Well, here we are at the second entry for the Y column. Last week I promised that we would write about five characters even though there are only three characters in this column. Have you ruminated on this enough already? Or perhaps you know the answer already.

Most columns have five characters corresponding to the five vowels (a, i, u, e, o); however, this column has only three characters (ya, yu, yo). I’ll write about those characters in Soundcheck 61, 63, and 65. Today, being number 62, let’s take a look at yi. What’s that? Yes, there are indeed characters for yi and ye, but they are no longer in general use. My understanding is that they passed from use over a hundred years back. In hiragana we can write yi as ゐ or in katakana as ヰ.

Words using these characters are still in use, but the characters have been replaced with i and e. I am amazed at how complete the change is. Virtually no Japanese person I meet can make the old sounds, and only a small percentage of the population are aware of the characters.

I can think of similarities in English, for example the disappearance of people who make a distinction between words like ‘whether’ and ‘weather’, but it doesn’t seem so complete.

Today, I’ll just list one word as an example. Yinaka (ゐなか・田舎) is the word for ‘country’ as in country bumpkin, not as in “I love the country of Japan”. We use this word today, but it is written いなか or in kanji as 田舎.

Next week, back to characters that are still in use.

Maybe two weeks ago I rushed to the train station hoping to catch a train to my rehab, I was on a tight schedule since I needed to return to Tsu afterwards. When I arrived at the train station things were delayed. Rarely are the Kintetsu trains more than a minute or two behind schedule. Only a few things can cause delay:

• Earthquake
• Typhoon or heavy rainstorms
• Lightning strike
• Accident

After an earthquake they usually stop the trains while they are checking the tracks for alignment. If the power lines are intact and there isn’t any obvious track problem, I think they start running the trains at slow speeds until everything is fully checked out. This can create sizeable delays, but most folks are smart enough not to complain because “Safety First” is the motto around here.

I don’t fully understand why rainstorms can shutdown the tracks, but it could have to do with electric problems. Clearly, when a typhoon is passing through there are high winds and flooding, so I get why they put things on hold then.

Almost six years have passed and I’ve heard of one or two lightning strikes, which always require some repairs to be done.

Three varieties of accidents can occur: train, vehicle, and human. I’ve seen a couple minor derailments but have never heard of two trains hitting each other. Something very odd would have to occur to violate the safety procedures that much. Also, I haven’t heard of any train-vehicle accidents. One safety feature I noticed shortly after coming here was that every railroad crossing has a button to push if someone or something is stuck on the tracks. My understanding is that a signal is sent to every approaching train when a button is pushed. Human related accidents are the most problematic and hence most common.

When express or limited express trains go through local stations or railroad crossings they are moving pretty fast. Although the drivers are watchful and they’ll blast their horns if anyone is joking around too close to the tracks, if a person sets their mind to being hit by a train, there’s no way for the train to stop in time. Suicide rates in Japan are about 50% higher than America (a whole other lengthy post) and the common method is throwing oneself in front of a train. Some people say suicide is a selfish act; well, doing it in front of a train screws up the day for thousands and thousands of people.

My delay was indeed a suicide case, and the closest I have ever been to one. Once I caught a train, it rolled along slowly and when we went through Hisai station there was an army of workers crawling over the platform. Several people were taking copious notes and many others were measuring everything imaginable. Hearing about suicides always saddens me, but it was striking to see the aftermath. My hope is that more people abandon desperation and look to the future, so that we don’t have to worry about such a thing.

One dear friend sometimes says, “Those Japanese – they’ll eat anything!” Although, we do eat a lot of (what Americans would call) strange food here, I have heard many Japanese people say, “Those Chinese – they’ll eat anything!” Everyone has a different perspective, don’t they?

Well, back on task: presenting a reason for my friend’s sentiment – eating crab. You maybe scratching your head now and thinking, “Eating crab is not so strange.” Indeed many Americans enjoy a nice Crab Louie or some boiled crab legs or some other delicacy; however, the crab consumption goes down a little differently here.

