blog from japan 2: the meaning of immersion learning

八月十四日２０１１年

2

so as the heat swelters the shelters, the umbrellas, hats and covers

i stand inside this tokyo outskirt apartment and contemplate the meaning of "the best kyokasho [textbook] is no kyokasho."

what if for instance a japanese language teacher brought into the classroom old japanese cellphones and taught a week's lesson using the vocab and grammar (and functions) of the cellphone device?

in fact, presently i am in the situation of learning the "text" of a japanese cellphone. it's quite the challenge actually. but of course it's more rewarding than memorizing a sheet of vocab. and in general i am finding so many words and phrases that were never taught in the classroom/textbook but i am finding frequently on and around the signs and commercials of the texts of real life tokyo. yes i have mastered super simple japanese, but how do i use a rice cooker? and how do i make a phone call or send a text on my new cellphone, which stubbornly only speaks to me in japanese?

the pretext of this text is that the world is a text, in fact, it's the best textbook one could every find for learning a foreign language -- and guess what -- it's free. Well not exactly. No time or space is free anymore it seems. getting to japan from the states will cost you at least a grand, probably more like 12 to 14 hundred. plus, to walk the heat soaked streets of japan in the pangs of summer will cost you frequent trips to the jidohanbaiki [vending machine(s)] that line every street and corner for nice petite can of ice coffee or green tea.

at any rate, i am doing my best to apply the theory "the best textbook is no textbook." in order words, i study my coffee can and my receipt for new vocab words and its logic; i argue with the rice cooker over the meaning of chinese characters. btw, 炊飯 that means cook the rice, as opposed to massage the rice, whisper sweet nothings to the rice, and a dozen other amazing features your average japanese rice cooker will provide. oh, and when in the produce and dairy sections of your local supa [super market] you can look to decipher the origin of goods. note to consumers, probably discriminate against 福島県. probably not a good thing for fukushima, but neither is ingesting radioactive elements in your body.

blogs from japan 1

A year in Japan

八月十日２０１１年

1

so....

last night Casey and Jory (bless their hearts) took me to seatac at 3:00 am or so. well, you know, as soon as a found a reasonable place to lay down and rest for an hour in the airport with my sleepsack i realized i didn't have my laptop computer. i had left it in the car. i don't know what time the kids got back to oly but i am sure it was rough night for them, especially Jory, who seemingly is carsick easy. thank you both so much. it was really helpful. well, i slept or something resembling sleep with my arms stretched out over my luggage for an hour or so, which is when the kiosks opened up around four. at which time i check my three huge bags, which when carrying around feels very unbecoming. "wow, i have so much stuff." i am supposed to be that mobile lightweight guy. anyway, lets cut to the chase: last night i "slept" like a homeless person and now i find myself a VIP in a top notch lounge, where you can make your own personal cocktails, etc., because Dad used his flier miles to buy me a ticket (thank you Dad), which was our only option for getting to Japan (Nihon) with miles. the contrast is stark. indeed, i get the feeling of a segregated america: people that are privileged liked myself and people that are busting their ass to make it. i see all the working people on the tarmac, the people that sold me the coffee and food before i found out i could be getting that stuff and more (wifi) for free and at a higher quality. so, anyway, its an awkward feeling. besides josh's fancy hat, i look like a homeless surfer, which in some respects i am. so i feel out of place i guess and i really i don't desire to be here, though i can't refuse a free lunch and maybe that is precisely the problem of privilege. still, i would rather be in the crowded, noisy, expensive, culture of people. solidarity. then again, why think dualistically? there are a lot of people in this lounge that i wouldn't peg as super rich people. maybe there are other people here who got a first class ticket with their miles. anyhow, this is my first thought before the deep plunge into japan for a year: the prime minister of england returns from vacation in tuscany to help quell violence irrupting in the inner cities of london.

we will be in touch!

PS thanks to everyone who were able to make it to my party. it was a great send off.
--
カイル。ボンド
Kyle Bond
Inter-University for Japanese Studies
Yokohama, Japan
Kanagawa Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, 片倉 4-2-7