Being A Broad May 2010 #56
The monthly magazine for international women living in Japan
our cover girls: 37 FRAMES’ DEE GREEN & TRACEY taylor
what’s it like to WORK IN RELOCATION?
FLEXIBLE BAB READERS’ SURVEY: LEARNING what you had to say! at LAUREL SPRINGS
www.being-a-broad.com
DRIVING: BEAUTY:
FOOD & DINING:
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IN THIS
ISSUE 4
6 It’s such a pleasure to have Dee Green and Tracey Taylor as our cover girls in this issue— they truly are as bright and smiley in person as they appear on the cover of the magazine! It’s also a pleasure to announce that Dee, along with Stephanie Kawai, are our new Being A Broad Managers, so you can expect to hear lots from them pretty soon. Their first task is to bring back our popular Career Seminar Series, with the first one in the evening of Friday 28th May, and all about “Being an Education Broad.” On the same day we’re having our bimonthly brunch at Suji’s—drop Dee and Stephanie a line at info@being-a-broad.com if you’d like more information on either. We’ve finally got our Facebook page going—better late than never! It’s growing rapidly so check us out. Twitter will follow soon!
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image: Emma Homerlein/37 Frames
image: David Stetson
message from the founder being a broad news BAB news, Welcome Furoshiki
our cover girls 37 Frames’ Dee Green and Tracey Taylor
women of the world news from around the globe
things we love
the little things we love in Japan
a hole in her heart
10 Tokyo girl
6 our cover girls
image: 37Frames
11 real-life story
hanami hangover
exploring the areas around Hakuba
12 outdoors 14
Caroline Pover BAB Founder
feature
what really happened on Trailwalker?
we profile Caroline, Elsa, and Simona of Allied Pickfords
16 working 14 feature
the broads (and boys!)
image: Laurel Springs
Publishers Caroline Pover & Emily Downey Editor & Designer Danielle Tate-Stratton Marketing Consultant Amy Dose Advertisement Designer Chris May BAB Managers Stephanie Kawai & Dee Green BAB Reps Kelsey Aguirre (Shonan) kelsey@being-a-broad.com Shaney Crawford (Tsukuba) shaney@being-a-broad.com Aiko Miyagi (Okinawa) aiko@being-a-broad.com Ali Muskett (Shizuoka) ali@being-a-broad.com Contributors Gabbi Bradshaw, Karen Regn, Efrot Weiss, Dave Enright, Caroline Kennedy, Elsa Triquet, Simona Gardus, Angela Wolfgang, Jane Dwyer-Yamada, Lisa Hosokawa Cover Models Tracey Taylor & Dee Green Cover Photographer Emma Homerlein/ 37 Frames Proofreader Jane Farries Printing Mojo Print Opinions expressed by BAB contributors are not necessarily those of the Publishers.
18 mothers
• the Japanese preschool system • a unique new boarding school • education at your own pace
22 bab survey
what you had to say
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she found love in Japan
a devoted man found online
21 mothers
Being A Broad magazine, editor@being-a-broad.com www.being-a-broad.com tel. 03-5879-6825, fax: 03-6368-6191 Being A Broad May 2010
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BAB NEWS
From the BAB Message Boards: Member BAB Shonan Rep Kelsey asks: I need a way to send yen home (to the States) cheaply and efficiently. I really don’t want to use Golloyds, if possible. Any idea? BAB Shizuoka Rep Ali replies: I had the same trouble when sending money home to the UK. The Lloyds thing was a total rip-off! (Although it did work fine.) You can do it with the post office, too (using a big post office branch), but that also seems like a huge hassle and a lot of paperwork. In the end, I mailed the money, which I know you’re not supposed to do, but it was the only way I could afford to send money home. I’d be interested to hear other people’s recommendations!
Subscriptions
Being A Broad April 2010 #55
The monthly magazine for international women living in Japan
our cover girl: BOUDOIR DAY SPA’S TRACEY KHOO
BROADS and RACQUETS tennis event an interview with AUTHOR KIT PANCOAST NAGAMURA an INSIDER’S guide to OKINAWA
TOKYO MUMS share their STORIES training for TRAILWALKER
LOVE found do you want to on EXCHANGE RUN your own INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL?
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www.being-a-broad.com Thanks for picking up this issue of Being A Broad. Like what you see? Then why not subscribe today? For just ¥4,500 you’ll get one year (12 issues) of Being A Broad delivered to your door. Email editor@being-a-broad. com to subscribe today! We now have the past several issues of BAB on our website and will be adding more soon. Check them out at www.being-abroad.com, and let us know what you think!
BAB Shonan Rep Kelsey responds: I read on gaijinpot that you can get an international ATM card and mail it to your family member back home. Deposit the money here into that account through your passbook and then the person back home can withdraw it as dollars (or whatever currency) and then put it towards your car or student loan payments, etc. for you. Of course, you will get charged international transaction fees, but they’re supposed to be maybe two percent...I guess that’s not much. I haven’t done this, but am thinking of trying it. What do you ladies think? BAB Okinawa Rep Kelsey suggests: The international ATM card sounds like a good idea (I’m assuming you would have to go through Citibank or another bank that exists in both countries). I go home twice a year, so I just save up a lot of money and then take it with me on the plane. I get traveller’s checks because they’re safer and because you can lock in a good rate when dollars are down and then hold onto them, instead of just changing whenever you actually travel. Probably not the best way, but it’s an idea. BAB Magazine Editor responds: I’m not sure how you would get a second card, but that seems like a good idea to me. I use Shinsei, and I’ve taken out money while travelling in Australia, Canada, the US (and maybe Hong Kong, I can’t remember), without a problem. Usually the bank in the other country charges the equivalent of ¥150– ¥400 for using another brand’s card, but that happens even if it is just another bank from the same country. I’ve found that Shinsei has given me good rates and I don’t believe there is a fee. I get an email telling me I took money out internationally (for security, I guess), but charges haven’t shown up separately when I’ve travelled and used a foreign ATM. I don’t have a specific international card, either, I just use the card I got from Shinsei when I signed up. It works on the Plus network internationally, which is pretty far-reaching. According to the ever-handy Wikipedia, there are Plus-network machines in 170 countries. http://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Plus_(interbank_network). To read the rest of the discussion or to offer your own suggestions, visit us online at www.being-a-broad. com/index.php/forums.
You can pick BAB up here:
• Krissman Tennis • PAL International School • ROTI Rop-
Shibuya-ku: • British School Tokyo • Boudoir • Sin Den
pongi • Paddy Foley’s • Asian Tigers • ai International School
• Nua Japan
Minato-ku: • Suji’s • Nakashima Dentist • TELL • Nishimachi International School • Gymboree • Global Kids Academy • Mitsubishi UFJ Azabujuban • Tokyo Surgical and Medical Clinic • National Azabu • Segafredo • Tokyo American Club • Nissin World Delicatessen • Crown Relocations • Temple University • Hulabootie
• Nirvana New York • Beaute Absolue
Meguro-ku: Montessori Friends Kichijoji: Shinzen Yoga Koto-ku: Toho Women’s Clinic Bunkyo-ku: Joy to the World International School Suginami-ku: JUN International School Chofu-shi: American School in Japan
“My encyclopedia, my translator, my phone book, my best friend!”
—Western woman living in Japan
514–page book including everything you need to make the most out of your life: case studies of Western women working in almost 50 different types of jobs; anecdotes from many of the 200 Western women interviewed; profiles of 23 women’s organisations; and essential Japanese words and phrases. An essential book for any Western woman living in Japan. Read about: • Coping with culture shock. • Finding clothes and shoes that fit. • Avoiding hair disasters. • Cooking Japanese food. • Telling a chikan where to go. • Dating and the singles scene. • Organising contraception. • Getting married and divorced. • Adopting a baby. • Educating your child. • Finding a job. • Teaching gender studies in the Englishlanguage classroom. • Coping with reverse culture shock when you leave Japan.
Alexandra Press, 2001, ¥3,000 (inc. tax) To order email info@being-a-broad.com
Yokohama: Treehouse Montessori • St. Maur Saitama: Columbia International School Nagoya: St. George Academy Tsukuba: Through BAB Rep Shaney Shonan: Through BAB Rep Kelsey Shizuoka: Through BAB Rep Ali Okinawa: Through BAB Rep Aiko (To contact your local BAB Rep for a copy, simply send an email. All contact details are on page three.)
WELCOME
FUROSHIKI by Efrot Weiss
Images provided by Welcome Furoshiki
Newcomers are welcomed with an artistically wrapped package of invaluable information.
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I exited from the subway at an unfamiliar station. A petite, diminutive stranger was waiting for me. Her English was quite limited. Wordlessly, she led me down a dark, narrow alley. The light was fading fast. Shadows appeared alongside me. I heard the sound of footsteps echoing behind me.” Is this the opening chapter of a murder mystery? Surprisingly not. This is just one of the many adventures of a Welcome Furoshiki representative. When you encounter one of the representatives, with their distinctive blue and white furoshiki-wrapped package of invaluable information, you never know what adventures they have to overcome in order to deliver the resources so vital to newcomers to Japan. And what’s in the Welcome Furoshiki package? Everything from maps of Tokyo to subway and train
Welcome Furoshiki reps are friendly and welcoming. Advice for Renegades, A Tip From Anna: Mama Bear Is a Force to be Reckoned With I get squirmy this time of year. I love my mother, and I adore being a mother to my daughter. But all the Mother’s Day stuff is so sugary and sentimental it makes my teeth hurt. Yes, it’s worth noting that mothers can be selfsacrificing and loving and put their children first. (Otherwise, the human race might disappear.) But that’s just one half of mothering. I keep looking for the card that says, “Dear Mom,
information, earthquake-preparedness resources, medical contacts, and brochures from a host of businesses that are eager to welcome foreign customers. These include hair salons, moving companies, art galleries, international schools, charities, and cultural organisations, to name a few. Modelled on Welcome Wagon in the United States, the service is designed to provide an introduction to newly arrived residents of Japan.
the cases, however, the meeting with the Welcome Furoshiki representative provides newcomers with the confidence to venture out of their homes. And to continue the story...the representative was greeted at a subway station by an employee of the newcomer, who was going to take her to the new resident’s home. They quickly left the populated main street and started walking down narrower and narrower
Although more services are available in English today than even five years ago, newcomers can be easily overwhelmed by the profusion of signs (in Japanese), masses of people, and markedly unfamiliar surroundings. The convenience of meeting the representative at one’s home or at a local coffee shop is much appreciated. Over the years, Welcome Furoshiki representatives have seen it all. In fact, they have been asked everything from how to locate grand pianos, to how to find teachers able to provide home schooling, to where to source an esoteric spice crucial to a particular recipe. (Unfortunately, these specialised searches are not within their scope!) There has even been the very unusual (and not delivered) request for an escort. In almost all of
streets. As the alleys became increasingly deserted, the representative started to feel a bit apprehensive. She had to run to keep up. As she debated whether to continue following or attempt to find her way back to the train station, the employee stopped and turned to face her. The representative stopped as well and looked at an imposing gate and the beautiful house that stood behind it. This was the location of her Welcome Furoshiki visit, where she met a most delightful Tokyo newcomer and had a very enjoyable visit. To schedule a visit, please contact Welcome Furoshiki at 03-5472-7074 or email furoshiki@ oakassociates.co.jp. Find out more on their BAB website: www.welcomefuroshiki.org.
he meeting with the Welcome Furoshiki representative T provides newcomers with the confidence to venture out of their homes.
