Japan’s “Bullet Trains”

Japan’s Obsession: Sustainable Development Goals (S.D.Gs)

For the past three years Japan has been obsessed with Sustainable Development Goals or S.D.Gs for short. Businessmen and civil servants proudly adorn their lapels with their S.D.Gs badges, the Ministry of Education, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) has encouraged the national education system to incorporate S.D.Gs into the curriculum and general school life, and TV shows and commercial advertisements highlight their S.D.Gs “commitment”. In fact according to a poll by Dentsu, 90 percent of those surveyed were aware of the goals.

So what are S.D.Gs? Founded by the United Nations back in 2015, Sustainable Development Goals are “a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity” according to the United Nations Development Programme. With 17 interconnected goals and 169 specific targets, the initiative represents a global agreement for all 192 UN member states to commit to a “shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for the people and the planet now and into the future”.

The 2023 G7 Summit in Hiroshima

The G7 Summit will take place from May 19th to May 21st in Hiroshima. And as with anything that puts Hiroshima on the global stage, the local government and media are heralding this as the second coming.

The G7 is an international group of seven nations (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America) with the European Union as a non-enumerated member. Unsurprisingly, the group accounts for over fifty-percent of the global net wealth and around forty percents of global gross domestic product. So what does the G7 actually do?

Trouble at Japanese School

While sitting in the teachers room preparing for next week’s lessons, one of the P.E. teachers announced that they’d been a knife attack at one of the junior high schools in Hiroshima City. A first grade male student had attacked another in the toilets before classes had started. The assailant was restrained by teachers and the victim thankfully only suffered minor injures. It hasn’t been made clear why the boy decided to carry out the attack as it’s been reported that he wasn’t bullied and didn’t have any problems at school. Much of the news coverage has surrounded the fact that this was the second knife attack to have taken place at a Japanese school last week. 

During my nine years of teaching in Japan I’ve been fortunate to not have experienced any violence in the classroom. Sure, I’ve had students whinge and moan about studying English. But as a teacher, that’s par for the course. I’ve attended schools where the police have visited and enquired about students’ behaviour and “extracurricular” activities outside school. I remember a group of boys were starting fires on the river bank for fun. The relevant parties met, and decisions were made to separate them between classes and assign them regular contact with the school councillor. 

In another particular incident, I’d just finished teaching the second graders when one of the boys started flipping desks and chairs. Another student’s comments had sent him over the edge in this instance and he try to make a break for the exit to run back home. A bunch of teachers attempting to drag him back to school and I stepped in to help take him to the nurse’s office. His cries for us to not tell his father were particularly upsetting. Apparently his father was well-known for being a strict and demanding parent. 

My current school as been the most troublesome yet. The emergency services have been called once every couple of weeks. Everything from stealing and public disorder to cyberbullying and classroom injuries. Every week seems to bring a new problem. I guess when you shove forty students into a classroom designed for thirty with teachers who are forbidden to install any serious form of discipline, then tensions are going to boil over and cause trouble. As it has done frequently this year.

And that’s the main problem with education in Japan. Talking to students is necessary and important. But without any serious consequences for repeated behavioural issues then how do you steer them in the “right direction”. Especially when most Japanese parents believe that it’s solely the teacher’s responsibility to educate their children about respect and what’s right and wrong.

Never a Dull Moment

This past January, I had the pleasure of commuting the one hour and forty minute journey to my old stomping grounds in Miyoshi City to sub at one of the elementary schools. I had previously lived and worked in the city during my first two years in Japan. In fact, I had visited this particular school a number of times during those years.

January was particularly cold with heavy snowfall across most of Hiroshima Prefecture. Snow warnings were in place for that day, and the night before had seen a worrying amount of snow accumulating on the highways. The morning commute was slow going but I arrived at school early and with no issues. I was particularly worried about the mention of “blizzard conditions” in the afternoon. So I was quite thankful when the school and my employer recognised the dilemma and allowed me to leave an hour early. Satisfied with the day’s classes and relieved to be heading home early, I set off

The morning snow still remained on the roads and what had been melted had already turned to ice. This part of Japan doesn’t use gritters or snowploughs, leaving the sun or good samaritans to clear the roads. Following my better judgement, I decided to drive slow and steady.

