Exit Interview- Erica, Intern 2009-2010

Pete here!

Before she left, I managed to distract Erica from her busy time of packing and wrapping presents to interview her about her time here and her leaving thoughts...

Pete Williams: So, how has your image of Japan changed?
Erica Ip: Good Question!
Living in the ‘countryside’ I’ve seen that it’s not all bustling streets and nightlife like in the movies. Also, people are more polite in general than I thought.

PW: Anything particularly positive?
EI: The streets are clean, everywhere! It’s also amazing that you can order food in a restaurant, eat it, then pay for it and leave without even talking to anyone.

PW: You mean vending restaurants?
EI: Yeah exactly! Everything is more convenient, like the shops, you can buy fried chicken for 1$ American!

PW: So what about the negatives?
EI: Long train rides to work in central Tokyo; training in the extreme heat in the summer- just sitting in it is enough! That’s about it though.

PW: Was there anything that vindicated your preconceptions about Japan?
EI: The level of Karate here was just as high as I expected it to be, especially the level of dedication too and particularly at Shiramizu. I first saw the Shiramizu Squad at the 2008 World Cup in Vancouver. I remember seeing them and wishing I could do karate like that, which is what inspired me to apply for the intern post.

PW: How dedicated have you been then?
EI: I went from training just once/twice a week in Vancouver to 5 times a week or more at Shiramizu – so quite dedicated! I’ve been told I’ve improved a lot and I hope this is true.

PW: What’s your most treasured memory of the year?
EI: The first tournament that I won gold at! Though, it wasn’t the moment I got the medal- it was when I had just finished my kata in the final round and was waiting for the judges’ decision.

PW: Then what happened?
EI: The whistle went and all 5 flags were for me! I was very shocked! It was surreal! I hope you get the same feeling in one of your tournaments. [in kata? Unlikely!- Pete]

PW: So what about your worst moment or low point?
EI: I think it was my first month here; the transition period. It was extremely hot when I started training 5 times a week, with no internet or cell phone! I also came to Japan with no knowledge of Japanese, so discussions were very difficult. I didn’t feel cut off at all, everyone was very kind and friendly, but it was like being on the outside of something looking in.

PW: That changed though?
EI: Yes! Although I didn’t study much I can still read Katakana and Hiragana, which is handy in supermarkets; since then I’ve been able to buy lots more food that I’ve enjoyed eating! Also, communication with everyone has gotten much easier and even during karate classes I’m understanding the nuances of what’s being said.

PW: What’s your relationship with Arakawa sensei and Shiramizu like now?
EI: It’s mainly as Sensei that I have a lot of respect for, but outside the class it’s like being with family and friends.

PW:Who did you get closest to in Shiramizu?
EI: It has to be Yamazaki Sensei and Yoshihara Sensei, because they are like our Japanese mums! We train together almost every class, and go to lunch every week.

PW: What about Arakawa Sensei?
EI: I think that the interns are really lucky because they get to spend more time with him than the other students; apparently the other students have this image of Sensei where he’s quite scary, but I see him as funny and silly most of the time and a person who deserves utmost respect.

PW: Has he changed your perception of Karate? If he has, how?
EI: I’ve always thought that Karate was a not a skill you learned to use on other people aggressively – or start trouble – but as a way of personal development and discipline. Arakawa Sensei really reinforced that belief in me, but also if it’s practiced correctly is can be very effective when or if needed.

PW: What about the English teaching aspect- did you enjoy that?
EI: It can be very rewarding when you get kids who are eager to learn, but I find some kids are forced into it by parents and don’t really want to be there so trying to be creative and get their interest is difficult. It’s also hard when my level of Japanese and their level of English makes it tricky to communicate for the rules of games, etc.

PW: So with all this in mind, what are your plans for the future? How much Karate does it involve?
EI: I honestly can’t say! I’ll probably do something with kids, because I love kids, but preferably not teaching them! Karate-wise, I would like to compete when I get back to Vancouver and encourage the kids in my dojo to train hard and compete as well.

PW:Finally, what do you think of the current intern and what advice do you have to give?
EI: Hmmmmmm…

PW: Remember I’m in the room.
EI: I think he’s well equipped to handle himself for this year and I hope he enjoys it as much as I have.