I admire your fierceness, your fire, your ire, your righteous indignation, and the way you are the change that you wanted to see in the world. I love the mama-bear, spitfire, doggedly determined part of you as much as your gentleness.” Hallmark doesn’t make that card, so I decided to write my own this year, and here it is. Tenderness and fierceness are both part of mother love. The world needs both. Anna Kunnecke is a life coach living in Tokyo. www.annakunnecke.com
Being A Broad May 2010
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TRACEY TAYLOR
of 37 Frames Photography, cover photography by Emma Homerlein and 37 Frames Full name: Tracey Taylor Age: 38 Nationality: Australian Grew up in: Sydney and Brisbane Time in Japan: more than 13 years Japanese level: hopeless to inventive Works at: 37 Frames Photography (www.37framesphotography.com) Full name: Dee Green Age: 38 Nationality: Australian Grew up in: Tasmania Time in Japan: more than 13 years Japanese level: useless to creative Works at: 37 Frames Photography
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Why did you come to Japan? Trace: The short version was to see the world. Dee: The long version requires lots of drinks with umbrellas. Trace and I have actually known each other since our uni days in Queensland. We met while she was directing The Rocky Horror Picture Show and cast me in the chorus. I’m still reeling from the shock of that decision, considering my extensive tap dancing skills...We ended up finding our creative niche, then after graduating we formed our own theatre company with two friends, using a government grant, and toured musicals around the outback. We had a ball, eventually ending in Brissie and were approached by an Elicos-accredited school to do some work using drama to teach English. We had amazing mentors who encouraged us to study for our language-teaching qualifications, which we did. We’ve always loved the allure of travel, and teaching was a ticket to the world. We decided to head to Japan first, just for a year and then move on. One year. One country. More than 13 years later we are still here. Why do you stay in Japan? Trace: The Engrish. No, really it’s been a love affair of sorts. Japan and I, we’ve had our issues, but I love a challenge and Japan embodies that on every level. It has given us so many opportunities we may never have had anywhere else. Just out of university we started English teaching, then moved on and worked at Tokyo Opera & Musical Theater for a stint. But we had aspirations and an entrepreneurial spirit, deciding to start our own business in Japan. Professionally motivated and always drawn to taking the path less travelled, in 2000 we established Off the Planet LLC. It’s a warm, happy language centre dedicated to professionalism, high standards, teacher training and qualifications, and exacting quality client care. It’s family-focused, always creative, in an inspiring, enjoyable and friendly space. If you can start a business in Japan, you can do anything, anywhere! Dee: The success of our school has largely been through kuchikomi (word of mouth), developing sustainable and lasting relationships, and living up to expectations. The biggest business lesson we have learnt in Japan! The school hums along with waiting lists and a personal introduction system while so many
other schools come and go. Because of this we have been able to pursue other passions which as Thoreau said, are now “letting us live in the life we imagined.” Doors open, opportunities present. When we first arrived in Japan, I gave Trace a camera for Christmas. All film. No digital back then. She started documenting this Japan journey and our passion for photography grew. The camera became a natural extension of our travels, whether in Tibet or Las Vegas. I wrote about it, made albums. Friends, family, and students loved them, which is how my foray into the fabulous, quirky, always amusing world of Japanese craft and scrapbooking began. For three years I ran Scrap the Planet, one of Japan’s first online scrapbooking stores, our customers almost exclusively Japanese. It took off overnight. Some days we couldn’t get out the door because of all the orders. Eventually we needed to make a decision. There were lifestyle issues: great business, no life. Time to get back to where it all started—the photos. Trace: Hello, 37 Frames! Over the last 12 years we’ve studied, taken photography courses, immersed ourselves in workshops, seminars, anything we could get our hands on. Our wanderlust became our inspiration for vivid colour, and bold, vibrant landscapes and moments. Dee: Trace studied with the New York Institute of Photography and subsequently started winning awards in Europe, Japan, the USA, and Australia. Magazines were publishing our work and fine art prints were sold. Our niche as travel photographers has now extended into our signature lifestyle sessions. Landscapes and lovely moments. That’s what 37 Frames is all about. Connecting on a personal level with the subject and shooting as a team. We couldn’t be any more content and thrilled to be doing what we adore. How do you manage to balance everything in your life? Trace: A good karaoke session. No, really it’s often hard and we have a lot on our plate. Running your own businesses can be exhausting. I love to have fun, so it comes down to organisation, scheduling, setting boundaries and goals, taking time off to move, taking care of yourself, but also being spontaneous and making outrageous travel plans. Dee: Lists! What do you do to relax? Trace: Travel, watch good and bad reality TV, go to live concerts, eat cheese, be outdoors, set seemingly impossible challenges (with varying degrees of success, sky-diving and tornado-chasing notwithstanding). Dee: Onsen, signing up for Trace’s weekend getaways, catching up with friends, hiking, eating out, dancing, getting lost, cafe-ing. Best thing about being a foreign woman in Japan?
image: Emma Homerlein/37 Frames
our cover girls
DEE GREEN &
Trace: There are no limits, despite all the rules! Dee: After all the places we have travelled, even if I lived here for the rest of my life Japan would still be the most foreign. Not sure whether this is genderrelated. Just when you think you understand, it spins you 360°. That’s what keeps me here, plus the opportunities, people, the kindness, the instant BAB connections. And coffee in a can. A Day in the Life: We’re generally up at 7ish, even though we are both hopelessly night people. Each day is different! Trace am: Exercise! Morning is spent on workflow and post-production. All this changes if there is a photo session booked or we are travelling overseas or within Japan for a client. Dee am: Coffee! Checking and dealing with emails, liaising with clients, scheduling sessions, confirming travel plans, updating website and blog, planning events. All this changes if we are on the road, which we are a lot these days. Coming up we’re heading to Kyoto, then Hiroshima for sessions, after that down to Yakushima to photograph the rare beauty of this Unesco World Heritage site. Trace and Dee pm: At least three days a week we check in on the running of the school. Trace pm: Back to photos, designing albums, slideshows. Working on the educational side of 37 Frames; developing seminars, workshops, and classes. Dee pm: Finding my way in the BAB network as I take on a shared manager role. Working on a new project with Sesame Street in Japan. They had me at Cookie Monster… Trace & Dee Evening: Finish about 9pm, earlier or later some days. And depending on what hotel room we are in. Eat out or in. Run. Collapse. Watch downloaded TV. Can’t wait for tomorrow.
WOMEN OF THE WORLD image: iStockphoto.com/nazdravie
compiled by Danielle Tate-Stratton
A University of Manitoba study has shown that women who have had an abortion are up to four times as likely to struggle with drug and alcohol addiction than those who haven’t, even when violence, which increases the chances of substance abuse, was factored in. However, the researchers caution that the study does not show abortions to be causal, and only identifies a relationship between the two.
image: ThePositiveLadiesSoccerClub
A new study in The Lancet medical journal has shown that women in Cyprus have the lowest rate of adult mortality in the world (38 deaths per 1,000), followed by South Korea, which was ranked 123 in the world in 1970. Currently, Zambia has the highest rate of adult mortality for women (606 per 1,000). The rate is calculated by looking at how many people die after the age of 15 and before the age of 60.
In Zimbabwe, nearly one in seven people lives with HIV/AIDS, yet a stigma remains attached to speaking about the disease. It’s something that a league of 16 women’s soccer teams is hoping to combat. The players, who have HIV or AIDS, want to show that they can still play successfully, as well as de-stigmatise the disease. Despite some opposition, the women play immediately before major men’s games, and at each match vans are available for people to get testing and information. A documentary entitled The Positive Ladies Soccer Club has been made about the league and its players.
Social psychologists at Tilburg University in the Netherlands found that Dutch women who changed their names following marriage were thought of as being more caring but less intelligent, competent, and ambitious, as well as being less likely to be hired and more likely to be paid a lower wage. In their multipart study to gauge outcomes and perceptions, the researchers looked at the lives of married women who had or had not taken their husband’s name (or a hyphenated version), as well as other people’s perception of hypothetical women who did or did not change their names following marriage.
A study by the US Government Center for Disease Control and Prevention showed that women who are overweight or obese when they are pregnant are 18 percent more likely to give birth to a baby with a congenital heart defect, while those who are severely obese are 30 percent more likely to have a child with one.
Forty-four-year-old Eun-sun of South Korea became the first woman to climb the world’s 14 highest peaks when she summited the 8,091 metre Annapurna, the last of the 14 Himalayan Mountains she had set out to climb. In doing so, she beat her rival, Spanish climber Edurne Pasaban, to the record of being the first woman to climb the world’s 14 highest peaks.
image: iStockphoto.com/nojustice
It was recently reported that Tehran’s police chief, Brig Hossein Sajedinia, has announced a nationwide crackdown on Iranian women with suntans, part of a larger campaign against ‘social misbehaviour.’
Little Flower Academy, an all-girls Catholic School in Vancouver, has been accused of discrimination based on sexual orientation. Music teacher Lisa Reimer requested parental leave in order to support her partner, who had given birth to the couple’s son, and was instead granted 15 days of ‘personal time.’ The day before her planned return to school, Reimer was informed that although the school would honour her contract through June, due to parents’ concerns she would no longer be allowed on campus and could have no further contact with her students.
Nearly 90 female students and teachers from three schools in Afghanistan became ill following gas attacks similar to those in 2009, where 150 girls became ill. In total, 1,000 schools where girls attend have been bombed or burned in the country.
A survey of 1,000 women aged 18 to 65 who were dating a younger man found that, on average, they felt four years younger when they were dating a younger partner, and some felt up to ten years younger. On the other hand, three in ten women were concerned that their partner would leave them for a different, younger, partner.
