Hey Wes: I promised this a while back, some info/names of your co-teahcers, so here goes:

(ALL OF THE FOLLOWING ARE AT KEDOUIN JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL):

Mr. Eto- English teacher, baby of the staff at 27 years old (except for you of course!), soccer stud, nice guy. He speaks fluent easy English but struggles with advanced vocabulary.

Ms. Tanimura- Geography and Japanese teacher, really nice lady who will probably want to practice her English with you a little bit. I'd say she is probably the most popular female teacher with students. English level is somewhere between low and intermediate.

Mr. Hamada- Math teacher, he has an UNREAL level of energy, you will never see him sleep on his desk like other teachers. Also the kendo club leader. Low English.

Ms. Sonoyama- Art and Home Economics teacher, can draw some great pics of people while listening to their boring speeches. No English.

Mr. Tokunaga- Math teacher, running fanatic, listen to him speak and you will gain a good understanding of the polite form of Japanese. Low English.

Mr. Hirayama- Computers and industrial arts teacher, also the baseball coach. Between low and intermediate English.

Ms. Yoshizaki- Japanese teacher, also the volleyball coach. No English.

Mr. Imamura- Social Studies and history, ex-rugby man, heavy smoker, but a really nice guy. Very low English.

Mr. Komaru- P.E., the school's hard-ass, the students are terrified of him and he is very hard on them. Nice guy though who probably cares about the students more than the rest though I have come to realize. No English.

Ms. Haraguchi- School nurse, just arrived in April, I barely know her. Seems nice though. No English???

Ms. Harada- She's very, very pregnant and thus probably won't be here when you get here. Low English.

Mr. Taniguchi- Music teacher. Sings the most amazing opera you will ever here unless you are an opera aficionado. Do not be surprised if he asks you bizarre questions from time to time. Very low English, what he does know is related to music.

Mr. Tateoka- Science teacher, tri-athlete, heavy drinker, mad scientist, Bruce Lee's prodigy! Not exxagerating, this guy runs more than a half marathon EVERY DAY. Also the judo club leader. Definitely the most popular teacher with students by a wide margin. Fluent in easy English, a little below Mr. Eto's ability.

Ms. Hiagshi- in charge of school lunch. I will tell her that you will not be eating school lunch! No English.

Ms. Fujimori- office lady, very nice person. No English.

Ms. Shiomuki- librarian, another nice lady. No English.

Mr. Okazaki- in charge of school's non-teaching stuff, golf lover. Low English.

Mr. Tokumori- Vice-principal, YOUR HERO. Also assists in both music and English. Speaks great English, lived in Los Angeles for one year. His English is better than Mr. Eto's but his teaching methods are not as good. He is the person you will talk to about any needs you have here in Kedouin, whether it is a day off of work or help translating at the hospital or reporting a broken refrigerator or whatever. Vice Principal in Japanese is Kyoutou sensei, pronounced just like the city of Kyoto. He is also by far the busiest person here, as are vice-principals anywhere in Japan.

Mr. Ueno- Principal, just arrived in April, seems to have a very laissez-faire approach to running the school. Don't know much about him, we almost never talk. No English???

Aside from the Principal and Vice-Principal, only 1 other teacher lives in Kedouin. The others live in Kagoshima City or near to there or in a city called Sendai or near to there. No, the idea of getting a ride with them is not a good one, even if they suggest it.

Japanese teachers are transferred from school to school every several years the way military personnel are transferred in the USA, so every end of March, some will leave, and every beginning of April, new teachers will come. I can tell you at a later time who will be leaving next March. Everyone else knows so you deserve to know too, even though it is considered rude to ask or mention. Mr. Eto, however, will be here for the next 6 years because he just arrived this past April. That is good for you because the guy before him, who I put up with for over 2 1/2 years, was a real asshole.

