Speech on the Junior High School Speech Contest in Japan

Greetings everyone! 

Tomorrow, one of my students will compete in the annual Junior High School Speech Contest. All speeches will be in English. This is part of MEXT's aim to make English relevant in schools. 

On paper, this speech contest seems really like a good idea. It gives an avenue for students who like English to showcase their speaking skills. But that's only on paper. The reality of this speech contest is not really encouraging. At least, based on my experience for the past three years.

Where to Eat in Hamamatsu

If you check my About page, I mentioned how Hamamatsu is an international place even though it's a small city. It's common to find Brazilians, Filipinos, Indians, Europeans and Americans. I think it's partly because of this diversity that it's easy to find international cuisine in Hamamatsu. This is considering that Hamamatsu is not a big city.

Here are some food places to check out when in Hamamatsu. All of them offer delicious and affordable food.

1. The Naan Center

This is the first place I often consider when I want to dine out. They serve Indian food (obviously). You can choose how hot and spicy you want your curry to be. If you order their set meals, you also get unlimited naan or rice. I've never asked for a second serving though because the first serving is already filling. I also appreciate how friendly the Indian lady who owns the place. I love their cheese Naan and Keema curry. The best time to go is lunch time. Dinner is just too busy.

Cheapest Set Meal:   700 Yen (includes salad and choice of drinks)

Location: It's in Nakajima-cho, near my place. Since most people don't know where I live, I suggest you check their FB page . You can take bus No. 1 from Hamamatsu Station. It's across a noticeable convenience store.

2. A Ri San

This is a Chinese restaurant. Food is good and so far, they're the cheapest Chinese place I know downtown. Recommended food is their blocked tofu with some sauce. I also like the rice with eggplant. Service depends on who is on duty. The place is not really great but it's okay. It's a favorite hang out place of office workers so the place tends to be full most of the time.

Cheapest Dish: 400 Yen (Some vegetable dish, good for 2-3 people)

Location: It's about 15 minutes walk from Hamamatsu Station. Walk to the direction of the big Japan Post Office. It's along the road where JoyJoyJoy Karaoke is also located. A Ri San is on the basement of a red building on the corner. You can take Bus 41 or 51 although I highly recommend walking.

3. La Macheria

I looooove this Italian place. Food is great, place is homey and the service is efficient. When you order a pizza or pasta, you can have unlimited access to their salad bar and drink bar. Their salad bar offers a wide range of choices so it's totally worth it.

Cheapest Food: 1300 Yen on lunch time (This is a kind of pasta but you can have access to the salad and drink bars)

Location: It's hard to describe where this place is. Phew! It's also near my place. It's along the road parallel to the Naan Center. The problem is I don't see any buses passing by this place. I suggest asking the staff at Hamamatsu Bus Terminal for directions. Sorry. I'll check it again and update this post.

4. Bamiyan

This is another Chinese restaurant but the place looks so much better than A Ri San. It's airconditioned with comfortable seats like a regular family restaurant but it's far from Hamamatsu Station. Some food are spicier than in A Ri San but they're still okay, I think. Recommended food are their vegetable dishes.

Cheapest Food: 500 Yen (Some vegetable dishes without rice yet).

Location:  It's along Nakatajima-kaido. You can take Bus No. 4. It's on the left side if you're coming from Hamamatsu Station. It's hard to miss cause you can see other restaurants around it too. Parking spaces are available.

5. Servitu

Servitu is a Brazilian restaurant just around Hamamatsu Station. For only over 1000 Yen, you can already eat various Brazilian dishes buffet style. They also offer different desserts so it's totally worth the money. This is the first place I dined in when I came to Hamamatsu two years ago. I was so happy getting a break from Japanese food and have something more tasteful. They also have an international store. This review on Trip Advisor of Servitu may help.

Location: It's on south side of Hamamatsu Station, near H and M. It's past the bicycle parking place. They have a big sign so it's easy to find.


I'll write some more places on another day. I'm sure these five places will fill you for now.


Send some Japanese food to your loved one: 

A Paper on the Connection of Facebook and Freud: How Your FB Status Reflects Your Mind

Background of the Study

I've never used Facebook as much as I used it these past two weeks. I've checked my account hundred times a day, looking for something to like or to comment on and checking on what people are doing I can't blame them if I'm accused of stalking. My routine this summer had been- wake up, check FB, eat breakfast, check B, blog, check FB, shower, check FB, breathe, check FB, blink, check FB... I think you get my point. I've posted random statuses then I'd wait how many people would like them. It's pathetic, I know.