FIFA, soccer’s international governing body, recently lifted a ban on the Iranian women’s team that had been related to the wearing of the hijab. Iran submitted a new uniform that features a hat as a haircovering, and it was accepted by FIFA, allowing the country to rejoin international women’s play as early as the 2010 Youth Olympic Games in Singapore.
Three girls from Palestine will be travelling to California for Intel’s youth science fair with their invention of a walking stick for the blind that detects obstacles and holes in the ground. The three girls collected spare parts from electronics stores on the West Bank and worked to create a beeping stick that has an infrared sensor on both its front and tip. Students from over fifty countries will participate in the fair, which has a grand prize of $75,000.
Following an Iranian cleric’s claim that promiscuously dressed women were the cause of increased adultery—and therefore earthquakes that were divine punishment. American Jennifer McCreight launched a Boobquake event online, encouraging some 200,000 of her online supporters to wear cleavage-revealing tops simultaneously in order to prove the Iranian cleric’s assertions wrong. Though McCreight said it didn’t count as it occurred outside of her time zone, a quake measuring 6.5 on the Richter Scale occurred in Taiwan at the same time as the event was happening.
Female council workers in Birmingham UK, employed as gardeners, garbage collectors, and in other similar professions, have won an equal payment suit where payouts could be worth up to 30 million GBP. The women say they are owed bonuses that were paid to men and that are worth up to 160 percent of their base pay.
Recognising that women are increasingly making purchasing decisions when it comes to cars, the auto industry is making more and more small adjustments to appeal to female owners and drivers. For instance, the 2010 Chevy Equinox from GM has specially tilted pedals designed to BAB accommodate high heels. Being A Broad May 2010
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THE LITTLE THINGS
image: iStockphoto.com/dwaas76
WE LOVE IN JAPAN
I love the Nemuri-neko (sleeping cat), a famous wood carving of a dozing cat, at the Tosho-gu Shrine in Nikko. The cat is, according to some, regarded a national treasure and even a source of inspiration for artists around the world. Although I think all cats, real or not, are worth admiring for their grace, I really enjoyed seeing many tourists smiling and crowded around the Nemuri-neko on my last trip to the famous sightseeing spot.—UN image: telemark
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I love the Takkyubin shipping service exclusive to this country. I recently came back from an overseas trip and used it to ship all my heavy luggage directly from Narita airport to my home. It saved me a lot of struggling and stumbling on and off trains. That you can choose a particular time of day to have your package delivered and that the employees are always so cheerful and friendly is a definite plus! http://www.kuronekoyamato. co.jp/english/services/takkyu. html—UN
A Tip from Sin Den: Nail artist Rika, of Sin Den, has some tips for foreign women in Japan who may not be familiar with gel nails. Rika recommends gel nails because they are not so smelly and involve fewer chemicals than acrylic nails as well as offering
the most natural completed look. They can usually last up to four weeks, depending on the type of nail and their care. What type of care does a gel nail require? Rika: Not much! But cuticle oil is the best to use to keep the gel nail looking beautiful longer. For a free consultation with Rika, please contact her at 033405-4409 or visit www.sinden.com. A manicure and pedicure discount is available from www. sinden.com/e/ price.html.
I love the memoir At Home in Japan: A Foreign Woman’s Journey of Discovery by Rebecca Otowa (Tuttle Publishing). After spending three decades in Japan, Rebecca has written an interesting and enlightening memoir of her time in Japan, living in a small town with her husband’s largely traditional family. Her stories—about everything from bathing etiquette to cleaning house for New Year’s—offer a glimpse into her life, which seems a million miles away from my own in Tokyo, never mind Canada! Though one gets the impression she gets along with her mother-in-law and members of the community, her adjustment isn’t without challenges, and she writes in fascinating detail about the new—yet extremely traditional—roles she has taken over during her time in Japan, from learning to properly cook for and serve guests to tending to the family rice paddies. Interestingly, Rebecca’s desire to learn has made her almost more traditional than many of the Japanese women her own age, and she speaks of how connected she feels to the ‘aunties’ of the village. Over the course of the book, as dozens of vignettes introduce readers to one woman’s journey in Japan, it is possible to see what life may be like for Rebecca and her family. I loved this book, as although I could relate to some of her stories from living in Japan, it still felt like she was letting me into another world. Available from: www.amazon.com.—DTS Do you have a little thing you love in Japan? If you know of a product, place, restaurant, event, or service that our readers would love, please let us know! Send an email with 50–150 words describing your item and a photo, if possible, to editor@being-a-broad.com and we’ll use your suggestions in a future issue of the magazine.
Being A Broad Resources
BEAUTY:
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Being A Broad May 2010
Tokyo girl 10
HOLE IN
MY HEART by Gabbi Bradshaw
F
rom across the table, my friend grabbed my hands, held them in hers, and said, “I think you have a hole in your heart.” Made sense. I had many of the symptoms. An unexplainable stroke in my 20s, aura migraines, head injury as a child, low heart rate, wacky heart stuff in my early 30s, and a list of weird stuff that made my doctors raise their hands and say, “Carry your epi pen, take your migraine medicine as needed, always have a cell phone on you, and call 911 if it happens again.” My friend immediately sent an email to a doctor she knew well and I received a referral that same day to see a neurosurgeon at a big hospital in Tokyo. Open clinic hours were 8am to noon on Fridays. I took the day off, printed the email as the referral, and jotted brief notes on how to get there. I’m a backpacker. I’ve navigated 35 countries without the language, and although I’m not proud of this, I’m also not afraid. I could figure it all out. I arrived at the bus station effortlessly with my email referral, several man worth of yen and my journal to record the findings and wondered why I took a full day off. I had never taken the bus before, but knew the station well. I looked for bus number four. Or was it three? I spotted three and to the dismay of the driver, stepped on and flashed him my printed email with the hospital’s name in English. He frowned. Wrinkled his forehead. And then smiled. He motioned to the floor of the bus. I knew this signal; stay here. I took a seat and waited for some sign to get off. I noticed he kept looking at me in his mirror, and I relaxed. About ten minutes into the ride, he motioned for me to get off. I smiled graciously, waved, and did what I was told. I stepped off to find myself in a highly residential area. My stomach twisted as I scoured the area for the big university hospital. Nothing. I felt time ticking away, so shuffled up to three school girls and showed them my printed email. They frowned. Wrinkled their foreheads. And then smiled. They pointed down the road. Then, they did what the Japanese do. They walked me to the door. I smiled graciously, waved, and did what I was told. Entered. I noticed that the hours were different than posted online and that the clinic seemed to be a bit smallish, local and not so reputable, but did what I was told. The waiting room was packed. I squirmed my way to the desk. “Do you speak Japanese?” they asked. I shook my head no. Looks were exchanged and a woman shuffled by me. I knew the shuffle. “Find an English speaker quick!” One emerged and recorded my details. I was escorted to a seat outside a ‘specialised’
area. I also recognised this. ‘Get rid of the English speaker as soon as possible.’ A few minutes later, I was shown in by a woman in a pink uniform with a starched-white nurse’s hat. She looked like the waitresses from Grease. I felt comforted. And better yet, I didn’t see any scales. In America, I think weighing a patient must be coded for a $50 charge to insurance companies. I hate being weighed; shamefully, it’s one of the reasons I avoid the doctor. I sat at a makeshift desk. A doctor sat on my right. Two nurses stood on his right. “I am Doctor O. I am an orthopedic surgeon.” “I’m supposed to see a neurosurgeon.” He frowned. His forehead wrinkled. He took out a dictionary and quickly thumbed through tissue-thin pages. He smiled, “I will interview you.” I thought, “Oh, maybe he’s an intake doctor. He’ll do the interview before I meet with the neurosurgeon.” I didn’t think it was a good use of an orthopedic surgeon’s time, but what did I know? After ten minutes of an excruciating conversation about what was wrong with me, I concluded, “I am here for a ‘bubble test.’” “I don’t know what that is,” he replied. And with that he gave the nurse an order and she shuffled off to return in a few minutes with an answer. “You need to come back on Thursday after 2pm to meet with Dr. N who is a neurosurgeon.” “But I’m supposed to see Dr. B from the K Hospital today. His clinic hours are until noon.” I looked at the clock; it was 10:30am. “This isn’t K Hospital. This is X Clinic.” I was incredulous. I was in the wrong freaking place. I felt relieved and freaked out. Relieved that this wouldn’t be my doctor doing surgery on my head and freaked out because I wasn’t going to make it to the right place on time. We laughed nervously at first. And then openly. How weird was that? And how freaking funny. I looked at the printed email again and wondered how I had ended up there. And then I saw it. The only word written in Japanese was ‘neurosurgeon.’ I thought ‘hospital,’ and all the people I showed the paper thought ‘neurosurgeon.’ No wonder everybody was so nice. They probably thought I was dying. Was I? Dr. Orthopedic Surgeon gave me a map, told me to go back to the station, and to take bus number four. So, I did what he told me. Just to be sure, I showed a gentleman standing in line my map, and he nodded ‘yes.’ 11:05am. I figured it would take me 15 minutes (it always takes 15 minutes) and then I would have 45 minutes to navigate the hospital. I took a deep breath and relaxed. After 15 minutes, the bus stopped at the hospital, and just to be sure, I asked the woman
“I would have 45 minutes to navigate the hospital.”
next to me if this was right. She nodded ‘yes.’ At the crosswalk, I asked another woman if it was right. She nodded ‘yes’ and said something in Japanese. I wasn’t sure what she said, but I knew she was going to help me. And I needed the help. Backpacker or not, I depended on the kindness of strangers. Another woman overheard her, and said, “She said she doesn’t speak English, but she will help you. I speak English, and after I drop things off with my husband who has cancer, I will help you find where you need to go.” I thanked the other lady and went with the English speaker. She read ‘neurosurgeon’ and took me to the ICU. Rejected. Then she took me to the surgery floor. Rejected again. We walked around the maze of a hospital that led us to dead end after dead end. 11:45am. I wasn’t going to make it. I didn’t want to make her feel bad so I kept smiling. We finally walked up to the desk at 11:48am. They needed a referral. I procured my folded, dirty, smudged email. I could tell she wasn’t happy, but my new friend was insistent. I was sent away. To get a hospital card. I went downstairs and after she helped them get my important information, she sat me down to wait and returned to her husband. 11:55am. I crumpled in my seat. Defeated. 11:58am. I received my hospital card and raced to the desk. The nurse took my card and told me to take a seat. I did what I was told. With the help from a bus driver, three school girls, an orthopedic surgeon, three passengers on a bus, and a woman who was dealing with her own problems, I knew I was going to be OK. And being able to laugh at my arrogance, show graciousness under distress, and be open to kindness proved to me that my heart (hole or BAB not) was just fine. To find out what happened once Gabbi was in the right place, be sure to read her June Tokyo girl column.
