Shimane Black Taxi

Profile

Ao & Azul

Chotto…

The Gaijin Vote/World Music

Monthly Topic

Choice/ Valentine‟s Day

Travel

Okayama

Food

Valentine‟s Day Chocolate

Culture

Five Minutes of Focus/Izumo-ben

Tanoshii

CD Shopping/Back to the Present

Nandemo

Comics

articles

CONTENTSF E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 0

featured JET artwork

By Adam HackerE-mail your artwork to be featured in the next issue!

Letter from the Editors,Choice…sometimes it‟s a blessing and

sometimes it‟s a source of anxiety. This

month, we give you plenty of ideas and

stories to ponder. Thanks for choosing to

support the Black Taxi.

Happy Valentine‟s Day!

Submit your articles, artwork, and opinions to

[email protected]

Disclaimer: Views and

opinions expressed herein

are not necessarily those of

the publisher. Each are

expressed by the writer at

the time of writing.

EDITORS: Regina Durr, Greg

Ferguson, Wendy Holmes, Betsy

Pinkham, Lauren Wetherington

Layout: Greg Ferguson, Lauren

Wetherington

Cover: Adam Hacker

Black Taxi is a monthly

magazine for the JET

community in Shimane

prefecture, Japan, published

online. Read us at ISSUU

(issuu.com/shimane.blacktaxi)

or be our fan on Facebook.

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featuring local businesses and people profile

蒼Ao & AzulBy Betsy Pinkham

If you find yourself traveling on Route 9 somewhere between Izumo and Oda

and are looking for lunch just south of michi-no-eki, you’ll find this lovely beachside café.

The beachside café is housed inside a

building that rather quaintly resembles a

wooden shack. After entering, keep left

to get to the café or go straight and up

two steps to enter the associated zakka

gallery,Azul.

The interior of the place is small;

while you won‟t be sitting in your

neighbor‟s lap, it‟s not very private either.

If the day is warm enough, you might

want to eat outdoors at the small tables

they have set up where you can smell the

salt air and speak a bit louder. The menu

is handwritten on paper that is glued to a

piece of wood. There are also small

leaflet menus for the various herb teas

and desserts. Most of the menu is in

katakana, but you do need to be able to

read a few food-related kanji (such as

meats) and dish names that you should

hopefully already recognize. Place your

order and, if the place isn‟t crowded,

you‟ll get your food within 10 minutes. If

it is full, you may be waiting a bit longer.

The food is decent, though I am most

impressed with the herb teas. They have several

blends, but I‟m particularly fond of their rose hip

blend. In total a set meal (which includes the

main dish, a broth soup, and a drink) will cost you

between ¥900 and ¥1,500. You‟ll certainly be full

afterwards.

This area of Shimane is famous for its sunsets,

and the café has wide windows facing the Sea of

Japan. So come and enjoy the beautiful scenery

while sipping some tea (or coffee, or coke, or

whatever floats your boat.)

Ao(蒼)

出雲市多伎町多岐461-1

0853-86-3905(蒼) / 86-3910(Azul)

10:00 ~ sunset, closed Thursdays3

debatable topics … 一寸 / chotto …

Lauren Wetherington would

rather not chotto.

The Gaijin Vote

“We need a more open environment”

– Prime Minister Hatoyama

A foreigner suffrage bill is not a new concept to the Diet.

The Democratic Party of Japan has been pushing a foreigner suffrage bill

since 1998 but lacked the proper support until now. Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama‟s cabinet plans to

submit a foreigner suffrage bill to the regular Diet session scheduled to begin early this year. This year

marks the 100th year anniversary of Japan‟s annexation of the Korean Peninsula. Among the 912,400

registered permanent residents, 420,300 of them are special permanent residents who desire local-

level voting rights. They believe the wait has been long enough; Japan is their home, they don‟t want to

renounce their ancestry, and they pay taxes, so they want a political voice within their local

communities. However, not everyone is keen on allowing non-Japanese nationals the right to vote.

There are two basic categories of permanent foreign residents. The first is special residents,

which includes Koreans and Taiwanese who lived in Japan before and during the war (and their

descendents) and were granted special permanent resident status if they chose to maintain Korean

nationality. Since the war, generations of special permanent residents have lived and worked in Japan.

The second category includes all the other foreign residents who have received appropriate visas.

Foreign residents hold jobs, pay taxes, send their children to schools, and are virtually treated like

citizens except when it comes to voting. BUT does being treated like a citizen mean one should be

allowed to vote? Some say “Yeah, like totally fer sure!” and others rail “OMG, no he did‟uhnt!”

4

Some people, including a few locals, believe

that it‟s only fair that permanent residents

should be allowed to vote. We aren‟t talking

about temporary English teachers or tourists,

but generations of families who have integrated

into Japanese society. It seems natural to want

to have a voice in political affairs if you are a

taxpaying member of society.

The Japanese constitution, however, has

yet to catch up to this idea. While the

Japanese constitution grants sovereignty to

people who possess Japanese nationality and

states that one must possess this status in

order to vote, it does not link paying taxes toPrime Minister Hatoyama: Oh yes, he did‟uh

Sourc

e: R

eute

rs


5

voting. In order to vote, the only recourse for a foreign resident presently is to wade through the

paperwork necessary to become a citizen. If non-citizens were granted the right to vote, they could

influence the national government, and foreigners would take over Japan. With Japan becoming home

to more and more foreigners, Japanese citizens are worried about having their interests suppressed by

non-Japanese nationals.

So what‟s a prime minister to do? Oh, I know,

adhere to the country‟s constitution! One of the

many cool aspects of most constitutions is that

they can be changed. Japan could redefine

“permanent resident.” Or how about making the

ridiculously long citizenship process a little less

ridiculous? Maybe permitting dual citizenship so

permanent residents wouldn‟t feel as if they were

selling out their heritage in order to vote locally?

That way, Japan could still make citizen wannabes

become citizens first as mandated by its

constitution. What about giving a tax break to

permanent residents? Then again, the permanent

residents could move home and vote in their own

country. Or they could just get over it and file

the paper work giving up their original nationality.

Sounds a bit silly to live in Japan, pay taxes, send

your kids to school, work in the job market, but

refuse to be Japanese…or does it? It‟s cheaper to

live in Korea and Taiwan, and some might argue

the food is better there.

Regardless of the outcome, the bigger picture remains. More and more foreigners are moving to Japan

(can they really blame us?) With Japan‟s shrinking population, foreign influence is becoming even more

noticeable. Critics of a foreigner suffrage bill worry that since local and national elections are linked,

non-Japanese nationals will be able to manipulate national elections through local elections. Yes, local

and national elections are linked, which is the beauty of a democratic system. Yes, foreigners would

have an influence on a national level. Whether or not that is a negative thing is another issue.

However, I will point out that foreigners already play a major role in Japanese affairs. Treaties,

agreements, initiatives, and alliances with various foreign countries influence almost everything Japan

does on a national level. True, Japanese people don‟t want their voices diminished, but perhaps

permanent residents have Japanese interests at heart as well, seeing as though they live similar lives.

“Many of the problems facing the

nation cannot be solved if the nation

remains exclusive.”

– Prime Minister Hatoyama

Source: http://www.geocities.jp/sanseiken_hantai/bila.htm

While foreign residents can‟t vote for their preferences in Japan,

everyone can express their views to the Black Taxi Staff online.

Join our Facebook fan page today to connect!


Overhauling the lazy, ethnocentric World Music label

Sitting here at my computer in iTunes trying to organise my music, I‟m faced with a dilemma:

what genre do Angélique Kidjo, Jesse Cook, Cesaria Evora, Ravi Shankar, Fela Kuti, Pizzicato Five,

and Bebel Gilberto belong to? According to nearly every popular system of classification, the

answer is they‟re all part of a nebulous category referred to as World Music. But I refuse to

acknowledge that. What exactly is this so-called World Music label? Why doesn‟t it encompass

performers such as U2, GReeeeN, Céline Dion, Bob Marley, Björk, Sex Pistols, or Jay-Z, even

though they all come from different countries? That‟s because it‟s a spurious euphemism for

“Other,” and I think it‟s high time we arrived at more sensible ways of describing the rich and

diverse array of music it deigns to represent.

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I‟m not interested in the origin of World

Music as an actual genre; certainly it‟s from

that amber-encrusted place in time when it

was acceptable to lump various nations‟

people, cultures, histories, and traditions into

one indistinguishable mass. Entertaining the

idea that World Music represents some kind

of borderless, free-flowing global village stance

does nobody any favours either. We are all

from the world, but we are all distinct in some

way – in music as in other arenas. That‟s why

we have Rock, Jazz, Punk, Hip-Hop, Reggae,

Enka, and so on. And while a specific style like

Jazz has been embraced by the Japanese after

having emerged from America, there is still a

shared musical language, allowing Charlie

Parker and Sadao Watanabe to stand together.

That makes sense. Ravi Shankar, an Indian sitar

instrumentalist, standing with Fela Kuti, a

Nigerian Afrobeat bandleader, makes no sense

whatsoever. And some, like Björk, that affable

little Icelandic powder keg, stand alone.

Björk, a nation of one

Source

: Bjo

rk.co

m

Greg Ferguson is a

gadfly.


7

We need replacement terms. Traditional Music will not do; everything is somebody‟s tradition,

is it not? Decades from now, can you imagine musicologists referring to artists like Lady Gaga and

Lil‟ Wayne as Traditional, in the, you know, „traditional‟ sense? No, of course not. So what, then?

The music industry, and – let‟s face it – everybody enjoys

quick, one-word labels. Rock sounds so much heartier

than Rock-n-Roll, which reminds one of that method for

putting out fires; Heavy Metal is just a redundant way of

saying Metal; and Pop just snaps and crackles like Popular

only wishes it could. World has a convenient appeal

that‟s tough to beat. Still, we could begin fixing this mess

by reassigning performers to already-existing categories

that make more sense, like putting Jesse Cook with the

other Instrumentalists, or by creating more subgenres

that represent the spectrum of music out there.

Experimental Jazz more or less prepares you for what

you‟re going to get without the same shock you‟re

bound to encounter when you pick out Mahavishnu

Orchestra from the World Music section.

