Survival Guide 2018
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Kagoshima JET Program Survival Guide 2018 1 Kagoshima Survival Guide 2018 Edition Published by Kagoshima Prefecture International Affairs Division Kagoshima JET Program Prefectural Advisors Mirie Tsuruda, Richard Becker, Ying Yan Quek, Toni-Ann Lewis, William Jefferson Production editors: Kagoshima JET Program Contributors Nathan Bastin, Richard Becker, Michelle Kato, Laura Keating, Tyler Kinkade, Colin Lawrence, Toni-Ann Lewis, Rachel Little, Justin Martens, Alberto Martinez, Logan Morley, Perry Pollard, Ying Yan Quek, Rachel Seaman, Kennard Xu, Alexandra Valdez, Et al. 2 -Index- Welcome Driving Kagoshima Prefecture 4 General Information 17 Language 5 Japanese Driver’s License 18 Culture 5 Buying a Car 18 Gas Stations 19 Communications Drinking and Driving 19 Internet 8 Phone 8 Safety and Health Entertainment 8 Personal Safety 20 Natural Disasters 20 Home Medical Information 22 Around the House 9 Bills 10 Insider’s Guides Cleaning and Recycling 10 Information Centers 24 Pests 11 City Life 24 Neighbors 12 Country Life 25 Island Life 26 Money Sexual Health 28 Banking 12 Diet 29 ATMs 13 Supporting Resources Public Transportation Block System 30 Routes and Timetables 13 Prefectural Advisors 30 Rapica Cards 14 Emergency Support 30 Buses 14 Counseling Resources 30 Trams 14 Kagoshima Association for JET 31 Bikes 15 Trains 16 Ferries 16 The Kagoshima Survival Guide provides essential information to assist incoming JETs with their first month in Kagoshima Prefecture. For more complete, detailed information and tips please see the Kagoshima JET Program website at: www.kagoshimajetprogram.wordpress.com 3 Welcome Welcome to Kagoshima Prefecture and the Kagoshima JET community! Kagoshima Prefecture has a population of over 1,700,000 (as of May 2018), and its cities, towns, and islands are spread out. It may be said that Kagoshima Prefecture is one of the more rural areas in Japan, but there is something here for everyone. The regions and islands are full of residents who take tremendous pride in the nature and generally mellow local pace of life and tightly knit community of Kagoshima Prefecture, so it should not be hard to meet new people more than willing to share the general Japanese culture and unique local culture so long as their guests can show respect, have a flexible attitude, and show genuine interest. Kagoshima Prefecture ___________________________ Name Former Name Governor Kagoshima Prefecture (鹿児島県) Satsuma Domain (薩摩藩) Satoshi Mitazono (2016~) Prefecture Symbol Prefecture Area Average Temperature Winds + Waves (blue) 9,187km² 18.6°C Main Industries Main Energy Resources Mining, forestry, agriculture, aquaculture Hydraulic, internal, wind, geothermal, biomass, solar, thermal, nuclear UNESCO World Heritage Sites Yakushima Island, Yakushima Island Shūseikan, Kagoshima City Terayama Charcoal Kiln, Kagoshima City Sekiyoshi Sluice Gate of Yoshino Leat, Kagoshima City Iconic Products “Black” Berkshire pork (kurobuta) Black vinegar (kurozu) “Black” Wagyu beef (kuroushi) “Black” broiler chicken (kuro satsuma-dori) Sweet potato liquor (shōchū) Sakurajima radish (world’s largest, sakurajima daikon) Sugarcane sweet potato liquor (kokutō shōchū) Sakurajima orange (world’s smallest, sakurajima komikan) Yellowtail fish (buri) Amberjack (kampachi) Skipjack tuna (katsuo) Local fried fishcake (satsuma-age) Silver-stripped herring (kibinago) Eel (unagi) Satsuma cut glass (satsuma kiriko) Amami Ōshima silk fabric (ōshima tsumugi) Yakushima Island cedar (yakusugi) Satsuma tin ware (satsuma suzuki) White Satsuma porcelain (shiro-satsuma) “Black” Satsuma pottery (kuro-satsuma) “Polar bear” shaved ice (shirokuma) Chicken and rice soup (keihan) Steamed sweet yam cake (karukan) Satsuma-style rice cakes (janbo mochi) Tea from Minamisatsuma area, etc. Prefecture Mascots (PR kyarakutaa) Greboo (Main mascot, Father) Sakura (Main mascot, Mother) Manabu (Piglet of History) Asobu (Piglet of Nature) Labubu (Piglet of Love) Kagobu (Piglet of Food) Sunabu (Piglet of Steamed Sand Baths) Yuyubu (Piglet of Hot Springs) Hoshibu (Piglet of Space Centers) 4 ____________________________________________ Language Whether a JET participant is fluent in Japanese or has no experience with the language at all, learning the Japanese language will assist in a smoother transition and the making of a comfortable life in Japan. JET participants will have an increasingly easier time when talking with students, talking with co-workers who do not speak English, making friends beyond the foreign and JET community, and understanding the culture. Studying Japanese may be difficult, but the language can be interesting, and studying is a great way to spend downtime during office hours. JETs may find their co-workers looking over their shoulder and asking questions