These Old Dogs

Seoul's palaces, museums, and vast 24/7 shopping districts nearly destroyed my feet. Good thing I've got Super Sentai band-aids.

If I'm not too lazy or busy packing, I'll post more about Korea soon. To sum things up though, Korea is awesome and you should go there.

BAWWWWW

Well, this is it. My last day of work is Friday. I'm gonna miss my students so bad! ;_;

Allow Me to Introduce Pepsiman

ALL PARTS MADE OF SMELLING MATERIAL.

Of all the super awesome toys I've picked up this year in Japan, Pepsiman just might be my favorite. I happened upon this gem at a weird little shop in Hiroshima, and successfully haggled him down to a reasonable price in broken Japanese. I was, and still am, quite proud of myself.

He is very confident of his physical ability.

This thing has so many priceless features! Not only does he supposedly smell like Pepsi, he comes with a snowboard, crutch, and leg cast. So he can catch some rad air and then snap his leg and hobble around on a cast. Plus, mine is some kind of special edition where his body seems to be liquefying into Pepsi.

Especially, he is so into sideways-riding-sports . . .

This guy, an amalgamation of Silver Surfer and a Pepsi can, used to be Pepsi's mascot in Japan. In the commercials, he would basically come flying out of nowhere on a snowboard or something equally x-treme, and then a big gaping mouth-hole would open up on his otherwise featureless face miraculously filling some helpless thirsty person's empty glass with Pepsi. The Pepsi didn't actually flow from his mouth, it just kinda appeared in the glass when his face would open up. Pretty creepy, actually.

The Pepsiman commercials all seem to be set in the United States. Everything is even in English with Japanese subtitles. Too bad we never actually got Pepsiman in America. All we got was that little girl with the manvoice. Remember her from the early '00s? 

Now if I could just track down a copy of Pepsiman for PlayStation . . .

The End is Near

Written in English on the back is,
"we could have a good time with you!! Thank you!!"

A student gave this to me today. She came to the English office and asked to see me, and when I stepped out she bowed deeply and presented this to me with both hands--the most polite way to present a gift in Japanese culture.

I was really touched, and after the ruckus I caused thanking the girl over and over just outside the office, all my coworkers wanted to see what I got. They were so jelly.

In one of my classes today, when I explained that I would be returning to America soon, one of my boys started to cry. He turned red with embarrassment, and he was literally crying tears. These aren't even little kids; they're teenagers. I wasn't really sure what to do, so I gave him some doodads from my prize basket to remember me by.

Until today, I hadn't realized how much my students really appreciate me. It's going to be seriously sad saying goodbye next Friday.

Chicken in Bizarro World

Most Americans and Japanese can easily agree that fried chicken sounds like a good meal. When I have the opportunity to take my pick from a big greasy bucket of the Colonel’s secret recipe, I go for the breast, of course. That’s the logical choice, right? It’s the biggest section of white meat with the least obstructive bones. The darker, greasier, veinier, sinewier, bonier bits are just the leftover scraps if you ask me.

            

Japan thinks we Americans eat the leftover chicken scraps. To them, white meat is dry and flavorless. They go for the dark stuff. If you order a pricier high quality chicken sandwich over here, you’ll get an extra veiny patty of pressed together dark meat scraps and gristle. At McDonald’s in the States, the Chicken Selects get their name because they’re supposedly “select” portions of nice white meat chicken. McDonald's Japan "selects" the darkest gristleiest scraps. Most Japanese bars have fried chicken gristle or cartilage on the menu. People order that. On purpose. At the grocery store, nice big cuts of white meat are discounted. Nobody wants to buy them.

Too Cool for School

Today's Japan fact: there are no janitors in the Japanese public school system.

I just helped three other teachers carry a dusty mold-filled refrigerator down four floors of outdoor stairs and across a parking lot to the school's own personal garbage dump in 90-degree heat. Totally worth it though, because now we finally have a functional fridge in the English office again after months of drinking warm Coke Zero with lunch.

My Personal Cheer Squad

Every morning on my commute to work, I play Nintendo DS on the train. Even if I don't particularly feel like playing, I have to. People are counting on me.

It started a few months ago when I was really into Pokémon White Version. I played it every chance I had, which of course included standing on the train platform in a huge crowd while I waited for my morning train. A small group of elementary school boys--decked out in their goofy little sun hats with elastic chinstraps, dress slacks shorts, and their $300+ backpacks--eventually noticed that the foreign gentleman was playing Pokémon.

The kids were pretty shy at first. They'd pretend not to be watching me, and just sneak peeks at the screens when they thought I was too into the game to notice. They weren't subtle though. They'd elbow each other and bicker, trying to get the best view. And although I don't understand that much Japanese, I can easily pick out Pokémon names, even Japanese ones.

One morning, when I was really into the book I was reading, I decided to read on the platform and train instead of playing DS. The kids gathered around as usual, but they were disappointed. One boy worked up the guts to approach me and ask, in Japanese, where my DS was. Another boy knocked him pretty hard on the head for being so forward. I hadn't realized, until that point, that they actually looked forward to watching me play. So, I put my book away and got out my DS; this small action was met with much fanfare.

Now my little schoolboy cheer squad pushes through the crowds every morning to watch me play. They shout out their advice, cringe and curse when I mess up, and gawk at all the English text in my North American localized games. Part of my job as a JET Programme ALT is to promote cultural exchange and break down the barriers that exist here between the Japanese and the outside world. So, part of my job, as I see it, is to play my Nintendo DS every morning to the great delight and amusement of a growing group of little boys.