It‟s fascinating to me how music stores across the

world seem to have accurate ways of distinguishing their

own music from others. Japanese stores always have an

identifiable Enka section, for instance, just as stores back

home in Canada have sprawling Cape Breton/Maritime sections. But when it comes to

gazing beyond one‟s navel, everything just looks like one big blurry World, except for a

few popular Western landmarks like Michael Jackson and The Beatles which somehow

transcend the rest. Good for them. Now it‟s time everyone else in the World Music

section got their own genre.

Pizzicato Five, not your typical J-pop

Sourc

e: N

ippon C

olu

mbia

Co.,

LT

D

Japanese music is comprised of a wide variety of genres, none of which are done justice by the label of World Music.

Here is just a taste of the diversity you‟ll find exploring the music halls and record shops in Japan:

ShōmyōBuddhist Chanting

TaikoDrumming

DodompaJapanese Tango

EnkaTraditional Pop

Min'yōFolk Music

Ryukyuan MusicOkinawan Folk Music

GunkaMilitary Marches

RyūkōkaClassical Music

BiwaStorytelling w/Lute,

Koto, or Shamisen

GagakuOrchestral

Court Music

Para ParaEurobeat-style

Dance Music

Game MusicMusic for Video

Games/8-Bit

monthly topic …

Choice (or Valentine‟s Day). It‟s so much a part of our lives that

sometimes we take it for granted…or is choice (or Valentine‟s Day)

simply an illusion to dispel our psychological discomfort? This

month‟s issue of the Black Taxi offers opinions, short stories,

comics, and adventures regarding choices (or Valentine‟s Day). In addition

to current JETs‟ contributions, the Black Taxi also features

interviews with some alumni who made the difficult/not-so-

difficult choice to move on. Whether choices (or Valentine‟s Day) stress

you out or empower you, we hope you enjoy the carefully-

chosen (with love) articles in this month‟s edition of the Black Taxi.

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monthly topic …

A brief history and how to spend it with your sweetheart in JapanBy The Black Taxi Staff

Saint Valentine‟s Day is named after two

martyrs: Valentine of Rome and Valentine of Terni.

There were not any romantic elements associated

with either of the two Valentines and the distinctions

between both were eventually lost. Today, the story

of Saint Valentine consists of Valentine refusing an

unattested law enforced by Emperor Claudius II that

forbade men to take a wife. The Emperor believed

that wives made men weak soldiers, so for the sake

of the militia men were to remain single. Saint

Valentine was eventually arrested for performing

illegal marriage ceremonies. Before he was executed,

he wrote the first ever “valentine” to his beloved and

signed it “from your Valentine.” Commence in

“awww”ing.

Sources indicate that Valentine‟s Day might be

linked to the pagan holiday of Lupercalia, which was

celebrated February 13-15 to honor fertility. Later,

the Christian church may have decided to celebrate a

Valentine‟s feast day in an effort to Christianize

Lupercalia.

The commercial boom that is Valentine‟s Day

began in 1797 with The Young Man’s Valentine Writer,

which contained suggested verses to help the young

lover compose his own card for his sweetheart.

Commercial Valentine‟s Day cards hit factories in

England in the 1800s and became mass-produced in

1847 in the United States.

Today, 85% of all Valentine cards are purchased

by women, 73% of flowers are bought by men,

chocolate/candy sales reach $1,011 billion during the

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Valentine season, and 15% of women and men send

flowers to themselves on Valentine‟s Day. Not to

mention all the tacky jewelry that gets sold.

Today in Japan, it is the female population that

does all the purchasing. Traditionally, Japanese

women found it difficult to adequately express their

feelings toward their significant others. Therefore,

Valentine‟s Day became that special day women

could show their love. Are you buying it? Some

people aren‟t. It is thought that chocolate companies

made it up to boost chocolate sales. In any case, it

worked! And since women had their day, men also

needed a day. So fellas, mark March 13th in your JET

diaries for White Day. It‟s your turn.

Not all Valentine‟s Day chocolate is from the

heart. Giri-choko, or obligation chocolate, is for

bosses, colleagues, or male friends women have zero

interest in. Honmeichoko is for your sweetheart.

And recently, more and more females are giving

chocolate to their girlfriends instead of crushes or

boyfriends. A lot of junior high school and high

school students make their own chocolate candies

together for fun.

Now ladies, go forth and

choose a valentine!

monthly topic …

“A Bird and a Fish in Love”A Short Story by Betsy Pinkham

A daimyo once built a beautiful garden in

honor of his beloved wife. Nestled in the back of

the garden was a small fish pond, overhung by a

red maple tree. At the start of spring, a young

couple of sparrows built their nest on a sturdy

branch hanging over the water. In the pond

below, a small goldfish watched the little family.

One morning the fish heard a great deal

of noise from the chicks as they tousled before

one of them was jostled out of the nest. He

cried piteously as he plummeted from the tree

and hit the water with a small splash. His wings

beat uselessly against the water as he futilely

kicked his clawed feet.

The fish first thought to use the bird‟s fall

as a chance to talk with one of the sky creatures,

but upon watching the chick‟s fierce struggle,

realized that the bird could not live in the pond

like she did. She swam beneath him, then using

her wide head to support him from below,

nudged him towards the smooth stones that

lined the pond. The fledgling scrambled out of the

water with great effort then lay with heaving

breast on the warm rock. The fish swam in small

circles near the rock, watching the bird‟s small

body shake from the exertion and the cold

water.

Slowly the bird calmed, and the warmth

of the sun on the rock dried his feathers. As he

lay exhausted, his black eyes followed the strange

golden creature that had saved him. By and by

the Lady came to the pond to feed the fish.

Upon seeing the small bird on the rock, she

scooped him up in a handful of grass and, leaning

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out over the water, deposited him back in the

nest.

A few mornings after the bird‟s aquatic

adventure, he suddenly jumped from the nest

onto the branch, and slowly moved down it with

a bobbing gait as it angled towards the water. He

looked down and saw the fish immediately below

him. She was looking up at him.

“Good morning, Miss Fish.” The young

bird chirped.

“Good morning” the fish replied.

“Thank you for your help.”

The fish just nodded her head. The bird

turned away, prepared to hop back to the nest.

“Wait!” the fish called after him. “Will

you grant me a favor for helping you and sing a

song?” The bird turned back around and

regarded the small fish for a moment before

nodding his head. The fledgling opened his mouth

and began to sing. As it was his first time singing,

his voice was weak and the notes wobbled. But

as he continued, his song became stronger and

sounded beautiful to the fish who often had only

the frogs to listen to.

“Won‟t you sing for me now?” the bird

asked after he had finished.

“I have no voice for song,” the fish replied,

“but I dance.”

So she spun through the water, flashing

her golden scales in the sunlight and weaving

complex patterns before the bird‟s eyes. Like all

birds, his eyes were drawn towards glittering

objects, and before him was a creature covered

in gold. When the dance finished, the bird bade

the fish goodbye with a promise to come back

the next day.

monthly topic …

The next day, the bird leapt unsteadily

from the tree in first flight. The fish watched

from below, wondering if he would fall into the

pond again. He flittered for a few moments

before landing back on the branch. After a few

moments‟ rest he took wing again, this time

much more gracefully. Watching the bird fly away

from the pond, the fish wondered at the bird‟s

freedom to leave the pond. “I wonder if he will

come back.” At the thought, a strange heaviness

grew in the fish‟s gills. But the bird alighted low

on the branch in the next moment and

proceeded to babble about how much more

there was to the garden and how big the great

wide world was. This the fish knew nothing

about. She knew she had once come from a

different pond, but for her the world only

extended as far as the small pond‟s walls and

whatever she could see from the surface. So she

listened as the bird told her about the very tall

tree surrounded by flowers, the white stones

that had been raked into waves and swirls, and

about the large courtyard with many more

humans than just the Lady who was the pond‟s

only visitor.

“And which of these wonders do you

favor best?” the fish asked.

“They are all very wondrous,” replied

they bird. “But this pond is my favorite place.”

“The pond?”

“Of course, it‟s where you are, Friend.”

Day after day, the young bird would spend

his time flitting about the garden and soaring the

blue sky. But every evening he would come back

to the low branch above the pond and tell the

fish about everything he had seen. Some days he

would sing, and sometimes she would dance.

And in this way spring and summer swiftly

passed.

By the time the leaves of the maple began

to turn red, all the small inhabitants of the garden

knew of the strange friendship between the bird

and the fish.

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Even though the bird‟s parents had raised several

more sets of siblings in the small nest above the

pond, the bird continued to visit the branch and

talk with the fish.

“When spring comes again, will you find a

new nest to raise your own chicks?” The fish,

being a very practical creature, knew that

building nests and raising chicks is what birds did,

but she was still saddened at the idea of her

friend going away. The bird quirked his head to

the side, nodding as he pondered the question.

“I don‟t know,” he replied. “I‟m still too

young to build a nest, anyway.”

The subject was passed over then and the fish

didn‟t ask again. Autumn slowly chilled into

winter, and one cold day the fish surprised the

bird by saying goodbye.

“The pond will freeze soon, so today I

will go down to the bottom and begin my winter

sleep.” This was surprising news to the bird, who

had never seen winter before, and he was

concerned for his friend. But she reassured him

that this happened every year, and when the ice

thawed and the water warmed, she would wake

up again.

They parted that evening as they always

did, though the fish was aware that when spring

came again, the bird might not be there. So

when the bird flew off higher into the tree, the

fish gurgled a soft goodbye then sunk down to

the bottom of the pond and burrowed into the

mud. Already in her winter dreams, she didn‟t

hear the bird the next day, bidding her farewell

before he flew off with his nest siblings in search

of a warmer roosting place.

Winter passed over the garden in a quiet

manner. The garden lay in frozen stillness except

for the Lady and the few winter birds. The fish

dreamt her winter dreams at the pond‟s floor,

while the bird socialized among other birds,

maturing.

monthly topic …

Spring came to the garden, melting the ice

and waking the fish. She slowly swam up

through the chilly water and looked

towards the budding tree. The old nest had

been blown away by winter winds, and the

branch was empty. Every evening for a

week she continued to watch the branch.

But the bird never came. Another week

passed, and the fish stopped looking up.

