Atsugi

I have gotten many questions asking about where I am going to teach and live. Here is some basic information about Atsugi, Japan where I will be spending the next year!
Location:

Prefecture: Kanagawa
Nearest big city: Yokohama (about a 30 min. train ride away) It's also an hour train ride to Tokyo!
Population: 225,622
City flower: Azalea
City Symbol:

Closest mountain: Mt. Ohyama
Interesting sites: Hot Springs, Iiyama Kannon (Shinto shrine), Sagami Doll theater
The city also contains a US Naval base. Which means I can make some new friends over there!
My apartment: No exact location yet. Close to the Honatsugi train station. Comes pre-furnished with all basic necessities including a TV, fridge, and rice cooker! Just no microwave... The company subsidizes my rent so it will only come out to be about $425 per month which is less than I pay here in Plainfield!
Comment with any other questions about Atsugi that I can answer.

Reflections on Hiroshima

Small detour from my travel preparation/introduction type entries. This weekend I went to Anime Central with some friends. This is the largest anime convention in the Midwest. It's always a fantastic weekend of anime, manga, Japanese fashion, music, and culture. 

However, this year my favorite panel that I attended was one lead by a survivor of Hiroshima. This brave and wonderful woman's name was Hideko Tamura-Snider. Her presentation was inspiring, to say the least. I really appreciated that she didn't dwell on what happened that day when the bomb fell. Instead, she took us on a journey through her healing process both physically and spiritually. She explained that she felt that her purpose in life and in surviving was to tell others what happened to her so that something like this NEVER happens again. It made me feel so small and humbled to be there. She had brought such a beautiful message and purpose out of such a terrible event. I was awed by her forgiveness. She could have easily spent her life hating the American people and feeling sorry for herself. Instead, she came to the U.S. and built a life for herself. 

I think I did learn a bit about the culture I'm about to step into through this as well. Japanese culture seems to strongly value this strong sense of perseverance and moving forward. It does not value revenge but rather learning from and taking what you can from certain situations. There were also a couple of negative aspects of the culture brought to light as well. She talked a bit about the Japanese sense of pride which is very strong. She told us how much she and other survivors suffered because the Japanese government refused aid from other countries. She also talked a great deal about her isolation fro mother Japanese people. You see, in Japanese culture it is the ones that stand out and are unique that are rejected. Everyone strives for uniformity. So even though she was a part of a horrific tragedy, she was shunned by some of those in Japan who did not want to associate with someone who had such different circumstances in her life. She was an outcast which is what caused her to come to the U.S. in the first place. When she ended the presentation all she had to say was to live our lives the best we can and make a difference in the world. All in all, it was a touching learning experience that I will remember for a long time to come. I won't spend anymore time talking about her journey. This post is long enough as is. You should just read her book! It's titled One Sunny Day: A Child's Memories of Hiroshima. I bought it and got it autographed!

Hideko Tamura Snider

Now for a pallet cleansing picture!

My friends and I pose for our traditional A-cen picture on Sunday

Why Japan?

One of the first questions I get asked is: Why did you choose to go to Japan? The answer is pretty simple: I am fascinated by Japanese culture. It would be a lie for me to not admit that I am a large fan of anime or Japanese animation. You will have to bear from time to time a fan girl post from me about an awesome anime I just saw or an epic Gundam model that I found but this will not be the focus of the blog. This is merely where my love for Japanese culture started. It started to blossom when I met one of my best friends in middle school. She was from Japan and quickly latched onto my group of friends since we were into anime like she was. I would love to spend time at her house. There, we would watch anime in Japanese, eat Japanese snacks such as Poky and Pretz, marvel at the beautiful artwork all over her house. Her mom noticed how interested I was in her "artifacts", so to speak, and started to take me under her wing. She taught me how to play the koto an ancient Japanese instrument similar to a harp and in the process also taught me a little bit of the language and culture. I was hooked. In college, I explored this interest further by taking East Asian studies classes focusing on history and religion in Japan. Although my favorite class by far was Classical Asian Theater where I learned all about the ancient arts of Noh, Kabuki, Bonraku (puppets), and even Sumo wrestling. I vowed one day that I had to visit there. So: Why Japan? Because it is a passion and calling for me to be there.

Introduction

Hello all! Welcome to my blog. This is the obligatory introduction where I let you, the reader, know a little bit about me in case you don't know who exactly I am. My name is Heather Reusz. I am a teacher. That is how I have been identifying myself for years now. I have been teaching in the US, specifically Illinois, for two years now but have been teaching before then in preschool day camps and all those pesky required hours the state of Illinois makes you teach before you can get certified. Teaching has always been a part of me. Helping others explore and learn new things makes me excited. Another part of me, however, has also been a traveler, explorer, and questioner. An opportunity presented itself to me to combine both of those parts of me into one whole. On July 8th 2011 I will be leaving my home, family, and friends to teach English in Japan. It is an absolutely thrilling concept to me.
Now, you may ask: How is your Japanese? Do you know anything about the culture? How did you even find out about this? Aren't you scared? DO YOU KNOW THERE'S RADIATION? Answers: Non-existent. Yes. The internet. Yes but mostly no. I'm well aware, thank you. These questions and more will be answered seriously at a later date in posts before I leave so stayed tuned and enjoy the journey with me.