Hidaka. The Beginning.

And so it begins. I’ve been in Hidaka for one week and 2 days. I struck gold here in Hidaka and I have no idea what I did to deserve this.

Dad - you know the way I announce every good deed I do (ie. helping old ladies cross the street, saving the children, etc) in the hopes that you will recognize that I do, in fact, have some kind of moral compass... and that one time I tried to return shoes I’d already worn isn’t such a big deal in light of all the good I do? My placement in Hidaka is proof that some divine force has been watching all of my good deeds and has found favour with me.


I couldn’t have asked for a better placement. Hidaka is a town of 58,000 people located in the Saitama prefecture. She’s a quiet town, where the people buzz about, getting work done so they can go home and tend to their perfectly manicured bonzai gardens.

My job as an ALT (assistant language teacher) is still in its formative stages. The students are on holidays until September, so my days at work are spent going around town getting all of my ducks in a row. A woman at my board of education named Shimada-san, who is an absolute angel, has taken me under her wing this past week to make sure I have everything I need. With work not really being work yet, I have lots of time to admire the place I’m going to call home for the next year... at least.

On one end, I have hiking paths and mountain trails. On the other, I have the Komagowa train station which connects me to temples and shopping in Kawagoe, friends in Kumagaya, and when I’m feeling rich and energetic, Tokyo is less than 2 hours away.


My apartment is further evidence of some divine intervention. I seriously thought that everyone in Japan lived in a shoe box. I mean, let’s be honest. This country is 1/26th the size of Canada with almost 100 million more people. Where do they all live? Shoe boxes, I thought. Shoe boxes stacked on top of one another. Totally logical.

Apparently not. At least not in my case. My shoe box is an absolute palace. I have 2 tatami rooms, a massive kitchen, and my entrance way is big enough for a washing machine, a sink, and bathroom, and a Japanese-style shower and bathtub.

My living room and kitchen flow into each other, with 3 sliding doors separating the two rooms. Très Japanese. I eat breakfast everyday on that cushion on the left, and if I angle myself just right, I can see the mountains behind the neighbouring houses. Quite the novelty for a prairie girl like myself.

My bedroom is your standard Japanese bedroom. I sleep on the futon at night, fold it up and store it during the day and Voilà! Hello second living room!

On a more realistic note, life’s not all roses. My grasp of Japanese language and etiquette is minimal, and I imagine I go about my day offending people for not bowing properly or forgetting how to excuse myself from a room. But thankfully, I have a Japanese-speaking Australian buddy to help me out. Johnny triples as my interpreter, sous-chef and friend, teaching me the appropriate phrases, exploring the Yaoko supermarket and hanging out after work. It's a good thing I can cook, otherwise I would have nothing to contribute to this friendship.

So that is life in Hidaka in a nutshell, so far. More stories to come soon.