(I realize, of course, that no one is going to respond to this, thus thwarting my openly stated desire. This is, in a small way, what it's like trying to speak with small children who don't speak your language. Even if they do understand your meaning, there's nothing in their makeup that disposes them to respond to anyone who isn't directly threatening them. You can say whatever you want, but there's no real way to know if you're getting through.)
Anyhow, what happened was I met a volunteer who was trying to bring some of her outside-world experience to the elementary school. Being, presumably, an outgoing, proactive type, she took it on herself to speak with the school's foreigner-in-residence. Possibly for a chance to practice her English, although I never really trust why anyone chooses to try and talk with me anymore1.
But she actually seemed interested in finding out what I was doing there, why I was in an elementary school and where I was from. At which point in the conversation2 she revealed that she had spent some time as a volunteer in and around the Navajo reservation in Arizona and New Mexico3. Although I couldn't work out what it was she was doing there, the subject turned to communication. And it was here that she stated, in surprisingly expressive English, a rather unusual opinion.
"I think," she said "that Japan has a great culture, because you don't have to use English to live in Japan. Japanese people can speak only Japanese here and live. With only Japanese [language4], you can live in Japan. We don't need English here to live, you know?"
This was puzzling for a number of reasons. First off, she could speak confidently and fairly well in English. She must have had a considerable amount of practice. And if her story about being in Arizona/New Mexico was true, she spent a not-insignificant amount of time in a place where she must have used either English or Dineh (not her native languages) to get along. So why would she view living in a monolingual culture as especially valuable?
There is a great deal of turning inward in Japanese history and culture. From the expulsion of foreign missionaries in 1587, the prohibition of foreign books in 1623 and the ban on foreign travel in 1633 all the way up to the obsessive reporting on Matsui, Ichiro and Yuta Tabuse (to the exclusion of mention of the actual teams they were playing for or against) and the difficulties of becoming a naturalized citizen. The world5 outside just ain't so important as what's homegrown. And that's not terribly different from life in the US, now that I think about it.
But in the US I don't get a sense that the majority of people there claim to be same-thinking parts of an indivisible American whole. It seems almost laughably simplistic to think that anyone would presume to speak for everyone in America, presidential and political speeches included. But people here often will, without batting an eye, say something about "we Japanese" liking or thinking or doing a particular thing with the unstated certainty that anyone else would naturally give the same answer.
What color is the sky?
"Blue."
How many minutes in an hour?
"Sixty."
What is the formula for the area of a circle?
"Pi times the radius-squared."
Who likes fermented soybeans for breakfast?
"Japanese people do."
Does your father like hot springs?
"Japanese people like hot springs."
Why do you study English?
"Japanese people can't speak English fluently, despite six years of lessons in school6."
So why would this far-traveling volunteer have taken the trouble to make herself unique in the respect of learning another language to the degree of fluency she displayed? Was this her attitude after making all the effort and receiving some insufficient payoff? Did she not get an opportunity to use all that language skill she'd needlessly acquired and did that make her bitter?
Or was she trying to say that Japan didn't need English or English instruction? Perhaps it was her way of saying that I was wasting my time trying to teach English in elementary schools (a point I'd be inclined to agree with for different reasons). Maybe she meant that there was no need for her tax dollars to be spent on importing foreigners to teach Japanese children a language that they don't need. Maybe she was trying to say, indirectly, "Foreigners out!"
Again, that's not too different from the US.
Okay, next time I'll finish that stupid LA visit story. Honest.
1 This is largely due to a surprising number of apparently friendly people openly stating that they "want to use much English practice of [me] because English lessons cost is too much high." Come on. Would you tell a lawyer you'd like to get to know her because paying a retainer is too expensive, or a doctor that he's invited to your party because you and our friends have rashes you'd like looked at for free? I teach English to pay the rent and put beer on the table. And it's not really my idea of a good time to finish work then go to some crappy coffee shop to continue working, not for pay, but at a loss of time, potential wages, transportation and the price of a drink.1a
1a At a typical chain coffee shop, around $3 for a 6 oz. cup of the house coffee, around $2 for an 8 oz. soda. No refills.2 It is worth noting that this is a fairly rare occurrence in 2nd language conversations in Japan. Ideally, most English conversations would roughly resemble a game of ping-pong or something, in which the conversational ball is propelled back and forth between the speakers by asking questions or making statements that the other person can reply to or comment on. But that sort of skill is almost never taught in Japanese English classes. As a result, most people are either unaware of, unable to or unwilling to take an active part in making conversation. Students in Eikaiwa schools2a will often say "Let's have a conversation," then give a series of single-word replies without ever asking "and you?" Again, playing the part of Charlie Rose or Conan O'Brien in a series of mind-crushingly dull interviews with people who have neither the vocabulary, the interest or the awareness of the existence of others needed to engage in ordinary dialogue is not my idea of a fun evening.
2a Translating literally as "English Conversation" schools, Eikaiwa are a rather profitable business in Japan that supposedly teach conversational English to people who have only learned how to use English on Multiple choice tests. While most take the form of group lessons focusing on specific grammar points or limited situations like checking into a hotel or talking about your company's new product, students can pay extra (anywhere from 50~250% extra) for private lessons or to join "Free Conversation" groups in which they can presumably practice speaking in a natural, unstructured way.3 Where I was born and spent my formative years.
4 I assume she meant the language, and not "With only Japanese people..."
5 And, by extension, the people from that place.
6 An actual answer from a student at the Eikaiwa I work at. Incidentally, while there are a few words in Japanese that correspond with the idea of "irony," none of them are commonly used or familiar as a source of humor or commentary to most people I've spoken to.
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