Issue 11: Autumn/Winter Edition Fukuoka JET Newsletter

The Refill

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Rebekah Randle

COPY EDITORSLauren SakakibaraMary Boscarino

DESIGN AND LAYOUT EDITOR

Jamina Ovbude

CONTRIBUTORSJosie HenningBrandon Lewis WilliamsRyan RosenbergItumeleng DubeJamina OvbudeNatalie LiverantBonolo MogotsiKate SibleyRachel DunnMary BoscarinoLauren Sakakibara

PHOTO: Juha Vaittinen

COVER PHOTO: Jamina Ovbude

PHOTO: Jamina Ovbude

PHOTO: Jamina Ovbude

INSIDE Issue 11:

Autumn/Winter Edition

4 THE CORNER IntroductionHaiku(Untitled)Precious Insanity “You were always on our minds”A City and a Void

10 TRAVELNew York State of Mind

12 RECIPESKabocha and Gorgonzola Lazy Man PizzaCrepes

14 OPINIONSWhat Democracy Really Means for Women in Japan

16 SHORT SHORTS5 Top Albums for Autumn

18 LIVINGMy Friends Left Japan...Now What?Boing, Screech, Thump...Japanese Style

22 ENTERTAINMENTEvents

Editor’s NoteAfter a few short weeks of enjoying the autumn

leaves, the weather has quickly changed, giving us the cue to bring out those kotatsu,

wear multiple layers of clothing, and for some, even scrape the ice off our windshields! With the cold setting in, we are pleased to bring you news, advice, and updates in the latest issue of The Refill.

We realize it has been some time since our last publication, due to a change in most of the staff and a reworking of some deadlines! As a result, we have decided to combine the content of two issues into one, making this our Autumn/Winter issue. You may also notice a change in the magazine’s design. With changes in staff come changes in style, and we hope that this new look will help keep The Refill fresh and relevant!

This issue offers a mix of topics, ranging from adventures in the Big Apple to commonly used Japanese onomatopoeia. We have suggestions for creative recipes and new music. Also featured are thought-provoking articles on the issue of democracy in Japan and on the difficulty of saying farewell to our friends. Lastly, we are excited to introduce the newest section of The Refill, fondly titled The Corner.

Whether you are traveling abroad or staying close to Fukuoka this winter, we hope that you have a wonderful holiday season with your family and friends!

Rebekah Randle, Editor in Chief

PHOTO: flickr.com/Hadi Ishak

Introducing:

The Corner.

On the corner, creative minds converge inviting readers to experience the prowess of the written word.

ようこそ(welcome).

THE CORNER

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THE CORNER

Haiku (Untitled)

Haughty arachnids.New order at Summer’s wake.

Super-parvenus.

Josie Henning-san: Tokyo-born New Zealander (Slight arachnaphobe)

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THE CORNER

Free from painI offer you a finger, an arm, or an ear.My thighs are available.Maybe an elbow or toe.Madness recently told me that I could lean on her shoulder, so don’t be affronted that Ioffer you myself with this approach.

Insanity!My only friend, our dearest confidant, oh Insanity!Madness! All of it! Just a mess within itself.Conundrums without a cause…Oh psychosis, you damn phenomenonYou phantom of sorts!You majestic riverMay I devote myself to you?

We stood before your dark statues (as instructed)Your cryptic figures, we polished them.Polished & gleaming, lustrous as never before.Their bulging eyes, we kissed them.I even polished their pedestals.Night and day, we climbed these cryptic figures and sat in their laps.YOU WERE ALWAYS ON OUR MINDS!

In tiny glass bottles we wrote poetic love notes for every day of the yearSplashing into large bodies of waterOn the bottoms, it was YOUR name that we signed.Some floating aimlessly towards shore,some to eventually be eaten by whales or other great fishes.

One labeled: “Return to Sender” just so that one day we’d receive it and become conscious, ever the more, of just how special YOU are.One maybe to be escorted by the wind to find itself in the hands of ancient Kabuki women.And the other 274 to be zapped-up by alien spaceships in the Bermuda Triangle,shaken over the outer distances of space, time, existence, and reality.

Good karma is what we had in mind,and Insanity, on the bottoms, it was YOUR name that we’d signed.I sincerely apologize for my fanatical behavior,I hope that I do not offend you.The sunset coerced me. She simply shimmered and I knew it was the right thing to do.Face pushed flat into the sand of my truth.

