Japanese Language proficiency test Level 3 passed

So I found out my score today online about my test. I got a 70%. Not great, considering that I thought that I should know most of this stuff and I practically have seen all of it before, but I guess it's been awhile since I've actually studied Japanese seriously. I keep on wondering why am I doing this? Why am I studying Japanese? Why do I want to know this language so badly?

Part of me says, "for fun." I guess I do play a lot of video games and would like to play video games in Japanese. Also it'd be cool to understand what people on TV are saying in Japanese. Like those two guys, Matsumoto and someone else. Matsumoto is the bald, dark skinned guy. I guess that doesn't help much...so maybe I'll post a link here.

Anyway, Matsumoto is the doctor guy or the guy who first tried this medicine on this episode. heh. Anyway, be warned, it is crude humor and very Japanese style of humor. heh.

I want to learn Japanese for my future. I spent a good portion of my life chasing this dream, but I always wonder "for what reason?" Should I go on a mission to Japan? I don't think that now is the right time. Should I try to minister to Japanese people? I don't think so...Japanese people tend not to like me for some reason. I think it has to do with me not knowing the unwritten rules.

One of my friends told me of this book his wife read about an American in Japan. It talks a lot about the unwritten rules and nuances of Japan that most foreigners don't understand. You can find the book here or do a search on the book "American Fuji."

I just ordered it now and I'm hoping that I can learn a lot more about what I experienced there. It was really a crazy place to be. So many different types of people, yet they all seem to conform to one standard and criticize those who don't. Part of me feels sad for the kids that grow up there. It is a hard place to grow up in. If I grew up there, I probably wouldn't be alive today. I say that because I was in some of the classrooms in Japan and observed how things work over there. It is a place where you have to earn everything you get. You don't get anything for free. You have to deserve it to receive it. OR, you get something because your group did well or something like that.

Anyway, I'm still trying to process what the heck happened over there in Japan...and I'm not quite sure...I wish that I kept a journal of what happened. But maybe this book, "American Fuji" will help me to understand the things I didn't understand.

When the Last Sword is Drawn

I watched this movie with my dad tonight. I was really impressed with this movie as I felt that it captured a lot of Japanese culture in the sense of honor and tradition of the Samurai. You can find this link to Amazon.com here.

The movie seemed to really get at the heart of the traditional samurai and a "true" samurai. One of the first scenes of the movie has the two main characters drawing swords at one another with one samurai intent to kill the other. What happens next, I will let you find out.

The heart of the movie is about the changing times from Samurai times (Tokugawa era) to Meiji era where Samurai means nothing anymore. The Shogun will lose his power and the emperor will be restored to power (basically the changing of the times at that time.) The Shogun government fights this and resists the southwestern clans raising up the emperor.

A note, in the Meiji era, it became the Meiji era because of Commodore Perry from America who blasted the land from afar with cannons on boats and showed that the power of new technology is superior to the old way of swords and bushido. Because of that event of being helpless to the western technology and will, Japan adopted a new way of life so that they could become more "modern."

Also another note, a lot of farmers moved out of Japan during the Meiji era and settled in Hawaii and the west coast of America because to fund the Meiji Restoration, middle class farmers were taxed heavily. So a lot of them moved to America because they heard stories of people coming back rich.

Anyway back to the movie...it was a great movie. I really liked it and I feel like I can relate to the main character in his stubbornness and sense of duty to his country. The main character didn't earn much and had to go to an extreme of leaving his clan for a reason explained in the latter parts of the movie. In the beginning I was perplexed as to why he left his family. They were worse off when he left and it was a mystery to me throughout the whole movie until the end. But all I can say is that he did it because he had to. There was no other choice as it seemed. And he and they sacrificed much to keep on living.

The movie does get slow at times and the story bounces back and forth through flashbacks and different points of time not in chronological order which can be confusing but understable as those points reveal plot points.

