Yongfook is a web producer and usability consultant based in Tokyo

If you are at this page, maybe you need a bit of explanation. Yongfook.com wasn’t always about food or web development. From 2002-2005 I was a member of the JET Programme, a sort of cultural/teaching exchange thing. All the blog entries during that period are about my “hilarious” topsy-turvy fish-out-of-water “lol! I said ‘cunt’ instead of ‘bacon double cheeseburger’! My my, this language is gay” antics during that time. You’ll see a transformation from a young, naive-but-upbeat and generally likable person into the emotionally-unavailable, insensitive, racist, bigoted, tiny-penised shell of a human being that I am now. Enjoy!

(insert greeting here) bob head several times

Welcome to my world.

I met Kobayashi-san (my supervisor) at Kumamoto airport. To my ‘hajimemashite, dozo yoroshiku’ he retorted with “nihongo o jozu desu ne!”* - I have truly arrived. The drive to my village from Kumamoto city took less time than expected and gave me a good opportunity to view the magnificent Kumamoto scenery. Lush green hills, mountains, clear blue sky, the Kumagawa river rolling toward the horizon. Very nice. A far cry from the crowded bustle and polluted metropolis of Shinjuku Tokyo, blanketed in smog.

I am in a small village that grows rice and tobacco (and seemingly, breeds millions of insects - more on that in a later entry). However it is not as rural as I thought it would be. It certainly has a ’small town’ feel to it and there are no buildings taller than 3 storeys, but despite this, there are modern amenities nearby, such as a large ‘Jusco’ (Japan supermarket chain) a 24-hour conbini, a bookshop etc. All that I would need for everyday items - so as far as convenience is concerned, I am very happy. Even if the area lacked all of the above, I would still be ecstatic with my placement - why? The area that I am in is absolutely beautiful, and a joy to wake up to every morning. Also, the small-town community spirit is obviously prevalent - whomever I pass on my way to work in the morning, be it an oba-san (old lady) or a little kiddy on a bike, I am greeted with “ohaiyo gozaimasu!” (good morning) - to which I reciprocate the same, and also ‘good morning’ tacked onto the end as a bonus. Internationalisation and all.

Forgive me if this rambling prose is about as articulate as a- er- oh well there goes my power of simile. I haven’t been speaking any English for the last few days. Well, none that would be comprehensible in the UK. Everyday conversation takes place on a sort of pidgin-Japanese / bastard-English (complete with Japanese accent) basis with a massive dash of the universal language of gesture, and me occasionally repeating Japanese words that are uttered to me, as if I “wakatta” (understand). Hence, the ability to express myself in English is slowly being wrenched from me, bit by bit. Today I think Im going to lose metaphor, tomorrow maybe rhetoric. I am Jack’s withered brain.

I am slowly turning gesture into an art-form with my increasingly more complex bodily contortions when trying to explain something slightly more difficult than usual (eg. “is my car insurance policy going to be fully comprehensive” - my gesture for crashing a car confused most people). Although this is ‘muzukashii’ (’difficult’ - we tend to say this word a lot), we are all learning more Japanese/English every day.

I am living in a 3-room house for my time in Japan. It is absolutely lovely and has hardwood floors as well as tatami - tatami being the archetypal Japanese straw matting for floors - feels much better for your feet in the morning than cold linoleum. 2 of the 3 rooms are separated by a sliding panel, so I keep them as one large room which is my bedroom/living area. I also have a large kitchen, a bathroom and a toilet. I couldn’t be more happy with the house - it is perfect. Added to that, when I got there it was insanely clean - I am determinded to keep it that way, and hence will have to critically review some of my old habits from the UK (eg. general bone-idleness).

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 1st, 2002 at 12:55 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.