THE UNTOLD STORY by Karen Regn
image: JamesJustin
“Last night was...the kind of pink floral display that leaves you reciting love sonnets.”
T
his is the kind of day where it’s hard to face your students, your commute, your boss. Your head pounds and a forced smile has settled unconvincingly on your face. At the end of the day, you immediately return home to your pajamas, ignoring the “hair of the dog” invitations coming in over your keitai. You ask yourself why you threw caution aside and promise yourself you’ll never be so foolish again. It’s the hanami hangover. Last night was a blur of swirling petals and the kind of pink floral display that leaves you reciting love sonnets. You may have composed some poems yourself, but you can’t remember clearly because of all the Chu-hai you drank. Is that a picture of you on Facebook, glassy-eyed, and hugging that guy with the guitar? Was that before or after you’d moved on to nihon-shu, you wonder. I’ve been hit by the hanami hangover yet again, though each year I’ve been increasingly determined not to get swept away. When I arrived four years ago in April 2006, I immediately joined as many parties as possible. I cheered the petal showers and stared in disbelief at parkfuls of fantastic, wafting pink boughs. And seated on tarps in my socks, I developed a taste for Japanese spirits. I found Japan’s alcohol fascinating, since all the familiar Western spirits were present, and now there were all the new fun Japanese varieties to try. Beer, whisky, wine, of course… then sho-chu, Nihon-shu, chu-hai, and ume-shu as well! “Chu-hai, what’s that?” I remember asking at a convenience store on the way to my first hanami party. Try them I did, since one hanami party usually led to another. Drinking became a nightly occurrence. Perhaps I overdid it. The stress of culture shock and being enamored with cherry blossom season made me less likely to put down the bottle. And then I started heading out on the town with newly made friends. After several weeks, I had trouble sleeping. Mornings were difficult. My jetlag, never
quite shaken in the first place, seemed to stretch on and on. “Why don’t you try drinking less?” a colleague finally suggested to me. It was weeks after hanami season ended that I levelled out and finally got some sleep. It was quite a way to start my stay in Japan, but indicative of the larger role alcohol would play in my life abroad. Perhaps if I had chosen Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, or even China, for example, I wouldn’t be surrounded by such a drinking phenomenon. But I chose to move to Japan, where drinking alcohol is ubiquitous. After drinking at nomihoudai
with Japanese men, alcohol was a tool. In a broader sense, in such a densely populated city as Tokyo, with a high level of formality, everyone seemed to use alcohol as an icebreaker and a social lubricant. This wasn’t part of the immersion experience I came here for, but I’m aware that this aspect of Japanese culture has changed my daily habits. Over the years I’ve learned not to party through hanami season as I did when I first arrived and can now control myself better when in the presence of alcohol. But drinking has become a large part of my four-year stay in Japan. I’ve made some of the best friends of my life while sitting on tarps under cherry blossoms. I now drink more frequently than before I moved here, and in greater quantity. I’ve tried every kind of chu-hai. I can discern and appreciate subtle flavors, particularly among my three favourites, wine, nihon-shu, and ume-shu. Early in this year’s season, I took a visit to New York City, where the cherry blossoms were blooming. But I soon found I was alone in my blossom enthusiasm. Riding in the car on the New Jersey side of the Lincoln Tunnel, I started shouting about shidarezakura (the dark pink, falling kind of sakura tree) to my sister and her husband. The pathetic, malnourished sakura
real-life story
HANAMI HANGOVER:
ut I’ve had my share of hangovers. Next year I’ll bring a canister of hot tea to the hanami party inB stead. The blossoms will be just as pretty. karaoke boxes, public transportation and a low crime rate make it easy to get tipsy and get home safely. The lack of open container restrictions and a tolerance of public drunkenness allow drinkers to freely imbibe practically anywhere. At cherry blossom parties and summer festivals, people are drinking everywhere in sight. If you like drinking, Japan is the place for you. Everybody’s doing it. At least it feels that way when inhaling the smell of stale alcohol exuding from red-faced, overtired salarymen as you sway beside them on the last train home. Alcohol is the grease that keeps Tokyo’s wheels moving, as one work colleague explained to me when I first arrived. At our frequent departmental parties at school, beer and compliments were doled out for new staff and my glass never neared empty. My academic colleagues, usually Japanese men, and I fawned over a prized bottle of wine, laying down mutual appreciation as our common ground. We took outings to local sake breweries or met for cocktails at the regular neighbourhood hangout. Since it’s hard, as a foreign woman, to build amicable, casual professional relationships
adorned a patch of dirt on a corner outside of Burger King, hanging on for life behind a garbage bin. My brother-in-law gazed bewildered out the side window at the scrawny tree while my sister wheeled around towards me to determine my need for psychiatric help. Later, trying to explain how we drink under the trees and stare at them for hours, toasting, the same uncomprehending expression fell on my friends’ faces in Manhattan. These high-powered publishing girls were not into drinking late on weekdays (their mornings were too early) and I found myself drinking on my own in the end. I tipsily meandered home alone down dark, empty streets, admiring one or two trees on my way back to my sister’s apartment. The next day, there were no “hair of the dog” invitations coming in, but the hangover was the same. Somewhere between my former Japanese drinking habits and the prudent New York girl’s sober retreat is where I want to be. I still love to utter one of the first vocabulary words I learned in Japanese, kanpai. But I’ve had my share of hangovers. Next year I’ll bring a canister of hot tea to the hanami party instead. The blossoms will BAB be just as pretty. Being A Broad May 2010
11
outdoors
EXPLORING WITH
EVERGREEN by Dave Enright
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Kids will love camping at Evergreen.
A past group of happy campers.
For over a century, Hakuba’s mountains have enticed Japanese and foreign populations to climb its impressive peaks. Over the last 50 years they have drawn skiers as well. Skiing in Japan and Hakuba went through a huge surge in the ‘80s, but has undergone a decline in popularity across the country for a little over a decade now. Summer outdoor recreation, however, has grown at the same time and Hakuba has seen an increase in visitors who come to take part in such activities as paragliding, rafting, mountain biking, canoeing, climbing, and, more recently, hot air ballooning and canyoning. One crew of foreigners and Japanese outdoor enthusiasts who have discovered this heart of Japan, and have situated themselves in Hakuba amongst rice farms and roadside deities, are the knowledgeable folks at the Evergreen Outdoor Center. The people at Evergreen aspire to reconnect youth and adults alike with nature by creating fun, safe, and educational experiences. Achieving this first step begins not with lectures, but with immersion into Japan’s culture and natural
warm summer’s day or an evening Firefly Canoe Tour are all truly magical experiences. The professional guides at Evergreen love to dress up more adventurous souls in rubber from head to toe and lead them into the spectacular Kamoshika Canyon for a day of thrills, jumping and sliding into deep pools and descending ropes and wire ziplines across steep canyon walls. You may also decide to mix and choose activities with Evergreen’s combo day tours, an affordable and fun option that
areas while participating in recreational activities. Evergreen is an ecologically sustainable tour operator that has been providing professionally guided outdoor recreational tours and instruction in Nagano for more than a decade. Part of Evergreen’s wide range of outdoor programs includes their one- to two-week long summer camps for children, and customised camps for international and Japanese schools alike. Climbing mountains, swimming in lakes, jumping into rivers, and exploring forests firsthand come easily to children, and they can get their feet wet, literally, during many fun and exciting outdoor activities. Unlike conventional sports, these activities are not competitive in their objectives, but instill and require friendly teamwork and personal drive, and offer excitement and adventure while providing the participant with a greater connection to the environment. Evergreen uses these activities as catalysts for discovery of the natural world and the self, so that children of all ages realise their personal strengths and philosophies, as well as develop creative ways of problem-solving. From sleeping in lakeside cabins and camping in local hills to cooking and eating all their meals outside, children are provided with a professionally supervised chance to get back to nature and just be kids. Many of Evergreen’s year-round tours are family-oriented, so parents, kids, and even grandparents can participate. Instructional canoe and kayak tours on crystal-clear Aoki lake on a
includes two activities during the day with a healthy lunch from the vegetarian Roots Cafe. Match any of these fun-filled days with a post-tour hot spring bath, a relaxing massage, and a good night’s sleep at one of Hakuba’s fine accommodations and you have the makings of a rejuvenating time away. In the past, Evergreen has even run special retreats just for women, combining wellness with the outdoors and including activities such as yoga and hiking, massages and fine dining. If you and a group of friends are looking for a chance to get away this year and would like to put together a custom package, Evergreen would love to help organise the perfect trip. Wherever you decide to vacation this summer, remember that there are many great natural retreats just a few hours outside the city that do not require costly or environmentally taxing air travel. So why not stay closer to home and experience what Japan has to offer? You may just discover what your heart and soul have been longing for and what your mind and body really need. Evergreen Outdoor Center caters to individuals as well as to large groups, schools, and corporate events and can assist you and your team with arranging transport, accommodation, and nightlife activities to suit your needs and budget. Just give them a call on 0261-72-5150 or send them an e-mail at tours@evergreenoutdoors.com to inquire about all their exciting programmes that will allow you to explore the BAB wild side of Japan.
image: Evergreen Outdoor Centre
S
pring is well underway and summer is fast approaching. The city is heating up quickly and your travelling shoes look as though they need a good dusting! When was the last time you got out of the city? Really out of the city and away from the hustle and bustle of everyday distractions? When was the last time you smelled the fresh scents of the forest, the sea, or found yourself somewhere so new that you and the kids were actually interested enough to put down the Game Boy, wii, iPod, Blackberry or other distractions and just enjoyed your surroundings together? Now let’s confess, the Japanese do make great digital devices that take our minds off the here and now, and they have built great homogenised metropolises to keep us content in tight spaces. This said, however, the Japanese are also the creators of a culture that has allowed people to focus on the here and now in an environment that varies significantly from north to south, coast to coast. The fact is that you are here. In Japan. Now. In 2010. This makes now a great time to discover what Japan has to offer outside the city walls. Time to load up the car or take advantage of one of the world’s most efficient and extensive transportation systems and discover the hidden little villages scattered throughout this land of the rising sun, where the culture of the here and now still exists and true Japanese hospitality is not lost. These communities are hidden in the mountains, around small sea side coves, and in deep forest enclaves. It is in these places that you will find the superb nature and culture of Japan. One of these communities hidden in the mountains that has been able to keep an even balance between natural spaces, culture, agriculture, recreation, and amenities is Hakuba village. Hakuba is situated at the northern end of Nagano prefecture and is the northern gateway to the Japanese Alps. Nagano is the largest landlocked prefecture of Japan and is often referred to as the Heart of Japan.
the hidden little villages scattered throughout this land of the rising sun... Discover
Being A Broad Resources
SPORTS & OUTDOORS: BEAUTY:
SPORTS & OUTDOORS:
DENTAL:
PRINTING:
13 PRINTING:
Being A Broad May 2010
feature
MUDDY MAYHEM: THE FINAL TRAIL by Dee Green
Ready to start off the Oxfam Trailwalker. All images provided by Dee Green/37 Frames.