PW:Glowing reference then.
EI: You’ll be fine! And as a word of advice, be careful of drooling kids.

PW: Noted!

Week 2!

Pete here!

The second week (June 7-11) has been my trial-runs for the English classes. Both Erica and Louise have monitored me and given helpful advice for all the classes, and have given me sheets containing student profiles and what they have generally taught each year.

Tuesday, June 8 was a sad day as it was time to say goodbye to Louise; it was her time to fly back to New Zealand, but she will be back in August for the Wado World Cup! Hurrah!

The biggest test of the week has been the Friday, my first day on my own. Thursday and Wednesday have been with Erica, so if I was going wrong anywhere she could step in and take control of the class again; she was a safety net. No such thing on Friday: it was just me. Thankfully, although terrified I managed to get the kids enthused with my phonetics warm-up, which involves them pulling a lot of faces and making a lot of noise!

Saturday Erica and I went to the Kanto Regional High School Karate Championships in the former 1964 Gymanastics Olympic Arena in Komazawa Olympic Memorial Park, Tokyo, meeting Richard there too as he was on the staff. This was a good chance to see the difference in both the level of competition, and the method of organization for the event. Needless to say I was blown away by both. The quality of kata is beautiful to watch and the clean open fighting style of Japanese kumite a welcome difference to that of some regional competitions I have been to in my past.

Unfortunately, Richard’s school (who we came to cheer) was knocked out in their first rounds to some very skilled opposition, but we got a photo opportunity afterwards to mark the occasion.

Richard also introduced me to the Deputy Editor of JKFan Magazine, a goju practitioner. We had a good talk (her English is great!), and have set the scene for some good things to happen in the future.

After 1pm Erica and I decided to head back to the train (not before stopping by a really good Hawaiian-style bar for some food and ice cream), then headed to the evening’s training where she was beaten up more for leaving next week (if that’s what you get then I’m staying!).

Out with the Old...

Peter Here, with the blog of my first week!

My first day actually seemed like 1.7 days, or 2.6, or just very, very long. The fact remains that I was effectively awake for 39 hours. Which is a very long time considering that I was to introduce myself to Louise, Erica, Richard and Arakawa Sensei and keep it coherent!

2 quick points:

1) a global disaster movie probably isn’t the best in-flight entertainment

2) The landing procedure at Tokyo Narita takes precisely the same amount of time as the first four tracks of Pink Floyd’s ‘Dark Side of the Moon’- to the extent that ‘the Great Gig in the Sky’ kicks in the wails exactly on touchdown, with the airbrake rumble adding to the cacophony, then mellowing as the plane taxis to a stop. Worth a blog post on it’s on, that; and probably the most awesome way to kickstart a journey evereverever.

Passport check went by swiftly, by 6pm they must have been getting tired of all the blond-haired blue-eyed westerners shrugging their shoulders at every question. So, after declaring myself fit for my year's residency, I stepped through the gates to meet Louise and Erica who, looking at my disheveled state, took me to the rescue remedy that was the coffee shop. It was here that I experienced my first bit of Japanese culture:

After coffee, we swung by Ueno station to meet Richard, and then to Tobudoubutsu-koen station to meet Arakawa Sensei. By this time, I was taken in by all the pretty lights and tall buildings, but as for listening to people although I was trying my best to take everything in alas, it was steadily turning into white noise despite my efforts. Arakawa Sensei took me back to his house, which is where the main dojo is as well. That night was spent in the dojo office, which has a bed in it thankfully.

Tuesday morning I was awoken to the sound of a sole karate practitioner at 6:30am. I expected this to be Arakawa Sensei warming up for the day, but no- it was one of his high school students, and right there the tone was set for how seriously I should take this year. Back in England, 16 year-olds would hardly recognize the world at 6:30am, let alone produce elegant kata!

After Breakfast with Arakawa Sensei and his wife Keiko, I got ready for my first day at work. That’s right- no resting for the interns!

The day began with an interview with the Principal of Shirayuri Kindergarten, where I would be teaching on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays. A brief conversation surrounding my work went over my head in Japanese (ironic, given the size of me), and I was introduced to the kids. The children, pleased that they received this new walking climbing frame that also happens to teach English, promptly made themselves known to me by chasing me around the playground.

