Japanese Baseball

3/29/09
This past Sunday I took a train up to Saitama to see a preseason baseball game at the Seibu Dome. The Seibu Lions were hosting the Tokyo Yakult Swallows.

I was taken by Brad and Jordan: two brothers who are taking their last semester of law school together at Temple University in Tokyo. Brad is soft spoken with a strong athletic frame and Jordan is a big teddy bear of a man, who has no fear to say or do the outrageous at any moment. They invited me at the Chabad House and we took the train north together.

We took four sets of trains and arrived at the shining silver dome after noon. As we approached, we could hear the roar of the crowd, the beating of drums and loud unified cheers. Upon entering, I was engulfed in the sweet fruits of the values of Japanese culture.

(These values, which do not always taste sweet, but have a beautiful appearance, are unity, harmony, professionalism and attention to detail. To keep a unified and harmonious society, Japanese are very polite, wary of the opinions of others and stray from speaking of controversial issues that may lead to argument [i.e. politics]. Such is one strong internal mechanism that keeps the society peaceful and efficient. Also professionalism and attention to detail are very important. For example, I have seen a parking attendant team, dressed up in sharp uniforms and communicating with walkie-talkies, flag a car into a spot with the same intensity and focus as a flight ground crew bringing down an emergency snowstorm landing of the President of the United States of America.)

The ideals of unity and harmony were on full display from the moment we walked in. The team’s colors of sky blue and white could be seen throughout the dome, from the bathroom walls, to the clothing and faces of the fans. Also, the “bleacher” section was filled with loud and inspirited fans, who had a large array of megaphone-led unified chants, songs, dances and carried large flags and banners. At one point, the entire section took out blue umbrellas and danced and chanted in a nearly professionally choreographed manner. They would cheer loudly as the pitches were delivered and explode with joy on good outcomes. They were always positive, never booing the other team or disrespecting their players. It gave the feeling that the fans were actually a part of the wholeness of the team: the body was on the field, but the spirit was in the stands.

Professionalism and attention to detail could be seen on the field. The players displayed great technical skills and perfect form even while practicing between innings. They all seemed to know exactly how to act in each situation and I did not see one mental mistake throughout the game.

Although our tickets were in another location, Brad and Jordan could not stay far from the effusive buzz of the “bleacher” section. There they made quick friends with the fans, learned the cheers and dances, waved blue flags and acted as wildly as possible. At one point, Jordan picked up a fan on his back, shook him and roared.

The Lions won the game 9-6. After the game we stayed for a pep rally of drumming, flag waving and cheers and headed home. On the way, Brad and I spoke about favorite prayers and I offered him to put on my Teffilin. He agreed and, just as the sun was setting, he and his brother strapped on the holy black boxes, faced Jerusalem and had moments of peace. Soon after we parted, in gratitude.

Tuesday Teaching: Kamio-oka

On Tuesdays, I travel north again to an urban suburb of Yokohama named Kamio-oka. The classroom is located in the city center, near major train and subway stations, sprawling commercial areas and a river.

The commute usually entails a 40 minute drive in tight traffic. I try to make the best of it by singing Shabbat melodies and listening to Eagle 810 (the military’s radio station).

Upon arrival, I carry my bag of props up a flight of stairs to a small room. The room sits above a small art gallery, run by a cheerful　little woman with large glasses.　　When I pass, she bows low and smiles, saying few words.

The first class is comprised of four playful students of early elementary school age. When I arrive, they are usually hiding behind the door or in the side room. They wait for me to find them, laugh very loud and then the class begins. In this class, the stamp competition became particularly close and heated. The boys combined for one team and the girls for the other. Going into the final day, the score was Boys 269 – Girls 266. The lesson was filled with stamp opportunities, and stayed intensely close. The deciding factor was a game of team tic-tac-toe for two stamps. It came down to the final question, and the girls won. After counting all the stamps, the final score was Girls 291 – Boys 289. The girls let out a great cry, I gave them their reward (pictured above) and handed the boys a second-place prize. They all left in high spirits, unaware that they had just been pushed to personal highs in learning.

The next class contains two mild and disciplined older elementary school aged students. It is easy to get them to passively repeat phrases, but penetrating the English into their minds takes effort. I try to add in more games and movement to make it interesting and occasionally I will lighten the mood and get some smiles. The fruits of the effort have been much progression and enjoyment from all parties.