In the April issue of BAB, Dee shared with us her team’s strategy for preparing for Trailwalker. In this issue, we find out if all went according to plan.
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oted Russian novelist Ivan Turgenev once wrote, “We sit in the mud...and reach for the stars.” Check. Then it was Lance Loud who mused “I have been found in a mud puddle at 4:30 in the morning.” So have we. Not sure if we had any classic Joy Division on our playlists during our big Oxfam walk, but we now reflect on co-founder and bassist Peter Hook, who suggested, “I think people expect mud at festivals, I think you’d be asking for your money back if you didn’t get it.” With that in mind let us remind the world that we signed up for Trailwalker Japan, not Glastonbury...although, to be clear, we would be outstanding headliners. So just how did The Soundtracks’ ambitious 100-kilometre walk from Odawara to Yamanakako within 48 hours for charity conclude? Well, naturally: dramatically. For two weeks prior to our April 23 start we’d all been obsessively checking the weather forecast. Every kind of weather had been predicted. Were we Ame-Onna (rainy girls) or Hare-Onna (sunny chicks)? We were going with sunny. Sadly it was not to be. A week before the event, a freak cold snap dumped more than 20 centimetres of snow on the Hakone course. It had no time to dry out, with a week of continuous rain leading up to the big day. But we were ever optimistic. We had trained in every condition, had all the right gear, and at the eleventh hour ditched our previous 100 percent commitment to polyester for some real Gortex. At 9am the Shiroyama Track and Field in Odawara was a colourful mass of raincoats and swishiness. The rain was not dampening any spirits. Locals dressed in Samurai costumes evoked the strength needed for the ensuing endurance challenge. Our lucky team #59 shared the starting line with walkers of all nationalities, ages, backgrounds, and even a couple of Olympians; Ikue Teshigawara (former Olympic short-track speed skater) and Ai Shibata (swimming gold medalist at the 2004 Athens games). When the start gun went off we jogged the two laps out of the stadium to the bemusement of onlookers and supporters. We jumped and leaped a lot, too. No shame, obviously. But it was truly strategic to get ahead of the congestion at the upcoming road that followed the quaint irrigation channel. At this stage we were a bit puffed, but mainly chuffed, and of course it was still raining. The course consists of nine checkpoints
ranging from a roadway pull-off to beautiful temples, community centres, and parking lots. There are food and water stations, medical support, stretching areas, onsen, and napping spaces at the checkpoints, where teams must check in and check out together. We made it nine kilometres to checkpoint one in good time, albeit in thick, spooky fog and rain. Looking back now that dreary rain isn’t a blip on the misery radar. From checkpoints one to two, the nine-kilometre trail is abhorrent and
nice to be without all our stuff for a while and just stretch the legs. We were on a mission. There would be a barbecue at the end. We move for food. We arrived at checkpoint four about 7pm, and yes, it was still raining. The most magnificent feast had been prepared. We cannot overstress the importance of having a reliable support team at your every whim. They had booked us in for some stretching and got us all suited up for our big night walk ahead. We donned our very spunky headlamps and prepared to set out.
relentless. It is a three-hour push straight up, with very few breaks. But we just put our heads down, cranked the iPods high, and trudged up that dreadful, truly detestable hill. We ate squashed and mangled peanut butter sandos at the top of Mt Sengen. It was about 1:30pm, fog still soupy thick, and checkpoint two not far away. Through the heavy mist and the still continuous rain we made out our gorgeous support team brandishing the banner in the distance at the Ashinoyu Flower Center. They cheered for us and for all. We are sure many teams are still dealing with sign envy. During the five-and-a-half kilometre hike from checkpoints two to three we were still in good spirits and making pretty good time, even with the rain. Our schedule of finishing within our ambitious goal of 40 hours was on track. We rocked up to the Onshi-Hakone-Park checkpoint three laughing, and enjoyed the short trek down through the Hakone woods and calming cedars on the historical Tokkaido highway. We dumped all our gear and took off for the short 12-kilometre flat trip around the lake. It was
And then, it was Miyojingatake carnage. It was too truly horrendous and difficult to articulate. Any attempt to explain checkpoints four to five will just seem an over-indulgent, embellished exaggeration. But it really was a nightmare of epic, miserable mud pie proportions. It was the worst night of my life by far. To give an indication, we are pretty slow-going at the best of times, but this section usually took us five to six hours in training. We had done the previous 36 kilometres in 10 hours. On this horrific April eve, these 18 kilometres took almost the same amount of time. The abnormal snow a week before the walk and the days of rain leading up to and during the event made their mark. In some parts of the trail, we were sliding through mud up to our knees. For most parts of the 1,200 metre ascent we were ankle deep. The trail had been so churned up by all those hikers before us that it was just diabolical and dangerous. To me it looked chocolaty; to the rest of the team it was total diarrhea. Either way it’s a diet supplement just thinking about it. This section tested us. Mentally, physically,
trail had been so churned up by all those hikers before us that it was just diabolical and dangerous. The
feature
very emotionally. Falling down, falling left, falling right, falling on our faces, our behinds, our heads. In most ways we succeeded, but in others we failed hopelessly. We can only learn and move forward, even if the mud still sticks. Our teamwork, which worked so beautifully in training, didn’t quite come together on the mountain. Nat and Erin were way ahead and then very lost. But thanks to some amazing course marking, they finally found their way. Trace and I were behind, dealing with a few meltdowns of our own. Even with the very wise words of our support team, “stay together,” ringing out into the night as we left checkpoint four, that night we crept into ourselves, rarely seeing the dim lights of other walkers, and dealing with the trauma of those ten hours split in two. When it wasn’t raining it was snowing, and when the sleet stopped, the fog rolled in and the hail came down. I don’t want to revisit that night any time soon. I love my team. We thought we’d prepared for every scenario. Silly us. We really should have thrown some dirt in the bathtub while Erin was testing the rain gear in the shower, then all got in together and rolled about for a bit. We’re on it for next year. We had left checkpoint four at 8:30pm and made it into checkpoint five just before 6:30am, our battle with the night elements finally over. Just after the stinging hail subsided, I had the most spectacular fall. The bruises still remain. As dawn came, the temperature plummeted, still with sporadic raindrops. It was just so cold. Photos don’t do the Saijo-ji checkpoint justice. It seems that pretty much everyone was too traumatised to take photos. Covered from head to toe in mud after emerging from that bog of a mountain, I didn’t think it was appropriate to take out the camera that morning. The misery and fatigue on every walker’s face made it seem like we’d just survived a natural disaster. We can only say that the amazing staff and volunteers at checkpoint
five were wonderful to this band of bedraggled, mud-crusted survivors. It wasn’t long before we joined together as a team once more, the way we work best, and made the decision, for safety and sanity, to retire here at a very impressive 54km. It might seem crazy to some to end it here—after all, the next nine kilometres to checkpoint six were relatively easy and for sure we could have made it to checkpoint seven. But checkpoint seven to the end was perhaps another matter, certainly as bad as what we’d just endured. After talking to each other, realising what we’d all been through that night—some warmth, bonding, and bathing were much more needed to heal our wounded souls. Miyojingatake—you didn’t break us. And more importantly, we left the trail wanting to do it again. Key point. It will take some time to recover from our ordeal. But we are all OK physically. Shaken and a bit stirred. Still dirty, nursing our wounds, and processing it all. Retiring at a massive and proud 54km in the most extreme of conditions. The statistics speak to the traumatic circumstances: • 712 walkers • 178 teams • 80 teams finished • 98 teams retired • Total course ascent is higher than 9.5 Sky Trees—over a staggering 5,400 metres—and crosses ten main peaks. • Total vertical drop: 4,500 metres (ouch, worse in slop). • Lots of rain, then hail, then snow, then more rain, and rivers, rivers, and rivers of mud... We like to think we became a small part of Trailwalker history. Under horrific conditions, over a thousand people—volunteers, walkers, locals, and staff—all came together as a community to brave fog, sludge, snow, hail, sleet, mud, rain, sub-zero temperatures, and everything else the mountains could throw at us.
Mud-soaked casualties of the Trailalker.
All for charity. So many supported us through our journey and we’d like to thank everyone who made this experience feel a little less harrowing than it actually was. Had we kept walking in those miserable conditions, we may have joined a large group of Trailwalkers who never want to attempt the event again. But by stopping when we did, we will be back next year for sure. Because we want to keep doing these kinds of challenges. And isn’t half the journey just showing up and making it to the start line? I’d like to hope so. And I’d also like to think that at the toughest times, while there is heroism in forging ahead (and we are so in awe of those who did finish), there is also a certain type of bravery in stopping when it’s right for you. We are delighted that we were well in excess of our fundraising target. Donations are still being accepted and all small and large contributions are truly appreciated. Help Oxfam overcome poverty and injustice for those less fortunate than ourselves in some of the poorest communities in the world. So here’s to the next tornado of trouble just one short year away. And all the mischief and mayhem that the Team Soundtrackers will get up to in the upcoming 12 months. By 2011, maybe the mud will be out of our toenails. “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’”—Mary BAB Anne Radmacher. For the full, no-holds-barred cathartic purge with more photos, please visit The Soundtracks Blog: http://offtheplanet. typepad.com/the_soundtracks_09_twj, and for more info about Oxfam’s Trailwalker Japan go to: www.trailwalker.jp/en.
The Soundtracks in happier—drier—times. Being A Broad May 2010
15
working
WE PROFILE: ELSA, SIMONA & CAROLINE of Allied Pickfords
Elsa, Simona, and Caroline from Allied Pickfords. Image provided by Allied Pickfords.