Counter-pessimistic, I must be.You know, always seeing the best in stuff.

Sunset influenced us, and with Moon in earshot, he tied us down.He tied us down, man.It was Moon who pushed usDown and deeper….Farther, farther he pushed us.Thrown through what I assume were walls, and later to contour other fantastic shapes.Corners and edges of realms we’d never even seen beforescraped and ripped the excess of our outer shells.Oh, how they scraped us.

Draped in the finest blues and goldRubies upon foreheadsWe present to you our new silhouettes.Rectify us, Psychosis.Madness, give us speed.Our dearest confidant, oh Insanity.

Precious Insanity:

“You were always on our minds”

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THE CORNERPrecious Insanity:

“You were always on our minds”

It was our blood you saw scattered across the atmosphere.To have resisted would’ve been improper.Oh, you’ve got me screaming from the tops of my lungs now!

We did all of this for you!ALL OF IT!ALL OF THIS FOR YOU!Every single ounce, in homage of your existence.Conferences held to find better ways of keeping YOU satisfied.I, personally, plucked the stars from the sky that didn’t shine bright enough for you.

What I want from you is a mind-shattering revelation.A pillow upon which to lay my head, a tranquil stream.Possibly even a dark corner to crawl into.To decipher from fact or fiction, we lost that last Tuesday.They told us we were butterflies.But who were we to know?

GRAPHIC: flickr.com/gwenboul

Brandon Lewis Williams is a 3rd year ALT from America. He says, poetry is his hobby, among many others. For him, writing poetry serves as a vehicle for unobstructed, free-flowing, linear thought. You can say anything in a poem!

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A City and a THE CORNER

The night pounced upon the day as it has always done, and the day accepts this with little apprehension. Together they are lost in an embrace which is not the absence of light, nor the presence of darkness, but simply the void that exists when the two descend together in copulation.

I lost my voice tonight. As it cracked and failed, I felt the skin on my bones fade into a pale glow; the warmth of home and self-assuredness evaporated, leaving me violated by my own foul nature. Here I sit, stewing with the demons I cannot exorcise, who simply churn in my throat. To escape this feeling, I take to the streets and watch as the streaming of neon faces flood my senses, eradicating the self, exactly what I wanted. Without a voice, however, I am alone in the crowd. I am suddenly terrified of what it means to be alone.

The fast, electric syllables bounce through this gauntlet of towers, erupting from every man and woman who, like me, are afraid of themselves. They leave home, disappointed with the person they saw in the mirror. Fixing and preening, peering and twisting into different angles, nothing seems quite right. Changing your shirt, ruffling your skirt, hand in the hair, they do nothing to alter the fact that they and I, we, are afraid of ourselves. In exasperation you leave home, and join the blitz, where maybe for a night you can leave behind your

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THE CORNER

loneliness because the prospect of melding with this fast moving monster of the city, it is alluring and dangerous. And so you shout, shout into the night sky so that one can no longer distinguish a laugh from a cry.

I was drawn out with such hopes, and to shout your soul into the night is enough. Yet, tonight, without that, I am alone. Less alone than before but surrounded by others who are even lonelier. I suddenly realize, in

my fasting, that the only thing keeping the world together is sound. These sounds that burst through flesh, that ricochet off the sweating, smiling, oozing faces, they are the fabric that restrains the fear

of loneliness, and the fear of self. It is as if one projects all of their sadness into sound, sending it out into the world in laughter and revelry. Without this weapon, I succumb to a greater

fear, a crushing worry that is inevitable and more dangerous than I knew.

I lean my head against the wall and watch the people who pass me by.

How important the voice is. We have nothing but the voice, even if it is one that holds neither merit nor truth. Without a voice we are nothing but the

compressed fears of a generation, unable to find ourselves, even superficially. I felt, that night, a mere brick which sat immobile, a piece of the great urban design to shield humanity from a natural reality which is too vast to be understood in silence.

Ryan Rosenberg is a first year JET from the Big Island of Hawai`i who lives in Chikugo-shi. He likes to write vague and meandering prose about things going on in his life. He doesn’t really know what’s going on in his life, so he writes meandering, vague prose about it.

Autumn/Winter 2012 the refill 9

TRAVEL

New York is my Mecca. It is the city that birthed more head bob-inducing hip-hop beats and lyrics than any other. So when I got the opportunity to visit

this past summer, my “trip” was to be more of a pilgrimage than a vacation.