I tried stopping myself by switching to Instagram but people there are not as friendly. It's hard to think of any comments on most people's pictures so I just give them hearts all the time. Then, I can't actively participate on IG if I don't have a nice picture to post. I can post selfies but I'm drawing the line of my insanity there. The world has greater pictures to see than my face. Facebook is a more welcoming, interactive and exciting place, I realize. 

Hypothesis

Because I spent so much time on Facebook, I connected posts to Sigmund Freud's model of the psyche. Remember your lesson on Psych 101 on the Id, Ego and Superego? That's what I'm talking about! In a nutshell, Freud formulated that our mental life has three parts- id, ego and superego. The id is the instinctive and pleasure-seeking part of the mind. The ego is the part of the mind that's reality oriented that seeks to satisfy the id. The superego is the moral part a.k.a. conscience. Check Wikipedia if you still didn't get it. 

Observation

I think that Id operates when FB posts are very random, unpurposeful, just-to-fill-the-time statuses. Example are vague and indirect posts meant for another FB friend. Posts like these just want to vent without really solving issues. Another example would be the now popular make up transformation pictures. There's really no point in them except to elicit smiles. I also think that people who posts things they want to have like "I want to see (insert artist's name/ thing/place/etc)," operates base on the Id. 

The ego supercedes the other two when people post where they ate, what they ate, who ate with them, when they ate and how they ate. Drop the word "ate", replace it with another verb and that's what ego statuses are. I noticed that this is the most common type of statuses. Which is good because it means that most of my friends are in their right mind. They're reflecting reality albeit, a filtered and enhanced one. 

Posts that are meant to moralize and elicit an action are based on the workings of the Superego. When videos meant to inform are posted, that's Superego! When people spread reports to warn the public, when people seek assistance for another human being and when people encourage others in their posts. those are the works of the superego. 

Analysis and Conclusion

When I checked my posts the past two weeks, I realized that most of them are based on the operations of my Id. Why? Because nothing's really exciting happened the last two weeks. I was mostly home with my white huggable bear. I fear I started hallucinating. This should be a warning for those whose posts are mostly id-based. Go out and get a life! 

For those whose posts are mostly based on the ego, that's fine, I guess. But maybe, please post less? Just because you don't post it doesn't mean it didn't happen. You don't owe people every second of your life. And for those whose posts are superego based, what are you, a god? Meet people and have a good time. Life's too short to think about all the cares of the world. 

Footnote: The picture on this entry is an example of an ego-based FB post. 

Acknowledgement

I'd like to thank all my FB friends who unknowingly gave me subjects for observation. Without you, FB friends, I wouldn't have this entry. Without you, Facebook wouldn't be the same. 

I'm also acknowledging the fact that this entry is a product of a my awesome and bored mind. I'm happy, vacation will be over soon and my illusions will come to an end. 

Late-Night Cyling and Shopping in Hamamatsu

I planned to cycle the outskirts of Hamamatsu this summer. But the heat was very discouraging so I've done my cycling at night. Cycling at night is awesome! Few cars, less people and refreshing breeze. The only problem is there's no place to really go at night. The only places I've visited during my night cycling trips are late-night stores.

Here are some places I've visited Hamamatsu when dreamland was still far away:

1. Seiyu

Seiyu is a 24-hour supermarket. It has more items than your average kombini or convenience store. The goods are cheaper too even compared to other supermarkets in the area. From Hamamatsu Station, the nearest Seiyu is only about 15 minutes for a cyclist of normal speed. If you're still up for an intense late night cycling, go up to Hamakita for a bigger Seiyu store. They have clothes, shoes , bags and household & office items.

How to Get There: Follow the JR train line from Hamamatsu Station going to Toyohashi. Cycle on the side opposite of Entetsu so you don't have to cross the streets. It's behind the building with a YAMAHA logo but it's not the Yamaha Office. Use Google maps if you're still lost.

For Seiyu Hamakita, follow the red train going to Nishikajima. It's near Pleha Walk, the mall near Hamakita Station. You can't miss it cause it's really big. I'm telling you now that it's really far.  It took me more than an hour to get there and I regret going that far at night in that area. It's pretty dark along the way and I'm one of those people who are afraid of the dark. I don't recommend cycling at Seiyu Hamakita at night.