She was certain the bird had built a nest in

a different tree in a different garden far

away. She tried not to think about it for

the heavy weight it caused in her fins.

The fish was looping in slow circles

one evening when the bird settled on the

branch above the pond. He watched the

fish, waiting for her to look up, but she

didn‟t lift her eyes. So the bird opened his

beak and began to sing. It was the same

song he had first sung for her, but he had

perfected it over winter as he finished

growing.

The fish was startled by the sudden

sound and darted deeper into the water.

But as she realized what she was hearing,

she swiftly rose to the surface to look up.

And there he was on the branch, her friend,

her bird, singing his song. There was no

other bird beside him.

“You came back.”

“I came back,” affirmed the bird.

“Aren‟t you going to build a nest?”

asked the fish.

The bird replied that he had no one

to share a nest with. The only creature he

could build a nest for wouldn‟t be able to

leave the water to join him in it. Fish are

unable to cry, but if they could the fish

would certainly shed tears of joy. She spun

and splashed through the pond.

From then onward, the fish and bird

spent everyday together.

The bird never left the garden except for winter when

he would yearn for spring while the fish dreamed of

summer. That second summer in the garden, the Lady

had a single water lily transplanted to the pond.

The bird found the wide leafs to be a new

perch on which he could stand on the water‟s surface

just above the fish. It was closest one could come to

the other; a fish who couldn‟t fly, and a bird who

couldn‟t swim.

One day the Lord was walking through the

garden with his Lady. “Look. I think the bird is in love

with the fish,” he said as he pointed out a small

sparrow at the pond‟s bank. “But where will they make

their home?” The lady gently laid her hand on his arm.

“It‟s clear, my lord.” She watched the bird fly to a lily

pad and dip his beak into the water. “In absence of a

home, they meet at the water lily.”

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Original Artwork: Betsy Pinkham

monthly topic …

We caught up with some recent Shimane JET alumni

and asked them to share their stories about re-contracting and returning home.

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ALYLEWISOhda 2008-09

KATIAOSTROWSKIYasugi 2008-09

JASONHARRISTaisha 2004-09

TRIXIECORDOVAGotsu 2007-09

KARENORTIZ-RENDONYokota 2006-09

ANDREATEUBERIinan 2008-09

CLAIREDUFFYNichihara 2008-09

monthly topic …

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ALYLEWISOhda 2008-09

Where are you now?

I am in Cullowhee, NC, USA now!

Why did you choose to leave JET? Any regrets?

Hmmm, I actually cannot pinpoint an exact reason why I left JET. It was the right decision at the time,

but I really cannot remember my reasoning. I was very eager to travel after JET, so traveling came

faster if I only stayed one year. I only regret not staying in Japan until August. I left for Thailand as soon

as school was done, and I wish that I had stayed longer to hang out with my dear friends!

What are you doing now? Are you working?

Currently, I am enjoying my hobbies: contra dance, waltzing, and rock climbing. I am working as a nanny

and lifeguard until I start graduate school in August.

What was the most difficult part of going back home (culturally speaking)?

The people in N.C. seemed to be really in my face/rude when I first got back. Everyone was really loud

and obnoxious. I got used to it quickly, though! I think the most difficult part of returning was leaving

my friends that I had made this incredible bond with.

Any advice for us current JETs wondering about re-contracting?

Oh re-contracting. The whole year seemed to be centered around the question of „Are you re-

contracting or not?‟ For me, I knew from September if I was going to re-contract. My supervisor,

around mid-January, thought I was going to re-contract so he placed the paper in front of me on a BOE

day. I had to fill it out in front of him. When I circled „Not Re-contracting,‟ there was a big "EHHHH!”

Super awkward. For me, that was probably the worst part of the whole re-contracting shenanigans.

Everyone has unique reasons for staying or leaving; try to not stress about it. JET is great, but life after

JET is great too!

monthly topic …

15

KATIAOSTROWSKIYasugi 2008-09

Where are you now?

After taking the scenic route home through South-East Asia, Australia, and New Zealand, I have now

returned home to Montreal, Canada.


It was never my intention to stay in Japan longer than a year. The friends I made, my students, and all

the experiences of the year were incredible, but I knew Japan wasn't the place I'd stay for any duration

of time. My feet are too itchy for that! It's been seven months and still no regrets about leaving.


I hit the ground running when I got back to Montreal! Though I've only been home for about 6 weeks,

I'm already working. It's sometimes tricky to encapsulate or market the JET experience as a genuine

asset to my skills, but drawing on my exposure to and complete immersion in a foreign culture has

proven quite effective.


Thanks to the JET handbook and certain Tokyo lectures, I braced myself for reverse culture. Things like

rudeness, poor service, and the typical asshole attitudes of people in North America are aggravating at

times, but I just grit my teeth and remember the billion bows preceding every exit from a konbini. It

puts things in perspective!


When time comes to re-contract, take the time to talk with friends and family, really weigh your

options, be open to options you hadn't considered, and trust your heart. The decision will come.

Life's too short for regrets. Have another coffee instead!

monthly topic …

Where are you now?

I am currently living in San Diego, CA, USA.


I left JET after 5 wonderful years in Taisha. I'm sure I would have stayed even longer if I could.


I'm substitute teaching in the San Diego area, but I'm hoping to return to Japan to teach again in 2010.


Living with people again (in my case, my parents) was an adjustment after living alone for 5 years. San

Diego is also a big, bustling place compared to tiny Taisha, so I think the „big versus small‟ differences hit

me more than the „Japan versus USA‟ things.


Stay a 2nd year at least!! The Japanese school year starts in April and ends in March, so you only get to

experience a full academic year from start to finish if you stay at least 2 years. Staying is easy - having a

good reason to leave is tougher. But make your own choice – don't let others unduly influence you

(except me of course!). For me, staying five years was quite rewarding; I truly got to know my students

and see them grow up.

Hell yes! Yes… ? No…Get me

outta here!

16

JASONHARRISTaisha 2004-09

monthly topic …

Where are you now?

I'm originally from the San Francisco Bay Area in the greatest state, California! But now I'm living in

that concrete jungle where dreams are made...NewYork City.


I chose to leave JET because although I grew to love my life, Japan, and the people that would become

lifelong friends, I was ready to be challenged with something new. Although the longer I stayed, the

more flexibility I had in terms of my work responsibilities (because everyone had grown to me you and

my work ethic), the job became in some respects pretty stagnant. I also had a personal goal of

returning to graduate school within a specific time frame.


Now I'm a 1st year MA candidate in International Educational Development with a concentration in

International Educational Policy at Teachers College, Columbia University.


Culturally, realizing that people working in customer service aren't there to kiss your ass every step of

the way caught me off guard. People are in a rush, and if you're in their way they'll tell you off without

a second thought. Public transit is loud and schedules are unreliable 90% of the time. Also, people will

laugh at you if you bow at drivers before crossing the street, and if you lose something, don't expect

anyone to return it. On the plus side, you can pay with credit or debit everywhere, and if I wanted

Chinese, Thai, Mexican (glorious Mexican!), Ethiopian, Filipino, Indian, or Japanese food, the travel to get

it is much shorter than a 2-3 hour drive away (then again, this is NYC).


If you're enjoying work and life, stay. It's an opportunity anyone would kill for, and you'll regret not

maximizing your time. But if you're ready to try something new and have something real to go back to

(a plan, a career move, an actual job), then prepare for your permanent kaeri-ing home.17

TRIXIECORDOVAGotsu 2007-09

monthly topic …

Where are you now?

After traveling for the month of August in Thailand and India, I had to leave at the end of August to

keep my free flight home; otherwise, I might be lost in SE Asia. I'm currently back in Chicago.


I decided to work in Japan for 3 years. That was the limit back in the day, but during my first year as a

JET back in 2006 it was extended to up to 5 years. I got super excited but didn't have peace about

staying longer. I have no regrets because I was mentally prepared beforehand and lived it up to the end.


I had decided to take a sabbatical year, but that might be cut short as I've currently applied to work for

the JET Programme in Chicago. If I don't get the position then I'm heading to South America! I don't

seem to be in a hurry to work even though I've run into various opportunities; I just want to take

advantage of this transition and free time before I commit myself to a full-time job and grad school.


The hardest part about going back home was not realizing how much I had changed. For example, I

thought that I was quite expressive while I was in Japan, but after three years I realized that I repressed

my feelings and emotions after coming back home. How strange is that?!?!


Don't stay because your Shimane buddies are staying and don't leave because your Shimane buddies

are leaving. Think about what kinds of experiences you want to make of your time in Japan and make

them. Another year isn't necessarily going to be easier, just different. And don't let money convince

you to stay because you'll be miserable if you waste your time here; time is something you can't buy.

Plus if you have a sad and bitter attitude for staying for the wrong reasons, the people who are going

to suffer the most are your students. But if you can't decide then stay; nothing is more regrettable

than changing your mind after the re-contracting deadline and being unable to stay.18

KARENORTIZ-RENDONYokota 2006-09

monthly topic …

Where are you now?

I am currently living in Murrells Inlet, SC, USA (about a half hour drive from Myrtle Beach).


I left the JET Programme so that I could go back to school and get my Masters in Education, as well as

to be closer to my family and boyfriend. (now fiancé). I still really miss Japan and all of the friends that I

made there, but I am happy to be back home.


Right now I am once again going to school. Before this, however, I was doing some traveling. I have

gone to South Korea, France, Ireland, England, and Washington D.C.


I didn't find it too difficult to return to the cultural life of the United States as I had only been gone a

year. There were of course many things from Japan that I missed: the food, the people I was around,

the wonderful festivals that my town had, and so much more.


I knew from the beginning that I would only be in Japan for a year because I knew I wanted to go back

to school and get my Masters. However, if you have weighed the pros and cons of staying in Japan for

another year, and you are still very unsure as to if you should re-contract, I would recommend re-

contracting.

A year goes by faster than you know, and the longer I stayed in Japan the more I loved the experience.

The people are wonderful, you have a well-paying job working with wonderful students, and you have

the opportunity to see and do things that you might have missed in your first year.

19

ANDREATEUBERIinan 2008-09

Where are you now?

I left Shimane after those randy Hamada Belugas got knocked up and now I‟m back home in Ireland.


