Summer 2008 Volume 13 Issue 2

Volume 13, Issue 2 Summer 2008 Summer Musings 夏の思いで...

Ladies and Gentlemen, summer has come and gone...

As the days wane, we are all reminded of the good times in Vancity spent at great events such as the Powell Street Festival, the HSBC Celebration of Light and care-free evenings gazing lazily at the sun on Kits beach.

Make no mistake about it, the spirit of summer is very much with us still and the entire team at JETAA have some interesting propositions for those returning to join us after their adventures in Japan. With the new crop sent off after a successful departure seminar in June it is now time to welcome and celebrate those who have braved the land of the rising sun.

So without further ado the JETAABC crew welcomes home all our boys and girls returning to Canada. We know you are out there and we invite you to come join us and share some good times! For the disoriented or otherwise culturally shocked returnee, this issue is for you.

Of course we invite everyone else out there to also share in the process and impart some of the hard-earned wisdom with those who may still be on uneven footing in good ole western Canadiana.

In this Issue:

Reverse Culture Shock...................................................................2 News from the JET Desk at the Consulate General of Japan.....3 Musings from a JETAA 3 Years On.............................................4 Upcoming Events............................................................................5 JET in Focus....................................................................................6 Around the Web..............................................................................7 Want to know more? Visit us online at:

www.jetaabc.ca

Reverse Culture Shock Christian Assaf – JETAA Montreal Chapter

girls looking for a language exchange, which seemed like a good idea to me at the time. I hurried home to email the teacher and the girls, and was able to meet To a certain degree, we’ve all experienced it. The them by the end of the week. Salvation was at hand! alienation. The sense of not belonging. The longing for things we took for granted, yet impossible to find. Salvation also came from a few other sources. Getting Yes, since returning from Japan, we’ve all experienced back to work helped enormously. As long as I was it at one time or another. People like to call it “reverse working, I didn’t have time to think about Japan. Those first days back at the ER, shaking off a year of rust, were culture shock”. exactly what I needed. Seeing my old friends helped as Personally, it hit fast and it hit hard. I felt some¬thing well, but they didn’t all understand what Japan was like. was amiss the moment my plane took off in Narita. I How could they? That’s where JETAA eventually came had been dreading leaving Japan for weeks, but the in – there’s nothing like sharing your experiences with reality was much harder than I anticipated. Perhaps people who’ve gone through roughly the same thing. it was because I felt I had some unfinished business There’s a bond there, unseen and unspoken, between all in Japan. I had, after all, only spent a year there. But of us who’ve participated in the wild experiment know the second that plane left, I was overwhelmed by an as the JET Programme. uncontrollable sense of loss.

Living abroad changes the way you see your home. All I remember it clearly. I came back to Canada on a the things that seemed so normal to you become less so Friday. 9 days later, I’d was returning to my previous once you have a different point of reference. Invariably, existence, that of a resident in family medicine. I had 9 the negative aspects of our home societies hit us first. days in which to grab on to whatever piece of Japan I I remember being shocked by how big everything is could find in the city, 9 days to push that feeling of loss here. All that space, all that sprawl, what a waste! Big aside. Three days later, I wandered around, feverishly roads, big cars, big portions, big people….I felt like searching for ads. My first priority was finding a private we were expand¬ing to fit our surroundings instead of Japanese teacher, with a schedule flexible enough to making the best use of the space available. The other ac¬commodate my then ever-changing one. I was thing that got me was how loud and rude everyone desperate not to lose all the Japanese I’d gained. During seemed – especially in stores. The customer is always this quest, I stumbled upon an ad from two Japanese wrong seemed to be the motto of most clerks here, such

a striking contrast with the sometimes exaggerated politeness of the Japanese. Waiting in line to buy something became an unexpected irritant. And the complaining! Don’t get me started on the complaining!

I can complain about it ad infinitum! When you see another way of doing things that works better than what you were used to, it’s hard to accept it. Of course, after a time, you begin to remember the things that irritated you in Japan, so a balance is eventually reached. But in the first few months, forget about it: “Japan rules and Canada sucks” was all I was thinking.

in pretty good shape.

News from the JET Desk at the Consulate General of Japan

By Steve Chevalier

“The adventure of a lifetime.” That’s how some of the recently departed JET participants gauged their upcoming experience in Japan. Of the 210 Canadians accepted onto the JET Programme, this year, 50 eager participants (44 ALTs and 6 CIRs) departed from Vancouver on August 2. They will join another 319 Ever ask yourself these questions?

Why does the public transportation run so late? Why Canadians already in Japan, bringing the total number can’t I buy decent Japanese food at a convenience of Canadian participants to 529. Canada has the secstore?Where are the vending machines? For that ond largest number of participants behind the U.S., matter, where’s my Pocari Sweat? Why is sushi the and ahead of the U.K. only Japanese food people talk about? Why are our TV On behalf of the Consulate and the new participants, ads so dull? Where can I get a decent onigiri?