After they leave, I have a 50 minute break to explore Kamio-oka. I usually walk through the thin streets, tasting the distinct flavor of Japanese urban life. Squeezed together within a few acres of land, there are flower and vegetable stands, large department stores, “pleasure” shops, pachinko (slot machine) parlors and high and low class restaurants. I pass flocks of neatly-dressed and homogeneous Japanese, walking fast with heads down, all nice and orderly. After, I recite the evening prayers and prepare for the incoming students.

The third class is composed of junior high and high school students. Two have spent time studying English in America

and all are very advanced. They have studied English in school and their vocabulary and grammar is strong. Because of this my lessons focus less on the words themselves, but on conversation.

Many are naturally shy and need to be pushed to use their knowledge when they speak. We read and repeat textbook sentences together to get good pronunciation and word flow. In addition to this, we have practiced Star Wars dialogues to encourage loud and emotional conversation. This has brought much enjoyment and has advanced their bravery and speaking ability a great deal.

After, I give the boys a “youth-style” handshake, pack up and take the long road back.

The semester ended this week. Some old students will be leaving and new students will be coming. I have become close to many, and it will be sad to see them go. However, I am confident that each has advanced their English and grown in ways they had not expected.

Of the Ascent

The winter brought a great fire that moved my heart and its desires for the future. Its impact brought great inspiration to accelerate my religious practice.

A twist in fate brought an early leaving date from the Matsuzaki Home and a soon-coming move back to the Matty's Dorm. I decided to take the opportunity to begin a stricter observance of the kosher eating laws.

(This means to not only forgo eating pig or shellfish, but all that is produced without the strict observance of a Rabbi specialist. Because of this, I will be getting most of my food from the Chabad Houses in Tokyo. In order to kosher cooking and eating utensils, they must be purchased anew, immersed in a body of water [at least the size of a large hot tub], and blessed.)

On the night after Purim, I set out on the task of koshering newly purchased cooking and eating utensils. I packed the large front basket of my bike with a glass, bowl, spoon, chopstick set, knife, cutting board, a pan and its cover and three plastic containers and headed to Zushi Beach.

Winter had not fully let go, and there was a strong wind and slight chill in the air. The moon was full and peaking in and out from behind a partly overcast sky.

As I rode onward, I felt very strong. I was fulfilling a command of G-d; on a mission from the Most High.

I arrived at the beach. It was desolate. The clouds were intense and the wind was howling. Afternoon showers left the sand soft and wet and a 20 foot long, two inch deep pool between the naked sand and the shoreline.

I had no choice but to take off my shoes and socks and wade through. As I laid down the bike and made three sets of piles, the clouds parted and the moon shined in full brilliance.

Then I walked in with prayer book in hand. It was dark and difficult to stay dry, but thankfully nothing was lost or damaged. I immersed the vessels, loudly recited the blessings above the waves and wind and headed home. I did not feel cold for a moment.

Back at the house, I went straight to the shower and washed the sand off myself and that which I had just blessed.

As I dried them off, the vessels appeared to glisten. Soon after I went to sleep, with a sated heart.

Love and sacrifice feed each other.

Shodo (Part II)

As written earlier, I have been practicing calligraphy with my home stay father, or Oto-osan. He has introduced me to a style and set of techniques that have taken my ability to the next level.

The style is a mix between kai-sho (common script) and gyo-sho (cursive script) and includes four characters on one page.

This format has also introduced me to the Japanese art of the four character idiom. The following is the meanings of works of this page (top right, bottom right, top left, bottom left). “No break, No bend.” “One will, master (of) the heart.” “Taiko (Drumming), soul beating.” and “Initial will, penetrates the completion.”

Oto-osan taught me a number of techniques that have greatly increased the quality of my work. The most important is the step-by-step process of making each individual stroke. First, push the brush down from a 90 degree angle, hold for one second, then move and pause for one second at the end and lift up. (I believe such is good guidance for handling the ventures of life. First, pause for contemplation and decide the right course of action. Then move forward without looking back. At the end, take a moment to make sure everything went well and then move on.)

As we learn, Oto-osan often spouts pearls of brilliant wisdom and inspiration with his low deep voice. He has said, “write small, looks big,” “continue is power,” and “concentrate, practice, concentrate, practice.”