It was on this day, I learned: “Okii Ne!” – which is a general exclamation that I am, in fact, quite tall - and this looks to become a general comment that somehow mingles with everyone’s introduction.

That afternoon Arakawa Sensei, Louise, Erica and I sorted out my temporary accommodation for while Erica and Louise were still here, which turned out to be the party guest house for the Shiramizu events:

Incredible, isn’t it!

Tuesday evening was the first training session, and although jet-lagged, I felt eager and set to the class with gusto. However, halfway through the session I started to feel very giddy; before long felt myself dangerously near collapsing and just had to sit out. This was not how I wanted to impress in the first class, and felt demoralized. Arakawa Sensei made sure that I was ok, tugging on my obi to make sure that it wasn’t tight. But for me, that pull on the belt reminded me that I was a shodan and should be able to take this strain, yet fell very short of the mark. My first session then ended humbly and I returned to the guest house- drained of sweat and pride, and in their place a lot of self-doubt.

After that session I wanted to make amends in the Wednesday morning class, which I did. The intensity of the practice was much lower than the night before and the lesson was focused on basics, which suited me just fine. Thankfully the session passed without any incident, aside from the fact that I stuck my chin out when I bowed, causing a few giggles and a correction.

After lunch with the Shiramizu class, we set off to apply for my foreigner card (a process that takes two weeks), then after a brief respite at the guest house Erica introduced me to two new classes.

That evening Erica’s private student had invited the three Interns to dinner in Kuki. Sensing that it would naturally be rude to turn down such an invitation, we met and ate in a traditional Japanese style restaurant, sampling many new dishes along the way. Some were lovely, though others may take a while for me to become accustomed to the texture or taste. Needless to say an enjoyable evening was had by all, and the journey home was filled with happy and colourful conversation and more laughs than should be deemed reasonable for such a late hour!

The Wednesday had restored some much-needed self esteem (especially as both Louise and Erica delighted in telling me about former intern #2 Paul’s unfortunate first day of training, involving his dogi and overdoing it a tad). So thankfully Thursday was attacked with vigour as Erica took me to Nerima, and my next job. The day passed by swiftly, the kids were great, and afterwards we checked out the bright lights of Ikebukuro, playing a few games and having a couple of drinks along the way to celebrate such a successful day.

this is a challenge/accident/hospital visit just waiting to happen. I wonder if my insurance would cover this?

Friday looks like it will be the busy day. Louise picked me up from the guest house a 7:45 and caught the train to Himemiya, where we were picked up by the kindergarten bus. The look on the kids’ faces as this hulking figure got on their bus was comical to say the least, although I repaid said comedy by cutting a humiliating figure of trying to sit on one of their ‘child sized’ (read: very, very, very, VERY small) seats.

The actual day of teaching was to be different than usual, as it was a goodbye to Louise, as well as a ‘birthday’ assembly (happens once a month to celebrate everyone who has a birthday in that month, which is lovely I think). Louise took a general class of over 30(!), and also introduced me to everyone.

A very beautiful setting!

After that was the two English classes at Shirayuri, and then assisting in Arakawa Sensei’s junior class. Eager to make up for Tuesday’s embarrassment, I also took part in the High School training, which is very fast paced! But, after a couple of months I really hope that I’ll be able to match everyone in terms of performance and not flooding the floor with perspiration.

The weekend, hurrah! On Saturday I had the chance to recharge my batteries, and finally adjust to the Japanese time zone. Rested, Louise and I headed to Asakusa, where we visited the temple district and wandered the streets with one of her friends; my first bit of sight-seeing was well rewarded.

Asakusa in Tokyo

After that, we headed back to Sugito and to route 4 to introduce me to several important (and frankly amazing) shops, before heading home to get ready for the evening’s training session.

The improvement from Tuesday’s session to this evening’s class was really notable for me- no collapsing, no feeling completely drained- and although it was apparent that my actual ability lies far below my fellow black belts, the goal didn’t seem that impossible anymore (just very difficult). I gave as good as I got in kumite, wanting everyone to know that I was serious about being here and giving it my all.