The week before I left, I only listened to New York artists. Once I’d arrived and saw the places they rapped about in their songs and felt the buzz they felt when they walked those streets, their words narrated my every step:

“I take the L, transfer to the 2, head to the gates New York life type trife the Roman Empire state” (Talib Kweli, “Respiration by Blackstar”).

Our first night took us to Times Square. On the way, we passed Penn Station, which houses Madison Square Gar-den and the place where Jay-Z had his “last” concert. As I walked past, goose bumps littered my arms—just as they do when I watch the video for “Encore.” In it, the trum-pets blare and the crowd shouts, “HOVA! HOVA! HOVA!” The announcer tells the crowd to scream louder so as to coax Jigga back on stage. And when he reappears he says:

“So this here is the victory lap. Then I’m leaving, that’s how you get me back.”

The crowd goes crazy.

I wish I had been there to feel the electricity and the vibe of Jigga performing live. Instead, I stood in front of a desolate building that still reverberated with vibrations of the past. There was no concert, but there were goose bumps.

Times Square was vibrant and brimming with people. The significance of that place left me spinning. Mos Def’s “Travelling Man” video was shot in Times Square. The square holds the MTV Studios where Jay-Z recorded his Unplugged album. The ghosts of the past were palpable. And Grand Central Station with its chandeliers and marble pillars looked nothing like the transport hub it is. It was less grungy station and more parliament house. I was drunk off the history and colors and pulsing energy.

“Enter through your right ven-tricle clog up your bloodstream, now terminal, like Grand Central Station” (Wu Tang – Triumph) NE

W

YORK

State of MInd

TRAVELThe next morning we visited the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The impressive statue glowed in the morn-ing sun. I visualized Michael Jackson’s “Black And White” video projected on her scaffold-covered steps. Ellis Island was once the doorway to America. So many immigrants walked through those halls.

“Before she reach the shore of the land of the free. Where they feed you treat you like equals. Deceive you Stamp u and call you illegal and as a Intruder” (Lupe Fiasco – Intruder Alert).

After a quick run up Wall Street, consumption of a couple of chili dogs, and a visit to the 9/11-memorial construc-tion site, we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. I had been looking forward to this iconic urban hike because of Brooklyn’s significance to hip-hop culture. So many rap-pers and producers hail from Brooklyn, Jay-Z, Dj Premier, Busta Rhymes, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, M.O.P, and Masta Ace, among others.

“Better have a pass when you cross that bridge! Welcome to Brooklyn!” (Lil Kim, “Lighters Up”).

“Boom Bye Bye like Buju I’m crucial, I’m a Brooklyn boy I may take some gettin use to”(Jay Z – Brooklyn we go hard).

The next evening would be magic because I was going to catch a group called Fly Union. I had sent a tweet to one of the members announcing my arrival from Japan for the show. Once there, surprisingly, he recognized me when I introduced myself. He then called the remaining two members to take photos and to gift me some of their logo-laden loot and gave me props on my fresh new Jordan IV fire red sneakers. My grin stayed with me for the entire subway ride back to the hotel.

In the end, it was worth all the drama of being sent from pillar to post to get my visa into the country. Now every time I watch something with New York sights or hear a N.Y. lyric I can say I was there.

“I never sleep coz sleep is the cousin of death. Beyond the walls of intelligence, life is definedI think of crime when I’m in a

New York state of mind” (Nas, “New York State of Mind”).

Itumeleng Dube is a third year ALT in Tobata who only cares about Polo Fridays, Sneakers and making beats.

PHOTO: flickr.com/Craft*ology

PHOTO: flickr.com/Mike_fleming

PHOTO: flickr.com/scamelot

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RECIPES

Let’s eating.PHOTO: flickr.com/libertygrace0

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RECIPES

Crêpes

1 half can of beer½ cup of milk3 eggs1 cup of flourpinch of salt¼ teaspoon of sugar

Kabocha and Gorgonzola Lazy Man Pizza

1 four cheese pre-made pizza 1/4 medium sized kabocha pumpkin 1/2 onion 1 yellow bell pepper 1 tablespoon of gorgonzola(crumbled) 1 dried red chili (chopped)1 teaspoon of honey 1 teaspoon of garlic oil

Slice onion and bell pepper. Saute in olive oil until onion is translucent. Boil kabocha pumpkin until tender (~3-5 minutes). Chop kabocha pumpkin. Evenly distribute Gorgonzola, bell pepper, onion and kabocha pumpkin on top of pizza crust. Put in toaster oven for ~7 minutes or until cheese has melted and crust has browned. Finely chop dried chili pepper and sprinkle on top of pizza. Finally, drizzle on honey and garlic oil. Slice and serve!