One night he told me, “flavorman, is a gentleman.” At the time, I nodded and laughed, but didn’t understand what he meant until after much contemplation.

I always envisioned flavor as the “bam” spice of Emeril Legasse, which is anything but what we think of as gentle. After thinking further, I understood that flavor is not dependent on extremes of hotness or sweetness.

Flavor is a refined taste that comes from harmony with and consideration of the other foods. Something stolid、dry and innovative has no flavor, but neither does an overpowering spice.

In the same way, a person could have a fiery personality, and bring loud laughter and joy, but if he or she does not consider the feelings of others, his presence can spoil the atmosphere. As making careful combinations of spices, herbs, and base foods, makes a delicious meal, the gentle nature of a flavorman takes a group of individuals and makes a family.

Thank G-d, I have had extraordinary teachers. May such fortune continue.

Monday Teaching: Sakonyama

Here is the first of what I hope to be a complete set of writings on the Japanese English teaching experience.

On Mondays, I take the tole road north to Sakonyama, a relatively rural Yokohama suburb. Driving at high speeds, without the continuous stop-start-stop driving of the normal trafficked commute, is liberating and a very enjoyable experience in itself.

The Sakonyama Class is at Ueno Kindergarten. The building neighbors a large vegetable farm and the sweet scent of burning cedar or other vegetation is often in the air as I exit the car. I usually arrive as the students are getting let out, and am engulfed in a sea of loud giggles and bubbly smiles. I pass through, recite the afternoon prayers, quickly set up the classroom and begin.

The first class has four girls. They arrive early in their Ueno Kindergarten uniforms and wait for me to set up, laughing loudly at everything I say or do. This light mood, along with their short attention span, makes them very difficult to teach and their lessons are often exhausting. To keep them interested, I have to be constantly on the move; singing, playing games and aimlessly running around. If I am not creative enough and my acts go stale, I will lose their focus and the lesson will be in vain. Exerting effort to keep their attention and to inspire them to participate and understand has taught me a lot about the nature of children.

The class’ smallest student is a little doll named Reika. She wears a red hair band and bangs and purposefully makes her voice high and squeaky. Sometimes before class we play voice games together. I squeak three times, and she makes three squeaks. I make three higher and faster squeaks and she imitates, and so on.

After they leave, I have a five minute break. Then the third class’ three students enter. I greet them with “Hello, How are you?” and they respond, “I’m fine thank you and you.” When I first started two of them were quite mischievous, making witty comments and hiding in the cubby holes. To counter this and redirect their talents, I created a behavior modification system (adapted from that which I used at Windsor Academy). If they do good, they get a stamp, if they misbehave, a stamp gets X-ed out. At the end of the semester the winner gets a “big candy.” This has created a healthy competition and a lively atmosphere.

The third class has four well-motivated and intelligent students. The crown is a young boy named Ho-ota. Ho-ota is super interested and excited about learning English. He runs into the classroom, greets me with a loud “Hello” and often leaves with a jumping high five and loud laughter. He wears an array of interesting and character portraying t-shirts. One says, “Perfection: kid running at full speed” and another says “Beetle (collecting) Champion.” He is a pleasure to have in the classroom and I greatly admire his spirit.

The fourth class is the most precocious of the week. It consists of two best friends that understand what I teach so fast that sometimes it’s difficult to fill the 40 minutes of class time. They are so high, that it is difficult to see where to push them upward to. Such is a puzzle that I have yet to complete, but I will continue to put in effort and hope a creative solution will arise.

After they leave, I clean up and head to the car. This moment brings one of two distinct feelings: exhaustion or glory.


Exhaustion has come when I was not fully prepared, had too little sleep and/or did not teach to my full ability.

Glory comes with a soothing internal fire. This feeling means that I fought with all my heart and that everyone involved learned and grew.

Thank G-d, there has been much glory.

Sankeien Park with Sekino Family

There is a well known Japanese proverb that states "ichi-go ichi-eh" or "One meeting, One face-to-face." It teaches that each encounter, whether it be a breakfast with one’s father or a one-time conversation with a stranger, carries great significance. Out of the entire expanse of history and the vast lands of the earth, each moment of meeting has been orchestrated for a purpose. It is unprecedented and unrepeatable. Because of this, the proverb teaches that one should face their conversant with full attention of mind and heart and make the most out of the encounter.

