Ex-pats: Musician Chris Pulleyn on sushi and rice in Japan or fish and chips in Huddersfield

Jun 17 2009 by John Avison, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

MUSICIAN Chris Pulleyn wrote to the Examiner just five months into a long term commitment language teaching commitment in Japan.

At the time he was ‘awed’ – his word – with the differences between English and Japanese culture. But things have changed. Here is his updated report:

“I work as an assistant language teacher for the schools of Nanyo City in Yamagata Prefecture in the north of Japan,” he says.

“I am the only Western person living in my city, and possibly the only native English speaker there too.

“At the time I wrote to the Examiner I could hardly understand Japanese, and every day involved some sort of unexpected surprise, or difficult situation.

“Now, what used to be a surprise to me, is now my normal daily life, and there aren’t very many things that are out of the ordinary for me any more.

“Typically, Japanese people are very sympathetic towards foreigners who may not know their customs and their culture.

“Nowadays, I like to do as the Japanese do whenever I can, and a lot of my friends joke that I’ve become quite Japanese!

“Symptoms involve bowing whilst on the phone, slurping your food and finding it more difficult and inconvenient to use a knife and fork than a pair of chopsticks.

“My job is great too. It’s so satisfying to see kids really trying to use their second language, and I hope they’ll take the initiative and see places outside of Japan.

“Reaching the end of two years I have visited and seen pretty much all the places I wanted to see in Japan, and then some!

“I have snowboarded up in the north of Japan, and then shortly after swam in the sea down in the south of Japan.

“I have seen geisha and monkeys, Japanese traditional drama and crazy karaoke. I have experienced peaceful vistas of mountains amongst hazy clouds with nothing but rice fields floating around them, to amazing spectacles of neon and noise amongst the busy streets of giant metropolises.

“I have eaten in local greasy bars so tiny you can only stand, to fancy dining on the highest floors of Tokyo.

“I have also had some amazing experiences. I gave a piano recital, which was broadcast on local TV, was one of the first foreigners to take part in a local town’s festival, and was invited to a traditional Japanese wedding.

“Some of my best moments have been when friends and family have visited me, and experienced my way of life and the peaceful simple beauty of my second home, Yamagata.

“My whole family, even my grandparents, managed to endure the long journey over here, and I can guarantee with confidence they all had a memorable time, creating gossip and news all around my local area!

“There is so much to see in this country and there is still more I would like to see. The distinct seasons only add to this variety and multitude.

“Everybody knows Japan for its cherry blossom (Sakura in Japanese), but you don’t know how beautiful it is until you see it first hand.

“Autumn is no less spectacular: the richest greens, reds, oranges and yellows glow proudly from the tops of trees under crisp blue skies.

“Whilst I am certainly not fluent, I can handle day-to-day conversations and situations quite easily.

Japanese is a certainly a difficult language to learn, being considerably different to English, but after the first year, Japan suddenly became a lot more accessible to me.

“I was able to read the signs for where the car parks were, and order food over the phone or sort out a broken camera.

“I can talk easily to Japanese people and have made some great friends, and learnt more than I ever could about Japan and myself as well.

“I have nothing but warm and positive words to say about Japan, and couldn’t recommend enough a visit to this place so far away from England.

“It is so novel and interesting to experience a country that is still so secluded and bound up in strong traditions and cultures.

“I am now preparing to return to good old Huddersfield and continue pursuing my music interests.

“I’m looking forward to returning to my own home and my own culture, and tucking into some delicious fish and chips, instead of raw fish and rice!”