about what it is they are studying, but these situations are great ice-breakers, and showing a genuine effort to learn the language leaves a strong impression. Studying Resources JET Programme Japanese Language Course: The e-learning JET Programme Language Courses are run by CLAIR to improve JET participants’ Japanese capabilities and knowledge about Japanese culture. You can take a placement test to determine your level before signing up for these CLAIR-sponsored, free Japanese language courses (Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced). Enrolment deadlines vary for different group arrivals. http://jetprogramme.org/en/languagecourses Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT): The Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) under joint organization of the Japan Foundation and Japan Educational Exchanges and Services started in 1984 as a test to measure and certify the Japanese-language proficiency of those whose native language is not Japanese. Recommended books and references (book stores included) can be found at http://www.jlpt.jp/e/index.html. CLAIR offers a grant for those who pass Level 2 (N2), information available at: http://jetprogramme.org/en/jlpt Online Flashcard Support: Learning Japanese Chinese characters (kanji: 漢字) is difficult, but online flashcard sites like those below offer support for learning Japanese radicals, kanji, and vocabulary using mnemonics and SRS to make kanji learning simple. Websites: https://apps.ankiweb.net and www.wanikani.com. Language and Culture Classes: Most Japanese classes are held in Kagoshima City (particularly at the Kagoshima International Association), but JETs have options even outside the city. For classes outside of Kagoshima City, it is best for JETs to consult with their contracting organization or BOE to see if some private English teachers might be willing to teach Japanese. Kagoshima International Association: https://www.kiaweb.or.jp/en/. Culture _______________________________________________ When JET Participants arrive in Japan, regardless of language proficiency and whether they were placed according to their preferences, all JETs experience some form of culture shock. What is “culture shock” that it affects every JET? Culture shock is the result of exposure to an unfamiliar environment and unfamiliar habits and behaviors. A Dutch social psychologist wrote, culture shock “returns us to the mental state of an infant” as the lack of understanding of the rules of the game leads to “feelings of distress, helplessness, and hostility towards the new environment” (Cultures and Organizations: Software for the Mind). Since culture shock affects each JET to different degrees, symptoms vary from confusion, loneliness, and anxiety, to feelings of inferiority, paranoia, and depression. To see a typical experience of culture shock in its four-stage cycle, please see page 149-151 of the 2018 General Information Handbook (GIH). 5 Cross Cultural Understanding Dutch social psychologist Geert Hofstede developed what is known as “cultural dimensions”, creating a cultural index to measure countries by their (1) Power Distance, (2) Individualism, (3) Masculinity, (4) Uncertainty Avoidance, (5) Long Term Orientation, and (6) Indulgence. Power Distance – The extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and organizations within a country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally. “Japan is a borderline hierarchical society. Yes, Japanese are always conscious of their hierarchical position in any social setting and act accordingly. However, it is not as hierarchical as most other Asian cultures. Some foreigners experience Japan as extremely hierarchical because of their business experience of the painstakingly slow decision-making process. Paradoxically, the exact example of their slow decision making process shows that in Japanese society there is no one top guy who can take decision like in more hierarchical societies.” Individualism – The degree of interdependence a society maintains among its members. It has to do with whether people’s self-image is defined in terms of “I” or “We”. “Certainly Japanese society shows many of the characteristics of a collectivistic society: such as putting group harmony above the expression of individual opinions and people having a strong sense of shame for losing face. However, it is not as collectivistic as most of her Asian neighbours”. One “paradoxal example is that Japanese are famous for their loyalty to their companies... However, company loyalty is something, which people have chosen for themselves, which is an Individualist thing to do. You could say that the Japanese in-group is situational. While in more collectivistic culture, people are loyal to their inner group. …Japanese are experienced as collectivistic by Western standards