Last weekend, I went to the circus in Takanagase (a 2 minute train ride from Okayama city). It was far better than I was expecting, with artists from various countries performing an array of tricks. Watching the trapeze artists made me miss gymnastics. I really do miss just flipping and swinging around the place. I’m hoping to get into contact with a university in Okayama, to see if I can train with them once a week!
Here is a photo of my friend and I going for a 'Romantic Walk' in Okayama city, after the circus :P
Today, I visited another one of my high schools in Soja. It proved to be a very nerve-wracking morning, performing speeches to both the staff and students in English and Japanese. It’s not an easy task standing in front of 800 students and attempting to speak in their native tongue!
However, my supervising teacher complimented my Japanese after my speech. She had explained that my Japanese was very clear and easy to understand – yokkata (yay)!! In fact, many teachers approached me afterwards and congratulated me on a great speech. What a confidence booster, aye? Although my Japanese has still got a long way to go, it’s nice to know I am on the right track!!
On a different note, I’ve recently encountered some unusual cultural clashes. I remember during our Tokyo Orientation, I met a Californian friend who is currently studying here in Japan. He advised that ‘even if you may think you are Japanese, you will always be a Westerner’. While I didn’t truly understand at the time, I am starting to see what he is now referring to as ‘always a Westerner’.
Soja city is in no way a rural town. Although it is described as small, I do not believe 70,000 people makes a small city! Regardless, I have not bumped into another foreigner while I’ve been living here. I did not think much of this aspect, until I noticed the strange ‘looks’ I was receiving from the Japanese locals. Whether it is a the supermarket, or simply riding my bike down the street, it appears a foreigner is a ‘rare’ sight to see!
The worst place that I have been experiencing this, however, is on the train. It is as if I have a Western aura around me. The vacant seats next to me are always viewed as a last resort for the locals. Or even worse, some will prefer to stand than sit next to the Western girl. I’ve asked some of my Japanese friends why this might be the case – do I look scary? Do I have a disease? Is it because they have assumed I don’t speak Japanese?
I feel very isolated. It hurts to see and hear a young, female high school student refuse to sit next to you on the train for reasons unknown (she actually didn’t give a reason in Japanese, just a simple head shake and nervous giggle to the person offering the seat to her). Yet, this is what my Californian friend had been advising me about from the very beginning!
As much as I am abiding by Japanese customs, and even though I know very basic Japanese, I am still a Westerner. Japanese people are still going to be afraid or embarrassed to communicate or even sit next to you. Maybe it is because they believe their English skills to be inadequate, and thus do not want to encounter a communication breakdown. Regardless, this is an aspect I will soon become accustomed to.