Photo number 1: A Crab. This variety is fairly common here and quite tasty; however, it is a little small which means more work getting at less meat. Most Japanese people are not deterred by this – sometimes even skipping over all but the largest leg sections – and the reason will become clear soon.

Photo number 2: A Crab with Egg Compartment Exposed. Crabs carry a tremendous number of eggs in a very small pocket on the bottom of their body. Turning the crab over reveals a lid with a tab, making it easier to open the crab than your average Tupperware. Significant numbers of Japanese people consider this something special to eat. Significant numbers means “not everybody”, much like the arguments in Norwegian families about whether Lutefisk is tasty or not.

Photo number 3: A Crab with Body Opened. Similarly simple is the process of opening the crab’s body. We call these contents kanimiso (蟹味噌) and most people consider this a delicacy. Some folks refer to this as ‘crab brains’ because the crabs head and body are the same thing. Actually, this is all of the organs necessary to run their body. There are two main consistencies to this material, either one being very easy to consume by spooning out from the shell.

Kanimiso is high in fat and protein giving it a rich flavor, plus it typically outweighs the meat in the legs. Along with ease of access, one can understand why the smaller leg sections might be ignored altogether. Would you eat these?

Time to start a new column. This is a special column because it only has three characters, but we’ll write about five characters. You can wrestle with that until next week when the answer becomes clear. Until then let’s start the Y column off with ya, written in hiragana as や and katakana as ヤ. Normally, I strive for words that are both practical and not likely to appear in normal textbooks; however, there aren’t always perfect matches, but we should have some fun.

Yayakoshii (ややこしい) is an adjective for ‘winding’, ‘complicated’, ‘confusing’ explanations or procedures. When you have little skill with a language and you want to explain the details of something well, your speech will probably earn this response. I heard it early on in my time here. However, now I use it to describe a lot of paperwork and procedures we have to follow.

Yadogari (ヤドガリ・宿借り) is technically a Japanese word, but it is sometimes written in katakana, as is the case with many animals and plants. The name when written in kanji means ‘renting lodging’ – a perfect name for a hermit crab.

Yaaru (ヤール) is a term for the English unit of measurement ‘yard’. It came into Japanese through Dutch merchants and hence the pronunciation came from a Dutch accent. Naturally, this doesn’t come up in daily conversation, being an English unit of measurement. ‘Inch’ on the other hand gets used everyday because American TV consumption has unfortunately forced inches as the world standard.

Tempura Sakamoto (天ぷらさか本) in front of Tsu Shinmachi Station (津新町駅) is my favorite restaurant. Numerous times I’ve mentioned my experiences there, but let me summarize: a variety of tasty and healthy foods, reasonable prices, and a kind family.

Before my calligraphy class today I stopped in for their O-Banzai Lunch, a selection of about seven tasty dishes for one low price. There is always seasonal variation to the dishes, but for the most part it is free of surprises; however, new policy presented me with something different today. A local producer of organic greens and vegetables has convinced them to try his wares.

The tempura dish today had the staple shrimp, but it was accompanied by slender, tender carrots and carrot greens. Lightly fried carrot greens have a fascinating, intricate appearance and the delicate flavor is no disappointment either.

The yosedofu salad had additional Japanese radish greens, which also gave a nice, fresh taste. Today’s lunch was a special treat. Hopefully the arrangement with the local farmer will turn out well. Delicious, healthy food and support for local business make a great combination.

When you’re in the area, please stop in and enjoy the restaurant.

Since May I have been commuting to work by train. There are ups and downs of this mode of transportation, but let’s focus on the ups.