Overall, I really enjoyed this movie. See it on netflix if you have it. The movie is called, "When the last sword is drawn." Maybe it's because I can relate to some of it that I really liked it. It has a lot of Japanese culture in it. But maybe because I feel like so many people sacrificed much for me (a descendant) in my recent family history that I feel like I owe them more than I'm giving them right now.

A line from the movie was, "Get ahead of the times...Go wild. Bloom." I won't spoil the movie for you by telling you what that means, but it does mean a lot in the movie. Part of me wishes that I was more disciplined in my life. But wishing will never make reality happen.

In economics, we learn that money spent here is money you could have spent elsewhere. You can apply that to time. Time you spent here, could have been spent elsewhere. And that's part of what sacrifice is all about. What are you willing to sacrifice for your future and your descendants or for other people? It's not about giving something up, but creating something worthwhile in the time, money, and everything you've got to put it to good use for a common goal.

I keep on asking what I want to do with my life. But I know what I need to do first before I seek out what I want to do.

The Ramen Girl reviews on Amazon

If you go to www.amazon.com, or easier by following this link, they have a great review by this person named "go fish." He/she captured what the movie was all about and reviews it a lot better than I do. Anyone who has lived in both Japan and America can relate to this movie. I really liked this movie and hope that the screenwriters will write more about Japan and America and the cultural differences in movie format. =)

Temptations of WoW

Even though nobody is playing World of Warcraft in my guild, I'm finding that I want to log in to play the Hallow's end holiday event when it hits October 18th, but I won't.

It seems like nobody in my guild is playing as they're all the same level as they were before, except for one person. With new challenges in life and new babies being born I guess nobody has time to waste on things that don't matter.


The Ramen Girl

Anyway, was reminded of Japan again when my parents were watching this movie called, "the Ramen Girl." Okay movie, but would have been way better if they kept the deleted scenes in the movie. Most of the movie left plot holes that were explained in the deleted scenes. The deleted scenes would have made the movie a lot darker and kept the movie longer than most people could handle, but I would have liked the movie a lot more with them in. Maybe that's just me.

The Ramen Girl, however, is a light hearted movie which shows part of Japan's culture in putting everything into their work or life, (their work being their life.) Definitely this movie is all about "heart" as the ramen shop owner who is training the ramen girl puts everything on the line for her while the ramen girl needs to adapt to Japanese culture. Culture clashes and anger arise, but in the midst of it you see that both of them are trying to help one another in the end. As you go along in the movie, you see that both chef and student need one another because they both need to change. Both are stubborn and are missing something in their lives because they just can't seem to do what they got to do.

A tagline from the movie was, "In food as in life, sometimes the missing ingredient is love." In this crazy fast paced world it's easy to go on with your life and forget what or who are most important to you. Maybe that's saying too much for this movie as it didn't really get that deep into that, but in Japan, sometimes that's as deep as you'll get. However, the movie did really get to what mattered most to them in the end.

To get to know a person in Japan is really difficult, because of all the safeguards a Japanese person has. Sometimes you need to share a moment in what someone really loves to do...whether it be drinking or an activity that shows their heart, like cooking. Whatever it is, people do not open up too easily in Japan and culture definitely keeps Japanese reserved. Sometimes you can't do what you want to do in Japan, but must follow the rules. It's complicated, but as a westerner, you can express who you are even in the midst of the norms and traditions. This movie is an expression of that, being who you are in the midst of the norms, yet experiencing reservedness and conflict in being different. However, it is also a mix of conforming to the norms, because that's how you get through life sometimes.

Anyway check it out on netflix if you're interested. I liked the movie. IMDB has a page on it found here. Definitely reminded me of Japan. However, if you haven't been there, you may wonder why everything is the way it is in the movie. The movie stays true to Japanese culture and misconceptions from westerners and some foreign attitudes in Japan. However, in the deleted scenes, it shows the darkness that is prevalent in Japan, which is true of all places that people anywhere don't like to talk about.

