Page 2 — Hyogo Times, February 2008 Hyogo Times, February 2008 — Page 3 Contents On the cover... Messages Myrie Eaton and Luke Leyow sent 4................. From the editor in their photos 5................. From the PR from the Naked Man festival in Okayama prefec- ture. Known as Every Month Hidaka Matsuri, men dress in tabi 6-7.............. Life as a First-Year JET — The Toilet from Hell and fundoshi and 8-9.............. Love and Relationships: Single Ladies battle for posses- sion of a series of 9............... Kansai Concerts sticks, with the 10............... Ironic Chef — Pasta winners taking home cash prizes 12-13.......... Travel Japan: The Grand Temple Complex of Nikko and the promise of fertility over 14-15.......... Politics with Paul: Ireland: Why you should care the coming year. 16-17.......... Better Know a Ken: Hokkaido 18-19.......... Getting to Know Some Random JETs 23............... English Sensei Spirit Photo by Luke Leyow. Cover photo by Myrie Eaton Features Hyogo Times Staff 11............... Stealth Gaijin: Life as an Asian JET Editor: Kevin Shannon 20-21.......... Earth! Wind! Fire! Water! HEART! Assitant Editor: Emerald Huang 22............... Yukigassen: Everybody was Snowball Fighting Design Editor: Jeff Morrice 23............... An Ode to Chu-hi Contributors: Amy Baker, Myrie Eaton, Joy Feddes, Emerald Huang, Jojo Jackson, Brandon 24-25.......... Dying in Koh Phangnan Kramer, Luke Leyow, Alison Lonnen, Tori Lowe, Caroline Lyster, Caoimhe McGarry, Brenda McKinney, Brad Morrison, Graham Neubig, Angela Nicholson, Paul O’Shea, Rupa Patel, MacK- 26............... Gobble, Gobble! Turkey Day! enzie Roebuck-Walsh, The Stealth Gaijin, Jarred Tucker, Jeff Weese. 27............... Some Truth Tu It 28............... You Don’t Know Hyogo — Hyogo Trivia All JETs in Hyogo are encouraged to send in articles, photos, musings, poetry, prose and any ideas to contribute or improve the Hyogo Times for the betterment 29............... Wheel of Jeopardy! of the Hyogo JET community. 30-31.......... You Don’t Have to go Home... or “Why I’m not recontracting” Submit by the 15th of each month to: 32............... Hyogo AJET Election Information [email protected] http://hyogoajet.org Page 4 — Hyogo Times, February 2008 Hyogo Times, February 2008 — Page 5 From The Editor... and from the PR... elcome to the new-look erro once again everybody, and I hope you are W Hyogo Times! H enjoying the bitter cold that has most people Ok, so maybe it looks the confined to their kotatsus! I have found that people same as the last one, but there tend to become a little (note the exaggeration) neg- have been some massive ative this time of year towards their jobs, Japan, and changes in the Hyogo Times even Japanese house designers. team. The talented Tori has Why does everyone get so down? What is so retired as editor and I have bad about this season? I, for one, am having a great been lucky enough to take winter! The more I thought about it, the more I real- her place. Tori’s shoes were ized that we need to settle this once and for all: Is too big to fill (something which winter in Japan as horrible as everyone says? You never happens in Japan!) by know what that means… IT’S DEBATE TIME! myself so I’ve got the wonder- Having studied debate extensively in Kobe last ful Emerald Huang as deputy month, I think you’ll find that my logic is flawless. editor to help me along. This issue also sees us “Does Winter Suck?” welcome some wonderful new Statement for the Positive Side: writers (virgin writers if you I think everyone can safely agree that winter in will) to the team. We’ve got Japan sucks. Every day we all wake up to a house MacKenzie with relationships, that is the same temperature as outside. My clothes Jojo with cooking, Stealth Gai- feel like they have been in the freezer. I used to do jin with Life as an Asian JET, this to my friends at slumber parties! Why am I be- Caoimhe with a poem that will ing pranked by Japan??? The fact that we have to touch your heart and wonder- choose at school between being slowly poisoned ful articles from Rupa, Jar- by carbon monoxide in the warm staff room or be- ryd, Alison, Joy and Erica. To ing anywhere else in the school and feeling like an complement these we have Eskimo fur trader is just absurd! the wise words of our regular Statement for the Negative Side: since Prometheus gave us fire! Why should we fight writers – Paul, Jeff, Brandon, Have you ever heard of “Culture