I had a few reasons to leave. One was the mind-numbing boredom of my B.O.E. I wasted more of my

life sitting there with no job to do than I would ever allow again! Another reason which reared its head

after I had decided not to re-contract was the Japanese healthcare system. I had a not-so-great

experience with them which basically involved me dying if I didn‟t have my tonsils out. Needless to say

I didn‟t have them out and was fine, but Jesus Christ what an epic and useless journey.


I‟m not working now, but I also haven‟t looked for a job yet. I saved a ton of money in Japan so I

decided to chill for a while. In March I plan to move to Germany with a friend of mine. ADVENTURE!


Nothing really (honestly, I‟m not being flippant). The most difficult part of going home was leaving.

It's always sad to leave a place you call home.


No matter which decision you make, life‟s gonna keep moving forward. Try not to romanticise the time

you‟ve spent in your town. Don‟t forget the mind numbing boredom and red tape.

If your life is a cushy as mine was, just try your best to weigh your options. If your job isn‟t soul-

crushing and you‟ve spent an amazing 6 months having adventures and going to Lupin Station Tokyo

without bringing me anything back and visiting all the ALT apartments that are so much more amazing

than yours and, I repeat, your soul is in no way being crushed … then what have you got to lose? A

year is so much shorter than you could ever realise. And besides, staying is so much less hassle than

leaving. Jeez.

monthly topic …

20

CLAIREDUFFYNichihara 2008-09

monthly topic …

Zwelakhe Makgalemele

didn‟t choose to be so

awesome.

The problem (to quote a yet another “dead-pan excellence” Keanu Reeves

performance) is choice. We can't know exactly what we want. We can't see

past our decisions to the true outcomes. Choice is higher powers‟ way of

reminding us of our shortcomings. It's the big painter or baker or whatever‟s

way of reminding us that we don't know it all. That's why he/she/it is up there

and we, the lot of us, are down here – raisins in a fruitcake, or equally strange

shapes in a Picasso.

Whether its “Mac or PC,” “Pepsi or Coke,”

or “One year or more in Japan,” we can‟t fully

predict the results of our decisions. To some

degree it‟s always going to be a cointoss. We will

never be truly aware of what we have decided

before we decide it. However, within the

parameters of such a problem also exists a

wonderful truth: “We never truly get precisely

what we want.” Stay with me…

What I mean is that while it is true that even

the best-informed decisions have the (sometimes

uncanny in their frequent occurrence) potential

to turn out badly, the opposite is also true.

Sometimes you might just be flipping a coin and

wind up in a much better situation (a curse on

those lucky cretins). Choice is the limited

control you have over the throttle on that

jostling beast that is your life. Don‟t believe me?

Consider that nothing happens without your say;

that all the happenings you encounter are linked

to past decisions you have made; and that

horrible (and unrelenting) matcha Kit Kat taste in

your mouth can be traced back to a decision to

come to Japan in the first place! If you find that

you are now at the bottom of a barrel, isn‘t it

comforting to know you put yourself there?

Okay, maybe not in that particular instance,

but to me having it all predetermined seems so

much worse. I mean, can you imagine:

21

“Hello, Mr. Makgalemele. Welcome to the

first day of the rest of your life. You are to

proceed casually to the ripe old age of 26

whereupon you will meet your maker after the

ill-advised “decision” to try blowfish for the first

time ends in your comical but admittedly tragic

demise…”

What would be the point? It‟s nicer to think

that I could have gone for pizza that night,

provided I wouldn‟t have choked to death on

that... Mmmmm… Pizza.

Anyway, what I have been trying to illustrate is

that while it is a burden at times (hence the

ambiguous attempt at wit in my first sentence),

choice is actually a powerful and useful tool, in

spite of perhaps making “the incorrect decision.”

Choice is the power of destiny in fact, if only to a

limited extent. The power isn‟t in the result but

in the options we have. Things can and will turn

out badly no matter what we decide. That‟s why

we cannot choose to be successful, only to keep

trying to be. (And to stay away from blowfish.

Yes, it‟s been on my mind.)

Source: Sinopix/Rex

monthly topic …

Declann Harris solves

all his problems with

ice cream.

Choice is one of the fundamental factors that makes every one of us as

we are today – human. Being granted the power of „choice‟ is what separates

us from the other beasties on this planet. Looking at the story of Adam and

Eve, choice has been bestowed upon humans from the beginning of

humandom. Adam‟s choice to bite into that first apple opened the Pandora‟s

Box (or should we say Eve‟s Box) of choices.

Making a decision and acting on your choice

are all relative. For example, imagine you‟re a guy

chatting to your mates over a pint of beer and

suddenly feel the urge to „take a slash like the

Victoria Falls.‟ Well, this decision is relatively easy

– you go to the WC. Now imagine you‟re talking

to a pretty girl and you‟re having a good

conversation with positive repercussions to

follow. All of a sudden images of the Victoria Falls

creep into your mind. Now you‟re faced with

the choice: either hang in there tiger or lose your

seat next to the attractive lass. The same choice

– to pee or not to pee – but relatively different

circumstances.

This is only one interpretation of a type of

choice any of us could face. There are far more

difficult and complex choices to be made in life.

Many of them have a significant bearing on us

personally, those close to us, and even people

we‟ll likely never meet. Given this, there are also

the lighter choices in life, like whether to have a

scoop of vanilla or chocolate ice cream.

There are many mechanisms to help us

make the „right‟ choice. Many have acted on their

Who to marry and

when to get married.When to resign. Where to live.

To light that first/next

cigarette.

To be, or not to pee. Where to go on holiday. To rent or to buy.Whether to get an

abortion or not.

To get medical attention

for that thing..

Whether to „pull the plug‟

on a loved one or not.

continued on bottom of next page22

„gut feel‟ when faced with an instant decision

with very little time allowed for thought. Gut feel

is like instinct; the difference between a good

fisherman and an ace fisherman. Another

method for making a decision is looking for

guidance. Starting close to home, you could chat

to either friends or family. Thereafter you could

do your own research on the Internet or by

reading books which might provide help and

direction (like my cousin). Some people may

look for inspiration from the divine through

prayer and meditation. There is also the old and

oft-used „table of pros and cons‟ which requires

one to write the good points against the bad,

tally them up, and use the resulting table as a tool

in making your choice.

There are a plethora of methods one could

use to aid in making tough decisions. I hope our

leaders, in this time of political strife and financial

turmoil, have employed far more complex

methods for coming to their final decisions.

Bringing it down to the level of the individual, we

have all made tough choices and will undoubtedly

face more in the future. Here‟s a short list of

some of them:

monthly topic …

Carole Deveau likes

trying new things.

I guess the topic this month is mostly geared toward the question of:

To re-contract? or Not to re-contract?

As a 5th year ALT, my answer to that is simple: I can‟t.

But every February since I‟ve been in Japan, I‟ve had to ponder that question. It wasn‟t always easy.

In 2005, I was coming to Japan for only one year…so what happened?

Well, something unexpected happened – I fell in love with Japan. As much as things can frustrate

me at times in this country, I‟m also learning so much from this experience!

So, every February, I‟ve asked myself if I was still learning enough (about work, Japanese, hobbies

etc.) to justify staying. And each year, the answer was yes. I was learning a lot, and still am! For

example, I‟ve learned more about the English language by teaching it here than I ever did studying it

back home. And I‟ve learned more about Japan, its culture, and the language here than I could ever do

back home too. For me, that was enough.

This year, I will have to make other choices. But I also want to appreciate my last 7 months here and

not stress too much about my “life after JET.” And I guess that‟s also my choice.

Good luck with your decision!

Here‟s a quote about choices from Alice‟s Adventures in Wonderland: One day, Alice came to a fork in the

road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree. “Which road do I take?” she asked. “Where do you want to go?” was

his response. “I don’t know,”Alice answered. “Then,” said the cat,“it doesn’t matter.”

– Louis Carroll

23

This is by no means an exhaustive list of hard choices. On the other hand, there are some

choices in life that are very easy and require no powers of deduction. Here is a short list of some:

The choice is yours.

continued from last page

Refer to the previous listWhether to have a scoop of

vanilla or chocolate ice cream.

Three years ago I made a choice to leave a well-paying job to take a different path, filled with long

hours and no pay. I chose to fight for something much bigger than me; to fight for Change. I love that

such a simple word can have so many meanings. Peace. Growth. Hope. We can all evoke change, bring

about peace, inspire growth, fill someone with hope. I have been fortunate enough to have many people

in my life who have inspired a positive change in me. To change voluntarily takes confidence, and lots of

it. Confidence comes from many different places; experience, education, and our leaders.

When I first met Marvin Nicholson, White House Trip Advisor, during the summer of 2007, he had

just arrived at Martha‟s Vineyard for a two-week vacation with President Obama, who was a senator at

the time. I wasn‟t yet sold on Obama and I told him this. Too early in the game, I thought. Too good

to be true. D.C. would never have it. Marvin looked down at me (he‟s 6½ feet tall) and told me with a

chuckle, “There is so much excitement here, I mean, this guy is going to be our next president.” We

continued to chat. I revealed that I was registered Republican but I understood the big picture he

spoke of. He forgave me and asked me to stop sitting on the sidelines; make a choice, get involved.

He inspired me to do just that – to take charge of my future like it matter to the entire world

what I did next. I worked on the campaign that year, from Massachusetts to Pennsylvania, as a

Volunteer Coordinator, guiding people from15 year-olds who could not yet vote to 85 year-olds who

would vote in their first election in 2008. People were already changing and it did not happen by

chance. It happened by choice. Well, the ball is in our court. We fought for change and we‟ve got it on

the hook; it‟s ours to lose. Change for me came from that simple conversation. It came from the

confidence Marvin had in his beliefs, his friend President Obama, and his choice not to compromise.

So stand tall gang, because there is a lot more work to do.

monthly topic …

Adam Hacker makes

the hard choices.

24

We make choices everyday. We have the luxury to choose what we

wear, what we eat, and where we travel. And these are luxuries, because not

everyone in this world has them. A simple concept, choice. We choose our

friends, lovers, and mentors; who to forgive and who to forget. Choices we

make bring us to today and to each other.

monthly topic …

Aston Tsui is

fate‟s slave.

