For the SAKE of it.

My mood swings quickly in Japan. It`s because of the whole intensity of the situation I think. Either nice things happen and I`m so overwhelmed by the niceness of people (like the enkai with the Hitachi kita teachers on Friday – where we went to a wonderful Japanese sushi restaurant – fantastic food – great conversations – and I was given two beautiful presents), or I`m so pissed off with the stupidity of certain situations.

I still can`t get over the time wasting – the life wasting of working in a Japanese organization. We are just here for the SAKE of it. Nobody thinks about things objectively from outside of the structure. The structure is how it is so we just do it. Teachers work until late but on Friday I stayed late to wait for the teachers because of the enkai. They say they`re busy – but to be honest the teachers room didn`t look massively busy to me. They were chatting, reading newspapers – some were working but it didn`t seem all that efficient to me. Why ON EARTH don`t they just get their work done and GO HOME and see their family instead staying at work until some stupid hour.

I have realized in my time here that people just like to fill the allocated time. Nobody stops to think and suggest how things could be made more efficient – perhaps that meeting isn`t necessary for EVERYONE to attend/ necessary at all. They must adore their structure as some kind of safety net.

I think about the spot club activities – staying at Kita I heard the band practicing until 6 (3 hours after school) – and I know this will happen everyday. Yet they didn`t sound very good. You would think – for a band that practices 3 hours a day and weekends too would be world class for that amount of practice! But for me it is a kind of proof – that this system isn`t effective. They`re filling time in the band practice. Just going through the motions. Not really trying to improve. Just happy to be with each other and fill the time. (I`m not ranting at the fact they like to be together – the group spirit that is created as a result of this time filling doing a collective activity is quite an amazing thing). I just wish they could step outside of themselves sometimes and relax – follow another interest – do something independent. But perhaps they don`t want to.

And the sport – when I cycle to my yoga class at 6 on Monday evening I always see the football team training hard. And I know that’s the case every evening. And the weekends too. I remember my supervisor in response to my exclaimation at this saying – yes – but the Japanese aren`t amazing Olympians despite this vastly different level of practice between Japanese students and others around the world. Which is true. Which is also proof of ineffectivity of the excessive practice. I remember talking to Joel – an ALT in Ooarai who participates in basketball – he told me his theory – that it is just endless training – endless little drills – they only play in competitive games for the last 15 minutes of practice. And I can believe it! I went along to badminton club because I was interested in it but I only wanted to do it for an hour I said.

My theory is that the reason these kids aren`t particularly good at what they do – is because the motivation for doing it doesn`t come from them. They do it because of the teachers. They do it because of the structure. They do it to fill the time. To be in the community of the school. The competitive and internal motivation doesn`t come from them personally in general.

They`re doing it for the sake of it – like so many things in Japan. Japanese people have an amazing ability to keep going with things/ put up with things that they don`t like. Teachers complain about the fact they have to work so long in the evening – because “everbody does”. But many have complained to me – so why the hell don`t they change this ridiculous situation! Why doesn`t someone speak out against the structure. It strikes me as crazy, but they just live within the structure – for safety. I can`t work in this way. So I`m getting out.
I won`t miss the work life. But I`ll miss the social life a lot. And Japan itself. Of course I`ll miss Japan. But if I`m being objective here – I suppose that much of what I like about Japan itself is inextricably linked with how they work – the politeness, the civic mindedness, the safety, the consideration of others, the kindness – it is created by the manner of growing up and working in the such structured and community intensive settings that frustrate me so much.