With this in mind, I spent a wondrous day with Sekino-san and Yumiko-san: two immensely loving and caring people who have treated me as their own son.

It started at Oppama station, where they picked me up and drove north to Yokohama. I sat in the backseat and we quickly got into our old conversation groove. We spoke of Japanese thinking, trees, birds and much more, learning and laughing all the way.

We arrived at Sankeien Park under cloudy skies. Such was opportune, for when the heavens are gray, the earth’s colors are more vibrant.

Sankeien Park is a large piece of property, donated by a wealthy silk merchant family in the 20th century. It has many ponds, old houses from around Japan, a bonsai exhibit and about 100 ume, or plum blossom trees.

Soon after passing the gate, we headed to a large pond and watched visitors feed its coi, or carp, and water fowl. A large pack of tufted ducks, with their yellow eyes, bluish beaks and thin black ponytails, would all swim together in the same direction. During feeding, they would paddle to the food, grab it and dive under to enjoy a private snack somewhere unbeknown to me.

After, we strolled to a bonsai tree exhibit. There were trees of various breeds, ages and sizes. Sekino-san said that some were 200-300 years old. I heard that molding and taking care of a bonsai requires a lot of work, and I hope to learn and write more of the process in the future.

Then we headed around the large pond, alongside the multitudes of blooming ume. We stopped in a small hut, where they were serving scorching hot tea next to a warming fire. Over the fire, in the center of the hut, hung a large boiling pot. The volunteers would add and take from the pot to make the tea. Such was a very nice courtesy and window into the past.

Soon after we arrived at a small museum. Inside were dozens of seasonal scroll paintings. Most portrayed the ume, next to a poem or other writing or alongside a bird. Many Japanese have the custom of making a special space in their house for the scroll painting, changing the design with the turning of the month or season. They are very fond of the seasons of nature, and changing the scroll painting is a way of bringing this feeling inside the home.

After, Sekino-san took me out to eat in Yokohama Chinatown for lunch. He bought me roasted chestnuts to give to the Matsusaki family and dropped me off at the train station on the way home.

A meeting and relationship of very high quality. Thanks to the Great Orchestrator.

Of Winter

The cold of winter in the Miura Peninsula comes in waves：three cool days, four cold days and then two mild days. Although the temperature barely dips below freezing, bitter cold comes occasionally. This is because the houses and office buildings do not have central heating and are not insulated as in America. The Japanese have small gas or oil heaters, used only at certain times and in certain rooms. Thankfully it has not broken my spirit, but getting out of the shower, or out of bed in the middle of the night can chill down to the bone.

This said, there are many inspiring points of winter time on the Miura Peninsula.

The season started with the New Year’s celebration. In Japan, such is a 4-10 day event, where families get together from all over the country to enjoy traditional activities and seasonal foods.

New Year ’s Day at the Matsusaki house began with the annual hike to Hiro-o Mountain to see the sun rise on the new year. The house was decorated with New Years’ colors (red and white) and crafts (bamboo, pine and berry creations) and special New Years’ foods (soba noodles, sweet black beans, rice cakes and much much more) were served. Family came from out-of-town and played with tops, flew kites and drew shodo characters (Each individual chose a character that represented their resolution for the coming year. For example, Oka-asan wrote “continue” and I wrote “return”).

Winter is the local area's driest season. This brings many fair and deep blue skies, which unveil views of Fujisan, the sunset and the stars.

The cold and snow of the mountains brings many birds down to the coast. Many new breeds, colors and sounds have graced the skies and trees.
Also, the air is often crisp. I have greatly enjoyed the feeling of walking home from the car at the end of a well fought day; bundled up, with the scent of winter in my nose, its fresh air in my lungs and its slight breeze on my face.

As with the other seasons, winter has its special flowers. The most prized blooming is the ume, or plum blossom, but the Japanese always like to fill their street sides and personal gardens with flowers. A popular seasonal potted plant is an import from the Mediterranean known as shikuramen. It is a strong flower that comes in many different colors and blooms vertical petals that appear as flames.

Thank G-d, winter has brought much blessing and joy. May safe, healthy and fruitful days continue in the coming spring.