THE MONTH OF AUGUST WILL BE VERY DULL FOR YOU. CLASSES DO NOT BEGIN UNTIL SEPTEMBER. You WILL be expected to be here even though you will have almost nothing to do. The lengthy amount of time given is "to enable you to adjust to life in Japan." What that really means is that it will give people here a month to get used to the fact that I am not here and you are. Please make sure you bring something to do. 3 years ago I had the idea that I would spend the time studying and studying and studying Japanese. When I got here I realized just how long a 24 hour day was, having 20 hours left over after studying for 4 hours each day.

Keep the ?'s coming!

Kedouin Dave

Hold up! Before you send that I already have two travel brochures for Kagoshima. One of them is marked Kedouin Road Map on either side, and it has a smiling mountain with flowers in his hand on one side. The other one uses cartoon dragons to show the kinds of things that people in Kedouin do. One is fishing for example. So if you’re going to send me one of those don’t worry about it. But if you’re going to send me a new one or one that’s marked with the approximate location of my house then by all means! Oh yeah. The address you sent is right.

Hey, the Jet information session was last weekend. There were 4 people from Kagoshima area that RSVPed, but I was the only one that showed up. Bah! Anyways it was kind of informative.

Sooo, this August thing sounds like it kind of sucks. What is ok to do during this time? Study Japanese. Check. I’m planning on doing that, but not ONLY that. Can I bring a game boy, my lap top, or a book? Or will that be looked down upon?

Are any of the teachers going to be total jerks?

Should I join any clubs? I thought about trying Judo. I thought that might be fun, but I also heard that if I start a club and then quit it would be really looked down upon. Actually I guess I would be really old in a club and I’d kick the kids’ butts.

The next thing. I’m working on video game strategy guides for a place here in Indy. I’m pretty sure I’m not supposed to have a second job in Japan, but I was wondering if it would be ok to do some work for them while I’m in Japan. I hear I’ll have a lot of free time. If not would there be a way around that, like not turning in the hours until I get back? Or should I even worry about that? You probably can’t answer that right now.

Good news! I’ve saved up a bit of money so I will be able to get a car when I get there. Will someone go car shopping with me or something so I won’t get screwed because I don’t know enough Japanese?

Should I have everyone’s name memorized before I get there or is this just so that I know what I’m getting into.

Hmm. These questions just get less thought out as the e-mail keeps going. So I’ll stop there. Thank you for the information. I’ll talk to you later.

-Wes

Wes:

DEFINITELY bring your Gameboy, laptop, AND something to read! They will not be looked down upon. You may have to share your gameboy with the kids a bit! A good way to break the ice and meet them! No game boy once classes start in Sept. though. Laptop ok and book will still be ok then.

As far as co-teachers being jerks, no, not really, but many will be very superficial, feigning interest in whatever you are doing, telling you how great your Japanese is every time you say "arigatou", etc. You will learn who is genuine and who is full of shit in time. I will tell you about one bad experience: Everyone of course remembers 9/11, not as many remember the plane that crashed in New York City not long after that. Anyways, the following day after that plane crash, a certain teacher whom I do not like (but will not name), upon seeing me walk in in the morning laughed and smiled and said to me (in Japanese): "Hey Dave, just stay in Japan forever!" I asked him why, and with a big laugh and smile, he said in Japanese, "Because all the planes in America are crashing!" I nearly took his head off. This was a very, very rare experience in Kedoin though, I assure you. He later made a formal apology to me.

If you join a club and quit, it WILL be looked down upon, though no one will be up front with you about saying so. Even just missing a couple of practices here and there is looked down upon. If the teacher sets the example of quitting, then the students may follow suit. My suggestion- find a private club that is not part of the school and join it. You will here of them over time. A good resource for info. will be Doug in the town next to you. I think he just started kendo. Actually, I have told him a little about you and he hopes to be your friend because he 24 and heavily into video games and computers!