I didn‟t really have a choice in writing this because when 7‟10” Lauren

Wetherington comes to you with that stern look of certitude – as if she knows

you will bend to her will even though you have no idea what she wants – YOU

BEND. So although I didn‟t have a choice as to whether or not I would write,

at least I have a choice as to what to write about.

Now, a whole flood of thoughts comes

rushing to my mind when I think about the word

choice. There‟s deep philosophical stuff like free

will, pre-determinism, etc. And then there‟s more

pop culture stuff like Neo‟s answer to whether

or not he believes in fate or that you can only do

what you can until your fate is revealed to you.

My personal philosophy is that choice is

somewhat of an illusion. In society‟s mind, we

always have a choice because, without that

premise, we are merely slaves of fate and victims

of circumstance, and nobody wants to believe

that. But according to Freud, that‟s just

rationalization or a self-defense mechanism to

make you feel better about your less-than-

perfect life.

To ameliorate that mindset, I believe that we

always have a choice, but in that single

instantaneous moment that choice is made, it has

already been pre-determined by three factors:

genes, an accumulation of all the experiences one

has encountered in life, and the current situation.

In this very moment I am deciding what to type

next, but my lack of ability in writing (my genetic

predisposition) is making me type garbled

nonsense; the accumulation of experiences in the

past has conditioned me towards a fear of

Lauren Wetherington so that I keep writing

regardless; and the current situation is that I am

on a 6-hour bus ride from Osaka to Gotsu, so if I

shall beckon to the Daitorio‟s will, I might as well

do it while I‟m bored.25

In a totally tangential transition, I think the

greatest choice we have this very moment is that

of re-contracting. As a 1st-year, I doubt my ability

to make a decision that is logically and

emotionally sound. It‟s like we‟re purposely made

to decide so early because of our weak and

confused states.

But in any case, I have pestered many sempais

regarding the choice that I will soon have to

make. To my disdain, all that I have realized is

that everybody‟s personalities vary so widely

from each other and my own that I only get more

confused.

All this worrying is for nothing, though,

because my choice will ultimately be the result of

a mix of my genetics, experiences, and situation.

So I just signed the contract and turned it in and

didn‟t even think about it because in my heart –

all logic, reason, dollars, figures, proximities,

loneliness, perks, languages, homesickness, friends,

family, experiences, age, and waist size aside – I

knew it was the best choice for me. If I get

depressed then that‟s too bad because it was my

choice. As for you, I‟m sure you‟ll know what‟s

best for you when the time comes. But honestly,

I think your genes, experiences, and situation

have already told you.

“…[choice] is pre-determined by three

factors: genes, an accumulation of all

the experiences one has encountered in

life, and the current situation.”

monthly topic …

Chris Slaby has been

called argumentative.

He disagrees.Let me start by saying that I‟m no stranger to the cold. In fact, I used to

profess my great love for this time of year. That all changed when I studied

abroad in India and my temperature comfort zone shifted up by about 20-30°F.

Still, four years of college in Upstate New York and a mother whose main hobby is skiing has made me

accustomed to harsh, cold winters. So when the mercury began to fall in Shimane I barely noticed.

October wasn‟t so bad. Okay, it was starting to get a little chilly in November. And of course, it‟s not

the exterior temperature that shocks us newbies but that we start to see our breath inside our homes.

By December, even I had to admit that yes, it was getting cold.

What I didn‟t realize was that when I started to feel the cold inside, I stopped opening my windows.

The kotatsu in my home is broken and I had no heater for a while. By the time I had a heater it was

December and it was cold. I slept with the heater on, got ready for work, turned the heater off while I

was gone, then got home and turned the heater back on. In the U.S., buildings are insulated, windows

are double-paned, and homes have central heating. During the winter, I like to open the window next

to my bed and get a little breeze of cool, fresh air. Since it was still pretty cold inside my Japanese

apartment, I didn‟t feel a need for cold, fresh air. In fact, I just wanted to be as warm as possible and so

I didn‟t go near the windows for a long time.

Eventually, however, with the addition of a heater, the indoor warmth of winter returned. One

day I even felt the need for that refreshing breeze. I went to open the window. First I slid open the

shoji and then I froze. I couldn‟t believe my eyes. I was beyond confused; horrified. The entire window

pane was covered with a sheet of water. This wasn‟t some minor condensation in the corner – it was a

river floating on my window! Later, after calming down and cleaning up, I realized that I simply hadn‟t

opened the windows in weeks since it was so cold. I still don‟t quite understand; I‟ve never seen

condensation like this, and I wonder why this happens here but not back in the U.S. Nonetheless, I‟ve

learned my lesson: ventilate your Japanese home, even in the cool winter.

This was a practical lesson, a how-to aspect of a certain living situation in Japan. And useful though

this was, it made me aware of a larger lesson. When I first saw what looked like melting windows in

my apartment, I was, among many other things, pissed off at this new complication in my life. No, I was

not going to die. And no, in the grand scheme of things window condensation is not that big of a

problem, but it was something new and something big and I didn‟t like it. As time went on – and as I

began to regularly open the windows – I realized that this thing that seemed like an inconvenience to

me was just another part of life for many Japanese people. Yes, I didn‟t have to deal with this situation

back home, but winter window condensation is simply a part of life in Japan.

26

monthly topic …

Not getting upset over things that you

can‟t control is also a helpful mantra in these

situations. I again thought about how it was back

in the U.S., and how I didn‟t have this problem

there, and then I realized I wasn‟t there…I‟m

here. There were so many new, different, difficult,

and even unpleasant situations in Japan, but what

I‟m beginning to realize is that you‟ve got to look

at any situation from a native perspective. I find

myself constantly making comparisons to things

back home, yet this never makes change or

difference easier. What we must realize is that

things work a certain way here, and yes, they may

be different, and when compared to home these

things might be uncomfortable, but this is just

how it is here. And once you realize that there is

no choice – your windows are simply how they

are and your home is simply built the way it‟s

built – you realize that all you can choose is to

get upset or to try and understand how things

work in Japan, on their own terms.

Credit: Adam Hacker

Jason Leather offers free hugs every day at 7:45pm.

27

We do have to change ourselves a bit when

truly adapting to another culture. I‟ve become

more comfortable with cool breezes even if the

inside of my house is not that warm. Yet when

we think about this in terms of choices, what‟s

the larger compromise? I enjoy being in Japan. I

am interested in seeing life from a different

perspective and understanding how to live the

way a different group of people does, and overall

I‟m having a great time. On the other hand, I

don‟t like that during the winter my windows

collect such vast amounts of water that I need to

open them often. I can choose to stay in Japan

and learn to live with melting windows or I can

leave. For some people, maybe it‟s more than

just melting windows. Maybe it‟s many things –

too many even – and so choosing to leave makes

more sense. However, for me the small

frustrations are but minor daily differences or

inconveniences, and choosing to be comfortable

with the uncomfortable is just easier.

monthly topic …

Towards the back of the train sat a man looking

perplexedly at the newspaper that lay beside

him. He scratched his head, looked out the

window, looked around the car, then let his chin

come to rest in the palm of his hand.

There‟s probably a lot of interesting news in the

paper today, he thought; however, there may very

well be something quite disturbing that would

ruin my entire morning. But it could make my

morning too… Either way, he went on, glancing

around the car. If I take up the paper, people

may think that I‟m too preoccupied, and I might

miss the chance to talk to someone startlingly

interesting. Hmm… then again, the person who

sits next to me could be terribly dull.

After much deliberation, the man finally picked

up the newspaper and had just set about the

task of determining which article to read, when

suddenly the whistle sounded and the train

gently slowed to a stop.

“Terandine,” came the conductor‟s singsong

voice. “All off for Terandine.”

The man gazed out the windows at what he

could see of the city behind the station platform.

He‟d had no intention of sojourning in this place,

for it wasn‟t even mentioned in his guidebook;

however, it would take the train some time to

refuel so he stepped out onto the platform for a

stretch and a look.

The platform was near the top of a hill that

28

“Ridin‟ the Line”A Short Story by Nate Townsend

sloped down toward a river, the city sprawling

out between. It wasn‟t a new city by any means,

and many of the houses in the residential area

were rather weatherworn; nevertheless, apart

from a shabby area near a wood on the

outskirts of town, overall it looked quite well

kept.

As the man took in the cool evening air and

admired some of the quaint, old buildings, he

wondered if this actually might be a nice place to

take up residence for a while. Then he thought

of the woman with whom he‟d been talking the

previous day. He looked around thinking he

might ask her a few more questions, but there

were only a couple people still milling about and

no sign of the woman anywhere. Too bad, he

thought. She was an interesting one.

The woman had been telling him a little about

the town. It sounded like a nice place – a strong

community, low crime rate, and plenty of good

work to be found – but the woman hadn‟t

known if there were any interesting society

groups, and if not, life might become terribly dull.

Moreover, he might miss some of the more

scintillating ones he‟d read about in other cities

– of course, he‟d passed those cities long ago…

but there were sure to be others.

He looked at the town again. It was quite

appealing, and it would be nice to settle down for

a while. He remembered why the woman had

decided on settling there. She said she‟d been

traveling for a long time – almost as long as he

had by the sound of it – and finally she‟d had a

monthly topic …

realization. “I came to the conclusion that if I

didn‟t decide on something, I‟d never get

anywhere,” she had said. Perhaps she had a

point. Indeed, he‟d been hearing things like that

a lot lately; a mother traveling with her son, a

business woman, a reporter, an old man who

could barely walk, and even the conductor had

all said something similar. Maybe it was time to

decide.

Long ago, when he first began his journey to find

a place to settle down, he went through many

exciting and interesting cities; however, he

wanted to make an informed decision so he

never stayed more than a few hours, until his

next train departed. He read through his

guidebooks, weighing the information about one

city and comparing it with others, trying to

determine which place best suited his tastes and

which offered the best quality. He found a few

that had nearly everything he wanted and he

enjoyed the few hours he spent there; however,

the thought of what might go wrong and the

lure of better possibilities always kept him from

deciding. And so he lived mostly on the line,

riding from one place to another, but always

lacking a destination.

Yes, it was time for a decision. So after

retrieving his luggage, he headed for the gate.