The memories I'm having of Japan are slowly fading away. But even as I'm studying my 3rd year textbook, I'm having memories of college. It's kind of funny what I'm remembering from class. It's kind of weird actually remembering certain things from 7 years ago that happened in class. How to write kanji, some questions brought up, and just some of the same things that I forgot and seeing the answer in the same place in the book. It's a good thing I guess. Maybe it's happier than my time in Japan.

Anyway, I keep on thinking about people there in Japan. I don't know if they hate me or what, but so much time has passed that i'm sure they forgot all about me. Well, probably most of them. But the few that I remember I remember with fond memories. There were some great teachers there. But there were also some teachers who probably didn't like me at all. And i wonder why that was. But I guess that's the thing, you might never know what a person thinks about you in Japan.

I wonder if I could have handled things differently if I got more sleep and prepared earlier. Most likely, I could have, and I did do better towards the end of my time there; mainly because my friend kept me accountable. But maybe it was a good thing that I came back after only 7 months there.

Anyway, I know that there are learning experiences from everything. Maybe this was my first real job after college where I had to be an adult. Maybe I just wasn't ready for it. But I'm glad that I went, even though it was hard and I do feel like I've grown because of it. Maybe I'll always remember Japan as my time teaching the kids in the elementary schools there.

Hula Girls





















So I watched this movie tonight. Set in 1965 in Joban, Japan; this is a coal mining town that is laying off workers. With not much hope for the future, the town clings to its own old tradition of mining coal. The times have changed and coal is not being used as much in this new wave of the future.

The town has one resource besides coal, and that is its hot springs. With a far fetched idea of creating a resort in that freezing hell, one man hires a professional dancer to teach girls Hula in hopes that they can create a "taste of Hawaii in Japan" and attract visitors.

The town sticking to its tradition of mining coal is resistant to making the resort and few latch onto the idea of dancing in front of others. In fact, everyone in the town thought that they would have to take off their clothes and be indecent, which is not Hula.

With obstacles from family and town folk, the teacher has to train these girls to dance or else the future of the town is up in smoke.

******
Anyway, I enjoyed the movie. There were some parts in there that put a tear in my eye as usual for a good Japanese movie. But there were also some parts with humor in it also. It reminded me a lot of being in Japan as I've actually felt their cold winters without a heater and was reminded of the culture and attitudes towards new things and new ways. It made me wish that I could have been a better teacher for the kids that I was teaching and a better coworker to my fellow staff in the schools. But all of it is up in smoke now.

I kind of wish that I could have been a better person in Japan and actually made more of an impact there. Wish I could have made it to church and gotten to know the pastor and his family. But all of these are gone now and I either have the option of writing, going back to the town where I taught and seeing if people remember me, or just having these feelings of I don't know what...I'm not sure what I'm feeling, but I miss the town where I taught.

I wonder if they'll ever accept again...but who knows. Maybe the only thing I can do is pray because I haven't kept in contact with anyone from the town. Certain scenes from the movie reminded me of my last days in Japan. I wonder if I'll ever go back there...

Anyway, I guess life is what we make of it. We have choices to make in our lives and nobody really knows what those choices will mean in the future. I hope that the kids will remember me with good memories, but most likely, everyone will likely forget sooner or later.

Like the movie, we either try something new for our future, even if it meets opposition, or we stick to our old ways and go down.

Anyway, having parents from Hawaii and me also being in Japan for a little bit, this movie was definitely true to Japanese culture and change. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who has been to Japan and likes Hawaii.

I'm reminded of things from the past in Japan. I remember certain things about some of the people. I guess it is a xenophobic place. It wasn't all fun and joy, but I know that things could have been a lot different there. I could have done more or prayed more or even went to church while I was there. But I didn't.

I can't change what happened in the past...my apathy because of my situation there as a failing teacher, but I wonder if maybe I'll ever go back someday.

Some memories are popping up now and then triggered by something like studying Japanese, a video game, or even just the mention of Japan and how I'm feeling at the moment.