Can the job in Indy pay you under the table? If so, you have no problem. You DON'T want them to send you a W-2 tax form to your address in Indiana because that would raise doubt as to your status as eligible for foreign earned income exclusion from U.S. taxes. Death and taxes. But, you will certainly have plenty of time to actually do such a freelance job, no problem there! Just don't tell anyone hee what you are doing!

Car shopping- You all but have to take a Japanese with you to deal with paperwork. But the problem with that is that Japanese won't understand why you are interested in an old piece of shit. My car MIGHT be available in mid-August, but you would have to pay 100,000 yen for "shaken" to the govt., which would be valid for two years, and then another 80,000 yen on top of that to me for the car itself. All told that is about $1500, not a bad deal. The current plan for my car though is to give it to my Japanese brother in law who owns a car repair shop. There are many other opps out there if my car is not available!

Don't worry about memorizing names of teachers. You will learn them in time.

On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the best, I would rate my relationship with students an 1 million. They really love me. With co-teachers, a 6-7. I am a pretty no-nonsense person with adults. You may like or dislike entirely different people than me. It may be that the only thing you and I have in common is that we both will have lived in Kedoin. By the way, I will still be here in August, so we will certainly have a chance to meet. But I do need to let you become "the official foreigner in Kedoin by me not being in Kedoin. I will be at my wife's family's house near Kagoshima Airport, about 45 minutes away by car until late September. Then I'll most likely be in Tokyo for a 3 month long university level teaching job. All not confirmed just yet though. I will also be back and forth to Korea at least once during that time.

One last thing- Are you interested in satellite TV? ESPN, CNN, MTV, CNBC, Discovery, Playboy, movie channels, pay per view channels, etc...? It would cost about $20 to $60 per month depending on how many and which channels you want, something you would decide when you get here. Also some start-up fees. Japanese TV is notoriously awful, but don't tell my wife I said that!

Kedouin Dave

Hi Wes:

Mr. Yamaguchi is currently doing a brief study about vegetarian needs! He would like to know specifically what Japanese food you CAN eat. I mentioned to him what you said about tempura vegetables, and told him rice is certainly okay (but not curry rice with any kind of meat). I also said that tofu and any fruits will be okay. I'm not sure about ramen, soba, and udon because of the broth that accompanies them. But he wants to hear these things from YOU, not me! He wants to know if you eat eggs and if dairy is okay. I think he has your welcome party in mind and doesn't want to make a bad impression! So please tell me SPECIFICALLY what you can eat and I'll pass it on to him! Whatever you say will probably be your first meal here! I have also told him to make sure he gives you a ride to the big grocery store in the neighboring town on your first day here as of course there won't be any food in your house!

Let me know if you want satellite TV too. I need to know no later than next Wednesday Japan time, tuesday U.S.A. time!

ALSO, I'm sure you are already doing this, but please compare any info I send you with info your friend who is coming to Japan gets. My opinions are certainly not the only ones out there!

Take it easy!

Kedouin Dave

Ok. Tell him he shouldn't stress out too much about it. I can eat egg and dairy, and I can eat ramen soba and udon, provided they aren't cooked with meat in them. Even if it ends up being some kind of ready made chicken broth or something, as long as there aren't chunks of meat in it I definitely won't notice. I do like curry a lot too. So even curry rice would probably be ok. I like Tempura, I like Vegetable Yakisoba, I like Tofu, I like Tamago Sushi, I like Sushi with no meat or fish. Specifically I don't eat animal flesh. Most everything else is ok. Here I'm a little more picky, but since I won't be able to read the labels there, anything I won't know won't hurt me. I don't want to tell you anything specific that I like because I really don't know of anything specific. It really shouldn't be that hard. Just make whatever they normally would make, but without meat for me.

I bought some Omiage. Let me know if this is ok. I bought some stuffed animals that are sewn with American flag material for the girls 3 or 4 little ones. And I bought 4 or 5 old navy t-shirts with American flags on them for guys. I also bought a few bags of Twizzlers for the kids. Do I need something bigger for anyone or do I need more of something, or just something else?