As it was to be Erica’s and Louise’s last Saturday session, the class finished by ‘100 man kumite’, where they have to stay in a circle as people continually spar with them. They both did very well!

After this, we Interns decided to check out a local sushi bar, which was awesome!

The Sunday was the first big event: the Shiramizu Welcome/Goodbye party. This has been well covered by Richard Sensei, but just to add that it was one of the best parties that I’ve been to, and everyone was really warm and welcoming. The leaving speeches were touching, the presents incredible, the food delicious (well, Natto aside), and the atmosphere electric. I managed to speak and introduce myself to lots of people, with lots of “gambatte!” and “gambarimasu!” (“Do your best!”, “I’ll do my best!”).

The alcohol flowed, and for the remaining revelers the evening was capped with a visit to the nearby Karaoke bar. Unfortunately, by this time my voice had given out, I had been fighting a cough from Wednesday and so my renditions of Billy Joel and Sinatra hits were well below par.

12am hit, and with the startling revelation that work started at 8:15 the next day, we all retired for the night, filled with song, food, and maybe a little bit of Sapporo draught.

Farewell & Welcome Party!

Richard here,

l-r: Louise, Pete and Erica holding a banner Louise made for Shiramizu.

Last night Shiramizu had its ''Farewell Louise & Erica plus Welcome Pete Party''! Over 40 people turned out to celebrate the current intern's graduation and the new interns entry into the program.

Final group picture at the Healthy House!

In addition to the graduation certificates being given out by Arakawa Sensei and myself, there were speeches in Japanese by Louise & Erica and a speech in English by Sensei! Everyone had prepared beforehand and smartly had their speeches written on paper. There were many gifts passed around, especially photo albums filled with pictures from the year, and of course we also had the annual natto & umeboshi eating contest for the non-Japanese folks!

There were many smiles, much laughter and even some tears. I always try to tell interns at this point that their Japanese life which they worked so hard to open up and live fully for the last 365 days does not shut down now, but will always be here and be a part of them - plus Japan isn't going anywhere, we're always going to be here!

Flipping through the photo albums, I was impressed at how much everyone had done over the year in terms of karate classes, tournaments, seminars & events outside, how the changing seasons really helped portray the significance of the important amount of time that had passed, and yet it seems time simply went by too fast yet again as another year's internship has come to a fine completion.

Good luck to Louise and Erica, not only in these last few days until their respective departures trying to pack everything (!), but also good luck in the next chapter in their lives. Stay in touch!

Finally, good luck to Pete as he takes on the mantle of the Shiramizu Internship and begins his journey in Japan!

Nihon jin?

Hello Kyoto!

Erica here.

Sorry for the large gap between now and our last post. Golden Week has come and gone and with only a month left we've been running around trying to cram as much fun in as possible before we leave!

During my time off in Golden Week, my friend Stephanie came to visit and travel Japan with me. Many foreigners living in Japan have said that sometimes they receive quite a bit attention unwanted attention such as being stared at on the train. I have never had this experience because I look Japanese and just blend right in. Things only get awkward when random strangers come up to me to ask for directions, which interestingly occurs quite often. I can usually understand what they are saying to me and on rare occasions I even manage to point them in the right direction, but most of the time I resort to saying, "Ano..gomenasai. Wakarimasen. Nihongo wa chotto..." which translations to "Umm..sorry. I don't know. My Japanese is a little..." At which point you see the shock register on their face.

But during Golden Week, I got a taste of what being stared at because I'm a foreigner feels like and here's how it happened. My friend Stephanie, like me is Chinese - Canadian so while we were on our adventures, we looked like 2 Japanese girls on vacation. This held up until we started talking to each other and whether we were on the train, in a restaurant or on the street people would blatantly stare at us. Some even had their mouth hanging open. I kid you not. I won't say everyone had this kind of reaction, some glanced at us curiously a couple times as if trying to confirm we were speaking English. I suppose it is a strange sight to see 2 people you thought were Japanese, in Japan, speaking English rapidly with each other. You don't really expect that to happen and when it does I suppose it is quite shocking and you can't help, but stare. It was interesting to see these reactions, although by the end of our trip we were feeling a little tired of being stared at every time we spoke with each other. But now that my friend has left, I can go back to blending in on the train everyday. That is until someone asks me for directions =_='

Some pictures from our adventures!

