JET Programme Series: Settling in Hita City, Oita - Isiah Archer
2022/5/10
JET Programme Series: Settling in Hita City, Oita - Isiah Archer
As I settle into my first few months in Japan, I’ve been lucky enough to be take part in a few of the activities in my schools. I’m located in Hita City, which is found in the Oita Prefecture, one of the many prefectures in the southern island of Kyuushu, one of the major islands that make up Japan. Its a fairly quiet town with around 60 000 inhabitants, but still has enough modern shops and conveniences to make it a comfortable place to live in.
Hita is known for its delicious kaarage (かあらげ), which is chicken fried in batter infused with soy sauce. I found myself bingeing on kaarage almost everyday during my first month, when I wasn’t getting any school lunches and I was too tired to cook anything. Just look at it.
The ramen I’ve had here is amazing! I’ve never had soup this healthy before. Just the range of flavours and colours alone astound me.
Even the school lunches are interesting in their own right, although I haven’t been able to figure out what in the world is in some of these dishes, much less what they’re actually called. I’ll get back to you on that!
I have been able to visit different places in Oita Prefecture during my stay so far. I’ve visited the Amagase hot spring, Beppu, Oita City, Usa Shrine. I absolutely love the hot springs. The experience was quite unique and I’m not sure how many men from Trinidad and Tobago would go to the onsens in Japan, much less women! This was one of the first culture shocks upon entering Japan: there’s no real shyness among Japanese people being naked in front of each other! I wanted to experience it just to say I tried it but I was not prepared for the level of unabashed nakedness. I did not regret going, and I would recommend going to an onsen once, if only for the health benefits for the skin. My skin was extra soft after my 2 hr soak in the water which usually contains sulphur compounds that help to exfoliate and tighten the skin. I feel 5 years younger afterwards.
I currently work in 5 different schools, Tsue 津江 (Elementary and Junior High) School, Ooyama大山 (Elementary and Junior High) School, Toyama 戸山Junior High School, Tobu東部 Junior High School and Ono小野 Elementary School. I’ve been able to teach these students so much about Trinidad and Tobago and how people from the Caribbean live and what we’re about.
I was informed of the local community centre in Hita (named AOSE) where I was able to participate in activities such as Japanese calligraphy and Japanese language learning. I felt proud of what I made, even though I know it doesn’t actually look that good.
The people were so welcoming to me to help me in my struggle to better my Japanese.
I also met a lot of wonderful people who became good friends.
I have learned so much from my experiences in such a short time. Adapting to reading the signs and instructions has definitely been the hardest part for me, given my basic level of Japanese competence but at the same time, the challenge is so exciting and feel a level of satisfaction for every piece of Japanese I learn, including the kanji for the different schools.
There’s so much more to say, so much more to show you but alas, I must leave it at that. I will keep you updated as to my progress in Japan and let you know what’s happening. Until then, this is Isiah signing out!
JET Series: Settling in Hita City, Oita (Japanese Embassy's Facebook)
JET Programme Series Archives
Hita is known for its delicious kaarage (かあらげ), which is chicken fried in batter infused with soy sauce. I found myself bingeing on kaarage almost everyday during my first month, when I wasn’t getting any school lunches and I was too tired to cook anything. Just look at it.
The ramen I’ve had here is amazing! I’ve never had soup this healthy before. Just the range of flavours and colours alone astound me.
Even the school lunches are interesting in their own right, although I haven’t been able to figure out what in the world is in some of these dishes, much less what they’re actually called. I’ll get back to you on that!
I have been able to visit different places in Oita Prefecture during my stay so far. I’ve visited the Amagase hot spring, Beppu, Oita City, Usa Shrine. I absolutely love the hot springs. The experience was quite unique and I’m not sure how many men from Trinidad and Tobago would go to the onsens in Japan, much less women! This was one of the first culture shocks upon entering Japan: there’s no real shyness among Japanese people being naked in front of each other! I wanted to experience it just to say I tried it but I was not prepared for the level of unabashed nakedness. I did not regret going, and I would recommend going to an onsen once, if only for the health benefits for the skin. My skin was extra soft after my 2 hr soak in the water which usually contains sulphur compounds that help to exfoliate and tighten the skin. I feel 5 years younger afterwards.
I currently work in 5 different schools, Tsue 津江 (Elementary and Junior High) School, Ooyama大山 (Elementary and Junior High) School, Toyama 戸山Junior High School, Tobu東部 Junior High School and Ono小野 Elementary School. I’ve been able to teach these students so much about Trinidad and Tobago and how people from the Caribbean live and what we’re about.
I was informed of the local community centre in Hita (named AOSE) where I was able to participate in activities such as Japanese calligraphy and Japanese language learning. I felt proud of what I made, even though I know it doesn’t actually look that good.
The people were so welcoming to me to help me in my struggle to better my Japanese.
I also met a lot of wonderful people who became good friends.
I have learned so much from my experiences in such a short time. Adapting to reading the signs and instructions has definitely been the hardest part for me, given my basic level of Japanese competence but at the same time, the challenge is so exciting and feel a level of satisfaction for every piece of Japanese I learn, including the kanji for the different schools.
There’s so much more to say, so much more to show you but alas, I must leave it at that. I will keep you updated as to my progress in Japan and let you know what’s happening. Until then, this is Isiah signing out!
JET Series: Settling in Hita City, Oita (Japanese Embassy's Facebook)
JET Programme Series Archives