Mix flour and eggs, making sure there are no clumps. Slowly add milk, keeping batter thoroughly blended. Add half the can of beer and mix. Batter should be a little thicker than heavy cream but not so thin that it is mostly cooked off beer. If unsure, add beer in small amounts and test on the frying pan. If too watery, add a bit more flour; if too thick, add more beer.

Heat a wide frying pan and ladle a small portion of batter into it, spreading it as thinly as possible. It should cook up quickly. Flip it over. Briefly heat up the opposite side and voilà! Crêpes adapt easily for savory or sweet dishes. My favorite serving option is a sprinkle of sugar with a squeeze of lemon, rolled up like a log eaten without a fork and knife. Quick and easy, it is sure to appease your taste buds. All the best in the kitchen!

~Not Julia Child

Jamina Ovbude is a 3rd year ALT whose somewhat intuitive approach to cooking has managed to yield some pretty stellar creations despite a general loathing of using recipes.

During the day, Natalie Liverant imagines she is Ms. Frizzle, her LL classroom is the magic school bus, and her sleeping students are being magically transported to the land of English learning. At the end of the day, once the magic has been exhausted, she likes to come home and whip up something tasty in the kitchen.

PHOTO: Jamina Ovbude

PHOTO: flickr.com/fred_V

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OPINION

What Democracy

Really Means for Women in Japan

I found myself scratching my head in deciding whether Japan is a truly functional

democratic country. Truthfully speaking, it is a democratic state but “functional” is debatable. It’s important we really find a definitive aspect to this highly contested notion, namely, democracy. The core pillars of democracy are, among others: the sovereignty of the people—that is, full participation of civil society and government based upon the consent of the governed—free and fair regular elections, majority rule, minority rights, guaranteeing of

basic human rights, and equality before the law.

That being said, the Constitution of Japan stipulates that Japanese people elect the House of Representatives, which elects the prime minister. He then appoints ministers who control their ministries. With the above being said, however, coming from Africa and observing the internal affairs of other countries, such as Zimbabwe, and having a political science and international relations background has made it clear to me that democracy doesn’t consist of merely elections and a functioning parliament.

It was interesting to see that the Japanese democracy lacks some of the core of what I would consider would make a fully functioning democracy. As Okabe Kazuaki states in “Why the Japanese System isn’t a True Democracy,” Japan lacks the following: a commission system with the role of releasing administrative information. Essentially, commissions are a means for civil participation and a check on the bureaucracy. He further explains how public hearings encourage policy suggestions from civil society. In addition, Kazuaki emphasizes the importance of Referenda, Autonomous local government, Non-profit organizations (NGOs), and civil participation in the enactment of regulations (ordinances, statutes).

Civil participation is a particularly important component in a fully functioning democracy because one can truly differentiate between the input that helps shape policy making and how civil participation can help foster

democracy. Citizens can give input through public hearings and during comment periods, which are essentially opportunities to sound off with their opinions. But effective solutions would only surface when citizens participate in decision-making through workshops and other forums where they engage in listening, pooling resources, and evaluating the trade-offs. Civil participation would thus become an extremely important core that would

serve as an integral intermediate between the government and the man on the ground. Having said the above, and being a socioeconomic

“It has been made almost impossible for women in Japanese society to have both a family and a career.”

DEMOCRACY

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GRAPHIC: flickr.com/gwenboul

OPINION

DEMOCRACYfeminist at heart, I couldn’t help but wonder why women in Japan face inequality in the public sphere. Traditionally, and it’s even evident today, women were sought to remain in the private sphere, which would denote taking care of the household while the husband would provide for

the family. Having inherited traditional work customs and ethics, it has been made almost impossible for women in Japanese society to have both a family and a career. This further results in an even bigger barrier to the advancement of women. As stated by Martin Fackler in his New York Times article “Japan, A Disconnected Democracy,” within the nation’s notoriously demanding corporate culture, which includes an expectation of

morning-to-midnight working hours, it is worth noting how Japanese people are hard workers that don’t seem to mind working longer hours just to get the job done. Economically speaking, without even considering the amount of segregation and inequalities women face within the workplace, Japan is losing half of its

brainpower that could help economic productivity as it faces a labor shortage because women are forced to quit their jobs to cater to their families.

