With the snow melting and the cherry blossom front racing up the country, spring has most definitely sprung. This also means that there is a new generation of ichinenseis in the classrooms and corridors of our schools and new opportunities to share something of our own cultures.
ENTERTAINMENT
As a Brit, it's always intriguing to hear what reference points my students and colleagues alike have about my country. One elementary school student was shocked to realise that the Union Jack on her jumper was the national flag of my country. I thought it best not to tell her what the spiky green leaf that was placed above the flag meant, lest her impression be that her sensei was from the land of sensi. However, it's not just the students that can be surprised by cross-cultural information exchange. Whilst discussing musical tastes, it was quite a revelation to hear that one of my conservative colleagues was a big fan of the Anglo-anarchist punk band the Sex Pistols. Another time, a student told me that I looked like a 'jeweller', which somewhat confused my bling-less self until much poking at my chin and some miming revealed to me that they meant the actor 'Jude Law'. Whilst the Beatles remain ubiquitous in Japan amongst all generations, the new era of British music has struggled to compete with domestic acts. Londoner Adele may have conquered most of the world with her albums '19' and '21', but her successes over here were much more modest by comparison. Likewise, dubstep, grime and all of the other urban musical genres to emerge from the UK in recent years are as popular in Japan as insulation and central heating. This month, we have part two of our guide to J-Pop to arm you with information about the biggest Japanese music artists to impress your students with. However, it might also be worth introducing a little of our own country's musical styling’s into the classroom to give students an insight into an alternative world that they might not otherwise be exposed to. Probably best to draw the line at the Sex Pistols though... Chris Barstow is a first year ALT in Yamagata Prefecture. He looks as much like Jude Law as Sid Vicious does. April 2012
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