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Name: Simona Gardus Nationality: Romanian Qualifications: MA in British Cultural Studies Job title: Corporate Manager Time in this job: one year Job description: I source new business, visiting HR departments in both foreign and international companies in Tokyo to introduce our company and the services we can provide. Additionally, I service and maintain existing corporate accounts. Name: Elsa Triquet Nationality: French Qualifications: Bilingual Masters in European and International Public Law (French/German) Job title: Residential Account Manager Time in this job: four months Job description: My main job is to visit the shippers’ residences to assess the volume, for shipping, of any items requiring special handling and determine the general move requirements. I then report the volumes back to our CS team who will determine the cost. I then submit the estimate to the client and work on securing the business. Name: Caroline Kennedy Nationality: Irish Qualifications: BA in International Marketing and Japanese. Level 1, Japanese Proficiency Exam Job title: Client Services Director Time in this job: seven years Job description: I oversee the Import, Export, and Shipping departments at Allied Pickfords in Tokyo, managing a very hardworking and energetic team of seven bilingual staff. General requirements (Caroline): Good people skills are a must! We are providing a service and all staff must have the basic skills and empathy necessary to competently work with clients and agents from all over the world. A good head for numbers is also necessary for the volume calculations and cost estimates that we complete every single day. Prior experiences in the moving industry in Japan or overseas are helpful, but not compulsory. Japanese requirement (Caroline): A position in our customer service (CS) team requires intermediate to advanced Japanese. CS staff liaise with Japanese vendors, customs brokers, shipping lines, etc. for move arrangement and management, so the ability to effectively communicate in Japanese is necessary. For positions in our Residential Sales department, basic Japanese is useful, but not compulsory. We are a bilingual company and all foreign staff have at least basic Japanese, but apart from that we have the capability to work with clients in eight different languages! General conditions (Caroline): We generally work normal office hours, but overtime, late evenings, or Saturday surveys are a sometimes unavoidable part of the job, particularly at this time
of the year as we head into our peak season months of June and July. CS staff are mainly office-based, while sales staff are out of the office much of the day for pre-move surveys at the client residences or completing corporate account calls. Foreign staff are also involved in the various International Chambers and actively network in Tokyo and Yokohama. As a company, we also make it a policy to give back to the international community here in Tokyo by sponsoring international school fairs and events such as the TELL Runathon. Staff are asked to volunteer at these events where possible. How she found this job (Elsa): I previously lived in Japan and when I decided to return, I was looking for the kind of job I could do without a highlevel of Japanese. Hard task. I was finally lucky, as one day I found an advertisement in a well-known free magazine for foreigners looking for a bilingual French-German speaker. I thought that this ad had been made for me. That’s also apparently what Allied management thought after meeting me! I was so happy I could join this company! Best thing (Simona): As a Business Developer and “the face of the company,” I am in permanent contact with new people both in the HR departments of various companies around Tokyo and through the various networking events that I attend. Therefore, the best thing is the challenge of getting new business where previously none existed and maintaining existing business. Needless to say, this requires lots of interpersonal and communication skills, that through my extensive life and work experience I can put into practice. Worst thing (Caroline): The moving industry in Tokyo is an exciting industry to be a part of and there is rarely a dull moment. The worst thing is probably the knock-on effect of things that are beyond our control—typhoons, other weatherrelated delays, shipping accidents…the things that cause delays to shipments and frustrate not just shippers, but also us. Another not very fun thing would have to be when the call comes from the customs site to say something has been found in a shipment that really shouldn’t have been there…. Interesting stories (Simona): With the
economic crisis and after 12 years in Japan, I decided it was high time to leave Japan in search of new challenges. Since I needed to pack my household goods, I called two moving companies for a pre-move survey. One of them was Allied Pickfords. In about a month, instead of moving, I became part of this fantastic team! Issues affecting her as a woman (Elsa): As a residential account manager, I visit the homes of people living Japan in order to survey the volume of their household goods and personal belongings. Most of the people I meet with are actually women, as wives of the assignee working for international companies. It’s actually often very pleasant, because most of the people I meet are quite relaxed and kind. On the other hand, when the busy season arrives, there is a lot of office work that comes after this visits, which means that I often leave the office quite late in the evening. If I had children, I guess I wouldn’t see them a lot. Advice (Simona): Stay positive! Japan is a land of contradictions, a very different country, as the Japanese always like to say. We all try to cope every day with these differences, each in our own way. My advice is to take those differences as a challenge to improve your knowledge of cultures and to round yourself as a person. Recommended resources (Elsa): Being a former intern of the French Embassy enabled me to create a certain network in the French and foreign community, which is very useful to bring new clients to the company. It is easier to trust someone that you already know or that someone related knows! Other jobs done in Japan (Simona): I came to Japan with a Monbusho scholarship to study sociolinguistics in Osaka. After two years study, I moved to Tokyo and became a language teacher. With my Japanese skills improving, I started working for TBS as an interpreter and translator for the National World Heritage programs. I briefly left Japan for London and upon my return, I worked in marketing for a travel agency, which organises opera tours worldwide, then in relocation, and BAB presently in the moving industry.
Being A Broad Resources
RELOCATION:
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Being A Broad May 2010
mothers
THE JAPANESE AND INTERNATIONAL
PRESCHOOL SYSTEMS by Jane Dwyer-Yamada
In the March issue of BAB, Jane introduced readers to the Japanese daycare system, looking at public, private, and international options. This month, she explores the world of preschool.
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he difference between applying for, entering, and graduating from international preschools or kindergartens and Japanese youchien or kindergartens is so vastly different that is necessary to break this topic up. Whichever system you choose for your child, each has merits that far outweigh any negatives. My children have thrived in the preschool system in Japan, and have, in combination, attended all of the below in one form or another. In fact, my middle child says: “Mummy, can I go to school now?” each morning as we are getting ready for the day. I am overjoyed that he loves his time there, and he is currently attending Japanese private youchien two weekdays and international school the other three. Let’s begin with the international preschool system in Japan, most notably in Tokyo. In the current Guide to International Schools in Japan, written by BAB magazine co-publisher Caroline Pover, there are over 90 schools listed. Even a quick glance through the book reveals a veritable smorgasbord of international schools to choose from, especially in the inner-city areas. How
School usually begins each morning at 9am and continues until around 2pm. There are earlier and later times available to accommodate working parents. Upon entry, a typical international preschool is light, bright, and airy in atmosphere, often decorated in child-friendly colours. The teachers and staff are present to meet and greet the students and their parents,
monthly, and include topics such as culture, foods, colours, nature, travel, and sport. Mornings usually involve some sort of outdoor play, be it onsite or at a nearby park. Lunch follows, and all children sit together to eat. Lunch is provided by the child’s home or outside catering organised through the school. Afternoon play follows a similar structure to the morning,
calling each child by name. Parents are asked to come in with their child to help with their bags, putting away lunches, and changing shoes. Each school has its own morning routine that the child has to follow. After the parents leave, the children then begin their day. The day is scheduled into timed sessions of varying activities. The first activity may be less structured, where the children can choose as to what they want to do for the first 20 minutes or more. Choices I have seen include puzzles, doll dress-ups, car sets and train tracks, painting, drawing, stamping, cut and paste, reading books, and clay modelling. After this free time, the children are brought together as a group to participate in a more structured way. Learning songs, the alphabet or other language letters, yoga, cooking, teacher reads a book, question
and may involve a short nap or rest time. The children’s final moments of the school day involve tidying up, a goodbye song, and packing their things ready to go home. After-school activities are very popular, and most of the children, especially the older ones, stay to participate. Some of the activities I have encountered are soccer, English as a second language, karate, yoga, Japanese, piano, hula, hip hop, phonics, Japanese calligraphy, and more. Children can start preschool or kindergarten any time from one and a half years of age until around six. After this they continue on to Japanese or international elementary school. There are many nationalities at each school, and up to half the class or more may be Japanese students. The child to teacher ratio varies widely, but is around one teacher to six children as an average. In most cases, the younger children have fewer children per teacher than the older classes. Admission to international kindergartens is usually simple and based on the number of places available. If the class is not already full,
n fact, my middle child says: “Mummy, can I go to now?” each morning as we are getting ready Iforschool the day.
verly zealous parents line up from the early hours of the morning to be one of the first to hand in O their forms. and answer time, and show and tell are just a few of the dozens of activities done throughout the year. Often themes are incorporated weekly or
image: Danny Choo
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parents go about choosing an international kindergarten or preschool for their child is highly subjective and is based on a number of factors, including the school’s proximity to home, size, religious status, number of international students, school operating hours, number of holidays, reputation, bullying policy, staff qualifications and experience, recommendations by friends, and more. Cost may be a factor; however, there is little variation in fees between schools, so it is hard to differentiate based on this. For a comprehensive comparison of international schools, please see the aforementioned Guide to International Schools in Japan, published by Alexandra Press. Both my children and I have thoroughly enjoyed our time in international preschools in Japan, so much so that we have been really sad, come graduation time, to say goodbye to the staff, teachers, and other parents and their children. The standard of care, level of education, stimulation for children, size and style of the classrooms, and outdoor and after-school activities are just some of the standout factors I have experienced.
Depending on the school, students may travel to a local park for outdoor time.
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Parents are expected to help out in the cloak rooms at the start of the day, and depending on the school, a uniform may be required. image: kanki*
image: hiromy
then most applicants will get in. Informally, preference is usually given to children who have at least one foreign parent. Having said this, there are many children whose parents are both Japanese. It all depends on the desired ratio of nationalities set by the school, and they may not disclose this information. As for cost, a full-time schedule from Monday to Friday, is around two million yen a year or even more for after schoolactivities or extended care. The youchien or Japanese kindergarten
to fill out, but are usually in Japanese. The child’s name and date of birth, address, and parental information are all that is required, along with a simple statement summing up the child’s character, as well as a snapshot of the family. The forms are also to be handed in at a certain date and time, with a very limited window of opportunity. Overly zealous parents line up from the early hours of the morning to be one of the first to hand in their forms. It is not known whether this makes a difference in
system is different from the international preschool system in quite a few ways, most notably the admission procedure. For a private, prestigious youchien, admission includes several steps, and is highly competitive, with applicants far outnumbering the available places. For public youchien, the process is far simpler: by filling out a few forms you are pretty much guaranteed to get in to your local Japanese kindergarten. Entrance age varies, but the earliest is usually from three years old for the private ones to a starting age of four for the public ones. There are also private juku or ‘cram’ preschools, whose aim is to get their students into one of the prestigious youchien. They are usually prohibitively expensive, and paying ¥10,000 for a session of an hour or two is not unheard of. These classes are really intensive and are designed to train children to pass the entrance tests of the kindergartens. Applying for private youchien can involve several steps, beginning with picking up the application form itself. This is usually done on a specified day and requires payment of a few thousand yen. The forms are straightforward
their acceptance; nevertheless, many people still do this. Usually the mother lines up, but it’s common to see both parents waiting to hand in the forms. The vast majority dress very formally, usually in black suit attire. Once the forms are handed in you are given an exact time and date to return with your child. This is not negotiable, and if you can’t make it, then you will not be accepted into that kindergarten. On the day you come with your child, there will usually be some kind of informal test for your child both in a group and alone. The teacher will ask their name and age and maybe a question about their favourite food or animal. The group test will almost always involve a physical test, like walking on a balance beam, for example. It is not clear how children are assessed or differentiated based on these simple tests. Nevertheless, within a week or so acceptance letters are sent or parents are phoned about their child’s result. It is really a numbers game and far more people are rejected than accepted. Japanese parents tend to take the tests very seriously, as it could mean the difference between the level of academic success of their child and the career
he youchien themselves are not very academic, however, and are more play-based, teaching the T child socialisation...