I seems Japanese people inherited this system where males belong in the public and women in the private sphere, but times are evolving and there’s an even greater need to include women in strengthening the Japanese economy after the ordeal from the massive earthquake and tsunami in March of last year. There seems to not be much

difference in adjusting the work sphere to assist and be customized to fit women and mother’s needs, but for the reason that there is no civil participation and there is a tradition of maintaining harmony amongst citizens, people seem to turn a blind eye when it comes to inequalities, specifically those against women. Hence, we can see the importance of civil participation and the need of NGOs, which would essentially help represent the marginally oppressed and represent women in the workplace.

Bonolo Mogotsi, born in the beautiful country called South Africa, is 23 years of age and fresh from Varsity. She just completed her honors degree in International Relations and studied International Relations and Political Studies as an undergraduate. She loves social studies, anything from the internal affairs of countries to gender issues and the development of Africa.

“...Japan is losing half of its brainpower”

PHOTO: flickr.com/blacque_jacques

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GRAPHIC: flickr.com/Rev. Xanatos Santicos Bombasticos

SHORT SHORTS

Personally, I tend to change what I’m listening to depending on the time of year. There’s something special about finding that perfect album that can

paint a soundtrack to your surroundings or enhance what’s going on around you. Summer tends to be up-beat dance, such as Yeasayer or some 90s rock, that brings to mind summer festivals passed. Winter is more about ambience, as the heavy burden of cold weather and piles of snow conjure up images of nights spent next to the

log fire and days trudging around in boots while the sun reflects the browns and whites of the trees. I like to put a little country on the stereo, Johnny Cash’s Live at Folsom Prison or the soundscapes of Portishead. Then comes spring, which brings new beginnings; so I think it’s only too fitting to lighten the load from winter and bring up the tempo. Perhaps some Arcade Fire or even rip up some James Blunt on the loud speakers? (jokes). [Disclaimer: In no way am I recommending readers go out and buy a James Blunt album. This brings us to autumn which lies, in terms of musical soundtracks, somewhere in between winter and spring. I love autumn, maybe not quite as much as spring, but I love it nonetheless. I love the way the ground and trees shed their green in order to survive the harsh climate of the coming months. I love that mosquitoes and other various bugs no longer search me out. I love the way the air gets chilly in the evening but the sun still warms you up during the day. I love that I have an excuse to wear funky colourful scarves, patterned stockings, and fish out my leather jacket from the back of the wardrobe. But most of all, I love walking along the river or looking out the window while listening to my picks of essential autumn listening (in no particular order).

1 Midlake The Trials of Van Occupanther (2006)

You only need to look at the album cover (oh wait, people don’t buy CDs anymore do they?) to know this is autumn through and through. From the artwork to the

5Top Albums for Autumn

“There’s something special about finding that perfect album that can paint a soundtrack to your surroundings or enhance what’s going on around you.”

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“Listen to this album while watching the leaves fall or a colourful autumn sunset rich in pinks and purples.”

SHORT SHORTSsombre violin on Young Bride, this album screams autumn. Receiving 4 or 5 stars from reviewers at the time of release, for me this is an album that won’t fade with time. In fact, there’s something about these young men that refuse to attach to a time at all. The Trials could have come from any age, so long as the time is autumn. Listen closely to the lyrics of this concept album. It revolves around the trials of a Mr. Van Occupanther, introduced to the listener in the first track as a late nineteenth-century resident of a rural village. Standout tracks include Head Home, Young Bride, and Roscoe.

2 Elliott SmithFigure 8 (2000)

The last album of Smith’s that was released before his death in October 2003 fits well with the colours and shapes of autumn. Again getting favourable reviews, Figure 8 was #42 on Rolling Stone’s “100 Best Albums of the Decade.” Although the lyrics may be dark, the arrangements, especially the piano, brings lightness and beauty. Standout tracks include In The Lost and Found (Honky Bach) and Pretty Mary K.