Ok, Satellite TV. I'm not sure. I've got a few questions. The channels I would need would be MTV, MTV2, ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, and that's pretty much it. What would that cost? The other thing, without cable can you get any Japanese channels? I really would rather waste time watching Japanese TV than American TV, so that I can learn the language better, but I'll probably be playing games and surfing the net more than I watch TV. Speaking of. Does the TV there have a plug in for RCA cables? Those are the red, yellow, and white holes on the back of a tv where you can plug in a VCR or a video game system.

Yep. I've been forwarding all of your emails to everyone from my mom to my girlfriend to the other guy I know who's going to Jet! Now you know. Don't worry though. You've been really informative. Thanks again.

-Wes

Hi Super Wes:

I'll take these one by one again: I will tell Mr. Yamaguchi and others not to worry, but they will worry anyhow. Here in Japan, at official parties, in most cases everybody eats the same set meal. So, I would expect that at your welcome party, you will all be eating tofu, tempura vegetables, and rice!

Omiyage- Giving a gift is far more important than what the gift happens to be. In fact, some gifts are so silly, for example, when a person leaves or is transferred they give a gift to everyone else, usually a little towel or handkerchief! BUT, the schools do have VERY STRICT RULES which state that the kids are FORBIDDEN to eat candy at school, so give the Twizzlers to the teachers to eat. The teachers WILL eat them , trust me! When I came to Kedouin, I gave the superintendent of schools (kyoikuchou) a jacket with a Las Vegas casino logo on it, and the same to the principal of the junior high school. Also a Vegas calendar to the English teacher of that time. The guy before me gave something to the mayor and the English teacher.

That reminds me, here are some more Kedouin people worth mentioning:

Mayor Imamura: Mayor in Japanese is "chou-chou" when in a town the size of Kedouin. He is about 5 foot 3, 200 pounds, and looks like a miniature version of the Godfather. He may very well have been elected because of his strong drinking abilities. Fun guy,don't worry about taking him seriously!

At elementary schools:

IMUTA Elementary School-

Mr. Yamasaki- 6th grade teacher, I have always done all the planning for the one hour per week that I teach English to his students. Low English.

Mr. Otsuji- Vice Principal, enjoys putting his limited English to use with me. His daughter is a Junior High 8th grader who will be doing a 1 month homestay in California this summer. Low English.

Mrs. Ichiki- office lady, just became a grandmother. She has won awards at the All-Japan level for her AMAZING musical talents. She also introduced me to my wife and so I am forever in her debt. Amazing singer and player of Japanese "shamisen". No English.

KAMIDE Elementary School

Mr. Funatsu- 6th grade teacher, I just started working with him this past April, nice guy. Understands easy English, speaks a little too.

Ms. Shinbaba- She has always been my favorite of the elementary teachers. Her students adore her. Low English.

From the POST OFFICE:

Mrs. Fujisaki- If you plan on sending money home every month or every few months or whatever, she is your hero! She is fully aware of how to do the necessary form, actually all those in the Post Office now can but they learned from her. Her daughter is an 8th grader in the Junior High and is an absolute sweetheart! No English.

From the Board of Education:

Mr. Shindome- The Superintendent of Schools. He is ranked so far above you that any communication you have with him will be while holding Mr. Yamaguchi's hand. Nice guy, i have no idea what he does other than stamp his approval on things. (That's a secret though, OK!) No English.

Mr. Uchinokura- ****RED FLAG!!!**** This man is by the books. If he tells you something you really don't like it probably means someone needs to pull him aside and smack him into line. He has been absolutely terrified of the fact that I drive a car here because he knows that foreigners don't know how to drive! (WHAT HAS JAPAN BEEN EXPORTING TO US FOR THE PAST 30 YEARS???) He's okay once the burden of strict guidelines is set aside. Fortunately, he has very little authority.

