On July 28th of this year, I returned from a 3 year stay in Japan.  I was in Japan teaching English at a junior high school on the Japan Ministry of Education's JET program. The JET program is an experience of a lifetime. I highly recommend that anyone who has a love for Japan, for children, for teaching or for even learning to apply to this program.  The past 3 years were absolutely wonderful.  I had a chance to learn firsthand the ins and outs of the regular Japanese lifestyle and also I was able to teach in my own way and my own pace about my own country and culture.
I have returned to Alabama this summer and I am currently interviewing with a few local companies and I'm excited at the many possibilities that have opened up for me.  I have been invited to speak at local schools and churches about my experiences while living in Japan and I just recently gave a class Q and A session at the high school from which I graduated .  It was interesting to see the definite differences and similarities between Japanese and American students.
Even though I am happy to be home, I am anxious to return to Japan at the earliest possible moment.  I loved living there and I feel that a part of me will always be in the 田舎 area where I lived.  I am looking forward to this Christmas when many of my friends from Japan will be visiting me for the holidays. I am ready to give them the best of Alabama in return for their welcoming me to their country and into their lives the way that they did.

 

From Miyazaki
            If you ever find yourself in Kyushu be sure to visit Miyazaki. This sunny coastal town is a lot like Florida in weather and temperament. I live just outside of Miyazaki city where I teach English at Miyazaki International College.

            Folks in Miyazaki are really relaxed. They seem mellowed by the sunshine and good weather and things don't move as fast as they do in Tokyo. Everyone goes outside to play, adults included. On the weekends if you stroll downtown in the entertainment district, you will see men and women dressed in jinbei, which are like pajamas. Instead of sake, people drink shochu. The town is very laid back but full of its own unique life and energy.

            Miyazaki dialect also seems very quaint in many ways, but everyone loves it. Here are a few examples in romaji:

            Every winter the Yomiuri Giants come to Miyazaki for their training camps. I often see some of the less famous players at the prefectural gym at that time. Also earlier this year Tiger Woods was over here for the Phoenix Dunlop Tournament. Why not come over and see for yourself?       

I talked about SUSHI in the  Ferguson Center cafeteria in the last issue. Now Ferguson Center is renovated and exteneded for another all-you-can-eat-salad bar  (finally!! they had been working on it since summer, and the road next to it had been closed a long time.) If you visit the campus, you can see a lot of difference around that area. 

The Japanese classes are all doing great. Two of our students, Whitney Noland and Victoria Bohrer are going to study in Japan this Spring, and more are ready to go next fall.  

Please keep in touch. 

                                                                                 Dr. Koji Arizumi

 ua_japanese_arizumi@hotmail.com