3 Joanna Newsom The Milk-Eyed Mender (2004)

As with The Trials of Van Occupanther, the album artwork is enough to spark thoughts of autumn. The reds, browns and burnt ambers of The Milk-Eyed Mender’s cover art resemble the burning trees of October and November. Newsom’s first in a line of beautifully crafted albums, The Milk-Eyed Mender has her very distinct sound that lies in the in-between. It’s neither bright nor dark, heavy nor light. It’s more of a tepid hug received from a good friend after a brief sojourn. Newsom is known for her somewhat strange, childlike vocals and her harp, not a particularly popular choice of instrument for artists post-1800. However, she plays as though it were attached to her being, just another limb, making it sound so effortless. Only one of the twelve tracks is not written by Joanna: Three Little Babes, an Appalachian folk song by Texas Gladden. I don’t know why, but I’ve always associated the Appalachian mountains with autumn so this fits well

with the autumnal motif throughout the album, whether intentional or not. Standout tracks include The Book of Right-On, Inflammatory Writ, and Bridges and Balloons.

4 Fleet FoxesFleet Foxes/Helplessness Blues (2008/2011)

Okay, so I cheated a little. Technically these are two albums, but I just couldn’t choose one over the other.

They both have their merits: their vocals, sweeping in melodies, guitars, and percussion earning their way into autumn (let’s just ignore the fact that one track is named White Winter Hymnal). From the start of Fleet Foxes to the last notes of Grown Ocean on Helplessness Blues, these two albums evoke autumn in every step, even in their video clips such as for The Shrine / An Argument and Grown Ocean. Listen to this album while watching the leaves fall or a colourful autumn sunset rich in pinks and purples. Standout tracks include Blue Ridge Mountains, The Plains / Bitter Dancer, and Montezuma.

5 Led ZeppelinHouses of the Holy (1973)

Led Zeppelin seems to be an autumn band when they’re more acoustic. Number five in a string of excellent classics from Led Zeppelin, Houses of the Holy, although having tastes of other seasons thrown in, somehow fits with picking up the leaves that fall and spread around your garden. This is perhaps most evident in the serene The Rain Song or the psychedelic No Quarter. Houses of the Holy is clearly more rock than the other albums on this list, but I thought it deserved inclusion, if only for the above two tracks alone. Standout tracks include Over the Hills and Far Away and D’yer Mak’er.

Honourable mentions must go to the following artists and/or albums: Gotye’s Like Drawing Blood (and no, that’s not the Somebody That I Used To Know album), almost any Nick Drake album, Simon & Garfunkel’s Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, Counting Crows’ August and Everything After, Feist’s Metals, The Do’s Both Ways Open Jaws, and Sufjan Stevens’ Seven Swans.

Kate Sibley is a second-year ALT from Aotearoa (NZ) living in Iizuka-shi, Fukuoka. Loves: the word “ennui.” Does not love: the moment when you have laced up your shoes and realize you left your keys on the bench.

“It’s more of a tepid hug received from a good friend after a brief sojourn.”

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LIVING

As I enter my third and final year on JET, once more the ALT cycle begins: wide-eyed new

ALTs begin their exciting new lives here, and those who have moved on start their new lives in the far corners of the world. In the months leading up to August, farewell parties, tearful goodbyes, and a mounting climax to a new year occur for everyone.

Most JETs with hindsight will tell you, “Every year was different.” Why do they say that? Probably because it is the people in your life in Japan that can really shape the experience

you have. With this comes the very difficult reality: every year, people leave. August becomes the month of goodbyes, and the months leading up to it become the preparation to say goodbye. This can be the biggest stress in life for the recontracting ALT; in one short month the friends you have developed close relationships with, the friends you have experienced so many things with, are gone. Suddenly, a big hole appears in your life. To the outsider, nothing changes - but to you, all that is important seems to have gone.

I feel rather unlucky in this respect on JET. I was once told by a wizened 5th year JET that some get it lucky, and some get it bad. He was referring to the departure of close friends - some JETs are the ones to leave, and never feel the effect of being left in Japan, whilst others aren’t so lucky. For me, both of my JET years have seen the departures of some of the closest friends I have ever had. At last count, I have had five extremely tearful experiences in Terminal 2 as I waved friends out of Japan. My mobile phone address book is littered

with out-of-use phone numbers I can’t bear to delete. The first time around, I was wildly unprepared for the changes afoot. The second time around, I was mentally more ready but still now find myself missing them greatly and unprepared in some respects for just how much my life would change with them gone.

