Update - June 15, 2006

Just a quick update on what's been going on:

- Since April, I've been working at a senmon-gakko (like a community college) on Thursday mornings. The best part about the job is that I teach solo. I have complete control of my classes (if not the lesson content - much of which is provided by my company). I have to admit that it makes things run smoothly.

The worst part is that, unlike the high schools, it is extremely difficult to feel part of the college community. First, I'm only there a few hours a week on Thursday. I teach 2 English classes and go. Second, the full-time teachers there hardly talk to me. At first, I thought it was because my Japanese is poor. But there are many other part-time teachers, all Japanese, that come, teach a couple of classes, and go, and the full-time teachers don't talk to them, either, other than when they have a question. The part-time teachers end up talking to each other in the office.

- The World Cup has started, and I'm keeping track of the games. I'm rooting for the USA (which is very unusual. Even American soccer fans root for other teams). Of course, a 3-0 pounding by the Czechs don't do much for national spirit. At least the Japanese here have their own big loss to worry about and don't rub it in.

- I told all you guys about my basketball adventures at my old high school over the last two years. This year, the basketball team at the new school takes things very seriously, so sadly I can't use the gym for hoops. Not to worry... my time after school has been occupied by... kendo! That's right... the oldest Japanese martial art of them all. The kendo coach - who loves to speak English - encouraged me to take some lessons, and I took her up on the offer. It's not bad. I might continue it as a hobby. We'll see.

Ah-choo!!!

For some reason, I've come down with hay fever or something. This has been going on for about 2 or 3 weeks. I sneeze endlessly on days I go to high school and when I'm at home for hours - the only times that I'm around greenery of any kind. It's the first time I've had allergies like that.

What I don't understand is why I got it in June. Doesn't this usually happen in April? It's beginning to get on my nerves, I tell you that. I had a class today, and I was sneezing about what seemed like 30 times, interrupting my lecture in the process. Something's gotta be done about this.

Barkley for Governor

Just finished reading Who's Afraid of A Large Black Man by Charles Barkley. What a great book, and what a great format. Basically it's Barkley having conversations with many famous people - such as Bill Clinton, Tiger Woods, Samuel L. Jackson - about race. A lot of what Barkley says makes sense. Gambling problems aside, if he does become governor of Alabama, I just might go back.

Back to School

For this new academic year, I wasn't expecting to teach at a public senior high school like I have the past 2 years. My boss wanted me to spend less time teaching and more time in the office attending to HR duties. However, it turned out that the company needed an ALT at a senior high school on short notice, so I'm back in the public school ALT saddle once again.

This school is different from the countryside school I taught at the last few years. This one's located in Osaka city. The students are different as well - very different. The kids say "Hello" or "Good morning" to me with no effort. I was lucky to get "Hello" or "Good morning" in Japanese at my old school.

I had to teach my first classes my second day at the school, which was kind of short notice. So I just used the self-introduction lesson that I had used for the first classes at my old high school. That lesson was too easy for these students. Luckily I had something prepared, but still... It's a new world now. Should be an interesting year.

Update - May 7, 2006

A quick update on what's been happening in the past month:

• A few weeks ago, the GF and I went to see Craig David live in Osaka - the first time I ever saw my favorite singer live. Although I like his music, I heard bad reviews about his live performances. But we were impressed. We'll be there for his next trip to Osaka.
• For Golden Week, we did a massive driving trip all around the island of Shikoku, with some time spent in Hiroshima. It was great; it was nice to be able to breathe clean air and see trees. We covered so much ground and spent so much time in the car during the week that we didn't take a lot of pictures, but I'll post some of the better ones when I get a chance.

It's Too Early for a Bath

This is me in front of an onsen at Kinosaki last month. I think it was about 8 in the morning at that time. As you can tell, I wasn't quite awake yet. 

Update - March 24, 2006

As you can tell, I've been busy lately, and haven't had much time to dedicate to this blog. Sorry about that. I'll give you a quick update on what's been happening.

- The job has been stressful lately. Like I said before, due to my position I can't go into detail. I have this to say, though; if you want to take an HR/personnel job, you best be prepared to get involved in people problems that have nothing to do with you, even some that you probably would not want to get involved in.

- The high school year ended... well... like it did last year. It wasn't bad... but it wasn't good, either. I was relieved to get away from most of those students, but sad to leave the great staff and teachers at that school. Depending on what my company needs me to do, I may not be back there next year.