• time saving – as long as I’m going somewhere near a train station it is quicker to ride in a vehicle that doesn’t have the worries of stop lights.
• predictability – as long as no typhoons, lightning strikes, earthquakes, or suicides occur, the trains run on a tight schedule so I know when I’ll arrive.
• cost savings – buying a six-month train pass gives enough free rides to be cheaper than gas and tolls, not to mention wear and tear.
• but more importantly – free time – while commuting by car, one has to watch the road, but on the train I can watch ink on pulp…

Lately I’ve been spending that ink/pulp time reading a little thousand page book written by a linguist in 1954. It is broken into six sections called books and I’ve just started Book 4, which begins with Chapter I – The Taming of Smeagol. Yes, that’s right: J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” is entertaining me while schoolgirls in the background mumble things like, “Oh! How cool! He can read English.”

Anyhow, a recently read section left an impression on me, so here it is for you:

The window closed. They waited. Suddenly another voice spoke, low and melodious, its very sound an enchantment. Those who listened unwarily to that voice could seldom report the words that they heard; and if they did, they wondered, for little power remained in them. Mostly they remembered only that it was a delight to hear the voice speaking, all that it said seemed wise and reasonable, and desire awoke in them by swift agreement to seem wise themselves. When others spoke they seemed harsh and uncouth by contrast; and if they gainsaid the voice, anger was kindled in the hearts of those under the spell. For some the spell lasted only while the voice spoke to them, and when it spoke to another they smiled, as men do who see through a juggler’s trick while others gape at it. For many the sound of the voice alone was enough to hold them enthralled; but for those whom it conquered the spell endured when they were far away, and ever they heard that soft voice whispering and urging them. But none were unmoved; none rejected its pleas and its commands without an effort of mind and will, so long as its master had control of it.

Saruman of Many Colors was being described, but it made me think of popular politicians who make the oddest promises and requests and people enamored give support all too willingly. Maybe Tolkien should be required reading before receiving permission to vote.

Recent discussions around school lunch portions in the staff room generated a lot of ideas; however, it was just by random luck that an answer popped up. A few of us who work at multiple schools have been perplexed by the fact that sometimes we are given portions like someone at Rajneeshpuram would expect and other days we receive enough for a family of four and still there are leftovers.

My first guess was that they have troubles estimating portions for the office because people go off on business or are absent for other reasons, but that variance would seem to affect all of the schools equally.

On Monday the lady responsible for serving our lunches was trying to pawn off extra Okara Croquettes and having trouble getting takers. When I commented on the overwhelming quantity of food, her response fired a lot of synapses in my brain and I came to the answer. Mind you, the synapses were firing slowly and it took awhile to put two and two together.

Extra food and utensils are delivered to the office because any class with a shortage must send representatives to the office to retrieve a supplement (after being forced to explain in detail why they need it.) When a few classes have low attendance because of flu, there is very little need for the office over-supply. Naturally the 400+ student schools need a larger overage in the office for contingencies than the 100 student schools, so they have a greater chance of large portions.

Yes, this is bicycle related. No, there is no need to worry. Those lines are for people who know about my getting thrown by a rebellious bike early in the summer and being hit by a car on August first. Actually, it has to do with getting to the source of the throwing incident. As the Chinese say, “A picture is worth 10,000 words”, so here’s a photo for you.

Friday I made a choice between letting a car hit me and riding off into a pit-filled shoulder. My rear tire got snake bit and went flat fast. I walked to my class and parked my bike there until I could get it repaired on Sunday. We chatted about a few other issues with this 20,000 yen machine and while investigating why the chain would jump in 3rd gear, this is what we found.

The chain is resting up on 1st gear. Second gears teeth can be seen just below that, but in this photo you can only see one tooth from 3rd gear: 12 of 21 teeth are broken, with most of those completely gone. This section is where 8 consecutive teeth are damaged.

For several months I have been careful to avoid 3rd gear at all costs. I suppose a brief inspection of the bike would have made this obvious: sometimes we just have to open our eyes.