I can only hope that I'll be wiser if I ever do go back to Japan. I don't ever want to work there again, because I just can't adapt to the working life there. I mean, what's the point of all these norms? What's the point of making work everything? I missed America while I was in Japan, because I'm used to things in America. It's not as strict, it's a little more understandable of weaknesses.

In Japan, it is a very class based society...and I could never meet their standards for how I "should be." And then, there was the language gap.

Maybe it was good that I came home. Who knows where I'd be if I stayed for another year. I don't know what purpose I had there, but I can only pray that the kids there would enjoy English and seek what's outside of Japan.

Overall, I'm glad that I did go to Japan for a year. I survived there on my own and proved that I can take care of myself. I saw the great scenery there and it was an experience of a lifetime, even though full of sorrows.

Being there I saw some similarities between Japan and America...both being negative similarities, but still it showed me that there's much more to this world than what's in your own country. I don't know what to say anymore...but I can only stress tolerance toward people who are different. Not everyone has to know English or Japanese if they live in those respective countries. Even though it does help to know the language.

Anyway, there were some great people that I met in Japan. Some others were against me, but some were really nice to me. I guess the only thing i can do now is maybe write a postcard and pray.

As of right now, one of my friends is having a farewell party because she's going to Japan to teach English for a year. I'm wondering if I should be selfish and stay home. I kind of don't want to go, because I've had little time to myself lately. But I know that it would be good to go though...to show my support for her and talk to her about Japan a little bit.

Anyway, I know that she'll have a great time. But I also know that it may be tough for her, because she probably doesn't know the Japanese language that well. I struggled in Japan because of the language barrier. I have more respect now for people who come to foreign countries because things are different from their home country and that is a cause of friction. It also doesn't help when the natives are not very friendly either...but as I've experienced, generally, people in Japan are okay, but there are few exceptions...

The previous statement is true wherever you go. There are some decent people in places, but there are also some people who may not be so great. I only hope that she'll be okay through her time there. It's pretty safe for the most part, but yeah, you can't be naive in the big city as it could be dangerous in some areas. But generally, Japan is safer than here in the US.

I think that I became more secure in my time in Japan as I've started to care less about what other people think and care more about being me. Yeah, I'm a dork, but whatever...anyway, that's not the point. I'm okay with myself and that's the most important thing to me in terms of my self image. I know that people will have problems with me, but I'm sure that if they knew who I am, then they'd find reason to like me. But then again, I've had some experiences where I just don't mix with other people. Don't know why, but maybe it's that I just speak babble all the time and am not very coherent. I guess I do scare people from time to time.

Anyway...

Can you do this?

Dude, my friend told me about this show on the channel G4, which our area doesn't get, but it is pretty crazy. Anyway, there's a spot on Youtube that has the 2nd man to complete this course. In the description, it says that he's a 34 year old fisherman. Anyway, you can find the link here.

The show is called Ninja Warrior. Who says Asian guys are nerdy?

My lot in life...not a bad lot, but one that requires me to depend on God a lot more than i have been doing. Anyway, I don't know what the heck I'm doing here. Or what the heck I will be doing in the future. But I do know that God is good. I went to church again in Tokyo with my friend. I need to make it to my church here in Yamanashi this next Sunday. Man, I don't know what to say. But yeah, definitely hearing a message about LIFE is something that i need to hear more of. I lost my direction these past 7 months. I probably could have made more of an impact here, but I think that I need to go home.

I don't know what will happen to the people here, but I hope that the person after me will be a good person at least and will be a Christian. I guess I should pray more. Anyway, don't know what else to say. There is a need, but I think that I need to rest. I don't know what to say, but I wasn't planning to stay in Japan for more than 2 years. I stayed here less than a year. I don't know...I don't know why I'm here. I guess I'll never know until much later.

Anyway, I'm going to miss Japan. I'm going to be a fish out of water again when I return. I know that I'm going to be a little abrasive when I come back. heh.