Third Degree
Edgewood
August 9, 2014
Tae Kwon Do in Japan
For the past year I worked as an English teacher in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. Aomori is the northern most prefecture on the main island of Japan. I taught at 7 schools in and around the Village of Shariki: two junior high schools, 4 elementary schools, and one kindergarten. This area was rural Japan at its finest. There were no giant cities with skyscrapers or crowded intersections like you can find in Tokyo. Instead I was surrounded by rice fields and mountains. The towns were small, the people were friendly, and agriculture was the main source of income. So not too different from Iowa actually.
As one of the only gaijin, or foreigners, the local students ever saw, my presence peaked their curiosity. One of the most common questions I received, next to whether or not I had a girlfriend, was “What do you like?” To which I would respond “Tae Kwon Do.” Which of course prompted the follow-up question, “What’s Tae Kwon Do?” In order to keep the explanation within my very limited Japanese abilities I would respond 韓国の武術 (kankoku no bujutsu), a Korean martial art. While this was indeed the truth, the more I was asked this question the more I realized that, while this answer sufficed for a simple explanation, it only touched the very surface of what Tae Kwon Do actually is.
Even though this may sound cliché, Tae Kwon Do is a way of life. This became more apparent than ever while I was living in Japan. For an entire year I lived alone in a country where I didn’t speak the language beyond extremely basic grammar and vocabulary. This was challenging to say the least. Something as simple as going grocery shopping or going to the post office could be an extremely stressful undertaking. Without the lessons I have learned through Tae Kwon Do, specifically the Tenets, I’m not sure I could have made it an entire year.
As in Tae Kwon Do, courtesy is an integral part of Japanese culture and was a key characteristic of my life in Japan. The Japanese language has courtesy built right into it. In every social interaction rules of courtesy need to be observed. There are different verb forms depending on if you are talking with your friends or your superiors. In fact, there are even different sets of polite vocabulary and grammar conventions depending on whether you are talking to someone or talking about them with someone else. Fortunately, as a foreigner with extremely basic Japanese abilities I was usually forgiven for not knowing the complex nuances of honorific speech. Even though I didn’t always know the correct form of address, I still strove to follow the non-verbal components of courtesy in Japan. As with Tae Kwon Do, bowing is a large part of courtesy in Japan. People would bow when they greeted their superiors, before giving speeches and even when giving and receiving change at a convenience store. After returning to the United States I have frequently found myself bowing to just about everyone, which has earned me some strange looks. In addition to bowing there are many other gestures used to show courtesy. For instance, when at a company party you are not supposed to let others pour their own drinks and when someone pours a drink for you hold your glass with both hands while they are pouring. This strongly reminded me of how there is a certain way to place your hands and arms when giving or receiving something from a higher ranking belt in Tae Kwon Do. Although the actions and words used to show courtesy in Tae Kwon Do varied from those I used in Japan, Tae Kwon Do did an excellent job preparing me for the courtesy of Japan.
Perhaps the most obviously applicable Tenet was perseverance. This is one characteristic that is absolutely necessary for anyone living in a foreign country and working with people who speak a different language. This was doubly the case with my position, since I was not only working with people who spoke a foreign language, but was also teaching them a language that was foreign to them. In Japan, English education is required starting in 5th grade elementary school, but many schools start it long before that. The tricky part is that elementary school teachers have no formal training in English; they are merely handed the textbook and told to teach English. My own Japanese ability was rudimentary at best so in many cases the main form of communication between the teachers and me was a combination of gestures and broken English/Japanese. Needless to say, this made teaching English at elementary schools trying at times. At times my original plans would have to be altered mid-lesson when the students didn’t understand what I was trying to tell them. Whenever this happened I would quickly try a new tactic or activity instead of just giving up on the lesson. The perseverance taught in Tae Kwon Do allowed me to have the patience to try new approaches and make each lesson a success instead of just giving it up as a loss when things went poorly.
Closely tied to the importance of perseverance is the Tenet of indomitable spirit. This means that no matter the odds stacked up against you, you will not back down from your goal or let a challenge defeat you. Over the course of the year, I had to face many difficult challenges, but there is one in particular that stands out. The main school I taught at was Shariki Junior High School. Each week would begin with a school assembly first thing Monday morning. At this assembly, the principal and head teachers would hand out any awards earned over the last week and inform the student body of important announcements. Following these announcements, one of the teachers would give a speech to motivate the students for the next week. Since I was not one of the “regular” teachers at the school, I didn’t expect that I would ever have to give one of these speeches. Then in May, I was informed that I was to prepare a speech for the morning of July 7th. What’s more, the speech was to be in Japanese. As I mentioned, my Japanese ability was practically non-existent when I first arrived, and while it had drastically improved by this time, it was still not at the level required to present a speech.
Nonetheless, I had the challenge in my sights and I was not about to give up just because I couldn’t speak the language. So, for the next two months I worked with a Japanese tutor to write and practice my speech. Shortly before my presentation, one more obstacle appeared before me. One of the English teachers offered to translate for me so I could just speak English. While this certainly would have been easier, I refused to take the easy way out and acted as my own translator by giving my speech in both English and Japanese. Afterwards, several of the teachers commented on how impressed they were with my Japanese ability. Even though the challenge of giving an entire speech in Japanese was quite daunting, I was able to overcome it thanks to the indomitable spirit of Tae Kwon Do.
While perseverance and indomitable spirit played obvious roles in my successful year in Japan, the other tenets were equally important. In particular, the Tenets of Integrity and Self-Control were essential to my daily life outside the classroom. For an entire year, I was living alone in my own house with a disposable income. For all intents and purposes, I wasn’t directly answerable to anyone in my free time. Considering these factors it would have been all too easy for me to just buy anything and everything that caught my interest. This has been a problem for JETs in the past. In fact, when asked for budgeting tips a few of the previous JETs said there was no reason to keep to a budget. Contrary to this advice, I realized that while I had more than enough money to live comfortably in Japan, my student loans were not going to go away just because I wasn’t in the US. So, I made sure to send money home every couple of months to work at paying them off. I shudder to think of my financial condition had I not exercised self-control while in Japan.
Integrity was also central to my life in Japan. In the Japanese system, teachers and other government employees are held to much higher standards than workers in other industries. They are seen as representatives of the Japanese government and as such are held to higher standards then the everyday office worker. Something like a speeding ticket, which might result in a fine for most people, could actually cost a teacher their job and require them to issue a public apology. Therefore, upholding one’s integrity is an essential part of school life. This was especially true for me since, as one of the few foreigners around I was a very recognizable person. Anything I did was instantly noticed by the community. For instance, one day I decided to go to the local onsen (hot spring). The next day at school several of the students and teachers asked me how the hot spring was without me even having told them I went there. They just heard that I had gone from their friends. After my year in Japan, I understand what it is like to be a celebrity. Due to this unrelenting scrutiny it was imperative that I uphold my integrity at all times, during both work and leisure time. I believe my time in Tae Kwon Do made this much easier for me.
Over the course of this past year I had many new experiences and faced many new challenges. In each case, I believe I was able to handle them well. Much of the credit for this goes to what I have learned through my participation in Tae Kwon Do. Tae Kwon Do prepared me for the level of courtesy in Japan. It also provided me with the perseverance and indomitable spirit needed to overcome the ever-present language barrier and the self-control and integrity needed to lead a successful and responsible life. Without these tenets, my year abroad would have gone much more poorly. I am very glad that I went to that first Tae Kwon Do class with my girlfriend seven years ago.