Here’s another photo showing a section where 3rd gear has more teeth, but look a little further down and notice that 5th gear is also missing teeth. It is hard to imagine a 20,000 yen bike being this cheap. The first teeth must have been broken in less than a month. I had an old Schwinn for years as a kid and never lost a tooth from a gear. My adult bikes have been in the 40,000 to 100,000 yen range and in thousands of kilometers of hard riding I’ve never encountered this kind of wear.

Some students upon hearing about early problems with the bike, looked at it and said, “It is good enough for normal people, but you are too extreme for it.” My fanciful illusions are that I am still an athlete, but when I’m being realistic, I don’t think of myself as The Steel Cracker.

Good fortune has led me to meet many influential people in this area over the last several years. Unfortunately I am only recently learning about a Japanese character trait that has made it difficult for me to maintain those relationships. In the not too distant future, I hope to write more about that for you; however, today is about getting reconnected with one powerful woman and results of our discussions.

Here are a few gems that crossed our lips:

• Don’t believe anything impossible – After researching business opportunities and finding one plan more intriguing and worth the risk, move forward with that plan. Many people will be quick to tell you that your plan is impossible. Since you have evaluated your options and found this one worthwhile, ignore those people and advance.
• Never give up – Naturally, you may encounter barriers to progress, but there is always some path you can follow forward. Some businesses may prove unprofitable, but always proceed from a point of power. Don’t stop doing something because you are fed up, or because it is hard, or because you miscalculated something. Put your feelings aside, suck it up, recalculate and continue.
• Don’t become distracted by any one thing – Negative things occur. If we focus on them, we will forget the positive and lose site of our goals. Living in Japan I have faced some daily hurdles, but they are what’s actually building a strong spirit in me to move ahead.

This final point got me thinking a lot. One example of daily stress is that foreigners have to deal with a lot of passive racism on an ongoing basis. Occasionally this builds up and even someone who loves temperance sometimes feels like punching somebody. One thought that crossed my mind this evening was how many times I am given favor because of my race. When we focus in on prevalent, but relatively unimportant discrimination, we forget about all the times our situation has worked in our favor. Anyhow, I feel a storm brewing inside. To be clear, I mean this in a positive way; dormant energy is bubbling to the surface. It is time to start making plans.

My biggest pet peeve as a teacher is hearing the words, “I don’t understand.”, “I don’t get it.”, or “Impossible!” while I am explaining something. Japanese students often believe that they can’t do things, particularly when it comes to learning English. Everyday on the TV they can hear many comments on the news or on talk shows, or from comedians about how English is impossible or at least for Japanese. Many of them in the more hard line areas also hear from family members that it is too hard, or sometimes that they are Japanese and, hence don’t need it. Sadly, I also hear comments from teachers reflecting the same attitudes. A big hurdle for me is to convince people who want to learn, that it is actually a possibility. Otherwise, they won’t invest the necessary effort.

While explaining a simple question and response type activity to students, one student spent half the time staring at his shoes and the other half entertaining a friend behind him. Turns out, he was the first to do the activity, and just stared through me and repeated, “I don’t understand.” Next I tried saying his line, so that he could just repeat it; however, I got the same response. Finally, in a fit of optimism, I reversed the order so that he would be last.

Clearly explaining in Japanese that if the students on his side of the room were willing to pay attention, they should understand the question and response very well after hearing 30 some odd people repeat it. The first few students on the other side of the room struggled a little, and I helped them a lot and reassured them even more. Around the middle of the room the pace quickened and the totally clueless were few. Elation swept over me and deceived me.

Wasting all the time with the “I don’t understand” conversations drained the clock. One of the jokers in the last row let out an energetic, “Yossha!”, which is pretty much a, “We did it!” (Irritated that they felt their time-wasting tactics would reap them some rewards, I ignored the bell and continued.)

From the middle of the room to the start of the last row, the pace was native-speaker fast: amazing what cutting into their play period can do to increase motivation. My joy was somewhat quenched when the final row struggled through and ultimately, when I got to the final student… and he said, “I don’t understand.”

As a saving grace, he was at least willing to repeat after me for his line.