Stephanie and I at Kinkakuji

Osaka Castle!

11th Shiramizu Taikai

Louise here,

On the day Erica had her shodan test in Chiba, I went to the Shiramizu club tournament. All the members of Shiramizu younger than senior high school were entered, which, including a few members from other closely related clubs, totaled 366 competitors.

Lining up half an hour before the hall opened

In the first rounds in each age group, the kids had to do kata and then the final rounds were kumite (the kindergarten kids did kihon then kata). I thought this was an interesting way to organize it, so they had to be good at both to win a medal.

(Editor's note # 1; Kata was judged using a ballroom dance judging style. The young athletes in groups of 6-8 did the same kata as many times as possible within 3 minutes while the judges walked around scoring them best to worst. At the end of 3 minutes, the judges would meet to determine the best 2-4 to go onto the next round. It was a great way for judges to see the true abilities of the athletes, and it allowed the athletes to perform much more than if they had just one round of one kata to do, especially athletes who didn't go past the first round.

Note #2: The gym used was a performance auditorium which held hundreds of tiered, cushioned seats and the floor stage was big enough for 3 rings. This allowed families to see the tournament quite well while also being somewhat more comfortable during the whole day compared to a normal arena or gym space.)

At lunchtime and in the early afternoon there were demonstrations by the adults and senior high school students, along with the traditional 'Karate man' demonstration. From what I gather, this happens along the same lines every year, including the intern for that year. What a pity Erica wasn't there to be embarrassed with me. Choreographed by Okano san, the story this year was that three bad guys try to take over the tournament, I fight them off, get shot with an evil medicine bullet and become bad, five karate man heroes appear wearing hero suits, we all fight, I become good again, the good guys win and live happily ever after.

Victory pose

At the end of the tournament after the finals had been held, the adult class demonstrated board-breaking. That was the first time I'd done it, and it was very very fun.

Breaking those boards

Christmas in Japan

Erica here.

There are a few things that are different about Christmas in Japan. Christmas presents are not usually exchanged except among couples, close friends and given to small children. It is not common to give out Christmas cards and there is no Boxing day or Boxing day sales! Instead, New Years is very important. New Year postcards (nengajo) with well wishes are mailed out to family and friends and there are big sales everywhere after New Years!!

Although Christmas is not really celebrated as much in Japan, all the English schools I work at were very festive and had Christmas parties. At the Shiramizu Christmas party, Arakawa Sensei dressed up as Santa and handed out presents to the students. Aside from presents and snacks, we got to watch Hansel and Gretel and a Christmas song (in Japanese) through a black theatre. Yamazaki Sensei and two of her helpers told this story on a board that was covered in a black cloth and a black light over it. Then they would put pictures up on the board and because of the light, the pictures would glow. There was a narrator and even music. All the kids enjoyed it very much!

The Black Theatre board with the lights on.

Lights off!!

Santa!!! Now where did Arakawa Sensei go??

Sainokuni East Friendship Competition

The 6th Sainokuni East Friendship Competition

Erica here!

As Louise mentioned, we participated in the Tobu Taikai last week and were both surprised. Kumite is definitely not my favorite and after the Sugito tournament (where I won a gold medal in kata) Arakawa Sensei insisted that I needed more kumite practice. So practice we did, but it did not raise my confidence very much.

In my division at the Tobu Taikai, there were 5 other girls with kyu (non dan) rankings. They were all from the same university club and I was nervous and a bit disheartened (my previous kata match did not go as I planned). But for kumite we had an odd number of people in our division and I was the lucky one to be given the bi into the next round. So my first match was a semi-final one. I went in hoping for the best and surprisingly I won the match advancing me into the finals! There I hoped for the best again and at first I was in the lead, but she started catching up! I scored another point and the match was over. Much to everyone's surprise, I won gold in kumite.

Gold?.....in kumite??

At the end of the competition, when we were all supposed to line up with our clubs and bow out, everyone was running around like crazy. I looked around wondering what was going on when I realized people were going up to the bleachers to get their programmes. So of course I went and grabbed mine and discovered a number on the back of it. The reason for it was that there was going to be a draw!! The prizes included a digital picture frame, something that looked like a mini-heater (I'm not sure because I couldn't really see) and a brand new bicycle!! That's what all the kids were excited about. It was a very nice way to end the day =)

PRIZES!! It's so new and shiny!!