path that they follow. The youchien themselves are not very academic, however, and are more play-based, teaching the child socialisation with others, manners, sports, and so forth. Any focus on learning hiragana or mathematics, for example, is minimal. Whether it be public or private, each youchien follows its own curriculum revolving around outdoor play, singing songs, eating together as a group, and physical exercise. Elaborate bento, made and brought from home is the norm, rather than food cooked and made onsite. Hours of school are 9:30am until 2pm, with Wednesdays being a shortened day. Uniforms are required in some cases. The Japanese youchien system readily accepts foreigners, and many of Tokyo’s kindergartens have foreign children already in attendance. It is a fantastic way for your child to learn the language fluently as well as make local friends. The cost is very affordable in the public system, starting from ¥20,000 per month for a typical household. Even the most prestigious ones are still far less than the cost of the average international one by as much as half or more. Public youchien can be applied for via your local ward office. They will have the complete list of every one within your ward, their addresses and other details, such as number of spaces available and so on. Even in the inner city, chances are high that you will get a place within your ward. The school year starts in April, the parents having applied for their children the previous year. After graduating from Japanese kindergarten, the majority of kids go to Japanese public or private elementary school, with a handful going to international school. Although very popular, it is not mandatory to attend youchien, and some children enter school straight from daycare or hoikuen, or from home without ever having BAB attended either system. Being A Broad May 2010
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FOR A NEW GENERATION OF COMPASSIONATE LEADERS by Lisa Hosokawa
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Lin is the public face of ISAK. top private schools in North America and Asia have expressed interest in joining ISAK’s faculty. The extent to which people are rallying around the school’s concept has Lin feeling like “I’m just a part of this large momentum that had been planned long before I even noticed.” The Foundation expects to be able to open the school on schedule in 2012. The school will be a boarding school with a residential requirement for all students. This alone will make ISAK unusual among international schools in Japan. Canadian Academy in Kobe and Hokkaido International School each have a boarding house, but the number of students who can enter each is limited and small compared to the entire student body. The Foundation for ISAK believes in the transformative power of living with classmates outside of the classroom, and in this they are more in line with some private Japanese boarding schools, such as Nasu-Kaijo Academy in Tochigi Prefecture and Kaiyo Academy in Aichi Prefecture. Significantly, however, both of these Japanese schools are for boys only. ISAK will be co-ed. Another way in which ISAK will be unique is the planned diversity of the student body. Diversity of nationalities is common in Japan’s existing international schools, but diversity of class is not. This similarity in background regardless of country of origin limits the opportunities that students have for learning first-hand about global issues of deprivation. Lin attended a United World College (UWC) in Canada where one of her best friends was a Mexican student from a one-room home sheltering eight people. Lin was able to visit Mexico with this friend and see some of the country’s worst slums for herself. To give ISAK students similar opportunities for eye-opening friendships, the Foundation plans to offer scholarships to students from outside Japan who otherwise could not afford to attend. Their goal is for one-third of the student body to be composed of such youth. One obstacle to such diversity, however, is Japan’s current visa requirements. The Foundation planned to open ISAK as a combined middle school and high school, but it has encountered an unexpected difficulty regarding the younger students. The Japanese government currently
ISAK’s summer camp will take place in and around the beautiful Karuizawa Academy Hills.
All images provided by ISAK.
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his July, International School of Asia, Karuizawa (ISAK) will offer its first summer camp. Approximately 30 boys and girls from international middle schools and Japanese junior high schools will spend two weeks living and learning together in Nagano, one of Japan’s best-known summer vacation spots. Joining them will be scholarship recipients from Nepal and the Philippines, counsellors from Ivy League universities in the United States, and teachers from top private high schools in the US and Canada. This particular mix of a diverse Asia-centered student body and a North American style of discussion-based teaching is the first expression of what the Foundation for ISAK hopes will become a unique school for educating a new generation of compassionate leaders. ISAK started in 2008 when Lin Kobayashi, the public face of ISAK and its driving force, met Mamoru Taniya, a successful businessman and father of two students in one of Tokyo’s international schools. Lin had just returned to Japan after spending two years working with street children in the Philippines. Starting out, Lin had hoped and believed that education could help the poor to participate more actively in democracy, therefore changing society in a way that would alleviate some of their problems. She left thinking that some things, such as the persistence of corruption and social inequalities, could not change without better informed, more compassionate leaders. For his part, Mamoru questioned whether any of the existing opportunities for education in Japan could produce this type of leader. He and Lin began imagining a school that would emphasise caring for each other and the world, deep knowledge of Asia’s history and languages, and innovative problem-solving. By April 2009, this dinner party conversation resulted in the Foundation for International School of Asia, Karuizawa. Highly motivated and well-connected, the members of the Foundation for ISAK have already secured a 30-year lease for land from the village of Tsumagoi in Gunma Prefecture. Edward Suzuki, the award-winning architect who designed Nishimachi International School and St. Mary’s International School, has joined ISAK’s board and will be designing the facilities. Several teachers in
offers two types of visas for students from other countries studying here without their families: a ryuugaku or a syuugaku. Neither visa, however, allows a junior high school student to come to Japan alone for the purpose of attending school. With no way around the regulations for the near future, the Foundation is planning to open the school as a high school only. At the same time, they are petitioning the Japanese government to have the visa requirements changed so that eventually a middle school program can be offered as well. For the high school program, all classes will be taught in English and students will graduate with an IB Diploma, making them eligible for top universities worldwide. The core program will include language classes in Japanese and Chinese and students will be encouraged to gain experience by travelling and volunteering in other Asian countries. Design thinking, as pioneered at Stanford University, will be incorporated throughout as a way to help students become creative problem-solvers willing to fail until they succeed. BAB readers wondering if they should consider ISAK for their children will want to think about what kind of connection they want them to have to Japan, Asia, and the rest of the world. Most likely, the families that will be most interested will be those with a long-term commitment to Japan either for cultural or business reasons. The school is well worth checking out for everyone, however, as the academics promise to be both innovative and top-notch, and the boarding program will offer young students an opportunity for learning that can only benefit them in an increasingly integrated world. For middle schoolers, a few spots are still open for this year’s summer camp. For more information and the application, see http:// linkobayashi.com/summer/overview.dwt. More information about the school is available at BAB http://isak.jp/isak/english.
LAUREL SPRINGS SCHOOL
by Karen Regn
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sometimes wished my teachers were on the other side of the world when I was in high school. To manage my own schedule and work on courses at my own pace, asking teachers questions as needed, would have been a dream come true. The youth of today is lucky to have exactly that option. The enrollees of Laurel Springs School, a distance learning college prep school in Ojai, California, are in charge of their own education as I once wished to be of mine. Laurel Springs students are characteristically motivated doers. According to the school’s Executive Director, Marilyn Mosley Gordanier, “50 percent of students are looking for a more creative, personalised option than is available in their local schools: 35 percent of students are musicians, actors, artists, and athletes who attend high school while pursuing their other interests; and the remaining students live or travel abroad.” Laurel Springs School aims to match their students’ drive and perpetuate their natural talent and creativity with engaging, customised educational options. The school boasts outstanding quality, along with unparalleled curriculum customisation and flexibility to address student needs. Both college preparation and learning at a younger age can be handled with an internet connection and enrollment at Laurel Springs, that also offers courses with traditional textbooks. Laurel Springs offers enrollment options ranging from a single course to a full educational career (kindergarten through grade 12). For example, if your local international school doesn’t offer History of Music or Oceanography, these courses can be completed online at Laurel Springs School, as can an entire high school diploma program. Years ago, we wouldn’t have believed we could have teachers thousands of miles away from our high school classes, but technology now makes it possible. Through email and an online gradebook, students (and parents) can conveniently ask questions and track their progress. Students can expect an answer to their questions quickly, with teachers almost always taking less than a day to respond. Laurel Springs School believes students need to explore their educational options to find a fit that works for them. The school’s mission is to offer education that suits the individual student, not the other way around. Teachers are trained in specialising curricula to match each student’s learning style. That was a big plus for Daniel Levy, an aspiring game designer and photographer who is currently completing his last year of high school with Laurel Springs. “Travelling back and forth to school stressed me out,” says Levy, who resides in Kyoto and has saved energy and time by cutting out hours of commuting each day. “I appreciated my experience at my international school, but distance learning through Laurel Springs gives me a surprising
amount of flexibility. I also get a lot of freedom to explore assignments. I’ll spend the same amount of time on them, but complete them in ways I find most interesting—for example, writing an article over a standard essay.” For Susannah Bradley, who lives in Kitakyushu City, Laurel Springs gave her the chance to explore an interest in marine biology while still in high school. She says: “Laurel Springs’ flexible schedule meant I could travel to Costa Rica and Canada to participate in observation of whales, dolphins, and other marine mammals.” Bradley also took advantage of living in Japan and regularly visited aquariums in Shimonoseki, Oita, and Fukuoka. Bradley now works for a company specialising in autism and says, “it was the computer savviness I needed for my distance education that convinced my employer to hire me.” Japanese public schools are notorious for their rigorous courseload and stiffly structured approach to education. But Nakamura High School, an all-girls school in Koto-ku, Tokyo, sought to add subject-based coursework with native English speakers. As a result, it became one of the first high schools in Japan to formulate an ESL curriculum working in conjunction with Laurel Springs School. Since 2001, Japanese students have typically enrolled in Laurel Springs courses after studying abroad in order to maintain their English skills. They relish the opportunity to learn through English, not just studying English as a topic unto itself. Obvious to their ESL teacher and local administrator of Laurel Springs School, Diane Olson, is the invaluable motivation students glean through positive feedback from American teachers. “The teachers are awesome,” says Olson. “While the students are often timid in sharing their personalities, to feel accepted by their teacher abroad is incredible for them.” “Studying with a foreign teacher brings them back to how they felt as students doing study abroad in an English-speaking country,” agrees fellow Nakamura High School employee and Laurel Springs School’s enrollment liaison in Japan, Emi Hirabayashi. “It brings back good memories and forms an ongoing mental connection to that experience, lengthening the warm feelings and benefits associated with it.” The international enrollment figures of Laurel Springs are swelling. Forty-three countries are represented in the student body, with the majority of international students coming from Asia. Proficiency in English, the world’s lingua franca, is the most stringent requirement. Students need to have a high enough level of English before they can begin the coursework. Olson feels Laurel Springs School is a perfect fit not only for Japanese schools’ ESL programs, but also for expat international school students, because of its highly customisable nature. Curricula can be tailored
to the Japanese school year calendar, adjusted to give time for travel or study abroad, or to coincide with an international school’s calendar. Since distance learning with Laurel Springs is a process of independent work, review, and consulting with teachers, rather than the traditional lecture format, some parental participation is required. “Every Laurel Springs student has a team comprised of parents, staff, and teachers,” says Gordanier. “Parents always remain an important part of the student’s education. The younger the students, the more assistance they need completing assignments, often working side by side with their parents. By age 13, students are working on some independent projects and communicating with teachers and fellow students in clubs and symposiums. Parents of high school students help largely with time management and staying in touch with Laurel Springs teachers and college advisors.” Studying with Laurel Springs School may not be for everyone. Students may start to wonder if they are missing something and some subsequently return to a traditional school. If so, the student is not judged harshly. According to Gordanier, students need to explore their educational options. “Some study with us for many years,” she says, “then decide to go to a local high school for a new experience. Some students may go for one year to a more traditional school, try it out, and then come back the next year to Laurel Springs School.” She believes students should be free to explore all these options, but Laurel Springs students don’t need to miss out on high school activities or a sense of community. There are dozens of clubs to join and there are even online forums where students can collaborate on group projects. One unforgettable and inalienable rite of passage for many American high school students is the Senior Prom. Not to worry, there is a weekend of events that includes both a prom and a graduation ceremony that takes place each year in California. Laurel Springs students from all over the world fly in to attend. During that visit, some will meet their teachers face to face for the first time. Having completed their coursework, students can celebrate their accomplishments. More than 97 percent will have been accepted into the college of their choice. Many will receive some of the $1 million in scholarship money awarded to Laurel Springs students each year. Perhaps most gratifyingly, they’ll finish their studies while having the precious hours in their young lives to pursue their dreams. To learn more about the school’s programs and the courses available, please visit their website at www.laurelsprings.com/beingabroad. BAB
Being A Broad May 2010
mothers
FLEXIBLE LEARNING WITH
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BAB survey
BAB SURVEY:
YOUR SAY Where are you from?
