[Vivian visiting Tsuwano for its annual horseback archery festival]
Where were you in Japan as a JET and when?
I was an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) in Masuda City, Shimane Prefecture, from 2016 to 2018. I taught English at five elementary schools and two junior high schools each week. My closest school was a 15-minute walk in town while my farthest was about a 30-minute drive into the mountains. Occasionally, the Masuda City Board of Education would receive requests for one-day ALT visits to organize English activities at kindergartens and preschools around the city during school holidays. The energy of those toddlers for one day was enough to match a whole week of regular classes at my elementary and junior high schools!
What sparked your interest in applying for the JET Program?
Like many JETs, I first got interested in learning more about Japan through anime and manga when I was a child. My real interest in learning the language though began in high school. Thanks to the presence of Honda with related Japanese manufacturing companies and suppliers, there's a large Japanese expatriate community in Columbus, Ohio. My high school offered Japanese as a foreign language elective. I started studying the language to try to communicate more with a Japanese friend who didn't speak much English. That interest then transferred to initially minoring in Japanese at university. However, that minor evolved into a major at the end of my sophomore year when I discovered I really liked studying international relations and Japan. I competed in a Japanese language speech contest in college and ended up winning a special judge's prize. That academic shift in priorities prompted my Japanese language professor to recommend I apply to the JET Program. My professor had several students before that went on JET and enjoyed it. Furthermore, I had the opportunity to intern as an English language assistant at a globally focused high school in Yokohama while studying abroad in Tokyo during my senior year. I met two good JET friends teaching in Kanagawa Prefecture during my internship and both of them inspired me to apply for the program as well.
[Teaching numbers in English at Masuda Elementary School]
What are some of the things your prefecture is known for? e.g. food, hotspots, etc.
As one of the least populated prefectures in Japan, Shimane makes up for it with plenty of beautiful nature. My apartment balcony overlooked a field of rice patties and I was a 20 minute drive away from the mountains or ocean. I did a lot of hiking, running, and swimming during my time on JET. My city Masuda is also known for its produce, especially its wasabi and yuzu. One of the local onsens offered yuzu baths every winter. In addition, Masuda has a small airport that services daily flights to and from Tokyo, Hagi-Iwami Airport. Because there are so few flights, the runway remains empty for most of the day. I think that helped lead to the creation of the annual Hagi-Iwami Airport Marathon, where participants can run on the runway as part of a 10k or half marathon. I ran the 10k race the two years I was on JET and it was truly a unique experience.
For food, Shimane in general has many cities near the sea including its capital Matsue so the seafood (especially shellfish) is fresh and delicious. The prefecture also plays an important role in Japanese history and is known as the "Land of the Gods" as Shimane is home to lots of folklore and legends. In particular, on the eastern side of the prefecture lies Izumo, where Izumo Taisha is located. There are no records of exactly when Izumo Taisha was built, but it is often considered the oldest shrine in Japan. In the Izumo region of Shimane, the 10th month of the lunar calendar is called Kamiarizuki, the "Month of the Gods." Only this part of Japan can call this time of year this name. It's said that gods from all over the country come to Izumo Taisha to meet and discuss the fates of all living beings. When you visit Izumo Taisha, the way to pay your respects is different compared to other shrines in Japan. For the majority of Japanese shrines, you usually bow twice, clap twice, and then bow once more. However, visitors to Izumo Taisha bow twice and then clap four times before the final bow. Notably, the shrine also has the largest shimenawa in Japan, a massive Shinto straw rope made by twisting dried rice straws together.
If you go to Izumo, I highly recommend you try Izumo Soba as well! Compared to other types of soba, Izumo Soba has a darker and stronger buckwheat flavor along with a more chewy texture. Before I forget, I want to mention another great place to sightsee is on the other side of the prefecture, Tsuwano! Tsuwano is an old castle town known as the “Little Kyoto of the San-in Region." Koi fish swim up and down the canals along the main street of Tsuwano. The town is famous for hosting the Tsuwano Yabusame Festival every year, where you can watch skilled archers shoot targets on horseback. It's exhilarating to see archers gallop on their horses down a narrow dirt track while aiming their arrows to split wooden panels in half. I cannot recommend it enough to others considering touring the prefecture. Don't sleep on Shimane!