Satou Steakhouse

Erica here.

Two weekends ago, my parents were in town for a couple days so I spent some time with them (which is why I missed out on Disneyland).

My mom did some research before coming to Japan and found an article on a very popular steakhouse in Kichijoji and that visitors should definitely go and try it if they get the chance. So we took the train from Shinjuku to Kichijoji (6 stops west of Shinjuku on the Rapid Chuo Line) . When we got out of the train station, I realized we had no clue where it was because the article gave no directions! After asking a couple people for directions in my broken Japanese, we finally found it.

The inside of the restaurant was tiny, I estimated about 15 seats in total. The waitress sat us down then proceeds to explain the menu in Japanese, but when we give her a blank look she switched to English ( it happens a lot). She recommended one of the more expensive steaks on the menu telling us that it was "Japan's #1 steak". Now, let me give you an idea of what the prices were for this particular one.

Tokusen Sirloin Steak

180g (6.3oz) 8,400yen ($92US)

270g (9.5oz) 12,500yen ($137US)

360g (12.7oz) 16,800yen ($186US)

I told my parents that I was not going to have a steak that is worth almost 100 Canadian dollars and that I wanted to have the cheaper ones. But they insisted that we all try the recommended one because we came here for the sole purpose of trying these heavenly steaks. My dad then goes into an explanation of how the cows in which the steaks come from are fed vegetables, are massaged every night and get to listen to classical music. I’m not sure if I believe all of that but they talked me into it.

So we had 3 orders of the 180g Tokusen Sirloin and they showed us the steak before it was cooked and let me tell you, I have never seen a piece of steak that was so marbled and even distributed at the same time. Eating it was a different story, yes it melted in mymouth kind of steak, but because there was so much fat in it, it felt very oily to me. Perhaps I wasn’t used to this type of steak and apparently the Japanese thoroughly enjoy them. So I definitely think it’s something you should try...but maybe only once =)

My medium-rare steak.

Sugito City Championships 2009

Erica here.

Last Sunday, October 18, Louise and I participated in the Sugito City Competition. It was a very small one, consisting of about 200 competitors for 4 different clubs. It took place at the Takanodai Elementary School.

l-r Louise & Erica with their medals & tournament result certificates.

Louise in kata action.

Interestingly, Louise and I were the only adult females in the competition. So for kata, we got put into the men’s division. I was in the adult coloured belt category which was made up of 5 people, myself included, while Louise competed in the adult black belt category which had 3 people. I made it through 2 rounds to get into the finals and there I won my first gold medal in Japan! Unfortunately, Louise had a very tough opponent in her category and did not advance to the finals for kata.

Then came the exciting bit: kumite! Because Louise and I were the only adult females competing, we went straight into the finals to have our match. We waited until the very end when all the different divisions had finished with their preliminary and semi-final rounds and we filed into the gym with all the other finalists in a big procession with music playing and everything. I must say, this was the first time I had such a grand entrance to a final round! With the entire gym watching, each pair went up and fought their hardest for first place and everyone cheered them on. When it came for our turn, I went up hoping to score at least one point during the 2 minute match. Louise won of course and our end score was 4 – 9. Yatta!! Personal victory for me =) It should be noted here that this is Louise's first gold medal in Japan too!

Misaki Yoshia from Shiramizu dojo - an up and coming kata champ who has won her junior high school division at the Wadokai Nationals plus had her kata profiled online by JKfan magazine.

The each age division's kumite finalists line up against each other for the final event, which is a show of each final round one after the other going from youngest to oldest.

l-r Erica vs Louise in kumite.

Kids from the dojo!

Smiles are a good way to end the day.

Because more than half the competitors were from Shiramizu, many of the matches had fighters going against a member of their club. I guess it further motivates them to do better since there is pre-existing competitiveness for some of them (especially with the junior high kids). There were smiles and there were tears and everyone put in the best efforts.

Everything ok? The Japanese sign for everything is 'ready to go' that someone far away

can see is to make a circle above one's head with one's hands.