I would like to thank all of the JETAABC members Then the hunt begins. Looking for somewhat rare items who helped us with recruitment, interviews and prewas a priority upon my return. I went to all the Asian departure preparations, this year. Your efforts are shops and grocery stores looking for “natsukashii” much appreciated. foodstuffs. Ah, the smile on my face when I found Otafuku okonomiyaki sauce and Calpis on the same For those of you who know others who would be interested in living and working in Japan with JET, day… we will begin recruiting in September 2008 for the After a few months, things got back to normal. I got 2009-2010 JET Programme. Application forms and an used to being home again, and was beginning to enjoy information session schedule will be available on-line it. I firmly believe that the things I did to “keep in in late September at www.vancouver.ca.emb-japan. touch” with Japan eased the transition, though. The go.jp or by contacting the Consulate at 604-684-5868, Japanese classes, the Japanese friends, Japanese music, ext. 397. and the JETAA activities were, and still are to this day, an invaluable outlet for the part of me that was forever We will have opportunities for alumni to volunteer to changed by my life in Japan. I guess the advice I’d give help with recruitment. Specifically, alumni are needed to this year’s batch of returnees, slowly trickling back to to speak about their JET experience at information Canada, would be as follows : keep busy, find activities sessions at universities throughout BC. If you are here that bridge your life in Japan to your life here, and interested and available during daytime hours, drop us find people with whom you can reminisce about your an email at culturalcentre@consuljpnvan.com. previous existence. The first few months will be rough, but don’t worry you’ll re-adapt, and come out of it all

“I soon realized that no journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within.”

- Lillian Smith

Musings from a JETAA Member 3 Years On

by Philippe Roy

bridge between groups that further blurs the traditional boundaries of what defines “Other”.

My colleague Christian from Montreal originally wrote the previous column in fall 2006. Granted in Montreal things are a bit different than here in Vancouver. We do not have places like “Guu Izakaya” or groups such as the “Mokuyokai Society” organizing amazing events.

Heck, I’d dare say we do not have any proper seafood to speak of, aside from shellfish and some river fish.

Sure the smoke meat and bagels make up for it but it is difficult to re-create pockets of an “authentic” Japanese experience there. For us, salvation came in linking up with other returnees, JETAA and the small but very active Japanese community in the city. By contrast, I find that Vancouverites are extremely lucky to be so close to all things Japanese. A quick hop to Robson and lo and behold it’s as if you’re back in the land of the rising sun. This is not forgetting the important presence of the Japanese-Canadian community and numerous volunteer organizations such as Tonari-Gumi which remain active in developing ties between people here and abroad.

Now this may sound cryptic but bear with me for an instant. If you are reading this, chances are you have been also marked by this amazing experience that was the JET Programme. What knowledge one may have gained from it differs from an individual to the next, but I am certain that it has left you with a unique perspective on the world, one which, I dare say, is shared among others across the world. It is this drive to not take for granted what is presented in front of us and savour time spent in good company. It is a curiosity which harkens back to the days of early childhood, one of awe and excitement about all things. It is the simplicity of finding oneself surrounded by the unknown and derive tremendous enjoyment and knowledge from it.

Vancouver, in its own way has been such a place for me, a “foreigner” hailing from the province of Quebec.

So I thank you Vancouver for providing me with an unforgettable life experience.

I remember a year ago on a warm August day when I first set foot in Vancouver how happy I was to be on the west coast. The massiveness of the surrounding mountains, the spread of the sea air and the uniqueness of people here just filled me with a lot of hope. Costs of living aside, Vancouver is an amazing city. My first trip to konbini-ya or H-Mart downtown felt like a very familiar and welcome experience. Even three years down the road I still found myself, not unlike many of my friends here, a bit nostalgic of far-away times back in the land of keitais, okonomiyaki and hello-kitty.

Gaining the perspective from several cultural angles however I can now better appreciate the subtleties of what makes us all “global citizens”. It is this drive to

And to the reader, whether old JET or new, I propose a toast in writing. May your life continue to be filled with adventures, old and new, wherever your feet may take you…

Want to get involved in Vancouver?

Try these groups: Vancouver Mokuyokai Society http://www.mokuyokai.bc.ca/ Tonari Gumi http://www.jcva.bc.ca/ 4

Upcoming Events Calendar The Japan Film Show Sept 20, 08 (Sat) 1:15pm & 3:10pm * Togenkyo No Hitobito (Shangri-La) 2002, 104 min. colour,(Japanese with English sub-titles) 1:15pm * Shinkokyu no Hitsuyo (Breathe In, Breathe Out) 2004, 123 min.,colour, Japanese with English subtitles.