Satellite TV- FOX is definitely on there, never seen ABC, NBC, or CBS. There is a cheesy Japan style MTV. There are about 6 Japanese channels when not using the satellite.

A plug for RCA cables??? Help me out here??? I'll ask Doug in Iriki Town. For me a plug is just a plug.

Hello to mom, girfriend, and friend! Hope it has been entertaining! Don't worry about Wes, he'll be just fine! You can certainly ask me ?'s too if you like!

Kedouin Dave

Oh, by the way, there are 2 good Indian restaurants in Kagoshima City, both with very good food including vegetarian options! I am at one or the other about once a month.

Hey Super Wes:

This is a website that unofficially serves the JET community:

http://www.bigdaikon.com

It is dominated by weirdos in my opinion, but since they are all weirdos who are somehow connected to the JET Programme, maybe you should check it out.

Here is the story of an American who has lived in Japan for over a decade and actually become a naturalized Japanese citizen, a VERY rare thing:

http://www.debito.org

IF YOU HAVE FREE TIME...

Here is some suggested reading:

Importing Diversity, by David L. McConnell. Tells of the history of the JET Programme.

Learning to Bow, by Bruce S. Feiler. Written by one of the first JET's.

Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan, by Herbert P. Bix. Excellent 20th century Japanese history.

Dave Barry Does Japan, by Dave Barry. Best read after you've been here for 3 months. You will laugh so hard you'll cry!

The Roads to Sata, by Alan Booth. Amazing story of a foreigner who walked from the north tip of Hokkaido to the south tip of Kagoshima.

Straitjacket Society: An Insider's Irreverent View of Bureaucratic Japan, by Masao Miyamoto. On Japanese society.

Gotta go help my wife's mother's friend contact someone in the USA! Bye!

Hey, first of all, thanks for the book suggestions. I think I might pick up that Dave Barry one. Sounds pretty good. That meal sounds pretty good. Not like something with a lot of taste, but it sounds pretty good. Ok, so sounds like I'll leave the twizzlers in the teacher's lounge or something. Should I pick up something bigger for kyoikuchou, or the principal, or Mr. Eto, or the mayor or anyone in particular? I thought I was doing alright with just a little something, but sounds like I might want to go all out for some of these guys.

Thank you very much for the info about these people. I'm sure I'll really have to study these names after I'm there for a few days and I'll be able to place the people with the names.

Satelite TV... Hmm, I'm still not too sure about it. You tell me. Do I want it? I definitely want at least a few channels as a tool for learning Japanese, and I'll probably watch it a little bit at night, but not much more than that. Does it sound like I need a satellite? And are there any hidden charges if I just decide to go for a cheap plan?

Ok. It's actually really easy to figure out if the TV accepts RCA cables. If you look on the back and you see three holes about the size of a coaxial cable (a cable cable) that are color coded with a red, a white, and a yellow border. If you don't see anything other than the place to put cable in then the TV doesn't accept it, but if you see a bunch of crap back there then the TV most likely does. If you can't figure it out, it's ok, but if you can it would help me to come prepared.

Oh man. Those Indian restaurants sound superb.

Ok. I have a few more questions.

1. What is the best way to bring money over there. Should I get travelers checks or should I get my money exchanged for Yen? I'll have enough money when I get there to pick up a car and live for a month. So that's good.

2. I'd really like to go to Chiba, Japan on 9/20 - 9/22. Just thought I'd let you know. In case you had any suggestions.

3. Also you keep talking about how everyone in Japan is going to shun me for wanting a car. Is it going to be a pain the butt? Got any suggestions?

That's all I can think of.I'll write you soon.

-Wes

Hey superwes:

I read the entire Dave Barry book in about 6 hours. I never stopped laughing!

Regarding gifts: Again, just about anything is okay! You could also bring nothing at all and that would be okay too. At the very least, don't lose sleep over it!

