- In America, comments like, "You're so young!" seem to be reserved for people younger than the speaker. Like around my twenty-second birthday, I was talking about how I felt old in some way or another, and my parents responded with, "Lian. You're so young."
It is not so in Japan. When I tell anyone my age, students included, they're like, wakai!!!, you're so young! I was told I'm young by a group of six-year-olds! I wanted to respond, "But you're six!"
- At pretty much every school, the kids tell me how beautiful I am. I do think it is mostly because of my whiteness, especially when they comment that my eyes are beautiful; my looks are different from what they're used to, but I don't experience the negative racism I would get if, for instance, I was black. Even despite all that, though, I can't deny that it feels nice to be told I'm beautiful all the time! It's a nice change from internally criticizing myself.
- Japanese people play rock paper scissors, or janken, all the time. In school, they use it to decide everything. Who gets the extra milk carton at lunch? Which student will practice vocabulary first, while the other student quizzes them? What team is starting in the game? Rock paper scissors will decide the result, and all will accept it. It's actually a really good method of resolving simple disagreements.
This explains how it's played in Japan. What I don't understand is why the textbooks translate it as "rock scissors paper." To fit in the rhythm of the game, we say, rock scissors paper, one two three! There very well may be a reason it's switched-- my theory is that the kids assume it goes in that order, and they don't want them to mix up the words for scissors and paper. All I can say is, it's been a few months now, but saying "rock scissors paper" still feels weird.
- On the note of janken, I once overheard a couple kids arguing over who would ask me if I have a boyfriend-- a question I get a lot. I heard them janken to decide that, and even heard them practice saying Do you have a boyfriend? in English. But no one ever actually got the courage to ask. I thought it was pretty funny.
- I love playing with the kids during recess, though it is definitely tiring. So far, the games I've played are pretty similar to the ones I grew up with: tag (onigokko), cops and robbers (kei-robo, short for keisatsu, or police, and dorobou, or robber) are the main ones. One time, I was playing freeze tag with a class, and every time I got frozen these curious first graders would come talk to me. We'd chat, and then every time someone unfroze me they would follow like ducklings as I ran away, until I got tagged again.
- The kids often play dodgeball at recess. The first time I did it, I confidently told them, "I know that game!" But, it turns out, I didn't. Japanese dodgeball has a similar feel to the American game, but the rules are definitely different.
In the dodgeball I learned, there's usually multiple balls in play, and the goal is to throw one at the other team. If it hits them, they're out, and if they catch it, you're out. When you're out, you either wait on the sidelines for the end of the game, or try to hit someone with a ball from wherever you're sitting on the floor.
In Japan, the premise is similar: there are two teams throwing balls at each other; you don't want to be hit and you do want to catch it, though catching the ball just allows you to throw it at the other team, instead of making anyone be out. However, if you're hit with the ball, you continue to play: you go to the sidelines and throw it at the other team. If you hit someone from the other team, you go back into play.
While I am a bit nostalgic for my childhood version of dodgeball, there's a couple things I like about this game. First, you're always playing: no one has to sit around and wait for the game to end, or for a ball to roll their way. Second, the game basically goes on forever, which works well for recess.
Thanks for reading!
