Sleeping: A national past-time

If I ask my students or other Japanese teachers what they did during their vacations or weekends, they will almost undoubtedly answer (other than the more studious students who dutifully and truthfully answer, "study") that they were "sleeping". "All day?" I ask. They nod. "Every day of your vacation?" They nod again. Of course, I'm not sure that is exactly the case, but the truth may sadly not be far off. In fact, some students, when asked about their hobby, think it is perfectly acceptable to answer "sleeping".

Can sleeping really be a hobby? One normally thinks of "a hobby" as something we do actively to pass the time, something that we enjoy. Can sleeping fit that criteria? Perhaps, for Japanese people, it can.

I probably shouldn't speak only of Japanese people because I can tell you, from experience, that there is quite a similar situation in Korea. I can't tell you how many times Linus and I went to talk to Mr. Park in the next room and found that perhaps it was a bad time- since he was sound asleep on his desktop- during work hours. Apparently one major problem of these overworked societies is that its people are suffering from serious sleep debt. (And therefore, one must question whether these long hours are just about quantity or quality, of course...)

So, it is quite common to look around on a long-distance bus or train or plane, where in the U.S. it is quite typical to see people chatting or reading a newspaper or book, and instead see here at least 80% of the people around me with their eyes closed and heads down. It's almost comical. At first, I thought, "Oh, they're just closing their eyes, taking a rest." But upon closer examination, I realized, "Noooo... they really are sound alseep. Far out!"

Taking the train to my "Special Needs" school on Wednesdays, I see all of the other area high school students passed out, some with their books in hand, attempting to study. Were they up late the night before studying? One can only assume so.

And then there is sleeping in class, which Japanese students notoriously do. In the U.S., I don't think it would be tolerated, but here it is not common to look around the room and see a few students completely out for the count. Teachers get angry but they don't slam books down on their desks or send them to the principal's office because it is just not that big of a deal. (Fortunately, or at least I like to believe, not so many in my classes! However, I do find great enjoyment going around the room and tapping the napping students on the shoulder with a cheerful, "Good morning!" Then they get all embarrassed and usually manage to stay awake for the rest of class.)


During the day, I sometimes look around the teachers room and see teachers (who aren't meant to be in class, obviously) with their heads down on their desk. At first glance, it would seem that they are intently reading something on their desk, but upon closer examination, you will see that there is some REM going on. So apparently it is a perfectly acceptable thing to do as long as you LOOK busy.

And the strangest "sleeping in public" moment I have come across here is the people (usually workers or "salarymen" who spend a lot of time driving in their cars) sitting in their cars, sometimes with the engine still running, sound asleep with their feet propped up on the dashboard like the guy in this white car here. In the U.S., there would be nothing to stop someone from jumping in the car beside him and taking off in the car. Perhaps that sense of safety here is one reason people feel secure to take a nap in public, but it must go beyond that... perhaps it is just a sleeping culture.

I personally had always been kind of nervous about falling asleep in public, remembering pranks people in high school might pull, like sticking things in your hair or ears, taking your picture (who would do such a thing?! Not I!) OR, what if you were to start drooling? How embarrassing... Now, however, I have started to embrace sleeping in public, particularly on the train or airplane (perhaps it's the change in air pressure?) and I've also found myself head-down on my desk during the day. There certainly is a joy to be found in catching a few Zzz's when you can, although I don't think I will EVER go as far calling it a "hobby."

New Zealand pics now ONLINE!

Well, here's the good thing about having a sick day at home: I get all sorts of work done! (Of course, not the work I really need to be doing, such as for my online class- more on that later!)

Anyway, I have finally put ALL of my New Zealand pictures online from the two weeks I spent there over the holidays. There are two parts- "New Zealand" and "New Zealand 2," so be sure to check them both out! I will hopefully be adding other pictures from this past year to this photo website as well. http://web.mac.com/kiminjapan/Site/New_Zealand.html

Obviously I am not too sick today, but I have had a fever and sore throat. I suspect it could again be tonsillitis, which, if that IS the case, would be the 4th time within a year and it might be time my doctor would recommend having them taken out. Apparently there is something about Japan (the pollution, perhaps?) as I know 4 other people from my teaching program who have had to have their tonsils out since coming here. Crazy!

Right, so hope some of these images from "Summer in New Zealand" help warm you up a bit (although I must admit, I was a bit disappointed by exactly how warm it was NOT there!)

The Year of Change... bring it on!

Happy Chinese New Year, Everyone!

So... it's only been 8 months since my last post, but who's counting? The "new year" seemed a good time to start doing this blog thing again, and what better time than the lunar new year?! (Since I missed the solar one a month or so ago...)

And since we're speaking of old news in general, I should mention that these beautiful pictures were actually taken during the Chinese New Year time LAST YEAR at a very cool Chinese Lantern Festival I went to in Nagasaki. I'm sure the name Nagasaki stands out in your minds from your history books as one of the two cities the U.S. dropped the A-bomb on in WWII. That is the dark side of Nagasaki's past. The ironic thing, in many ways, is that Nagasaki was one the first places in Japan that opened itself to the Western world after being shut off for so long. It had a rich history, colored by the many merchants who traded there and it was known for its progressivness in letting in western medicine, food, and other merchandise from around the world by ship. It's just sad that what it is most remembered for is a place devastated by the atomic bomb.


Nagasaki had its own Dutch town and "China town," of which the latter is still very happening today and this is where these pictures were taken. The lanterns were just gorgeous and warmed your soul in spite of the bitter cold.

This Chinese Year is the "Year of the Rat," also known to some as the "Year of Change" as is the first of the 12 year cycle. It is said that many people make big changes in their lives this year- starting a new job or getting married, for example. I doubt the latter will be true for me, but I can say that I will definitely be changing jobs sometime this year. I have officially turned in my papers to say that I will NOT be recontracting another year, and I have had no feelings of regret this year. It is definitely time to move on. My current contract finishes on August 1st, so I will, no doubt, be living it up until then. The next question, of course, is what comes next, and that is a good question right now. Most likely, I will be staying in Asia to teach for another year, but it won't be in Japan. I have sent my application in already for a job in Hong Kong, which could be very exciting as it's a brand new place, but it is also very tempting to return to Korea where I taught for a year before coming here. I guess I always thought, in the back of my mind, that I would go back there and I still have a lot of contacts there, so it will be very interesting to see where I end up in this Year of the Rat! To be continued.