Satellite TV is your call. There are also a lot of Japanese channels on satellite that are not on regular TV. If you stay away from porn and too many movie channels, it isn't so expensive to get most everything else. I'm glad I have had it, but I watch the financial markets pretty consistently so I needed it for that specific purpose. No hidden charges. I paid about $150 to get started, then about $25 per month for the past three years for ESPN, CNBC, CNN, BBC, Bloomberg business, a non-porn movie channel, Discovery, the History Channel, and MTV (Japan version), and a few others not worth mentioning that came with it for free.

RCA cables- my best educated guess is that you will be okay. If not, my secondary best educated guess is that you can buy some kind of adapter in Kagoshima City.

I will be in and out of Kagoshima several times from July 19th (my last day in Kedouin) till Sept. 20th or so. I'll plan on taking you to the better of the two Indian restaurants along with Doug in the town next to you "someday in August!".

Money/car- when I came over here, I brought cash and traveler's checks and changed them all to yen during the Tokyo orientation. I know that in Chicago the idea of carrying over $1000 in cash is not ideal, but here in Japan that is daily life. If you can wait and not buy a car until after August 22nd , your first payday, then you needn't bring nearly as much cash with you. That is what I recommend, that you buy your car after August 22nd. You arrive July 31st, and will be the center of attention for several days following that, and then will have an all-Kagoshima new JET meeting around mid-August for two days or so, so a 3 week wait is not as long as it could be. You will also have the opportunity to hear other opinions (and hopefully opportunities) about cars during that time. If you are unable to find a good deal on a car, I will help. My Japanese brother in law owns a car repair shop and is pretty aware of what is out there, so he is an excellent resource. I don't think people here will shun you for getting a car. But, getting a car your first day here and taking off for ??? may create a minor bad impression. MR. UCHINOKURA (RED FLAG MAN!!!) did try to lead a diatribe against me buying and driving a car, but he failed miserably in his attempt. He was trying to sound intelligent in front of his superiors by explaining that foreigners don't know how to drive on Japanese roads, but I exposed his racism and squashed him. But I'm 32 and you are 23, so it is possible that he will try again based on your age, even though Japanese drive from age 18. I have already told Mr. Yamaguchi that I expect that you, too, will be driving while living here and he did not object in the slightest. You will be asked to and should buy additional car insurance for about $400 or so per year. This will bring relief to everyone here. PLEASE don't drive after drinking any quantity of alcohol. Even just a sip. I am fairly heavy beer drinker, but I NEVER drive after drinking. The legal blood alcohol level for drivers in Japan is zero! Some of your fellow JETs and fellow teachers do not obey this rule. If an accident happens, the Japanese teachers live the rest of their lives in shame, the foreigners are deported and deprived of their pensions. On a personal note here, when I was 19, my lifelong best friend was killed by a drunk driver so I have very strong feelings about this issue. Every year, 2 or 3 JET's are busted for driving drunk and deported after a few weeks of jail time.

CHIBA- I don't see any reason why you shouldn't be able to go. Actually, that is a 3 day weekend (the 21st to the 23rd). Just be sure and tell Mr. Yamaguchi or better yet Mr. Tokumori well in advance (but not the day you get here!).

I guess that's it. I'll be in Kedouin until the 19th, but still nearby until well after you get here and always available by email.

Take it easy!

Kedouin Dave

Hey Wes:

Check out the international weather news and you may get a glimpse of some scenes of Kagoshima. There is a huge typhoon between here and Okinawa, expected to hit here at about 3pm Monday Japan time, or 2 am Monday Eastern time. In September of my first year here, an even bigger typhoon hit and some rain leaked through the roof. It has in theory been repaired, but I guess we'll have a chance to put that theory to test before you get here!

I've been telling students and co-teachers your name for a few days now, and everyone seems to agree that your first name is much easier to say than your last name! Students and co-teachers have always called me Mr. M***** in English and M*****-sensei in Japanese. A VERY select few are invited to call me David, but only in private situations. In your case it might be better if they call you Mr. Wes or Wes-sensei instead of Mr. Ehrlichman or Ehrlichman-sensei. That is entirely up to you of course! In following Japanese customs, you will always call co-teachers and any other adults by their last name. You probably already knew that, sorry if I'm explaining the obvious. Students can be called by either their first or last name, but you will learn their last names faster because of their nametags. From years ago, the JET Programme suggested that all foreigners should be called by their first name. This is slowly changing however. Many foreign teachers, upon learning a bit about Japanese culture, particularly the strong meaning of "sensei", begin to dislike the fact that they call Japanese teachers "sensei", but the Japanese teachers call them by their first name the way they do the children, without the title "Mr./Ms." or "sensei" being attached. Just a small warning, if you decide that you are going to go the route of the "informal American" and tell people just to call you by your first name, you may live to regret it down the line. In some very subtle ways, it suggests to people that you are not worthy of respect, and people may begin to treat you like a child or pet. Looking at this from the Japanese point of view, I now can clearly see that it is easier for them to respect you if you require them to attach "san" or better yet "sensei" to your name. Every year here I have watched 20-22 year old student teachers do a 2 week observation training here, and co-teachers/supervisors all constantly call them "--- sensei" as a subtle way of reminding them of their level of responsibility and status in Japanese society when they do in fact become teachers. PLEASE SEEK OTHER OPINIONS ON THIS ISSUE AS WELL AS MINE IS CERTAINLY NOT THE ONLY ONE OUT THERE! Also, I am 32 years old and I am a real teacher, so that has something to do with it. It would just be too weird if I called a 28 year old "--- sensei" and that person in turn called me "David". People will ask you very early on what you want to be called because it is an issue not taken lightly in Japan. Here in Japan, only my family and other foreigners call me Dave or David (or deebiddo in Japanese). Oh, at the Sendai Japanese class, we all use our first names too.

There is a cultural misunderstanding here. Japanese are aware that in many parts of the West, people call each other by their first names. However, they don't seem to realize that in a room where everyone else calls each other by their last name, the Americans or Australians don't continue to be called by their first names.

The winds are starting to pick up...

I guess you fly out on the 28th or so right? I know you must be getting excited! Good luck in your final preparations!

Kedouin M*****!

Hey. Yeah, I know I sent you something that says that I didn’t want it, but my sister said that I would want it so if it’s not too late keep me signed up or do whatever it is you needed to know if I wanted it in order to do. If it’s too late it’s totally ok. Thanks.

-Wes

Hey superwes:

Sorry, you are literally a just few fours late for satellite. Mine was just taken down and moved. I can certainly help you get started in getting a new one. I see them advertised in the newspaper from time to time and will keep my eyes peeled.

Also, for your information, you will be coming to Kagoshima from Tokyo by plane on July 31st and will arrive at the airport at 1:20 pm. I now am living at my wife's family's house which is directly across the street from Kagoshima Airport, so per Mr. Yamaguchi's request I may come and say hello when you get here if I have time. It is about 45 minutes by car from the airport to Kedouin by car. If I can't, we'll definitely meet to go to the Indian restaurant sometime early in August anyways.

The Tokyo orientation meetings are really boring and a waste of time. Feel free to skip them and go out and see Tokyo like I did if you wish. No one will ever know the difference. Just don't brag about having done so when you get here! OH, but make sure you DO attend any meetings that are for KAGOSHIMA only, as they will check to make sure you are in attendance then.

Oh, here are the three most important rules of the JET Programme:

1. Do not die. That would embarrass Kedouin Town, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, and the JET Programme greatly.

2. Do not get involved with drugs in any way. During my second year here, a third year ALT in another prefecture was caught with some marijuana plants. He made page 1 or 2 of every major newspaper in the country! I think he has already been deported now but I'm not sure.

3. Do not get sexually involved with students. The oldest students you will meet are 15, so I seriously doubt if this will be a problem!

