Culture & Education
2019/10/21
The Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme
Irish JET Report
“Happiness in Fukui" - Emer Geraghty (ALT, Fukui Prefecture, 2015-2019)
“We have won a trip to the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan.” Those were the words my father calmly said to a thirteen-year-old me one afternoon in our kitchen.
In 2002, due to my father’s busy work schedule and my adolescence, my mother happily flew to Tokyo, along with a group of twenty other Irish people. Not only did she get to experience the Irish soccer game against Saudi Arabia in Yokohama (a 3-0 win!), but she stayed in the fabulously accommodating Keio Plaza Hotel in Tokyo: the exact place where I would begin my own JET experience thirteen years later.
My initial image of Japan came from my mother’s short, yet unforgettable experience in the Land of the Rising Sun. The truth is, despite being a travel enthusiast, Japan had not initially crossed my travel bucket list. However, an image that remained distinctly in my mind was the one which my mother had described to me of some road construction in Tokyo. She claimed that she had witnessed high-speed, efficient construction work like no other. It was only when I came to Japan myself that I understood exactly what she meant.
Japanese construction and other features of its society, such as transportation punctuality, high class customer service and endless hospitality, are spectacles which I never thought could be a reality. Not to dismiss the wonders and glories of home in Ireland, but let’s be honest: I’ve walked past the same construction site in my hometown for over a year and been late for numerous dates because the train failed to arrive on time. In fact, little did I know how punctual Japanese transport was until I casually walked to my nearby bus stop in Fukui, only to see the bus driving off one minute before departure time. That’s right; on-time in Japan actually means being just that little bit earlier. Punctuality had a whole new meaning.
My JET journey began with the excitement of my placement announcement: Fukui-ken. I wasn’t exactly a Japanese geography expert, but I was delighted to be placed somewhere that appeared to be completely unknown, not only to JETs but also to many Japanese people, as I would soon find out. In hindsight, although I feel incredibly lucky and fortunate for my experience in Fukui, I do believe that I would have made the most out of any JET placement. I went to Japan with an open mind and no concrete expectations. As I prepare to leave now, I find myself with a great deal of sadness, but also with the excitement of what’s to come.
Fukui is known as the happiest prefecture in Japan, and rightly so. I may be biased, but something I always talk about with my students is the fact that people have so many wonderful activities to enjoy here right on their doorstep. Located in what is known as the ‘snow country’ part of the main island of Honshu, Fukui lies on the coast between the Sea of Japan and the Japanese Alps. Home to the Ski Jam resort in Katsuyama, winter sports are only a bus ride away. The largest Daibutsu (Giant Buddha) can be admired nearby. The temple of eternal peace, Eiheiji Temple, home to the biggest school of Zen Buddhism in Japan, is tucked away in the midst of the beautiful foothills of Eiheiji city. It’s such a tranquil place, and many never tire of it.
If that were not enough, make your way down south along the Echizen coast and you will see views and sunsets that will take your breath away. Spring brings the breath-taking country-wide cherry blossoms, summer brings nearby trips to the beach, autumn brings the unexpectedly unique Fukui Halloween train, where one hundred people take an hour-long local train ride filled with music, disco lights and fun, and winter brings the well-known summer confection mizuyokan (sweet red bean jelly). That’s right; often known as a summer treat, it is eaten here in winter. Fukui likes to do things differently.
However, I came to Japan with a passion to teach, and my job as an ALT has only enhanced this desire. I began teaching in one school in Fukui city. “City” it may be, but I still get a shock when I go to bigger nearby cities like Kanazawa. Overall, it’s quite a rural prefecture, with some of the lowest number of tourists in Japan. My school consists of about 500 students, and I must admit there was definitely an adjustment period. Once summer holidays finished, I was fully immersed into the school and teaching 15 to 20 classes a week. The students were constantly engaged and blown away that I wasn’t, in fact, from America, or Iceland for that matter. I was on a mission to share my culture and geographical location! The end of my second year brought a surprise visiting school where I would visit once a week for the next three years. This gave me a completely different teaching experience because the school consisted of only three classes with a total of 30 students. Located in the mountains, but just a 15-minute drive from home, this school allowed me to see how smaller schools operate in the countryside of Fukui. I was lucky enough to visit elementary and kindergarten classes nearby, too.