- I've never experienced more frustration than trying to buy the Nintendo DS Lite recently for my GF's birthday. On March 11, a new shipment was sent out, so we decided to go to Bic Camera in Osaka early in the morning, an hour before the store opened, to get in line to get one of those things. But it was already sold out - AN HOUR BEFORE THE STORE OPENED! They had handed out tickets for the things at what must have been 3 in the morning, and we were too late. We then headed to the electronics mecca of Den Den Town, and nobody had it there either. We searched on the internet all week to no avail. Then, on March 18, we happen to go to a local Toys R Us at 9:45, 15 minutes before the official opening of the store, and we just waltzed in and purchased one with no problems. Go figure.

- This past weekend, the GF and I went up to an almost-seaside hot spring resort town called Kinosaki. The town is centered on a canal, and you just walk up and down and visit all the hot springs. It was nice, beautiful, and kimochi-yokatta. But while I was up there, I fell ill with a cold, so I didn't enjoy it as much as I could have.

Bobby!!!!

Okay, this is beginning to bother me quite a bit. To students at my high school, I am no longer known as Herman. I'm known as Bobby Ologun. Every time I go to school and teach, I get at least one "Oh - Bobby!!!" from a student, whether its in class or in the hallway. You know what - it's not even limited to my school any more. While I was walking home from the train station the other day, these three high school-age punks on a bicycle yelled "Bobby!!!" in my ear as they were riding by. (I still can't figure out how three high school boys fit on a bicycle - another one of the mysteries of Japan.)

For those of you who don't know, Bobby Ologun is a K-1 fighter from Nigeria turned Japan television celebrity. Fame-wise, he hit the big time in 2005 and was all over TV, so most Japanese know who he is. That was bad news for me, at least as far as my work at high school goes.

Now, usually this stuff doesn't bother me. I take insults better than most people. In middle school I was called Steve Urkel. My first year of college, old white ladies said I looked like Tiger Woods. Heck, even last year, when I started work at high school, the kids called me Kevin Lyttle. I took all that in stride. But for some reason, this whole Bobby Ologun thing has really got under my skin.


First of all, I look nothing like Bobby Ologun, besides the fact that we both have dark skin. I can see the comparisons with Tiger Woods. I can even see Urkel. But I don't see this at all.


But I can be lenient on that. Maybe the real reason is because I don't like the guy at all.

If you've seen the guy, the way he acts in public is an embarrassment to black people everywhere, whether African or African-American. He's a straight up goofball, who acts stupid all the time, speaking botched Japanese (my GF says it's obviously on purpose - apparently Ologun has pretty good Japanese skills). It's good entertainment for some Japanese, but can you imagine the stereotypes that are forming in the minds of a people that hardly interact with blacks? Goofball. Stupid. Can't speak Japanese.

Of course, I shouldn't get too hot under the collar about dissing by high school punks that'll be pumping my gas someday. Nobody other than these students have called me Bobby. So I'm not trying to say that Japan is racist toward blacks or anything like that (Little Black Samba situation aside). But I'd be lying if I said the whole Bobby thing hasn't bothered me at all.

Game, Set, Match

Over the winter break, my hair had grown kind of too long. I guess with that, plus the fact that I've started wearing glasses regularly again after years of contacts, I looked like a very famous American athlete during my time in the U.S.

As I was going through one of the security checkpoints at Orlando International Airport in January, one of the guards said, "Hey man, I gotta tell you... You look like Arthur Ashe."

Then, on the plane itself, one of the flight attendants said, "Would you like beef or... hey, did anybody ever tell you that you look like a young Arthur Ashe?"

Well, as a matter of fact, yes, somebody has told me that. That's what I wanted to say, but I refrained. Anyway, it didn't take me too long to cut my hair once I got back to Japan. Not that it was all that bad to be called Arthur Ashe. Beats being called Bobby Ologun any day (by the way, that's a subject for a future post).

Donald and Me

Donald Duck's a great guy. He just quacks me up with those jokes of his. 

Get in my belly!

Now, Pluto is cool and all... but does my head look like a bone? 

The Leaning Dome of Pisa

Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. 

Honey, them gators are back!