Here, I want to offer the reader some advice and kind words, in case you too are going through the same situation. It can feel very vulnerable to admit that you really miss those who have left. It has become an unspoken entity

in the life of a JET. It seems no one really knows what to say when you express emotions of missing someone intensely. If it was a relationship breakup, people seem to know what to say and do. But, there appears to be no dialogue for, “What do I do when my best friends leave Japan?” So, below, I list the main lessons I have learnt from my experiences:

1 Don’t ignore the feelings you have. If you miss your friend - tell them. Tell someone here in Japan

how you are feeling. Chances are, they feel the same. If you usually would have called your departed friend after that terrible day at work, call someone new, or someone you may not have called before; reach out to them. It could be the making of a new friend.

2 Remember that for the friends who have left, everything and everyone in their life has

suddenly changed. Departed friends may not fully appreciate the amount that you miss them because, simply put, they may not be having the time and space to reciprocate. For you, their absence is felt acutely because

everything else around you is the same, but for them, with SO much change, maybe your absence is felt less so. Don’t feel rejected when you don’t get an immediate response, or they can’t make that Skype date.

3Keep them informed of your life in Japan. Just like you would have talked about your life

when they were here, continue to do so. I sometimes felt like my life in Japan became trivial to my friends that left because they themselves no longer had their own lives in Japan. I worried that they felt Japan was no longer interesting, and they wouldn’t want to talk about my life here anymore. I learnt that this was just my projection, because in great friends, this is so far from the truth. Good friends always want to hear about your life.

4 Do something new. In the time you would have spent with a friend when they were here, find

a new way to spend your time. Open new doors. Hang out with that person you always wanted to but distance or time always got in the way.

5 Most importantly, embrace the change. In reality, change is in many ways a very good thing.

Forced change such as this can be the drive you need to make a change, do new things, and meet new people.

Ultimately, life will always be about degrees of change. The nature of the JET Program is one which produces a unique set of circumstances under which people leave and change occurs. Turn that into a positive, too. See it as another opportunity to go out there and make your next year on JET different. Ride the wave. The experience of friends leaving can be painful and difficult. Learn from that, and become stronger from it. I believe you’ll be ingood stead for your future on JET and after.

Rachel Dunn is on her third and final year on JET. She has a weakness for white wine and Cadbury’s chocolate, and most of all wishes that her life was like Glee.NOTE: Due to the tardiness of this issue, Rachel has already begun to recover from the loss of her friends and has even made new ones!

My Friends Left Japan...Now What?

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GRAPHIC: Sunbeam Printables

LIVING

For personal, church, or non-commercial use. Marchet Butler, http://sunbeamprintables.blogspot.com

I Have a Body

For personal, church, or non-commercial use. Marchet Butler, http://sunbeamprintables.blogspot.com

I Have a Body

“Friends. How many of us have them?”

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GRAPHIC: flickr.com/halcyonsnow

Boing! Screech! Thump! …Japanese Style

ワンワン.

LIVING

20 the refill Autumn/Winter 2012

Boing! Screech! Thump! …Japanese Style

LIVING

While I tend to equate the word “onomatopoeia” with the long list of literary terms I had to memorize for high school English class, the

word takes on new life in Japan as it circumscribes a humongous chunk of the Japanese language. There are three categories of sound symbolic expressions in Japanese: onomatopoeic words for actual sounds made by people and animals (Giseigo擬声語) or inanimate objects (Giongo擬音語) and mimetic words for particular actions, feelings, or emotional states (Gitaigo擬態語).

Hearing thunder as you pedal frantically back to your apartment trying to beat out the approaching thunderstorm? That’s gorogoro. Caught yourself staring at the principal’s shiny, bald spot as you zone out during the morning meeting? His head is tsurutsuru. Just finished wiping your windows from the cleaning you finally caught up on after putting it off for weeks (or months)? They’re pikapika. Heart beating fast as you nervously walk onto the stage to give a self-introduction in front of the entire

school? You’re dokidoki suru. Many such words in Japanese are rather versatile as they can refer to numerous different things. For example, just as there can be a rumble of thunder and a “rumbly in my tumbly,” gorogoro is also used to signify a growl in your stomach.