[Hiking up to the peak of Mt. Shinnyuzan and taking in the views of the Chugoku region]
Did you pick up any of the regional dialects? What are some of your favorite words or phrases?
Shimane has various dialects, but Iwami-ben is the major dialect I heard in Masuda. Some characteristics of Iwami-ben include replacing kara with kee and dakara with jakei. I also thought it was interesting that people used orimasu instead of imasu in casual conversations. This isn't a regional-specific word, but one of my favorite phrases that a Japanese teacher I worked with taught me was iki atari battari. The literal meaning of the phrase is "to go, bump into something, and then stop" or expressing a haphazard, random way of moving along. He often used it to reassure me that we could take it easy, go with the flow, and have fun during elementary school English classes. He was one of my favorite teachers I got to teach with on the JET Program.
If you were to return to live in Japan, would you choose to live in that same prefecture?
I loved my time in Shimane but I'd be open to experiencing life in another prefecture, especially one up north with more snow and less humidity. Masuda was a coastal city so even when we did get some flakes it was usually a thin dusting and not enough to make a snowman. I grew up in Ohio so I'm used to colder and less humid climates. In fact, my favorite trip I took in Japan while on JET was up to Hokkaido to go to the Sapporo Snow Festival. I loved traipsing around the festival grounds covered in white, admiring the snow and ice sculptures, and ice skating at Odori Park's illuminated outdoor rink. One of my travel dreams is to visit Japan again in the winter and enjoy an outdoor onsen while watching the snowfall.
[Snapping one last photo with Shimane yurukyara Shimanekko
at Hagi-Iwami Airport before departing JET]
How has your connection in relation to Japan changed since living in Japan?
I think my connection in relation to Japan changed significantly after getting to experience a different side of the country while in Shimane. While I had studied abroad in Tokyo, all expectations of what I thought Japan was as a country completely changed after arriving in Shimane. My JET experience challenged me to seek new ways to communicate and to consider other ways of thinking. I had to learn how to navigate a different work culture and day-to-day life in rural Japan. Important lessons I took away included being flexible and adjusting my expectations while also honing my public speaking skills. Even though JET made me realize I didn't want to pursue a teaching profession in the long term, it did cement in me my passion for international exchange and the importance of intercultural communication.
I'd like to think I played a role in broadening my students' understanding of the United States by showing how diverse the country can be and offering my distinct perspective as an Asian American, whether it be through cultural lessons or hallway exchanges. On the other hand, I gained a new appreciation for the kind of Japan that exists outside of Tokyo and other major metropolitan areas. I'm so thankful I was placed in a warm and welcoming community where I got to experience things I never would've been able to outside of JET: planting and harvesting rice with my schools, attending firefly festivals deep in the mountains, performing tea ceremony with homemade wagashi sweets made by my sensei at the time. I treasure all of these one-of-a-kind experiences.
After coming back to the United States, I've worked various internships and jobs related to bolstering the U.S.-Japan relationship. A research fellowship opportunity led me to Washington, DC, where I eventually ended up staying to attend graduate school for international affairs. I now work in the federal government in a role focused on enhancing U.S. engagement with the Asia-Pacific region. Since moving here, I've been active in the JET Alumni Association of Washington, DC (JETAADC) and served on the JETAADC Board as the Professional Development Chair and Communications/Technology Chair. This spring, I was elected as one of the Country Representatives for the JET Alumni Association of the United States (JETAA USA) where I support all 19 alumni chapters across the nation in strengthening U.S.-Japan relations at the grassroots level.
Additionally, I'm excited to share that I'm finally returning to Japan this fall for two weeks to conduct U.S.-Japan relations research on demographic change and labor policies via a travel grant provided by the U.S.-Japan Bridging Foundation. It's been nearly six years since I finished JET so I'm thrilled to go back to Japan and plan to visit Shimane to catch up with old friends and colleagues. I'm forever grateful for my time on the JET Program and how its impact has shaped and continues to shape me personally and professionally.
Thank you, Vivian, for sharing your JET story!
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