Shock,” or karu- the desire to stay warm? Angela, Graham and Tori. cha shokku in Japanese? The Japanese people Rebuttal From the Negative Side: Being only a first-year JET, have simply chosen to remain more in touch with It’s all about choice and freedom. Who are the I am still only learning how to nature and live their lives so that they truly feel as house builders to assume that you want to stay survive in Japan (I only learnt if they are a part of each very important season! In warm? That is a personal choice, and to take it away last week that sticking bubble- your foreign countries you all try to disguise each would be an insult! You pay to stay cool in the sum- wrap on your windows keeps season, pretending it isn’t really happening. Well mertime, now you get it for free and you complain! your room much warmer!). they don’t play that game in Japan. Winter is here, Put on some more clothes and learn to appreciate However I feel that I should share give you my top always been a wonderful class to teach. In another time baby, and it’s right in your face! everything about all four of Japan’s unique seasons! tip for Japan. This would have to be to forget all embar- and place I would have been embarrassed, but in Japan Questions from the Positive Side: Closing Statements From the Positive Side: rassment (though avoiding old men who want to give you people laugh at me all the time. They laugh when I try “Have you ever seen frozen toothpaste?” Winter sucks! back massages would be a close second — story an- to post letters, when I try to use chopsticks, when I of- “Don’t you have a microwave?” Closing Statements from the Negative Side: other time). We are all gaijin and no matter how hard we fer people miso soup instead of water. Everything I do Questions from the Negative Side: Winter rocks my socks! try we will make a fool of ourselves at some stage. If you is funny so I can either worry about it or just sit back and “Did you know that Japan has four seasons?” are too worried about looking silly you’ll miss out on so enjoy the fact that I am currently the funniest person in “I am very, very, very aware.” Well there you go, now with all the facts in front much. my town. Rebuttal From the Positive Side: of you in clear debate form, you are able to decide In one of my first classes I sang a song to my class Anyway that’s my little tip for the future. I’m sure you’ll Culture shock!? What is so difficult about put- for yourself how you feel about winter in Japan! and as some people will confirm, my voice has been find plenty more in the writings of this month’s contribu- ting insulation in houses? Have you ever tried to Hope to see you all at the Naked Man Festival in known to curdle blood. They laughed and laughed. The tors. Happy reading! have “romantic time” in the cold? Staying warm has Okayama! rest of the class was brilliant and since then they have —Kevin been one of the primary goals of the human species — Brandon Page 6 — Hyogo Times, February 2008 Hyogo Times, February 2008 — Page 7 enough to deal with bugs) and later on off by the toilet that she had to find ing to realize that I wasn’t happy where The toilet from Hell that evening she came to mine to get somewhere else. I was living. rid of the spider. The second thing that shocked me Everyday I had new stories to tell By Rupa Patel The look on her face confirmed was when she said that the building my JTEs at school. Then one day, Life as a first-year JET that I wasn’t overreacting. It took a can was to be demolished by the end of much to my surprise, my kyoto-sensei of bug spray, two pans of boiling wa- 2008! I was taken aback and said that told me that he found a place for me Like any first year JET, I was feel- the smell down). The ter; half a bottle of bleach and some I couldn’t carry on living the way I had and took me to see it that same day. It ing a bundle of emotions on the Shink- flush was a hosepipe broom action to get rid of the monster. been and that I needed a new place was a palace and I decided that I had ansen as the Hyogo ALTs made their attached to a tap. You I told the girls on the island, (who were soon. I said that I would pay whatever I to move that weekend. I was ecstatic. way to Yashiro where we would be must then take out the and still are my saviors) and they all had to in order to feel comfortable and Finally I had a place in which I could do taken to our new home for the next plug to avoid the toilet encouraged me to move.