Alligators in your backyard again, eating the dog, scaring the children? Call the State Alligator Trapper at 1-800-555-GATOR. Nobody captures gators better than we do. Again, that's 1-800-555-GATOR. Call now and receive coupons for a free alligator meat dinner! 

The Trip Home

As you may know, for a little over two weeks in December and January I went home to the U.S. for the first time in 2 1/2 years. It was a good trip. (In the next few days, I'll be posting up some pics from the trip, so look for that.)

A lot of the expats here in Japan say that when you go back home to visit, everything seems like a dream. They weren't kidding. I think the biggest thing that affected me was the sheer size of the spaces in America. Front lawns. 10-lane highways. Buildings that stretch sideways instead of up. Supermarkets located 5 miles away from home. After living in claustrophobic Japan so long, I felt disoriented many a time. Strangely enough, I felt like I didn't have a good grasp of my surroundings until I got back to Japan. But being in a place I had never lived before - Tampa and Orlando, Florida - might have had a lot to do with that.

Anyway, other than that, the trip was good. The nine days with my parents was very nice. My grandmother, my aunt and cousin also came down for Christmas. I didn't see my brother, though. He was busy with work and all. (Do you even check your email, boy? If not, get yo derriere to yo computer - I know you have one.) The rest of my time there was spent in Orlando with the GF, who came to Florida several days after I did. We went to Disney World and Universal Orlando. Overall, great stuff, man.

Welcome from the USA

To all my fans: Hello from the USA! I made it safe and sound to Tampa, Florida. Unfortunately, my parents' computer is all but dead, so this will be the only post I put up while in the USA. Don't worry; when I'm back in Japan, I'll write all about my adventures. Take care, guys.

"Konnichiwa... oh, my bad, I meant, whazzzup???"

Tomorrow afternoon, I'll be flying to the U.S. for the first time since I moved to Japan. I'm gonna visit my parents' new home in Tampa, Florida for a week before meeting up with the GF up the road in Orlando and spending another week at Walt Disney World. I'm kind of nervous; after all, it has been two and a half years. The last time I was in the States, George W. Bush was saying "Mission Accomplished" in Iraq. Colin Powell was still the Secretary of State. SARS was the big fear instead of the bird flu. Destiny's Child and N.E.R.D. were still together. Anyway, if I have access to a computer, I'll try to keep you all updated on my adventures. The Nihon Chronicles will become The Florida Chronicles for a couple of weeks.

That depends on what you mean by "Where"...

Every now and then in Japan, this kind of conversation takes place:

Somebody: Where are you from?
Herman: America.
Somebody: Where in America are you from?
Herman: Well... you see... uh... that is...

Okay, you're wondering, "How hard of a question can it be?" Man, you just don't know. Let me break it down simply for you.

• I was born in Birmingham, Alabama, and lived there until the end of my elementary school years.
• My family moved to Atlanta before I started middle school.
• Before my sophomore year of high school, we moved to Honolulu, Hawaii.
• After I graduated high school, we moved back to Birmingham, and not long after that, I went to college at the University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa).
• While I was still in college, my family moved up to Vancouver, Washington. After graduating, I lived there a total of 9 months before I moved to Japan.

Confusing, huh? I tell people in Japan that I'm from Washington state, to make things simpler. After all, that was where I moved to Japan from. But is that true? Am I lying to people? I don't have a good answer for that. Should I say I'm from Alabama? I spent about half of my life so far in that state. Plus, I was born there, and my grandparents and many family members live there. But my most recent memories of the U.S. are of Washington state, a place where I felt at home and had good times. What do you think? I wanna hear your comments on this one.

The Golden Temple

This is Kinkaku-ji in Kyoto, one of the most beautiful temples I've seen in this country. Yep, the walls really are lined with gold. This is a must-see for anybody in Kyoto. Beware the crowds, though. I went on a Tuesday and even then the walkways were packed. 

Memoirs of a Maiko

Here's a picture of me with some maiko in Kyoto. They look happy, don't you think?

That's The Way Of The World

I swear to you I'm not making this up. I get on the train this morning to go to the office. I stand in a space right in front of this salaryman jamming to his headphones. He looks up, takes one glance at me, then looks at his iPod, presses a few buttons, and starts listening to his music at a very high volume. It was so easy to hear the music, and when I did, I noticed he was listening to some Earth Wind and Fire! I guess seeing me in all my blackness put him in the mood for some 70s funk. You never know, man, you never know.