On the way there, however, he decided it might

be best to store his things in a locker at the

station, just in case. After doing so, he hurried

out the main entrance.

Down the street, he saw a charming café that

looked like a nice place to observe his

surroundings. He began walking toward it, but

almost there, doubled back and took a seat at

one of the outdoor cafés nearer the station.

After choosing something from the menu, he

settled into his observation.

Yes, this seems like quite a nice place, he mused.

The waiter certainly was obliging in helping me

make my order. And the people around me

seem to be more than content. Such signs can

only bode well. And look how nicely they keep

the streets; no litter anywhere. Looks like a

decent transit system as well; it‟d be easy enough

to get where I wanted to go. He glanced toward

a park some blocks away. And it seems the city

is sensible enough to keep airy parks around the

town. That one over there could be a nice place

to take lunch during work if the weather is right.

He smiled.

But the smile faded as a thought crossed his

mind. Hmm… well, it‟s nice enough today, but I

don‟t really know what the weather is like in

these parts. It‟s possible they don‟t get many

nice days throughout the year; and I‟ve been

through other great towns with perfect weather

all year round. I suppose I should check an

almanac…

The man finished his lunch and began walking

down the block. To his right, he noticed a big

store front with a sign that said “Going out of

business sale. Hurry, before it‟s too late!” He

was just about to go in, but he noticed the store

had already closed for the evening.

The man glanced tentatively at the sign and

turned back toward the station. Going out of

business? Why would a big store like that be

going out of business? he wondered. Perhaps

this isn‟t the flourishing community that lady on

the train made it out to be. I‟d better check the

business section of the paper. And with that, he

lengthened his steps toward the station where

he could get the day‟s paper.

He found the paper rack and picked up the

appropriate one. He began looking through the

business section when the announcement came

that the train was leaving. He started and

hurriedly put back the paper. He took a step29

monthly topic …

toward the train, then paused and glanced at the

street through the main entrance. Better not

chance it, he thought. And with that, he rushed

to the lockers, grabbed his baggage, and was

back on the train just before the doors clicked

shut. The train shuddered a few times, then

moved forward steadily increasing its speed.

The man stowed his luggage and found a seat.

He felt rather relieved; he wasn‟t confined to

one path and still had a world of choices ahead

of him. Who knows to what interesting places

this train shall take me, he thought.

He looked around the train. There were only a

couple passengers and no one that appeared

particularly interesting with whom to converse,

so he picked up a magazine and began glancing

through it, wondering if he could find any

information on the region ahead of him.

The evening turned to night, and before long the

man grew rather tired and dozed off, not

bothering to make his way to the sleeper car.

The train made a few more stops during the

night, and the man, after glancing out the

window, leaned back against the seat and closed

his eyes again, each time thinking that the places

didn‟t seem worth checking into. And besides,

that day he‟d had enough of making decisions.

The man woke with a start as the train clicked

to a halt. Groggily, he looked around. He was

the only one in the car. He shook himself awake

and stood up to stretch, peering out the window

through a dim, early morning light. But all he

could see was gray.

He was wondering if it was worth trying to take

a look outside in the fog when the door

connecting the cars opened and the conductor

came in.

“Well, this is the end of the line, son,” the

conductor said with a note of finality in his

voice.

“The end of the line?” queried the man.

“But… where do I go now?”

“Yeah, well... I don‟t rightly know, except

that you gotta get off this train here. „Everyone

off at the end of the line.‟ Company policy.” The

conductor pointed at a sign toward the front of

the car. “An‟ this here‟s the end of the line.”

“Oh, I see…”

Bewildered, the man glanced at the sign again. It

seemed he had no choice. He sighed, shrugged,

and walked to the door, stepping away from the

train. There he stood for a few minutes

wondering what to do next. The train started

up and began chugging away.

As the train disappeared into the light, gray mist,

he suddenly thought of his luggage, which was

still on the train. He whirled round to face the

station, but realized that where he was standing

was certainly not the platform of a train station.

In fact, it wasn‟t a platform at all, but rather, flat

ground extending endlessly in every direction.

But he couldn‟t quite judge if it really was

endlessly, for there were no buildings, no trees,

no hills, or anything else for that matter, by

which to measure distance. And oddly enough,

even the tracks, upon which the train had ridden,

were not to be found. Standing there, looking

round him, he realized there was nothing to

move towards, no direction, nothing to choose.

30 Source: Interscope Records

EATKibi dango (吉備団子) are sweet dumplings that

Momotaro gave to his friends to ward off demons

on his path.

DAY-TRIPSKurashiki (倉敷 ) (15 minutes, ¥320) retains

Edo-period architecture alongside the charming

colonial Bikan Historic Area. Get lost amongst

the narrow paths and climb to the top for a view

at the shrine.

tips and tricks in and out of Shimane travel

Regina Durr has traveled to

over 23 countries and is

rarely seen in the iinaka.

岡山 Okayama

LOCATIONShinkansen stop between Hiroshima and Osaka.

Highway buses from Matsue and Izumo also go

here, or the Izumo Sunrise Express train.

FESTIVALThe Naked Man Festival („裸祭り, or 'Hadaka

Matsuri'' ), officially called Saidaiji Eyo, is held

annually on the third Saturday of February at

midnight in Saidaiji.

SIGHTSOkayama Castle (¥300) is dark black and a

stark contrast to the surrounding, picturesque

Korakuen (one of Japan‟s Top 3 gardens, ¥350).

The Orient Museum (¥ 600) which holds Middle

Eastern art is worth an hour.

Tour Kirin Beer Factory (Mantomi Station) then

taste a fresh brew for ¥400 a pint.

31

LEGENDThe Legend of Momotaro (桃太郎, or "Peach Boy“).

recipes and more food

Betsy Pinkham thinks

chocolate is love.

We Love Valentine‟s

Day Chocolate!

As with all old holidays, the exact history of

St. Valentine‟s Day and of course the life of St.

Valentine himself have been obscured through

legend. No one is 100% certain why February

14th was chosen for the day, but popular legend

holds that it was the day St. Valentine was

executed by Claudius II after holding secret

marriage ceremonies for young couples when

marriage was banned by the emperor. When the

holiday was first declared by the pope in the 5th

century, it was also just one day before the Feast

of Lupercalia (a Roman fertility festival), and was

probably chosen to “convert” the festival into a

Christian holiday. The modern holiday has

evolved from there.

In the West (especially England, France, and

North America), it‟s popular to give candies,

chocolate, flowers, cards, and jewelry on

Valentine‟s Day. From these places the modern

customs of the holiday have spread.

Valentine‟s Day was introduced into Japan

in 1958 as part of a campaign by chocolate

manufacturers. On February 14th, women give

giri-choco (obligation chocolate) to male friends

and co-workers so that there is no chance of the

man being embarrassed by not getting any

chocolate. Women also give hon-mei (home

made chocolate) to their

crush/boyfriend/husband. In the 1980s a new

32

Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate! Usually I ramble about Japanese

food then give you a dinner dish and a dessert. In honor of Valentine‟s

Day, I want to do something different and talk about the history of the

holiday in and out of Japan.

holiday was introduced as an “answer” to

Valentine‟s Day. One month after Valentine‟s Day,

on March 14th, men are expected to give

reciprocal gifts to the women who gave them

chocolate. This holiday is called White Day.

All around I think it‟s a very fun custom,

even if it was developed purely as a marketing

ploy. For me who likes to bake, though, I dislike

giving store-bought giri-choco, yet I feel awkward

handing out homemade chocolate to co-workers.

So I take advantage of the holiday to introduce

some of my own culture and bring in a batch of

chocolate cookies or such and give them to

everyone, women included. This year I plan on

filling three boxes with an assortment of

chocolates, truffles, and tiny chocolate cookies,

and bringing a box each to my two schools and

BOE office.

Chocolate giving aside, Valentine‟s Day is a

great time for a romantic dinner. I want to give

you a simple yet delicious dish you can make for

your sweetheart, or if you are like me and suffer

from SHD (Sweetheart Deficiency), a fun recipe

you can share with your other SHD friends. But

since I do love chocolate, I couldn‟t avoid adding

it to the main meal, so here‟s a simple recipe for

chicken mole. As for dessert, it might be nice to

sip on a cup of coffee while nibbling on some

chocolate crinkles.

Mix

allth

ein

gredie

nts

toge

ther

ina

sauce

pan

and

slow

lyheat

ove

ra

low

flame.

Cut

the

chick

en

into

servin

gpie

ces

and

add

toth

esau

ce.

Cove

ran

dco

ntin

ue

toco

ok

on

low

,stirrin

g

occasio

nally.

The

longe

ryo

ucan

keep

itco

okin

g,th

em

ore

tender

the

chick

en

will

be,but

you

have

tokeep

check

ing

and

stirring

soth

esau

cedoesn

‟tburn

.

Serve

ove

rw

hite

rice.

Ina

stainle

ssste

elbow

l,ove

ra

sauce

pan

ofsim

merin

gw

ater,

melt

the

choco

latean

dbutte

r.R

em

ove

from

heat

and

set

aside.

Ina

diffe

rent

bow

l,beat

the

eggs

and

sugar

until

thick

,pale

,an

d

fluffy.

Beat

inth

evan

illa,th

en

stirin

the

melte

dch

oco

latem

ixtu

re.

Add

the

flour,

salt,an

dbak

ing

pow

der,

stirring

just

until

inco

rporate

d.

Cove

rw

ithplastic

wrap

and

refrige

rateuntil

firm

enough

tosh

ape

into

balls

(3-4

hours

or

ove

rnigh

t).

Pre

heat

ove

nto

170°

C(3

25°

F).

With

your

han

ds,

form

small

balls

of

the

chille

ddough

and

roll

them

inth

epow

dere

dsu

gar.B

ake

ina

pre

heate

dove

nat

170°

Cfo

r8-1

0m

inute

suntil

the

edge

sare

slightly

firmbut

the

cente

rsare

stillso

ft.

Mole

Poblan

o C

hicke

n

Ingre

die

nts:

2 ch

icken b

reasts

2tsp

unsw

eete

ned co

coa p

ow

der

1tsp

salt

2tsp

chili p

ow

der

1tsp

corian

der

1/4

cup le

mon ju

ice

2 o

r 3 d

iced to

mato

es

1m

ediu

m ch

opped o

nio

n

1tb

sp h

oney

*Add an

y more

spice

s you w

ould

like, o

r

chip

otle

s for m

ore

heat.