3:10pm * A Double Feature Matinee at Pacific Cinematheque, 1131 Howe Street, Vancouver * FREE ADMISSION. RESERVATIONS RECOMMENDED. Send RSVP to event@consuljpnvan.com

Open Dragon Boat Practice * Date: Sept 20, 2008 (Sat) 9:30 - 11:30am * Place: False Creek water’s edge (South of Science World) * Rain or shine!

We would like to invite you to attend the JET Alumni dragon boat practice on Saturday September 20th. This will be a fun practice and an introduction to dragon boating. The team season has ended and we invite all JET Alumni and friends to join us for this practice.

Please RSVP with your name, and prior paddling experience (no experience necessary) to dragonboat@ jetaabc.ca.

BC Lions Football Night * Event: CFL Football: BC Lions vs Hamilton Tigercats * Date: Saturday, September 27, kickoff at 7:00PM * Place: BC Place Stadium * Cost: $22 Please reply ASAP to Jane at senioradvisor@jetaabc.ca. When you reply, we’ll make arrangements for payment. The cost will be $22, in the lower BRONZE zone.

Also look out for more upcoming events this fall, check for updates on WWW.JETAABC.CA! Mokuyokai-JETAABC bowling More details coming soon!

Taiko Workshop Scheduled for February 9th, also more details coming soon!

JET in focus: Fiona Louie JET turned Jewelry Designer

by Fiona Louie, JETAABC member In August 2002, Fiona Louie arrived in Takaoka, Toyama embarking on her JET adventure in Japan. During the two years spent teaching at Takaoka Kogei Koko, an art and technical high school (where Doraemon creator Fujiko Fujio went to school), Fiona explored many forms of Japanese art. This included joining the school’s tea ceremony club and taking Kimono lessons from a private sensei.

In her second year, she won a regional Kimono competition, which sent her on a trip to Tokyo to compete in the All Japan Kimono Contest that aired on NHK television! Fiona’s love for traditional Japanese arts sent her on many trips to Kyoto, the old capital, where she loved to visit the old temples, markets, festivals, eat Japanese sweets with matcha, and watch Geisha and Maiko dance or bump into them on their daily tasks around the Gion district. (Once at a Baskin Robbins!) Little did Fiona know that these two years would serve as the inspirational springboard in launching a unique collection of jewelry designs under the label Filou Designs in her hometown Vancouver, Canada.

How long have you been making jewelry?

Since high school, so I have about ten years experience dabbling with many different kinds of materials and styles. It wasn’t until I returned from Japan that I started my signature styles, cut outs and medallions.

Can you describe your designs?

Around the Web

I first have an image in my head and I begin to sketch it on grid paper. I compose the designs within shapes so each piece is a little work of art made in silver or 24K gold vermeil. The cut outs play with the use of positive and negative space. I have a lot of experience in drawing, graphic design, photography and Chinese painting, which I think is represented in this work. The medallions are often carved freeform from my vision.

These pieces have a more organic feel to them.

The web holds a plethora of Japan-related media. We have found that quite a few of them were often quite humorous and wanted to share some of the laughter with our readers.

My first collection when I returned from Japan was called Kyoto Garden. In that collection I have a showpiece called Eastern Narrative, which is in the cut out style and depicts a temple surrounded in a forest of bamboo, cranes and cherry blossoms.

What is your educational background?

I graduated from the University of British Columbia with a degree in Fine Arts. I specialized in Photography and Digital Art. I learned jewelry through courses at a private studio, Vancouver Community College, classes at various studios during my travels including Takaoka National College and by working with a goldsmith.

I also took graphic design courses at Emily Carr University of Art and Design and business courses at the British Columbia Institute of Technology.

Where can we find your work?

Japanese murder investigators mistakenly believed sex doll was a corpse - via Japan Probe by James on 9/3/08 www.japanprobe.com Police in Izu responded to a report of a possible corpse in the woods by dispatching an investigation team: Fifteen officers were dispatched to the scene, where they discovered a human form wrapped in plastic and tightly bound around the neck, midriff and ankles, with hair protruding from one end.

The body was left untouched and taken away for examination, and the crime scene duly secured by a police cordon.

Back at the local police headquarters, officials notified reporters who had turned up early the same morning to cover an annual earthquake drill. They began preparing to write up the launch of a major murder investigation.

Dozens of extra officers were dispatched to interview My website www.filoudesigns.com lists stores in potential witnesses, while the evening edition of the Vancouver. It’s also available across Canada and parts local newspaper carried a report of the gruesome find, of the US. There is also shopping online. complete with a photograph of the body’s resting place.

Do you have any plans to sell in Japan?

By mid-afternoon, the body was in the hands of police I’d love to! If there are any talented bilingual JETs out pathologists. But when they sliced open the wrapping, in Japan that are interested in representing the line let they were confronted not by a decomposing corpse, me know!! but by a life-sized sex doll.

As you might guess, the international media is loving this wacky Japan story.