Repost: In Remembrance of March 11

A year ago, I was given the chance to publish an article on the March 11 2011 Japan Earthquake. I'm reposting the article for the people who lost their lives, people who have lost loved-ones and people who had the courage to move-on. 

Reference: http://www.tokyomorningstar.com/in-remembrance-of-march-11/

In Remembrance of March 11

Written By Faye Vitan

Posted about 363 days ago | 0 comment

There was a great tsunami that caused nuclear meltdowns. Thousands of people died, became missing and lost their properties. The earthquake that shocked the world with its tremendous damage is also the same quake that paved the way for me to be in Japan.  Hundreds of ALT’s flee Japan after this quake leaving a large need for teachers. I heard that a lot of Americans and British were not too happy to work here. Because of that, Japan opened its doors to Filipino English teachers. I was one of the first batches of these teachers. The grueling process of application and paperwork took me a year to finally come to Japan in June 2012.

Maybe it wasn’t a coincidence that my first teaching assignment was in Iwate in the Tohoku region. It is one of the most affected places of the March 11 earthquake. I was expecting washed out lands and tin houses as I saw in the news. I was half-prepared for sad and devastated people. But when I arrived there, it was so much better than I expected.

Most of the area that I’ve been to in Iwate showed works-in-progress. Sure there were places that would need a lot of work but I am amazed how Japan was able to recover so quickly. This is especially true when I compared it with how my country, the Philippines, is taking decades just to eradicate the slums area. I was impressed with Japan’s determination to rebuild just a year after the earthquake when in my country it takes painstakingly long years just to recover from a flood. A flood’s devastation seems to be nothing compared to an earthquake, a tsunami and an ongoing nuclear meltdown.

I told one of my Filipino friends about this and she defended the Philippines saying that our country is poor. Before coming to Japan, I thought the same thing. Now, I don’t think that the Philippines is poor. We are poor because we think that way. We think we need the help of other countries to be progressive. We think we need aid for every disaster that happens every year. We think we have so little compared to Japan when in reality Japan and the Philippines are in the same region where earthquakes, typhoons, floods and volcanic eruptions can happen anytime.

I think there is more to why Japan rebuilds so quickly. I know a lot of countries came to their aid, sent help and prayed for their recovery. The Philippines also experienced those during Ondoy, during the flashfloods in the South, even as far back as during the Pinatubo eruption. There is just something more in Japan that I believe the Philippines should learn from. I don’t know what they are but I can point out one- the people.

When I arrived in Iwate, I wasn’t really expecting much from the people there. They lost a lot while I gained something with it. To expect more seems to be rather selfish of me. So I admire them even more when I saw how they accepted the things that happened, how they try move on and support each other in the process.

In one of the high schools I worked in, a lot of students lost their parents. Within a month, they were placed in homes where they can be taken care of. Schools and work resumed. All of the schools I’ve been to acknowledged the disaster and placed an area in remembrance of it. Students posted messages and words of encouragement. Areas who were not so much affected gave immediate aid to those who were in need. Various prefectures in Japan, until now, provide financial support to those who would like to transfer to another place. The Filipinos are also like these-to some degree. But what I think we fail to understand as Filipinos is that rebuilding lives is a process with tons of hard work. The Japanese just don’t quickly help then forget about it. They remember it acknowledging that a lot of work must be put into it. I hope the Filipinos would also care as much and help as much. I hope Filipinos understand that rebuilding, recovery and, ultimately, progress is a process not undertaken by a few concerned individual but as a nation. It might sound cliché but I have seen how this collective effort worked. No matter how great the March 11 earthquake was, the unity of the Japanese is even greater.

As great and dark the shadow of the March 11 Earthquake is, I am one of its tiniest light. I was given higher odds to get a job here. I am not saying I am thankful that it happened; just that I am thankful I am here. As I build a better life here, I pray that victims of the March 11 Earthquake will soon have a better life too. 

Interesting Numerical Facts in Japan

I've learned something today. Numbers. (Yeah, it's in the title.)

I have an old Japanese student who makes me feel I'm in a Japanese culture course every time we have a class. He's just so eager to teach me the sacred truths about Japan. Last night, he introduced me to the wonderful world of Japanese numbers.

Fact 1: Japanese has two ways of counting numbers- one from China and the native Japanese.

Japanese Numbers
credit: http://blogeekensias.wordpress.com/2011/03/22/480/

When I was still sane to study Japanese, I asked the teacher why the Japanese use different 'counters.' Counters are words you use to count. The one I know is ichi, ni, san, shi/yon, go, roku, nana, hachi, kyu, ju. That's 1 to 10 for you in Japanese. Then they also have hitotsu, futatso, mittsu, yottsu, itsutsu, muttsu, nanatsu, yattsu, kokonotsu, to. That's 1 to 10 again for you. There're more but I forgot them. The teacher said something but my mind was already blank at that time. Maybe she was explaining that there was a Japanese version and there was a Sino-Japanese (the one from China) set. Anyhow, the first set was the Chinese and the second was, of course, the Japanese. At least now, it makes sense to me why so many words to use for counting. It just makes sense but I still don't know how to use them properly. Truly a threat to sanity, this Japanese. 

(For more information on how to count in Japanese, see How to Count Anything in Japanese)

Fact 2: Odd numbers are lucky.

Chinese thought that odd numbers are lucky. Probably this is the origin of the terms lucky 7 or lucky 9. Here's a better explanation from Travel China Guide.com

"For odd numbers, no. 3 indicates multiples. In Buddhist culture, it represents Buddha, Dharma and Bonze, so people toll the bell three times to worship Buddha and pray for the removal of calamities with 3 sticks of incense. Whilst no.7 implies holiness and mystery in Buddhism, it is lucky as well. So, there are seven-storied Stupas everywhere. No. 9 in Chinese culture means longevity and eternality. Thus, there were 9,999 rooms within the Forbidden City in Beijing. It is also a tradition between lovers to send 99, or 999 roses, which carry the best wishes for 'everlasting love'."