2. Don Quijote

Instead of going all the way to Seiyu Hamakita, there's a nearer department store from Hamamatsu Station called Don Quijote. It's along the same road as the nearer Seiyu but on the opposite side. Cycling there from Hamamatsu Station takes about 30 minutes or more depending on your speed. The whole first floor is a big supermarket with some clothes, shoes and bags too. The second is a department store with more clothes, shoes, bags, cosmetics, household items, appliances, etc. Don Quijote is only open until 2 am.

How to Get There: Again, just follow the JR train going to Toyohashi. You'll ride past Seiyu, Cats' Cafe and Mc Donalds. You can't miss it cause its building is quite big. It has a blue top with a huge parking lot. It's across from a car office.

3. Mc Donalds and Denny's

There were some days when I got tired looking at items at Seiyu and Don Quijote. As an alternative, I'd cycle to 24-hour food shops and grab a dessert or some snack. For late night food cravings, there are Mc Donalds and Denny's.

How to Get There: Mc Donalds is along the same road as Seiyu and Don Quijote. It's between these two stores. I like this particular Mc Donalds place because it's bigger and more quiet than the one in the station.

Denny's is on the opposite side. It's quite hard to give the direction in writing except to say don't follow any train line. Cycle along the road going to AEON Irino. That's the simplest direction I can give. Again, use Google maps for clearer direction.

I wish I've cycled to more exciting places but I'm too weak for the summer heat. Summer's almost over so maybe I can take up day cycling again. Problem is, vacation's almost over too so I don't know when I'll ever get to cycle to nicer places. Anyhow, at least I've got some place to go even at night. I might even have memorized the prices of their goods there.


 How about you, where do you go for a late-night bike ride or walking trip?

For ALT's: Why You Should Go to the Clubs

The word "Clubs" in this entry's title does not mean bars or discoes (Geez, that sounds so decades ago.) I'm referring to the sports and arts clubs in junior high schools. The Japanese word for it is "Bukatsu." Remember that word (BUKATSU) cause half of the students don't know the English word for it. 

In Japan, JHS students spend half of their time in their clubs. They'd have clubs almost everyday from 3:30 to 6:00 pm. Some lasts until 8 pm. Students go to clubs even on Saturdays and sometimes on Sundays. Hence, clubs define the students' lives in junior high school. It's where they imbibe the sempai system. It's where they develop friendships that would last for years. It's where they find confidence in themselves even when their academics are not impressive. 

Because clubs are important for the students, I personally recommend ALT's to take time in visiting school clubs. Here are my reasons: 

1. It would let you see your students in a different and better light. 

When I started visiting clubs, I began to understand why some students look sleepy in class all the time. Imagine playing soccer, tennis, track, basketball and other sports for 4-5 hours everyday. That's like a gym workout good for a week. No wonder the students look tired all the time. 

When I started visiting clubs, I was surprised to see low-performing students in class show excellent skills in their sports clubs. I was ashamed of myself for underestimating some students. They may not be great in my class but they're just amazing in their clubs. I started to actually respect them. 

When I started visiting clubs, I also learned to appreciate the seemingly unfriendly students in class. Students are happier and friendlier when they're in their clubs than in the classroom. They're more carefree and more open to talking with me. Had I not visited clubs, I would have missed the chance of knowing how really funny some students are. 

2. It would help improve your relationship with your students. 

Clubs are important to the students. Whoever gives importance to whatever is important for them, would be treated as a friend. That simple. 

I have a theory that the more time you spend on your students' clubs the more willing they'll be to participate in class. I saw this happen all the time. There were quiet students who started talking to me and being active in class when I started visiting their clubs. 

Even in the hallways, where I used to feel like a passing shadow, the students started acknowledging me. Some would even chat for a minute or would tell me a joke or would show me a trick. I felt more welcome in the school. 

3. It would give you a chance to speak to club teachers. 

Aside from improving your relationship with students, there's also a chance for you to improve your rapport with other teachers. All clubs are handled by one or two school teacher. They'd hang out for an hour or two in their clubs just to survey how the students are doing. Usually, I'd talk to them in these times. Teachers who seem unfriendly during class hours are surprisingly warm when you speak to them. 

I know that visiting clubs is not part of an ALT's job description. Still, doing this would greatly help to make our jobs easier. It's not even an extra mile. It's just an extra step that wouldn't really hurt. In fact, sometime I enjoy being in the clubs more  than in the classroom.