To this day, amongst all the experiences I’ve had in Japan, including teaching the “Walls of Limerick” to a group of Japanese people, taking part in a Japanese musical, joining two sports teams, switching from drums in Ireland to Japanese taiko drums in Fukui, dancing the Japanese Soran Bushi dance with my ninth-grade students (a traditional dance originating from fishermen’s lives in Hokkaido taught in many schools across Japan), making life-long friends from the likes of South Africa, America, Europe, Australia, as well as Japan, and climbing Mt. Fuji not only once but twice (but maybe not a fool, as the Japanese proverbs holds), it is being in the classroom with my students that has been the most rewarding and enjoyable experience. To have a shy student, for whom English is neither his favourite nor strongest subject say, “Emer, I’m going to visit Ireland in the future, and I can’t wait to meet more people like you”; it made the meaning and purpose of my job resonate strongly.
As another example of internationalism at a local level, I’m very proud of helping to start the first Hokuriku Patrick’s Day. Some joyous memories include: greeting Irish Ambassador to Japan Ann Barrington off the train at Fukui station and dancing with my father and students to Irish music in the middle of my new hometown of Fukui, played by wonderful Japanese musicians with violins, bodhrans, fiddles and tin whistles.
It’s fair to say that my entire 4-year experience on the JET Programme is difficult to sum up on paper. For those thinking of applying for, or waiting to start, that precious JET experience, I would recommend that they begin with an open mind and display an eagerness to learn, join in and explore. It may turn out to be a lot more than they expected. That is how it has been for me: leaving a part of my heart here in Japan and bringing my Fukui happiness back to Ireland.
“We have won a trip to the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan.” Those were the words my father calmly said to a thirteen-year-old me one afternoon in our kitchen.
In 2002, due to my father’s busy work schedule and my adolescence, my mother happily flew to Tokyo, along with a group of twenty other Irish people. Not only did she get to experience the Irish soccer game against Saudi Arabia in Yokohama (a 3-0 win!), but she stayed in the fabulously accommodating Keio Plaza Hotel in Tokyo: the exact place where I would begin my own JET experience thirteen years later.
My initial image of Japan came from my mother’s short, yet unforgettable experience in the Land of the Rising Sun. The truth is, despite being a travel enthusiast, Japan had not initially crossed my travel bucket list. However, an image that remained distinctly in my mind was the one which my mother had described to me of some road construction in Tokyo. She claimed that she had witnessed high-speed, efficient construction work like no other. It was only when I came to Japan myself that I understood exactly what she meant.
Japanese construction and other features of its society, such as transportation punctuality, high class customer service and endless hospitality, are spectacles which I never thought could be a reality. Not to dismiss the wonders and glories of home in Ireland, but let’s be honest: I’ve walked past the same construction site in my hometown for over a year and been late for numerous dates because the train failed to arrive on time. In fact, little did I know how punctual Japanese transport was until I casually walked to my nearby bus stop in Fukui, only to see the bus driving off one minute before departure time. That’s right; on-time in Japan actually means being just that little bit earlier. Punctuality had a whole new meaning.
My JET journey began with the excitement of my placement announcement: Fukui-ken. I wasn’t exactly a Japanese geography expert, but I was delighted to be placed somewhere that appeared to be completely unknown, not only to JETs but also to many Japanese people, as I would soon find out. In hindsight, although I feel incredibly lucky and fortunate for my experience in Fukui, I do believe that I would have made the most out of any JET placement. I went to Japan with an open mind and no concrete expectations. As I prepare to leave now, I find myself with a great deal of sadness, but also with the excitement of what’s to come.