So I guess the worst thing you could do here would be to die of a drug overdose while in bed with a student. Let's try to avoid that! HA!

I know you said you think you will only be here for 1 year. People will ask you right from the beginning how long you want to stay. My advice is that you say, "I DON'T KNOW!" and nothing other than that, regardless of what you are planning. A few people have already asked ME how long YOU expect to stay, and I have always said, "I DON'T KNOW!!! In mid-November, a notice will come from the JET Programme asking you to answer yes, no, or I don't know yet to this question. Then, in early February you will be required to make a final decision. This is a topic which you will inevitably talk to your fellow JETs about but I say keep it a secret from the Japanese. Here's why:

The people who just arrived here in April, (Ueno the principal, Mr. Eto, and Ms. Haraguchi the nurse) all asked me upon arriving how much longer I would be in Kedouin. In my case being in my third year it was no secret that I would be done with my job this July. I can see now 3 1/2 months later that for the principal and nurse I wasn't worth getting to know because my time left here was so short. Also, some of the same teachers who barely tried to get to know me my first year here were the same teahcers who also left in March of my first year. So, I wouldn't advise announcing your intention to stay for only a year the day you get here.

You will be here soon enough so I guess that's it for now!

Kedouin Dave

That’s some pretty good stuff to know. Thank you very much.

Yeah, I REALLY want to go to Akihabara some time. So I’ll probably try to make it over there during some part of orientation. That makes me happy.

About the satellite. I totally think I’ll be ok without it. I wasn’t even really considering it until my sister said that I wanted it, but what does she know. I’ll see when I get there. I think I’ll be ok without it though, so don’t break your back trying to find me a setup.

About the three rules. I would die before I broke the first rule. Hardee har har. And as for the second one I’ve never done any drugs at all (not even smoked) so that won’t be a problem. And as for the third rule, well I’ve got a girlfriend and I’m not a pervert, so count me out on that one. Sounds like I’m good. I think there are probably far more rules than that. But I’m guessing the blanket rule (outside of that range) is “don’t do anything totally stupid.” That tends to be the rule at most places I’ve worked so I’m going to assume it’s the same in Japan. I’m pretty much set then, because I don’t think I break that rule much more often than anyone else.

Oh, that stuff about telling people, “I don’t know” is really helpful too. I probably wouldn’t have told people directly, but what I’ve been saying is that I will probably stay for a year, but I CAN also do it up to two or three years. So that noone gets too set on me doing one thing in case I change my mind. But I’ll try to be even more vague to the Japanese people.

Oh yeah, got any suggestions for introduction stuff I can do that isn’t just the generic Name, Where I’m from, etc.?

-Wes

Hey SuperWes:

Just a few more words before you leave...

As far as your self-intro goes- I always gave a thorough self-intro to the students, but always in easy English. I did not use pictures, but some people do. I always gave a short generic speech in Japanese (name, shumi, shusshin) to old farts. Whatever floats your boat!

There has been a big change in my plans. I have been offered a job in Izumi, a city about 25 miles north of Kedouin. So I'll be here for at least another year.

Skip as many of the Tokyo meetings as you like except the Kagoshima meeting. If anyone raises a fuss (very doubtful) just put on your best "clueless gaijin" face. There is nothing they can do about it anyway.

I assume you will be flying out of Chicago on JAL or ANA, and that JET is putting you up in a hotel in Chicago the night before. You will share that hotel room with at least one maybe two other JET's, most likely people headed for Kagoshima or elsewhere in Kyushu. Same goes in Tokyo. You will be put up in a hotel with 1 or 2 other JET's, though in Tokyo everyone you room with should be Kagoshima-bound. So you will meet plenty of people quickly.

That is all I can think of. Oh, I guess I probably will come and say hello on the 31st when you arrive at Kagoshima Airport because I'll probably just be sitting at my wife's family's house which is right across the street.

Have a safe trip, looking forward to meeting you here!

Formerly Kedouin Dave

<-Back to Part 1