Becoming familiar with Japanese sound symbolic expressions will really help your language proficiency. The list is huge, but here are some to get you started:

ベタベタ betabeta (sticky skin, sticky tape)

ビリビリ biribiri (ripping paper)

ドキドキ dokidoki (thumping heartbeat)ガンガン gangan (a ringing bell, a pounding headache)

ガタガタ gatagata (rattle, clatter)

ゲロゲロ gerogero (ribbit ribbit)

ゴクゴク gokugoku (swallowing)

ゴロゴロ gorogoro (approaching thunder, cat’s purr, rumbly stomach, lazily laying around all day)

イライラ iraira (irritated, fuming with anger)

キイ kii (screech)

キラキラ kirakira (glitter, sparkle, glisten)

クタクタ kutakuta (exhausted)

キュッキュッ kyukyu (squeak)

ネバネバ nebaneba (sticky food, such as natto)

ニコニコ nikoniko (smile – just think of that clicking noise your lips make when you smile)

ニャーニャー niyaniya (grin)

ニャン nyan (meow)

ペラペラ perapera (fluent in a language, talkative, chattering)

ピカピカ pikapika (glitter, twinkle, a sparkly clean window)

プニュプニュ punyupunyu (a baby’s chubby cheeks)

プルプル purupuru (jiggly things, such as jelly, pudding, and arm fat)

サクサク sakusaku (crunching, biting)

ツルツル tsurutsuru (shiny apple or bald head, newly waxed floor, slipping on ice, hydroplaning)

ワクワク wakuwaku (excited, trembling in anticipation)

ワンワン wanwan (woof woof)

Mary Boscarino is a second-year JET living in Kurume. She hopes to be perapera in Japanese someday.

プルプル purupuru jiggly things, such as jelly, pudding, and arm fat

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PHOTO: flickr.com/indy shiozaki

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December 17:

Kanmisogi FestivalIn this festival meant to pray for a plentiful harvest, 100 men rush to purify themselves in the Nagano River in Itoshima City, led by three people carrying a tub of rice. While the rice is washed in the waters, the men splash each other with water to become purified. Some of the rice is later cooked, while some is dedicated to the god of the shrine.

December 17-22:

Hotel Okura “Sparkling Garden”Whether or not you’ve experienced the festivities of a beer garden in the summer, now is the time to see what it’s like in winter! For six days, Hotel Okura will feature a winter “Sparkling Garden,” serving 60 different drinks and 20 different Christmas dishes, including beer, shochu, hot wine, roast beef, roast pork, and the chef’s special Christmas dessert! Reservations for this all-you-can-eat-and-drink event are required. For more information, see http://www.fuk.hotelokura.co.jp/banquet/b_plan/sparkling/.

EVENTS

PHOTO: flickr.com/Fartre22 the refill Autumn/Winter 2012

PHOTO: flickr.com/JanneM

PHOTO: flickr.com/bryanh

Happy New Year!

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1月January 3:

Tama Seseri FestivalDespite the bitter cold, two teams of men in loincloths scramble to gain possession of a wooden ball in this 500-year-old festival at Hakozaki Shrine. A victory for the Beach Team represents a plentiful catch of fish, while a win for the Land Team signifies a bountiful harvest.

January 7:

Daizenji Tamataregu Shrine’s Fire FestivalOne of Japan’s three major fire festivals, Tamateragu Shrine’s fire festival is a thrilling ceremony meant to drive away evil spirits. Though this event is held in the middle of winter, dozens of loincloth-clad men light six huge torches on fire and then carry the torches around the shrine grounds. It is said that you will be blessed with good luck if ashes from the torches fall on you.

January 8-11:

Toka Ebisu FestivalDedicated to Ebisu, the god of fishing and business, this festival at Toka Ebisu Shrine will feature a raffle and 300 stalls offering festival food and various goods. Be sure to catch the kachi-mairi, or “walking visit,” by geisha dressed in full kimono.

January 12-14:

Super Flea MarketYahoo! Dome is home to the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks, but every year, the Dome also hosts one of Kyushu’s biggest flea markets. With over 1,500 stalls run by sellers ranging from antique dealers to grocers, as well various food vendors and a games area, you’ll be sure to find something that tickles your fancy.

EVENTS

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PHOTO: Juha Vaittinen

Based on Fukuoka’s tradition of kaedama, in which a refill of ramen noodles is served for leftover broth, The Refill serves up additional information about life in Japan for Fukuoka’s JET community.

contact us at: the.refill.fukuoka@gmail.com

The contents of this newsletter are strictly for entertainment purposes. The magazine cannot be held responsible for actions taken as a result of its content. The viewpoints published herein are those of the authors and do not reflect the philosophy or viewpoints of the Fukuoka Board of Education, the JET Programme or CLAIR.