Fukui is known as the happiest prefecture in Japan, and rightly so. I may be biased, but something I always talk about with my students is the fact that people have so many wonderful activities to enjoy here right on their doorstep. Located in what is known as the ‘snow country’ part of the main island of Honshu, Fukui lies on the coast between the Sea of Japan and the Japanese Alps. Home to the Ski Jam resort in Katsuyama, winter sports are only a bus ride away. The largest Daibutsu (Giant Buddha) can be admired nearby. The temple of eternal peace, Eiheiji Temple, home to the biggest school of Zen Buddhism in Japan, is tucked away in the midst of the beautiful foothills of Eiheiji city. It’s such a tranquil place, and many never tire of it.
If that were not enough, make your way down south along the Echizen coast and you will see views and sunsets that will take your breath away. Spring brings the breath-taking country-wide cherry blossoms, summer brings nearby trips to the beach, autumn brings the unexpectedly unique Fukui Halloween train, where one hundred people take an hour-long local train ride filled with music, disco lights and fun, and winter brings the well-known summer confection mizuyokan (sweet red bean jelly). That’s right; often known as a summer treat, it is eaten here in winter. Fukui likes to do things differently.
However, I came to Japan with a passion to teach, and my job as an ALT has only enhanced this desire. I began teaching in one school in Fukui city. “City” it may be, but I still get a shock when I go to bigger nearby cities like Kanazawa. Overall, it’s quite a rural prefecture, with some of the lowest number of tourists in Japan. My school consists of about 500 students, and I must admit there was definitely an adjustment period. Once summer holidays finished, I was fully immersed into the school and teaching 15 to 20 classes a week. The students were constantly engaged and blown away that I wasn’t, in fact, from America, or Iceland for that matter. I was on a mission to share my culture and geographical location! The end of my second year brought a surprise visiting school where I would visit once a week for the next three years. This gave me a completely different teaching experience because the school consisted of only three classes with a total of 30 students. Located in the mountains, but just a 15-minute drive from home, this school allowed me to see how smaller schools operate in the countryside of Fukui. I was lucky enough to visit elementary and kindergarten classes nearby, too.
To this day, amongst all the experiences I’ve had in Japan, including teaching the “Walls of Limerick” to a group of Japanese people, taking part in a Japanese musical, joining two sports teams, switching from drums in Ireland to Japanese taiko drums in Fukui, dancing the Japanese Soran Bushi dance with my ninth-grade students (a traditional dance originating from fishermen’s lives in Hokkaido taught in many schools across Japan), making life-long friends from the likes of South Africa, America, Europe, Australia, as well as Japan, and climbing Mt. Fuji not only once but twice (but maybe not a fool, as the Japanese proverbs holds), it is being in the classroom with my students that has been the most rewarding and enjoyable experience. To have a shy student, for whom English is neither his favourite nor strongest subject say, “Emer, I’m going to visit Ireland in the future, and I can’t wait to meet more people like you”; it made the meaning and purpose of my job resonate strongly.
As another example of internationalism at a local level, I’m very proud of helping to start the first Hokuriku Patrick’s Day. Some joyous memories include: greeting Irish Ambassador to Japan Ann Barrington off the train at Fukui station and dancing with my father and students to Irish music in the middle of my new hometown of Fukui, played by wonderful Japanese musicians with violins, bodhrans, fiddles and tin whistles.
It’s fair to say that my entire 4-year experience on the JET Programme is difficult to sum up on paper. For those thinking of applying for, or waiting to start, that precious JET experience, I would recommend that they begin with an open mind and display an eagerness to learn, join in and explore. It may turn out to be a lot more than they expected. That is how it has been for me: leaving a part of my heart here in Japan and bringing my Fukui happiness back to Ireland.