Hey Man,

I like what you did with your column and look forward to reading your future entries about your life in Japan.

Something I always wondered about the Japanese is their take on Angels and Demons. I'm pretty sure that only 1% of the Japanese people are Christians and yet we find angels and demons dueling it out in their Anime, Manga, and even video games.

What do they find so interesting in Western religion (Angels and Demons, Heaven and Hell, God and Satan) and why?

When did all this begin?

Why do they seem to like sticking angle wings on everyone (Final Fantasy anyone...)

and since we're on the the subject of the supernatural what do they find so interesting in Western Vampires, werewolves etc. and why?

Now don't get me wrong. I like what they did to this part of our culture and how they portray it, but I'm just curious as to how they managed to take this most important part of our culture and make it their own. Thank you for answering my questions and I apologize if they were hard to answer

Mario S

Based on my sources, this all started just after lunch on May 20, 1975 . It was a sunny day... But in all honesty, I can't really tell you when it began. Japan has always had a rich history of supernatural beings. I'm sure most people are familiar with Kappas, if for no other reason than the helpful Imp in Final Fantasy VI that showed us all how to bid at the auction house among other things. There are hundreds of stories of ghosts and spirits in Japanese literature, and some of them have become so famous as to inspire stories to this day.

Also, after Japan became open to the West, they have been incorperating little bits of our culture. Oddly enough, James Dean is still popular here.... Through this fascination with things foreign and the already present love of supernatural things, the Japanese adopted several of the symbols we see so often in America.

Also, I think the Japanese are fascinated with good and evil. Neither Shinto nor Buddhism has anything comparable to the Christian Heaven or Hell, so once again, they latch onto that idea. A paradise for the pure of heart and a pit of eternal punishment for the sinner. These are fascinating to people that do not share similar beliefs. While not a completely fair analogy, take America's interest in ninjas and samurai. What boy, or even some girls, didn't think that being a ninja would be the coolest thing EVER to be when he grows up? It's something that we just don't have, so we are interested in it.

And with devils and angels, it's easy symbolism to understand. Stick a halo or a pair of white wings on something and we already know that it's 'good.' The opposite holds true with a pair of black wings. It's something visual that pretty much anyone will understand. And, you have to admit, wings make a pretty boy even prettier. Japan is NOT above making bishounen even more bishounen to draw in a larger audience and sell merchandise.

I would like to note that this are simply my thoughts on this matter. I didn't really have time to research the matter before leaving Japan, and if I've made any mistakes or left anything important out, feel free to send some letters my way.

Hi, I have been interested lately in learning Japanese. My problem is where to start. Some people are saying to start with kanji while others say it's not necessary. I really just want to be able to read it for imports. So I was wondering which one to start with: kanji, hiragana or katakana.

Great column and thanks in advance,

Eric

Wow... I don't want to burst your bubble, but before I answer this, I want to tell you just how hard of a task you are setting for yourself. I studied Japanese in University for four years and I'm still not able to fully play RPGs in Japanese. The only one I did relative well at was Paper Mario 2: The Thousand Year Door, but that had some pretty simple stuff. Being able to read import games will be a very long and hard road. I'm walking that road myself, so I don't blame you. But I also live in Japan and have access to the same kinds of books that Japanese schoolchildren use to learn kanji.

That said, learning a bit won't hurt you even if you can't read but an itty bit of your imports. The place to begin is with the hiragana. Even games with a lot of kanji still use hiragana, and if you're lucky, there will also be furigana above the kanji. Those are kana above the kanji so that even if you can't read it, you can still get the yomi, or reading. There are only 46 hiragana compared to litterally thousands of kanji. The next step is to learn katakana. There happen to be 46 of those too, and sometimes they look like their respective hiragana. THEN you can start learning kanji. Kanji are really important, but you have to begin at the beginning.

Good luck my friend. You've got a long yet rewarding journey ahead of you.

what are the chances that a married fellow like me could go to japan to teach english and also go with my wife who could teach english? Also what are the chances that we would be close enough to live together?

Todd Ross

Hrm... it's hard to say, but there IS a shot that it'll be possible. I would think that if you can both make the cut, most programs would be sympathetic to your situation. Being married is something that they can possibly work with. You'll probably have to be in a big city though. I hope you don't mind that. To give you some hope, a fellow GEOS teacher got placed in the city of his fiancee. They are now married.

Best of luck to both of you!

Hey there, Sir Jordan.

I, like tons of other people reading your column, have taken interest in your job. I've wanted to teach English in Japan for a number of years, and it shouldn't be hard at all for me to fulfill my dream, considering the way school has gone for me as of late. Yes, getting there should be no problem at all. I'll be able to live and teach there as I've always wanted to...

However...

As you no doubt know, things can be more complicated than that. My fiancee is quite interested in Japan as well, but isn't quite as interested in teaching. There's nothing I'd like more than to have her come live with me there, but I really don't know how she could. What other jobs are available to Americans over there? She's artsy, smart, and loves games as much as I do. How can I get this poor girl over there? Leaving her here is out of the question; I can barely go a day without being with her.

We could really use the advice. From a previous letter, I learned that even if she did teach in the same program, we'd have a hard time getting to the same place. I just want this all to work out.

So please, help me out. I'm sure you're dealing with the same issue.

-Xander

As mentioned in my previous letter, you too have a shot at getting a hook-up. Companies might not be able to help out friends, but a fiancee stands a better chance. Give it a shot.

But that's where the good news ends. There's little else that a gaijin can do here but teach English, especially a first year gaijin. If she doesn't teach, she might have to be a housewife. If she studies hard and has some marketable skills, she might be able to get a job in the translation or English consultant business, but those are not easy to get. But they are not impossible to get. I have heard plenty of stories of gaijin coming to Japan as teachers and then jumping ship to another industry. Just be aware if you go this route, it's not a walk in the park.

If you people can't tell, I'm a romantic, so I wish you both the best of luck. Long distance is hard, but if you absolutely MUST do it, I recommend Macs and Yahoo BB. iChat AV is a really nice program that Caroline and I have used extensively.

Hey sensei~

I read your answer to one of the quesitons on rpgamer where you mentioned tulane. Did you go to school there? I graduated in 1999 from tulane and actually took 4 semesters of nihongo there myself. Was Noriko Faust your professor? Anyway I thought I'd ask. I still hope to live over there someday for awhile. Visited once thanks to the consulate in new o. Long live RPG's .

PS - what are people expecting from the romancing saga remake? That is my all time fav. RPG. Well that and xenogears haha.

Peace,

Matt

Yup. I graduated from Tulane in May of 2004 with a BS in chemistry and a BA in Asian Studies. I also had Faust-sensei along with a new instructor that was hired in the Fall of 2000. Her name is Jensen-sensei, and she is a cool lady. Actually, they're BOTH cool ladies.

As for Romancing Saga, I... uh... don't know anything about it. Sorry. I never played them, but I expect it to um... rock. I'm an optimist, so I think it'll be the greatest thing since sliced bread. Or at least you might think so. But I DO agree with you on the Xenogears bit. I absolutely LOVE that game. *swoon*

Sorry that the column is a bit late... I like my Monday night updates, but my battery died on the plane. Once I hit New Orleans, I spent Sunday night with my fiancee, and we promised each other not to do any work on Monday because we were celebrating Valentine's Day a week early. Hopefully, I'll be able to scrape together an update to post once I get back to Niihama. I'm sorry if my update schedule is off... Gomen! ><;;

Catch you on the flip

-Jordan "Happy Mardi Gras!" Jackson