Two Sides to See, One Amazing Countrynglish Lessons

By Eunice Shin, ALT, Naruto-machi, Chiba-ken, 2001-2003

When you think of Japan, I imagine what comes to mind is high-tech gadgets and tourists flocking to Harajuku to see the girls that Gwen Stefani later made famous with her song. And yes, true to form and reputation, Tokyo was anything but ordinary. As a new JET, I remember my first impressions as I blindly made my way around the city with my fellow jetlagged colleagues on our first night. Plastic food displays, ramen stands, vending machines dispensing beer, cicadas loudly puncturing the stifling August humidity and hundreds of pedestrians on the streets, each of them seemingly in a big hurry (hey, I’m from Los Angeles and people don’t walk there): everything was new, amusing – and fascinating.
The small town that I was placed in was far away from the bright lights, fast trains and big city. I jumped at every chance I got to go into Tokyo; it wasn’t a long ride on the very prompt Japan Rail train. But the bulk of my experience as a JET participant was so much more than the stereotypes attached to Japan’s capital city.
Naruto-machi was certainly a contrast to Tokyo: one train station, one market, an ostrich farm (yes, an ostrich farm! Another story for another day…). You get the idea. By any account, it was a small town. I remember my first day in Naruto-machi. It was an extremely hot day – record temperatures, of course! – and I was in my full suit. I was picked up by Akika-san and Hasegawa-san from the board of education, and I was taken from one office to another, trying out my humble, broken Japanese. After a while, it was apparent to everyone in the city hall that this California girl was about to pass out from the heat. The tale of the new teacher fainting upon arrival probably wasn’t the best publicity for the town, so the concerned superintendent sent me home early to cool down.
I was taken back to my apartment and on the way home – as we drove on the opposite side of the road and I cringed every time we made a right turn! – I looked out the window. I remember seeing rice paddies set against gently sloping hills. My previous night in Tokyo seemed like a lifetime away. The contrast of where I was at that moment and where I had been in the last 24 hours was striking. I feel so lucky to have been a part of each for the two years I called Japan home.

* This article was published in June 2007.



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