Shichi-go-san or 7-5-3 celebration
credit: http://www.sakura-hostel.co.jp/blog/

For some reason the Japanese adapted this belief which is somehow related to Fact 3.  

Fact 3: Most Japanese celebrations are based on Fact 2.

Girls' Day or Dolls' Day in Japan
credit: http://swamiindology.blogspot.jp/

New Year is of course on 1/1. Dolls' Day or Girls' Day is on 3/3. Boys' Day is on 5/5. Tanabata  is 7/7. There's no celebration on 9/9 because for some reason 9 is unlucky in Japan. Anyway,  I didn't realize this pattern until my student told me. Super observations skills, my student has. As I've mentioned this is based on the belief that odd numbers are lucky. Hence, 2 odd numbers are considered extra lucky.

(More on numbers on Lucky and Unlucky Number in Japan).

These facts may not really be super useful. I mean, I wouldn't really ask my students "What counting system do you like? Japanese or Chinese?" Nonetheless, I just find them interesting. You gotta learn something new everyday!

What is Hard Work in Japan?

When you work as an ALT in Japan, do your work the longest possible time. Throw the term EFFICIENCY out of the window.

Seriously. If you want to be a successful ALT in Japan, you have to take your time in doing your job. Need to write a simple memo? Draft it in handwriting. Then type your draft. Edit in handwriting. Type the edited version. Proofread in handwriting. Proofread the typewritten one. Print. Need to cut papers? Do it one by one. Don't use the paper cutter. A friend also shared how to photocopy inefficiently. Need 40 copies back to back? Make 20 copies. Only on one side. Then flip it and do the other side. Repeat for the remaining 20. Bottomline: Just don't rush in finishing your tasks.

The reason? The Japanese value hardwork. And for them hardwork means longer working hours. Like really long. The average Japanese employee works about 1765 hours a year, the ninth among the world's hardest worker.  Korea's the only Asian country that beat them up the rank. The Japanese even have a word for people who died of working. It's karoshi.

(More on karoshi, here)

From what I see and know from the teachers in my school and the students in my Business classes, this is how the Japanese see hard work.

Definition 1: Hard work is when an employee usually works more than 8 hours a day. If there's an 8th day in the week, they should work on that day too. 

Teachers stay late in school. I honestly don't know what they do cause their lessons are not that great. They also go to school on the weekends for club activities. They say that clubs are important. Sure, but how about rest? I like to ask.

sleeping Japanese
credit: http://www.tristanvick.com/

Even students stay until 6 pm or beyond that for club activities. Then most of them go to juku or cram school, then they have to do homework. Japanese student are trained to work as hard as their teachers. No wonder they sleep in class. In fact, sleeping at work or in class is acceptable in Japan. It means you're really hardworking that you weren't able to sleep at all. 

(More on sleeping at work in Japan, here)

Some companies implemented a non-overtime day to stop employees from doing overtime work. They just had to do it. Otherwise, employees would just keep on working. My Business English classes are always from 6 to 8 pm. Whenever I ask my students what they're going to do next after the class, they always say that they're going back to work. I'm just baffled. It's already late.

Definition 2: Hard work means work always come first. Never mind family life or social life. 

Just think about this: If you're working more than 8 hours a day even during weekends, do you think you'd still have a great domestic or social life? So yeah, I don't think these Japanese workers have great family and social life.

Too busy to sleep at home
credit: http://www.japantrends.com/japan-train-sleeping-strange-pictures/

(More funny pictures of sleeping Japanese, here)

A most common observation is how Japanese wives actually push their husbands to work longer hours. This is supposedly good for one's career. At the same time, I've also heard many times how strained husband-wife relationships are in Japan. A Japanese woman told me that it's common for husbands and wives to not sleep together anymore after having a child. They just don't have time. She said that it's a good thing she's married to an American guy.

I once asked a teacher if she goes out with her friends on weekends. She looked at me, puzzled, as if my question was weird. She said she goes out with people when she has time. I want to ask when is that but I don't want to appear weirder. Based on her reaction, guess that socializing is not really a big part of their lives.

When you visit touristy places in Japan, it's common to see a group of old people sightseeing together. I wonder if these people waited for their retirement to see places in their own country. Or maybe they go in groups so they have a reason to socialize.

Definition 3: Hard work is when you're creative enough to prolong your work, pretend that you're working or add unnecessary tasks to your workload. 

With all the technology available in a Japanese workplace, it's easy to get things done. But then you don't want to be seen as lazy by not extending your work time. You can't also stare at the clock when all your tasks are finished. The solution is to be inefficient. Take your time, look serious while actually doing nothing (Example: blogging while at work with a thinking expression on your face) or just do whatever that seems work-related. Just do something! Don't look as if you finished a day's work when the day's not yet over. For the Japanese, work should never be done.

I always admire people who work hard until I came here. I admire the Japaneses' willingness to place in extra hours. I admire their dedication to their jobs. However, I can't understand what's the use of extra hours when your family or social life is already bordering to extinction? What is dedication without passion? I'm just wondering, that's all. I have the time to wonder like this at the longest possible time cause I'm in Japan.

More on Working Hard in Japan:

Myth or Reality: Japanese are Hard Working

Hard Work in Japanese Culture

Inefficiently Hard Working Japanese

Japanese Salary Men Working to Death