Choco

late C

rinkle

s*3

0 co

okie

s

Ingre

die

nts:

4 tb

sp (5

6 gram

s) unsalte

d b

utte

r

225 gram

s sem

isweet ch

oco

late

(just u

se M

eiji B

LA

CK

)

1/2

cup gran

ulate

d su

gar

2 large

eggs

2 tsp

vanilla e

xtract

1 1

/2 cu

ps all-p

urp

ose

flour

1/4

tsp salt

1/2

tsp b

akin

g pow

der

1 cu

p p

ow

dere

d su

gar

recipes and more food

33

34

By Wendy Holmes

______________

Feb. 1, 1962Resolution adopted

accusing the US of

treating Okinawa like

a colony.

Feb. 1, 1972Winter Olympics

opened in Sapporo.

Feb. 3, 1867Matsuhito became

emperor.

Feb. 11Cited as the day the

first emperor was

crowned in 660 BC.

Feb. 18, 1933Yoko Ono was born.

Feb. 19, 1942Japanese attacked

Darwin, Australia.

Feb. 19, 1942Detention of west-

coast Japanese-

Americans ordered.

Feb. 26, 1936The February 26

Incident (an

attempted coup).

I'm completely convinced that in a year you can become

proficient at almost any task if you make the most of your time.

While it takes longer than a year to achieve master status in anything,

if I had to guess most of us have at least 2 hours a day that we could (or

do) devote to completing our goals. Two hours a day, 365 days a year, is

about 730 hours. According to the Japan Foundation, one can pass JLPT 2

with about 600 hours of study – food for thought as most potential

employers interested in the JLPT accept JLPT 2 scores as a baseline level of

Japanese proficiency. However, I'm not here to convince you to take a test.

My objective is to change the way you think about your time and to

introduce you to tools that could better help you complete your goals, no

matter what they may be.

The title of this, the first in a series of articles devoted to time

management and increasing personal efficiency, is entitled Five Minutes of

Focus. Therefore, I'd like to introduce two specific techniques that help me

complete tasks: timeboxing and task management via a task list.

This month‟s feature photography by Eric Liebman.

The Key Fuctory

is your one-stop

shop for the

perfect

implements to fit

inside holes of

all sizes.

Jacob Heller has time

on his side.

language and understanding Japanese life culture

Time – like money – is a finite resource. I spend

a lot of time studying Japanese, but for my first two

years here I wasted a lot of time because I didn't

realize how short and precious a year really is. Now

35

Kanji

Corner

Timeboxing involves concentrating on a single task, like writing this

article for instance, and working for a pre-defined stretch of time in order to

complete that task and that task alone. We use timeboxing all the time

without realizing it. Glazing a ham is timeboxing. Putting the garbage out on

the curb? Yep, that's also timeboxing. Timeboxing is simply doing with a focus

on getting something done at the expense of all else.

I became far more aware of timeboxing when Anki (a flash card

program I use to study Japanese) introduced it into one of its point releases.

On the Study Options screen, I could specify how long I wanted to study and

then ignore everything else for a specified period of time. No matter how

fast or slow I perceived time as passing, in the end I would only be as many

minutes from where I started as I had originally specified. When you know

that you'll study for 30 minutes, no more and no less, the conscious mind can't

distort your perception of time and/or encourage procrastination because of

it.

Initially I tried long intervals. I thought I could focus for 45 minutes

straight, finish my reviews, and then put Anki down for the rest of the day.

However, I soon realized that longer intervals were counterproductive. I'd get

distracted by an email half-way through my card repetitions and navigate away

from Anki. The solution to this was not to concentrate harder in search of a

zen state, the act of which would ultimately disrupt my aim of learning and

remembering. No, I did what any self-respecting slacker would do: I reduced

the interval and spent less time studying.

I tried 30-minute intervals, and failed, just as hard and fast as before.

Next, I ran with 15-minute intervals, along with shorter spans of 2-3 minutes

in the slices of downtime at work. However, concentrating for 15 minutes

straight on a single, somewhat repetitive task proved nearly impossible. I set

the bar at 10 minutes and tried that for about three months. Around the

same time, I started using a task list program on my Mac called The Hit List to

track my studying tasks. I set them up as daily repeating tasks. If I finished

them, they'd pop up in my inbox at the same time the next day, but if I failed

to complete them, they would simply remain on my list of things to do.

Additionally, I changed a few of my study parameters and eventually, on a

whim, I set my timeboxing interval to 5 minutes and left it there. Only then

did I begin to see massive productivity gains. Five minutes of focus, I've found,

is attainable almost anytime, whether it be at work between classes or at

home in front of the TV. Even the most urgent bits of mail can wait 5 minutes,

and at the end of every interval I could guiltlessly distract myself and then

return to task knowing that my next break was only 5 minutes away.

決

On Readings:

ケツ

Kun Readings:

きめるきまるさく

Meaning(s):

decide, fix,

agree upon,

appoint

石の上にも三年

Ishi no ue nimo

sannen

Literal: Sitting on a

stone for three years.

Meaning: One who

endures wins in the

end. Perseverance is

a virtue.

If you sit on your

cold rock for 3 years

it eventually warms

up and you are more

secure in your

position.


36

Part of my productivity gains were due to

my newfound ability to focus for 5 minutes at a

time. Whereas before it was a chore to stay

glued to my computer for 10, 15, or even 30

minutes at a time, 5 minutes seemed to end

before it even began, keeping me fresh and

awake, ready for the next task. I also attribute

part of my increased efficiency to the Zeigarnik

Effect.

According to a great book I picked up while I

was in Bangkok, 59 Seconds: Think a Little,

Change a Lot, the Zeigarnik Effect was first

observed in a café by a Russian psychology

graduate named Bluma Zeigarnik. She observed

that waitstaff could easily remember the orders

of patrons who hadn't yet paid their bill, but once

a customer had paid, the staff had a much more

difficult time trying to remember what they had

ordered. When I worked on my decks for 5

minutes at a time, it would take me multiple

attempts to zero out my cards and finish my

reviews for the day, thus my productivity

increased because I introduced the stress of an

unfinished task into my routine.

Research shows that the 'just a few minutes'

rule is a highly effective way of beating

procrastination, and could help people finish the

Cho“I”ceBy Wendy Holmes

Free to decide but

Bound by cultural values

Consequence, pleasure

Is independent thought just

A romantic illusion?


most arduous of tasks. It is also the perfect

application of Zeigarnik's work - those few

minutes of initial activity create an anxious brain

that refuses to rest until the job is finished.

My second strategy is, quite simply, to reward

myself. To this end, as I noted above, I utilize a

task list – namely, The Hit List. Whenever I have

to do anything, whether it be washing the dishes

or going to the bank, I create a new task in The

Hit List and assign it a priority.

The reward for completing these tasks is as

silly as it is effective: if I complete a task, I check

it off and archive it. The number on The Hit List's

dock badge decreases by one, and I feel one

giant, measurable step closer to completely

eliminating all the tasks I wanted to get to today.

There are all sorts of alternatives to The Hit List

such as Remember the Milk, a web service

devoted to task management, and TaskPaper on

the Mac. Google Calendar also has basic task

management for free.

With five minutes of focus and a simple task

list that is actively maintained day to day, I submit

that you can do anything, remember everything,

and waste nothing.

I look forward to questions and comments,

and can be reached via email at

[email protected].

Sourc

e: K

nopf

mailto:[email protected]




出雲弁 DialectWelcome to the Silver Zone

I know what you‟re thinking: sexy. If you‟re like me, you‟ve probably been

wondering, “How can I get down with some octogenarians?” Or maybe you

were that chump who showed up late to gate-ball and didn‟t know that folks

„round these parts like to kick it old-school. If you‟re bored with being “cool,”

read on. That‟s the signpost up ahead – your next stop is the silver zone.

Nick Zimmerman

counts the days until

he‟s eligible for

seniors‟ discounts.

While traveling around Japan, you‟re likely to encounter regional

dialects known as hougen (方言). Shimane is host to a hougen known as

Izumo-ben. Although Izumo-ben seems to be fading from common usage,

most people you ask will know a little bit, and many older people know

more funky Izumo-ben words than you can shake your cane at.

For the past few months, I‟ve received Izumo-ben instruction from the

illustrious Dr. Ashida. He‟s one of the school lunch delivery drivers who

work in Daito. I call him “Dr.” because he wears a white uniform, and

because he knows what‟s up. Whenever I visit Shiota Elementary (which

consists of a total of ten kids), he has just finished unloading the lunch

crates, so he hangs out and eats his bento lunch there.

The lessons began with us sitting in the staffroom. He‟d bark out Izumo-ben between bites and I‟d

frantically scribble down notes, occasionally turning around to confirm with the giggling secretary. I

began compiling a list of words this way, bringing it with me to other elementary schools to check and

revise with other folks over 50. Before long, Dr. Ashida began writing down long vocabulary lists for

me while waiting in his truck for me to arrive.

I‟d like to extend his teachings to you. I can‟t claim that there won‟t be local variations, and some

of these may not work on your local fogies. Give them a shot anyway, and see what happens. And if

you ever see Dr.Ashida, you can say ありがとうダンダン [dan dan].

A greeting for dusk, early evening

バンジマシテ [banjimashite]

ゆっくりソローソロー[sorou sorou]

すこしチョンボシ [chomboshi]

たくさんあるタェソア[taeso aa]

どちでもいいドゲデモイイ[doge de mo ii]

だからダケン [daken]*Actually, this is a common colloquialism,

and is also found in many other dialects).

