The questions from this month's lesson and my answers

What time do you get up?
I get up at:
7:00 when I go to Ohyama, 6:45 when I bike to Ohyama.
7:30 when I go to Ochidani, Awaga and the Junior High. Except on Fridays when I sleep till 7:45.
9-12 on weekends.
Student's answers: between 5:45 and 7:00

What time do you eat breakfast?
I eat breakfast only if you count eating something when I get up at 10:30 or later on weekends. I know I know, most important meal of the day, but when you sit at your desk for the first 4 hours of a day, it's almost sleeping, you just have to blink, breakfast is not needed.
Student's answers: between 6:00-7:10

What time do you go to school?
I go to school at:
7:30 when I go to Ohyama, or 7:15 when I bike to Ohyama.
7:55 when I go to all of my other schools.
Student's answers: on average 7:00

What time do you go home?
I go home at:
4:00 when I am bored and cold at Awaga and the Junior High.
4:30 when I am warm and reading at Awaga and the Junior High.
4:35 when I am at Ohyama to catch the bus.
3:30 when I bike to Ohyama.
4:16 when I am at Ochidani.
End of July-Mid August when I am done teaching in Japan and my contract ends.
Student's answers: 2:30-4:00
A teacher's answer: 6:00

What time do you eat dinner?
I eat dinner when I am hungry and ambitious enough to make dinner (read: when I have talked myself into leaving my kotatsu)
Student's answers: 5:00-8:30 (a large number in the 7:00 range)

What time do you go to bed?
I go to bed at:
11:00 when I manage to convince myself my bed is more comfortable than my kotatsu
12:00 when I planned on going to bed at 11:30 and it took me 1/2 hour to get there
1:00 when I am mid-conversation with someone on Skype, if I have a good book that has sucked me in, or if I manage to convince myself that I have to finish some show online
2:00 when my kotatsu convinces me I want to sleep there, and I sleep for an hour wake up and realize I should have just gone to bed.
Student's answers: average of 9:00 for grades 4-6

[Creature of habit? Hmmm, maybe not.]

Economically Speaking

I read this New York Times article, and thought it was very interesting. I've noticed the big public works projects-- tunnels aplenty and roadwork on roads that don't really need work. Here is a sampling from the article to tempt you.

"Japan’s rural areas have been paved over and filled in with roads, dams and other big infrastructure projects, the legacy of trillions of dollars spent to lift the economy from a severe downturn caused by the bursting of a real estate bubble in the late 1980s. During those nearly two decades, Japan accumulated the largest public debt in the developed world — totaling 180 percent of its $5.5 trillion economy — while failing to generate a convincing recovery.

....

Moreover, it matters what gets built: Japan spent too much on increasingly wasteful roads and bridges, and not enough in areas like education and social services, which studies show deliver more bang for the buck than infrastructure spending."

Demons, sushi, sardines, holly and faux spring! Oh My!

Japan recently　celebrated　the　first　day　of　spring.　But　not　regular　spring,　lunar　new　year　spring.　Which　is to say, not spring at all. Setsubun kind of passes under the radar with a few exceptions. (This list is an adaptation of the Wikipedia article and what I learned at my adult class.)

1. Demons! According to an ancient story, a demon (or ogre, depending on how you want to interpret the word) showed up at a small town in the countryside, demanding a bride. The most beautiful girl had to go, but she was obviously not impressed. Her parents told her to scatter soybeans on her way to the demon/ogre’s house and to trust them. Sure enough, the soybeans grew the next year and she followed them home. But, the demon/ogre was not keen on his runaway bride, so he demanded she return. The parents cleverly gave the ogre roasted soybeans and told him they could take their daughter back if he could make the beans grow. Having seen what the soybeans did when the girl scattered him, he agreed. Alas, the roasted beans did not grow, and hence he did not get his beautiful lady back.

The modern interpretation of this is that they have someone (in my case, the principal) dress up as a demon/ogre and children throw soybeans at him while shouting “Demons out! Luck in!”. Some shrines will also toss soybeans as a purification-type ritual.

2. It is customary to eat uncut maki-zushi (巻き寿司) called Eho-Maki (恵方巻) (Lit. "lucky direction roll") on Setsubun while facing the yearly lucky compass direction, determined by the zodiac symbol of that year. Charts are published and occasionally packaged with uncut maki-zushi during February. In my adult class, they brought a flyer from a grocery store advertising the uncut sushi, but only 2 out of 10 people actually had maki-zushi that night.

3. Sardines and holly. But the Japanese versions of both, which are similar, but slightly different. Some families will also put up small decorations of sardines and holly leaves on their house entrances so that bad spirits will not enter.

And so faux spring is welcomed. I can’t wait till real spring.

Two Questions:

For the sake of the above poster, Hamilton, Ontario = Canada and Himeji, Hyogo = Japan.
Granted, Canada is colder than Japan. However there is no season or temperature in Japan that justifies the existence of these, to which I ask the question: WHY?
Faux-fur trimmed short shorts. They are EVERYWHERE. and awful. NOT an acceptable version of winter wear. Why do they torture common sense so aggressively? Why?