More Winter Sports and World Heritage News

On Saturday, I tried my hand at snow shoeing. Many of the mountain roads are buried under a few feet of snow and are closed for the season. Some of the other teachers and I rented snow shoes and hiked our way up one of these roads in Ryotsu. Let me tell you, snow shoeing is a lot easier to get the hang of than skiing. That said, I did have some difficulty. The rental shoes were a uniform size and too small for my weight, and I was still sinking pretty far into the snow. On some of the deeper stretches of the road, my friends would fall maybe 2-4 inches into the snow while I would sink about 6-8 inches. As a result, it was a bit of a tiring slog up the mountain. That said, it was good exercise and the views from the mountain were gorgeous on this sunny day. I started feeling pretty sore in my hip about a mile and a half in, so I told the others to continue on to the summit while I found some solid ground to rest on where I had a video call with my Dad. Snow shoeing was very enjoyable and is a great way to spend time outdoors in the winter. I’d like to try it again sometime, hopefully with larger shoes.

In other Sado news, in late January the Government of Japan formally requested the gold mines to be recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site. This has been controversial because of a supposed history of forced labor during the operation of the mines. This has led to tension between the South Korean and Japanese governments. There was even a short write-up in the New York Times. As a public employee, I would rather not discuss my own personal thoughts on this subject here. Still, I would recommend reading the article. I found it objective and unbiased. I think the authors describe the current economic situation on Sado accurately as well. There were also some nice pictures and you can even see my house in the picture of Aikawa. Anyway, I hope the situation is resolved without much difficulty or disagreement but that is probably wishful thinking.

Since the Japanese school year starts at the beginning of April, we are quickly approaching the end of this year. There is going to be a graduation ceremony at both my schools in early March. For my middle school 3rd years, this will be the last time I see them in school. The Japanese school system functions much differently than in the US. From what I have been told, graduation is essentially guaranteed. It is mostly a matter of testing into the next level and being accepted to good schools. The next month will mostly be devoted to studying for the high school entrance exam. As 9th Grade is technically the end of compulsory education, high school is seen as being the crux of one’s education. I would compare it to how college education is seen in America. As a result, testing into a good high school is very important, and both academically and athletically promising students will sometimes leave small towns like Sado to attend more rigorous or prestigious high schools in cities. Though I am excited to see most of my 6th Graders start middle school in April, where I will continue to teach them. Tomorrow is the Emperor’s Birthday, a public holiday across Japan. I’m looking forward to a nice day of rest.