We asked 200 of you who read or are a member of the BAB community to take the time to answer our recent readers’ survey. Here are the responses to a few of the questions you took the time to answer, and a brief overview of your fellow broads. Your thoughts and comments were very insightful, and we certainly plan to keep them in mind as we move forward. At the moment, we’re increasing our distribution, so for those of you who can’t get your hands on it, we hope you will be seeing it in your neighbourhood soon—please do let us know if there is a distribution point in your area that you think would work well for BAB. We’re also working with our new BAB Managers, Dee and Stephanie, to increase and diversify our events and hope to bring back girls’ night out in the not-too-distant future. We’re also aiming to increase our content about living outside of Tokyo— if you’re one of the many broads surviving and thriving in the boonies and wish to share your story, we’d love to hear from you at editor@being-a-broad.com.
How long have you been in Japan? not here yet! fresh off the plane less than one year one to two years
North America
Japan
Europe
Different part of Asia
Australia
Africa
two to five years five to ten years ten plus years 0
20
40
22 What age group are you in? 100 What is your favourite section of the magazine?
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Answers here included just about every section we’ve ever printed, but the most popular, again and again, were our cover girls and work profile subjects, “She Found Love in Japan” stories, things we love, and articles that made you realise you aren’t alone in living here.
60
40
20
0 under 25
25–35
35–45
45–55
55+
60
BAB survey
How often do you attend Being A Broad events? 100
80
Would you prefer to read the magazine in print or online?
60
40
20
0 Whenever I can. Once every month or two.
Two to three a year.
What events?
Indifferent
Online
How long have you been reading Being A Broad?
How do you get your hands on Being A Broad every month?
I am a subscriber. I pick it up locally.
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From a friend. Have trouble finding it every month. 0
Two to three years.
I remember reading the very first issue back in 1997.
Just started reading in the past six months.
Have never read it! I’m just part of the online community.
One to two years.
20
40
60
80
Once again, a huge thank-you to all who filled out our survey, and a big congratulations to those of you who won a prize from one of our sponsors after entering your email address. Gift certificates to Priya and The Meat Guy, as well as adventures with Evergreen Outdoor Centre, were just some of the items up for grabs.
Being A Broad May 2010
FOUND ONLINE
All images provided by Angela Wolfgang.
she found love in Japan
A DEVOTED MAN
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by Angela Wolfgang
Angela and Ryosuke together on vacation.
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fter living in Japan for only four months, to my surprise I started to find Japanese men attractive. After a couple of months of staring longingly at hot construction workers on the train, I joined a dating site and set my criteria—a sexy Japanese male who spoke English. Ryosuke and I only exchanged pictures and a couple of words about ourselves before we met for our first date in Shibuya. I had my sister and her boyfriend come along ‘just to be safe’…although I wasn’t really too worried about the safety of meeting a guy online. I was more worried about meeting him and not liking him, and being stuck with him for a dinner alone! I tried not to psych myself up too much to meet him, because I wasn’t sure if I would be attracted to him or not—his pictures were confusing. We met at Hachiko, had a double date dinner and a couple of drinks, and after my sister`s stamp of approval: (“He’s hot!,”) I knew I could love him by the end of the night. I fell in love with his smile, and the fact that he grabbed my hand as we were walking to the train. I was suddenly very happy and felt as soon as his hand touched mine that we had made a connection that was written in the stars. He did not act the way I expected a traditional Japanese boyfriend to act. He sent text messages to my phone numerous times a day—sweet, romantic messages that made me feel so loved. He hugged and kissed me in public. He held my hand everywhere we went and he told me he loved me every five minutes. I felt so lucky to have such a devoted and affectionate boyfriend when I heard all the stories of other foreigners and their cold lovers. He had lived in the States for about a year, so he was exposed to Western culture as well, and I felt we made a good match. I was also a little surprised at his chivalry—he always held heavy bags for me, and never pushed me to lift many heavy things as my dad always had. “Come on Angi, use your legs to lift,” was my dad’s favourite quote. I was pleasantly surprised when we moved in together and he told me to stand aside while he carried all the heavy things in by himself with a big smile on his face.
And the other thing was that his capacity for intimacy shocked me. I was amazed at his ability to read my face, understand my emotions, and make me feel close to him, despite having wanted to kill him only five minutes prior. But, yes, we fought like crazy. I was always storming off for one reason or another. I thought he never understood me. He never listened to me. He thought I was selfish and spoiled. But despite our fights and our immaturity, he always made sure that we stayed together. He asked me to marry him and I said yes. He proposed on the Big Wheel in Odaiba at sunset, when we were at the top and had an amazing view of Mount Fuji. I cried tears of joy and disbelief. We had dinner afterwards and all the servers brought out flowers for me and a special cake with our names on it, followed by a card they had all signed. It was a magical night. However, being engaged didn’t really throw a wrench in our fighting momentum. I tried to break up with him numerous times…probably 30 times at least. I thought he was mean, inconsiderate, and non-supportive. He said things that I had never heard before. Things I thought you didn’t say to someone you loved, like: “You really need to lose weight…what are you eating today?” “Did you go to the gym?” He said he could say them to me because he loved me and because we were close. This was a new concept for me—telling someone all the bad things about themselves that they need to fix because you love them. I spent so much time analysing our relationship, wondering if he was the wrong guy, or if I was being too close-minded or too selfish to understand him. Eventually, with the support of my sister telling me all the things I deserved, we broke up and moved to our separate places. Then my parents came to Japan. Since Ryosuke and I had been keeping in touch after our breakup and he had a car, I asked him to chauffeur my parents around and be our tour guide. Truthfully, I just wanted them to meet him and ask their opinion of him. To my surprise, they absolutely adored him—you should have seen my mom’s face when she gushed, with a tear in her eye, “I just love Ryosuke!” This new support from my parents
Together on the night of their engagement.
in his direction didn’t make my life any easier! I decided that maybe I should give him a second chance, since he was still knocking on my door. So we got back together. And broke up. And got back together. And broke up again. It was all getting very tiring. It was pretty horrible. I remember one night when he drove all the way from his home in Saitama, after I told him not to come. He came anyway. He always comes anyway. I sat on my bed and ignored him as he pounded on my door. That was a turning point. I realised that this drama was just too much. I couldn’t go around treating people this way, so I just had to let him go, somehow. Finally, I started dating again. I met some new people. I met one really amazing Japanese guy who spoke English fluently and was extremely open-minded in a way that Ryosuke wasn’t. I felt such freedom when I talked to him, like I could say anything and he wouldn’t get mad. But I realised quickly that he would never be as devoted to me as he was to his job. I met another guy just like the first…openminded, gentle, and kind, but I realised he would never be as devoted to me as he was to his mother and himself. After meeting a string of wishy-washy guys, I realised how rare is it to find a man who is 100 percent devoted to a woman. I mean through thick, thin, good, and bad, Ryosuke just stays and stays and just keeps coming back because he loves me. I used to joke that he was like a loyal dog. I never really appreciated Ryosuke’s ability to stay connected, to keep talking, to keep working things out until that moment, when I saw the weakness of all men, and he alone stood out in my mind as mighty and strong. So we got back together, with hopes of starting over, being friends, and communicating more. We have since gotten re-engaged, moved in together, and tried to start a new life together. We have all the passion and romance that I could ask for, but with that still comes all the angst and frustration that leaves me wanting to walk out the door on a continual basis. I don’t know if we will ever be able to fully understand or accept each other. It is a constant battle in my mind and heart. But I have tried to live without him and I always missed him. ‘Can’t live with him, Can’t live without him,’ is always running around my mind. If we stay together, it will be a miracle of Ryosuke’s doing. He has sealed himself to me, and will do anything to make it work. Despite our engagement, I recently realised that I haven’t sealed myself to him yet because I don’t know yet if doing so will cost me something important: a piece of myself that I will have to forfeit in order to make our relationship work. I am BAB still trying to figure out if that is the case.
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