children, was still trying.

The problems in DC's schools are notorious, and I feel privileged to have had the opportunity simply to enter the schools and read the air myself. I felt despair and exhaustion, but I also sensed a spark of hope. Now, the question is, how can we keep that ember alive, foster it, and allow it to spread like wildfire? What, besides providing dictionaries, can we do to help these children who live in the shadow of the Capital Dome of the most powerful country in the world?

A New Perspective

After a self imposed hiatus, I am back - this time from Washington, DC. In August, I moved to Annapolis, Maryland, just an hour outside of the Capital (and thankfully, outside of the Beltway too).

From November, I'll be working in DC as a staff reporter for a Japanese newspaper. I look forward to following the presidential elections, US-Japan relations, and other topics of interest. It should be a great deal of fun, and offers a very different perspective from the last year in Tokyo. It will be fascinating to see and analyze events from this side of the Pacific.

As for life here in the State Capital - it has been magnificent since my arrival at the beginning of August - Crab Cakes, sail boats, and cooler temperatures are all to be appreciated. No, I don't see too many Midshipmen from the Academy. The superintendent has cracked down on sports and off-campus activity, requiring these federally funded students to study. "We're at war."

You'd never know it walking down "Ego Alley" near city dock, where you regularly see very expensive yachts tied to the dock from around the east coast. Weekenders from DC and Baltimore keep the restaurants busy, and all-in-all, it is a world away from reality. I nice place to come home at night to rest.

Annapolis, Maryland

"Japanese Expression"

There is a small debate again over at NBR, this time about English in Japan...

Perhaps the greatest help for me to get over my frustration over "bad English" was actually written by the editor of www.engrish.com

" You will also find that the vast majority of the English examples on Engrish.com were produced by companies - not individuals and that most of the Engrish found within the site is not an attempt to communicate, but are examples of English being used as a design element." (www.engrish.com).

While some mistakes are hilarious (with the humor unintended), oftentimes it is because the English is not there for the purpose of communication, but merely graphic design. It just looks cool. In this case, it is certainly not a dialect of English, but simply a random rambling of English words.

But, it still begs the question - if a company is going to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on a sign with English, and it is for the purpose of communication, wouldn't you look it up in a dictionary? After all, you might wonder what in the world a "Sabway" is. (As seen in Kyoto Station).

Japan's Schindler

The Emperor and Empress of Japan recently visited Lithuana, and there they visited a monument to one of the more well known Japanese citizens in that country. He is all but unknown in Japan, his homeland.

A full history and accounting can be found in the article as well as in the Wikipedia article for Chiune Sugihara, a Japanese diplomat stationed in Lithuana during World War Two who during that time helped save the lives of thousands of Jews fleeing the Nazis by issuing them transit visas, allowing them to escape Eastern Europe and find safety in third countries (but not Japan proper).

For me it is a small world. After he received some acclaim in the mid 1980s, his hometown of Yaotsu-cho established a small museum in honor of their hometown hero. Interestingly, the only Israeli JET program participant in Japan is posted to the town of Yaotsu where they work in city hall helping with this museum and "internationalization." I just happened to work in the neighboring city, and knew at least two of the Isreali's that worked there. They proudly told me the story of Japan's Schindler.

So, having known about this guy since I first came to Japan nearly a decade ago, I guess I was surprised to learn that he is so obscure in the rest of Japan. Upon reflection, it makes sense for had I not been a JET, I wouldn't have learned of him - even living just a few kilometers from his hometown. Had I not met those colleagues living in rural Japan - trying to explain to the children of this village not only what this man did, but what Israelis, Jews, and Nazis are - I would be none the wiser.

Sugihara died in 1986. Why did it have to be that his neighbors and friends didn't know what he had done until dozens of Isreali officials including Isreal's ambassador to Japan went to his funeral? Why was this act of courage ignored and disparaged for so long?

Another episode in Japan where I realize that as much as I learn and discover, there are things that may remain beyond my understanding.