I was about two minutes from joining the highway when I suddenly heard a loud noise from the back left-hand side of the car. I knew something was wrong so I immediately slowed down and managed to pull into a service area. Indeed, the back-left tyre was completely flat. F••k.

Modern day cars don’t have the “luxury” of a spare tyre, instead opting for compressed-tire sealant to provide a temporary solution. But in this particular case and in the wintery conditions, it was more sensible and safer to call for a tow. And that’s when the waiting began.

Long story short, the rental car company finally organised a tow truck, a taxi was called to take me to the highway bus stop, and I managed to arrive home at 8:40pm exhausted and fed-up. What should have been at most a two hour trip back, became five hours of misery that I can’t claim as overtime. Damn.

Stroll in the Garden

Genuinely Good Japanese TV : Youは何しに日本へ？

TV (Hiroshima Area): TSS Channel – Sundays at 12:00pm.

Netflix: Available (NO English Subs)

Started back in 2012 and somewhat “presented” by the comedy duo Bananaman, the semi-variety show asks the titular question “Why did you come to Japan?” to foreign visitors/ expats arriving at airports around the country. Interesting or unique answers usually result in the TV crew joining the travellers on their adventures.

As previously stated, Japan attracts a variety of “personalities”, so thankfully the TV crew doesn’t end up at Kinkaku-ji in Kyoto or in a maid cafe in Akihabara every episode. In fact, the show often finds itself in unexpected and occasionally charming situations. Sometimes even the Japanese crew learn something new about their own country.

Highlights have included an American riding a Honda Super Cub motorcycle across the entirety of Japan. Another episode followed an Australian hoping to find his childhood pen pal. Other times it’s really straightforward, like a visitor from Germany wanting to eat a tako-weiner (Octopus-shaped sausage) after seeing it in his favorite anime.

With the majority of interviewees able to speak English and the show’s producers thankfully refraining from dubbing everything in Japanese, Why did you come to Japan? is less a show for learning language. Instead it’s more about understanding Japan’s global popularity and sampling some of it’s niche cultures, locations and events. I’d also say it’s an easy way to get used to the typical format and presentation of Japanese variety TV….if you intend to brave that dark road. 

Japan and the Graduation Ceremony

It’s that time of the year again, graduation season. My school’s teachers have been running around, holding endless meetings and making last minute adjustments in preparation for one of the most important events of the Japanese academic calendar. 

Like last year, the city’s education board has decided to limit the “potential risks” of a normal graduation ceremony in light of the COVID-19 situation. The result has been a heavily stripped, but no less slog of an event. The first and second graders will no longer attend the ceremony. Meanwhile, aside from the national and school anthems, there won’t be a final choral performance from the third grade. Even the traditional handing of flowers to graduates during their final school “march” has been scrapped. 

It’s The Small Things: Diet Coke in Japan

I like to indulge in a cold glass of fizzy soda once or twice a week, though my wife would rather I didn’t. And while I’m spoilt for choice here in Japan, I’m still partial to Coca Cola. 

Japan is the second biggest market in the world for The Coca Cola Company. They have more than 50 brands with over 850 products on store shelves and in vending machines; everything from canned coffee to alcoholic lemonade. But when it comes down to actual Coca Cola, there are three main varieties available; Coca Cola, Coke Zero and Coke Plus (Fiber).

But no Diet Coke, which happens to be my favourite. 

Genuinely Good Japanese TV : Midnight Diner

A target of ridicule on the internet and a frequent punching bag for expats, watching Japanese TV is, to put it lightly, an “experience”. I too winced at the idea of watching more than 5 minutes. But I’ve since found it a rather useful resource for learning Japanese and finding out what’s popular in Japan. My cultural journey hasn’t been a smooth one, yet amongst the headache-inducing variety shows and the numerous saccharine J-Dramas, there are some genuine hidden gems. 

Here’s one: