Storiography is the documentary work of designer Christiana Aretta.

Last week, I found out that one of my photos had been accepted for an art exhibit called “Japan Through Our Eyes: Photographs by JET Program Participants.” The exhibit will run from December 1st through January 8th at the Japan Information & Culture Center so go see it.

Or I will hound you. Incessantly.

Brazen exhibitionist that I am, I immediately volunteered to present at the opening night reception. I’ve actually given this presentation a couple of times but it was especially nice to give to a crowd with a good concentration of native Japanese folks. One of the nicest comments I got was from Ayako Smethurst, Program Coordinator for the JET Program at the Japanese Embassy, who said that the photographs transported her back to her own elementary and junior high days in Japan. So there you have it: independent verification that my stuff is the real deal.

Or should I say, #theRealDeal.

The event was recorded and I hope to have a video link for you shortly. In meantime, here’s my presentation in so many words and pictures:

The first thing I had to learn was how to take off and put on my shoes quickly and gracefully without sitting down or using my hands. A clear line between inside and outside can be seen throughout Japanese culture. These are courtesy slippers laid out for visitors to wear inside the school on Graduation Day.

The second thing I had to learn was how to respond positively to the typical reaction foreigners get from kids (and sometimes adults!) in Japan. This is first-grade Tomohiro after our first class together.

I also learned that my schools were tasked with instilling and maintaining a uniform sense of “Japanese-ness” in not just the students but their language, their behavior and even their physical appearance. Which 2nd grade Haruka (or likely her parents) are attempting to redefine with her dyed brown hair.

To build global cultural awareness, I did a lot of typical American cultural activities in class, like making Valentine’s Day cards. I let the kids decorate the cards however they wished – the girls would cover theirs with cute animals and rainbows, the boys with guns, robots, and Pokemon.

I also did a lot of roleplaying activities in class. Japanese theatre has a long tradition of men playing women’s roles that continues today. I find this photo of 6th grade boys playing with some of roleplaying props after class an interesting analogue.

On the left is Saki, in the fourth grade. Students are taught that the keys to success are discipline and practice, practice, practice. Every day at recess, while other students careened around her on the blacktop on their unicycles, Saki would rock back and forth in place until she could balance perfectly, even at a standstill.

Students also learn respect for nature and the environment at school. In the 2nd grade, it seemed like all my students, including the girls, went through a phase of keeping insects as pets. This is third grade Tsubasa with his new pet, a praying mantis he had just discovered on the playground.

Teachers work long hours in Japan. A typical teacher’s weekday would begin at 7am and end around 6pm, although the school day officially ends at 5pm when the students go home. Teachers also work weekends as sports coaches, chaperone at town festivals and events, and escort students to high school entrance exams and academic contests. Here, the junior high science teacher catches 40 winks at his desk after a full day of graduation events.

Japan is a vertical society with the older members responsible for transmitting knowledge to the younger (and ostensibly, obedient) members. Here, at an all-school carnival, 5th grade Hiroki shows 3rd grade Akio how to shoot a rubber band gun while, in the background 5th grade Natsuka guides 2nd grade Ruka into position.

Sports Day is one of the biggest events of the school year. Students spend over a month practicing relays, making costumes and learning dances. Here, you can clearly see the vertical hierarchy with teachers on the right setting an example for the 6th graders in the middle who, in turn, are leading the whole school in opening warm-up exercises.

Schools are also tasked with teaching students teamwork and how to function harmoniously in groups. Consequently, baton-pass relay races figure prominently into Sports Day. Each grade has their own relay – here are the 4th graders passing the baton in their final lap.

It is said in Japan that the only real friends you have are the ones you made in grade school. I think this is especially true for students in small rural communities who generally graduate from junior high school with the same 20-30 classmates they entered kindergarten with.

The final performance at junior high Sports Day is a circle dance choreographed by the 9th graders. As Sports Day is the last major school event before they enter what is commonly known as “high school entrance exam hell,” this is one of the last times for these kids to be truly happy and carefree at school.

The next three slides are examples of unique challenges I faced teaching English in Japan. Students who refuse to speak at school, like Miku here in the second grade, are not unusual. How could I make speaking English fun for a student who didn’t even want to speak her own language?

I also had a number of students who didn’t attend school regularly, like Aoi here in the 6th grade. She was isolated from her peers and awkward in group environments. How could I encourage her to participate in and enjoy group activities in English class?

These twins were diagnosed with autism and attention deficit disorder. They absolutely adored curry rice and Nintendo games and could take about both for hours. So we did. In English.

The boy on the right is ashamed. He’s refusing to join his classmates in a graduating class picture because, unlike them, he hasn’t gotten into a high school yet. High school attendance is not mandatory in Japan and competition for schools in the rural countryside where students have few options, is fierce.

This is the final procession at graduation. Non-graduating students and teachers form a human tunnel called the “hana-michi,” which means “flower road.” Here, it symbolizes how each student, like Ayaka above flashing double peace signs to her mom’s video camera, has blossomed and is ready to move on to the next stage in life.

These students are getting ready for school dismissal. Every day after school, regardless of weather, all students would gather in the school courtyard to listen to announcements from teachers. During these announcements, they were expected to stand neatly and silently in rows and listen attentively. But in the ten minutes or so it would take the entire school body to come together with their hats, coats, backpacks, artwork, science projects, homework, PE uniforms, etc., they’re just regular kids – free to relax and play. (This incidentally, is the photograph that was chosen for the exhibition)

A note: my favorite part of this picture is the discarded glove in the lower left. Wherever there be kids, there are also discarded gloves (and socks and hats and pencils and..)

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