I have a new theory: 90% of this school were born in tents. Why close doors when you can turn the heater up? Same reasoning behind the lack of insulation – why have insulation when you can turn the heating up. AAGGGHHHH… No wonder every second thing said here is samui ne (it’s cold, isn’t it).
staying warm
My kids stash coats in their bags before they get in sight of the school and then don them when they leave the area. I’ve seen them do it. The whole thing is ridiculous–the teachers wear coats and jackets in the classroom. A lot of my girls wear those 1980’s Flashdance warm-up dancer’s socks and all come into the teacher’s rom to crowd around the kerosene heater in between class and during lunch. My elementary kids have kerosene heaters in their classrooms where the kids directly in front of it fry and the rest freeze. It’s pathetic. If for any reason I ever moved to Japan on permanent basis, I would build a house with insulation (not even central heat or air) and then invite town officials and influential community members over for dinner parties during the blustery and sweltering days of the year.
Maybe it’s all part of the fabled and much-touted Japanese work ethic. The offices are heated and air-conditioned, so people stay at work longer. I know I came to work on the weekends during the summer so that I didn’t burn up or run up the electric bill. I didn’t actually work much, but if somebody asked my how many hours a week I spent at work, I could honestly say somewhere around 60-65. Hmmm…. And anyway, I’m a guy, so I say ‘samui, na?’ instead. Hooray for Kansai-ben!
My new theory is that the Japanese society would collapse if they had full temperature control of their buildings. They would rush in, look around, and the conflict between the outside ‘samui, ne’ and the inside ‘aaa atatakai ne’ would have their minds bouncing back and forth and back and forth until all conversation would cease to exist entirely. And, yes, I do believe that they do it just so they can talk about the temperature. Sick bastards.
hey amber darlin’… found you!
today must be the day for Wakayama JETs with ljs to bitch about the weather… I know I am.
Choke
I laughed so hard I nearly choked on my nikuman. I think that’s an outstanding theory! we couldn’t confuse them too much now, could we? Heaven forbid it be discovered that comments on the temperature really do not have to be repeated every five minutes. And the worst thing, I find myself doing it too.
(way off topic, but I don’t have your email)
So I was talking to a friend of mine on the phone today and she invited me to a big goth night out at a club in Osaka on Sat. Feb. 14th. I would love to go, but I’ve already kind of made plans to hang out with a friend who I don’t think owns even a single piece of black clothing (not that that is a terrible stumbling block–but we shall see how he feels about exploring that side of himself, and if he is amenable, I might be able to go). That said, she was kind of sad and was looking for someone to go with. I told her I knew someone way cool that was close by that would probably love to have someone to go with…namely you.
Here is the point where I wave my magic wand and make my separate friends become friends with each other…Her name is Christina, she was a JET for two years in Ehime-ken but now lives in a southern suburb of Osaka. She is also on LJ– where you should find her email address and other goodies. I told her you’d email her–you have my guarantee she is definitely one of the cool kids.
Re: (way off topic, but I don’t have your email)
Cool!! Thanks muchly, am already planning to go, having someone to go with will be ace!!!! And if you’re friend decides he’s game to try something dif, I’ve got plenty of balck stuff he could borrow, namely fishnet and plain black tops which are not too feminine…always happy to lend. The first time I went to a goth club, I was the same. I owned one black skirt (from high school grad) and that was it. A friend lent me stuff and the rest is history!! 🙂 btw, my e-mail is gypsyamber@wildmail.com