In the photo here, you can see me dressed to the nines in a fancy traditional Japanese male kimono. My friend, Inuoue-sensei – who was the head of the English department at Dai Chu – had arranged the garb for me. Apparently a few weeks earlier, someone from the costume shop was asked by him to come and measure me during a visit to the school.
While I had no idea what the heck was going on or what it was for, I want to you know that I didn’t create a fuss and question it. I just rolled with it, as I figured whatever it was for would eventually be presented to me.
That’s what living in Japan for almost two years had done to me. These people were my friends and were always looking out for my best interests. It was best to shut up and see where it would end up. It’s a journey… and sometimes it’s best not to have the end presented to you too soon.
I look good in that photo. But it saddens me that I have no idea if my pal Inuoe-sensei is still a part of this mortal coil. Briefly, he always reminded me of Dean Martin in his Brat Pack days. Not in the way he looked, or his smoking or drinking abilities—we bent a few elbows in our day—but rather it was the way he carried himself… there was a self-assured confidence… a swagger, that I didn’t see too often, as the Japanese way is to be a tad humble. He wasn’t an egomaniac – far from it – but he exuded something that told me he would have been cool no matter what country he was in. Look at him beside me in that photo... smoke in one hand, other hand in the pocket... he oozes style, man. What a great guy! I'd love to hear from him.
He and I once did the taboo thing and talked of salaries. I told him I made the equivalent of US$36,000 a year… and he, after some calculation noted he made about US$27,000. The man had been teaching for nearly 20 years. There’s something wrong with the educational system… but this isn’t about the underpaid teachers, rather it’s about the stressed out students. Here's my speech:
Has another year passed already? Where does the time go?
When I first arrived here nearly two years ago, this year’s graduates still had that wide-eyed innocence of youth. They were always smiling and laughing and running around screaming at the top of their voices.
Then I noticed a change. As the year continued, the students became less silly and more serious. When they began their third year, they became what the teachers all over Japan call ‘death-like’. The students always seemed tired (probably from studying late into the night or going to Juku*). They no longer spoke very loud in class. To me, it was like someone had killed their youth.
Don’t get me wrong – it’s like this in every school. But, I fear that Japan’s current educational system often forces young people to grow too fast, with little time to enjoy themselves and their family.
Why do students all seem to go to Juku? So they can get into a good high school. If a student doesn’t get into a good high school, they may never get into a university and then will never get a job as a salary man for some company. It is true that if a student makes a mistake when they are in junior high school, it has affected the way their entire life will be. At the age of 15 – and to me, that’s not right.
It’s too bad that the best advice I can give you graduates is to: relax and have fun. I wish you could. But I know you have to study and I know you need to ensure you prepare yourself for the future. It’s the way things are here in Japan.
Did you know that in virtually all other First World countries, students get numerous chances to upgrade themselves, to change their goals. In Japan, if someone wants to change their career, they are scorned rather than admired. My father was 52-years-old when he quit his Y12,000,000 a year job to find another he would be happy in. He now makes less money, but he his happy.
I will be almost 29-years-old when I leave Japan next year, and that is when my career will begin. Not at the age of 15.
Graduates: I may not have been the best English teacher, but that’s only part of my job. Surprise! It’s to internationalize you. To teach you that there are different ways to do things—not just the Japanese way.
It’s okay to be different. It’s okay to be yourself. It’s okay to have dreams. And it’s important that you try and fulfill them.
Good luck, my friends. May you have the courage to make your dreams come true.
Your friend An-do-ryu.
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| Graduating 3rd Years being applauded by classmates at Dai Chu - March 12, 1991. |
Pretty harsh, huh? Maybe. But my goal was to plant a seed of doubt – to hope that maybe one or all of them would be an architect of change. Not just in the educational system –but… well, whatever they want to change. Japan has wonderful traditions – and I hope they remain. But when I once asked why the pens are always kept on a certain part of the desk, I was told, ‘because that’s the way it’s always been done.’ While that attitude is a Japanese attitude, it doesn’t mean I agree with it. Even the Japanese people I’ve talked to about this way of life suddenly realized that maybe not everything should be accepted – that maybe someone should start asking questions. Maybe after 20 years, someone has gained the courage to do something about those questions.
Somewhere changing,
Andrew Joseph.
Today’s title is by David Bowie – and can be heard HERE.
PS: *Juku is a night school cram class – private, I believe – that preps the students for either their high school or university entrance exams.