あまりアンマー [anmaa] そうだよソゲダ [sogeda] わたしはワシャ [washa]

うまいマイマイ [mai mai] 元気（げんき) マメ [mame] いきましょうイカコエ [ikakoe]

37

everything entertainment 楽しい / tanoshii

Greg Ferguson finds

enlightenment in

entertainment

38

This has to be one of the best times to be a music lover. More choices

exist than ever. In this age of online media distribution, so much is being made

available so easily, quickly, and inexpensively. Even long out-of-print material that

would be unfeasible to reprint in mass quantities is showing up on services like

iTunes and Amazon. Specialty music can now reach wider audiences, and local

CD Shopping-A-Go-Go!

acts suddenly have global exposure. Online music has obvious benefits over physical formats – the

ability to choose individual tracks, the absence of packaging materials, and no scratches or wear-and-

tear to name a few. But perhaps the best thing about this transition to online distribution is the very

fact that a great multitude of CDs are being left in its wake.

That‟s not a knock against CDs, although their sound quality isn‟t always quite top-notch

(especially discs pressed at the dawn of the innovation). Rather, CDs have become much more

affordable now. Wait, I know, you‟re right – brand-new CDs are still selling for ¥3000. And you‟re right

again – that‟s way too much. But, across the tracks and over the aisles in the cities and CD stores of

Japan, you‟ll find a music lover‟s paradise – a treasure trove of used CDs waiting to be discovered and

snatched up, and usually for little more than ¥250 or so, sometimes less.

Sometimes more, true, but not that much more. Prices tend to correspond with availability, and you

can always expect to pay more for rarer music. But typically, used CDs in Japan are a great bargain.

Where you‟d usually pay $0.99 for a single song (or your country‟s equivalent denomination) on iTunes,

you might get the whole album on CD for ¥100– and sometimes with the much-sought-after Japanese

bonus tracks too. (Japanese editions of Western albums and singles will often contain elusive bonus

tracks, much to the consternation of collectors outside of Japan.) And if you‟re a fan of Japanese music,

then really there is no better place to find your groove of choice. Online ordering has always been for

the affluent and the desperate, what with exorbitant duties and shipping fees, so in this instance you‟re

better off staying local where you can save money and inspect everything first-hand before purchasing

second-hand.

Since coming to Shimane, I‟ve made a regular habit of visiting the used CD stores (sometimes

referred to as “recycle” shops) nearby. Where I come from, a city the size of Matsue in Canada, we

have just one big used CD store, and the lowest I‟ve ever seen an album priced was $6; typically they‟re

$10 (and more for recent stuff). Shimane, meanwhile, has close to 20 stores with moderately robust

selections, and all with cheaper prices. Suddenly, a great wide world of music has become available to

me, and I get dizzy and giddy trying to decide what to buy next.


I‟ve had fun stocking up on old favourites from the „90s, obscure singles, jazz albums, and quirky

soundtracks. Two of my better acquisitions: a rare Japanese Jamiroquai boxed set, which I‟ve seen sell

for upwards of $100 on eBay, was all mine in excellent condition for only ¥1750, and the absolutely

stellar “This Is Your Life” by jazz drummer Norman Connors (which can be yours for the low low

price of ¥15,509 right now at Amazon.co.jp!) made it into my shopping bag for a cool ¥1000. No less

valuable, though, have been the scores of other discs I‟ve bought on a whim and loved instantly. When

buying CDs is as affordable as buying vending machine cell phone charms, it‟s easy to take a few risks,

especially with Japanese music. Japanese artists‟ albums and singles naturally tend to be the most

common – and cheapest – commodities, particularly at rental stores purging their old stock, so most of

what I‟ve sought out has been just that, which is exceptional since there‟s nowhere else in the world I

suspect I could acquire this music this way.

The downside to this hobby has been the boxes and boxes of physical discs and cases I‟ve amassed.

I copy everything to my computer, so I could sell off, trade in, and give away everything before saying

farewell to Shimane, but I‟m one of those saps who gets satisfaction from the tactile feeling of having

the CD, the cover art, and the liner notes (and in some cases the obi strips!). A hard-drive crash could

wipe out years of work and hundreds (or – erm, um – thousands) of dollars of music in one fell swoop.

And I couldn‟t show off all my neatly arranged spines on a shelf if all my music is digital. No, I‟m

committed to them no matter how obsolete they may become one day. It‟s my choice and I‟ve

accepted that. 39

BOOKOFF is the most popular used CD chain in Japan. Source: BOOKOFF

Left:

Norman Connors

was right: this is my

life.

Right:

GEO rental stores

are the best places

for cheap used CDs

of new releases.

Sourc

e: G

EO

Flying Cars and SkateboardsBeing the most memorable and famous future idea the movie created, it‟s only logical to address this first.

Sadly, unlike some of the other items I‟ll mention later, this is completely and utterly bogus. For decades, even

before the Back to the Future trilogy, science has toyed with flying cars and peripherals but with no discernable

breakthrough. There aren‟t even concepts as small as a skateboard that do not require large impractical fans

and motors. The closest mankind gets for now is noisy hovercraft devices that hobbyists or “The Mythbusters”

would build.

Film Prediction Accuracy: 0%

Sad to say, but personal flying aircraft and accessories are still the stuff of science fiction.

Mr. FusionMr. Fusion was a small device that turned organic waste into pure nuclear power, fueling all those amazing

cards. If you remember from Part I, Doc had used stolen plutonium to power the 1.21 gigawatts (jigawatts,

anyone?) required for time travel, but at the film‟s conclusion he opened up this little device on the upgraded

time machine and dumped McFly‟s garbage inside. In short, the DeLorean had become a nuclear-powered car

running on an organic fuel source. Water is organic, isn‟t it? While the electric hybrids are currently all the

rage, an untold sum of money has been put into cars that will garner their power from breaking down water at

the atomic level. Working models exist but are sluggish and come with a price tag that would make even the

super rich think twice.


It may not be trash, but water is still an organic compound, and hydrogen cars are breaking H2O down for power. The

technology is here, but far from being mainstream. We may not drive them for another 10-30 years.

That little zero in the tens digit has increased by one, leaving the still

unnamed first decade of the new millennium forever behind us. 2010. As this

decade begins, I realize a very important fact: we are now a mere five years

away from 2015. Why is that such a big deal? Well, because we know exactly

what 2015 will look like thanks to 1989‟s Back to the Future Part II.

A look ahead at

2015 according to

Back to the Future

Part II and reality

Jonathan Edwards

has a soft spot

for sci-fi.


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Yes, the second film in the beloved time-hopping trilogy took a pre-Parkinson‟s Michael J. Fox

thirty years from the film‟s 1985 setting into the future, once again to highlight the differences three

decades can have on American life. But whereas the differences between 1955 and 1985 were all real-

world changes, in 1989 it was anyone‟s guess what awaited in 2015. But that didn‟t stop them from

trying, and what a future they created. Flying cars, 3D movies, hover boards, giant TV screens, video

phones, digital newspapers, self-lacing Nikes, and more. The interesting thing is, as pure sci-fi as their

future was, some of their predictions just might come true. Don‟t believe me? Here‟s a quick look at

five technological innovations that may or may not actually come to pass five years from now.

Video Games“You have to use your hands? That‟s a baby‟s toy!” – a classic line from a not yet famous Frodo Baggins, Elijah

Wood. He was referring to Marty‟s undeniable skill at the Nintendo classic Wild Gunman, a game played with

the Nintendo Zapper. With all the young whippersnapper Internet rage at the throwbacks in New Super Mario

Bros. Wii, it‟s clear that anyone who loved their now ancient Nintendo as a child will be contending with these

Elijah Wood characters. To top it off, Nintendo began a trend to change the way video games are played after

introducing motion controls. With Nintendo‟s newfound success, Microsoft and Sony are following suit with

their own motion control bids. The most unique is Microsoft‟s Natal, an add-on for the Xbox 360 that uses

face and voice recognition, reads body movement, and requires no hands. Not mind blowing enough? Microsoft

plans to have Natal on American store shelves by this Christmas. If successful, Elijah Wood‟s little insult may

become the bane of every gamer born in the last millennium.

Film Prediction Accuracy: 99%When I first saw Project Natal revealed to the public, I quickly thought back to this scene. If Microsoft sets the next

standard for video games like Nintendo did three years ago with motion control, the film’s prediction becomes so close to

reality it’s scary.

3D FilmBewildered in 2015, Marty stumbles around gawking at all the differences from the Hill Valley he knew thirty –

and even sixty – years prior. While doing so he turns to face the town theater and come face to face with Jaws,

a giant 3D hologram that descends to take a bite out of our hero. The hologram dissipates to reveal a marquee

for Jaws 19, directed by Max Spielberg. While Steven Spielberg does indeed have a son named Max, I haven‟t

heard of any directorial ambitions, and the Jaws series has been dead in the water for over twenty years after

only four movies. However, for those of you who remember my Avatar write up, 3D film is making its third bid

to become an industry standard. Many horror films are jumping on this bandwagon to pull off tricks exactly like

what caused Marty to scream in terror. Considering Avatar is now the top-grossing movie of all time, 3D film is

probably here to stay. Who knows what further innovation another five years could bring?


The film portrays 3D film as a hologram. Current film cannot achieve this, but 3D film can pull off a similar illusion.

Expect many more horror films with weapons and monsters reaching out to get you. Using Jaws and Max Spielberg cost

this prediction some points for accuracy but hey, Max, it’s never too late to start directing.

Digital NewspapersTo think that 80 years ago, newspapers were the business to end all businesses. Newspaper movies were even a

genre once upon a time. But now thanks to the Internet, newspapers everywhere are being forced to reinvent

themselves or fold. Marty saw a fancy digital copy of USA Today with video photographs in 2015, and while that

publication may last, many others will not. But wait! Rather than fold, newspapers big and small are making a

digital transition, including USA Today. To top it off, digital e-readers like Amazon‟s Kindle and Apple‟s new iPad

are gaining admirers. If these electronic tablets can pass from being an expensive fad to mainstream, I can see

newspapers quickly adapting. Perhaps Back to the Future was on to something…


The potential is definitely available now for tablet-based newspapers. The question is, will newspapers adapt to this new

medium? True, the movie portrayed digital information on paper-thin material, but a flat tablet is pretty close.


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Anything useful…or not useful 何でも / nandemo

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According to WhatJapanThinks.com, these are Japanese people‟s attitudes

toward driving. Where do you fit in? (Please note: never is not a category!)

Source: http://whatjapanthinks.com/2010/01/31/japanese-driving-habits/

Anything useful…or not useful 何でも / nandemo

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Shimane Black Taxi

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