Winter Vacation 2016: Kurokawa, Japan (Part III)

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To read about our trip to Kurokawa, Japan during winter vacation, please click HERE to be redirected!

Thanks, and happy travels!

~Nomadic Madda

Winter Vacation 2016: Fukuoka, Japan

With winter camp finished, winter vacation periods for foreign English teachers have begun!  For the first part of my trip, I made a trip back to Japan.  Last year my friend Rory and I went to the Kansai region of Japan to visit the old capital city of Kyoto and the food mecca Osaka.  This year, J and I made a trip to the Kyushu island region where we experienced Japanese onsen (hot spring) culture.

Even though it was only 4 days, our trip took us to three different cities and dipped into three different prefectures: Fukuoka City in Fukuoka Prefecture, Yufuin in Oita Prefecture, and Kurokawa Onsen in Kumamoto Prefecture.

Our first stop in Fukuoka City reminded me so much of why I love Japan.  There’s something about the analog-esque feel of this country that I really love, from the bus stations to the cars on the streets to the local fashion.  You can frequently spot western influences throughout, though they seem as if they’ve been taken from 1970’s North America and England and have since grown into something uniquely Japanese.

After arriving at the airport, I quickly grabbed a (highly-anticipated) hot royal milk tea from the convenience store before we hopped our bus into the city.  Once downtown near Tenjin (天神), it was a short eight minute walk to our hotel where we were right on time for check-in.

On a local bus, heading downtown from the airport.

Birthdays In Korea.....And Why I'm Old.

I have almost forgotten that I am actually 24, not 25.  In fact, I won't turn 25 until March 6th of 2015, but on January 1st of 2015 I will be considered 26 in Korea.  What?!

Koreans count your time in the womb as part of your life span, so when you are born you are considered 1 year old.  Age is incredibly important in Korea, and your age is labeled by the year you were born in, not the individual month and day.  So, since I was born in 1990 and it is now 2014, I am considered to be 25 years old along with every other child born in 1990.  When the new year changes over in January (solar) or February (lunar), there is a big celebration for everyone turning a year older.  So in the year of 2015, everyone born in 1990 is considered to be 26 years old.  Yikes, talk about feeling like time is escaping you!

One of the first questions I am asked by every Korean I meet is "How old are you?".  In Korea, you are considered "friends" or 칭구 (chinggu) with anyone in your same birth year.  There is a very strict hierarchy in Korea, so even if someone is only one year older than you, you must speak to them with formal language and treat them with respect.  On the flip side, if someone is younger, you are able to freely speak in more casual language.  Obviously this can get even more complicated with people who are considerably older than you (parents age, grandparents age), as can sometimes lead to confusing work situations.  For example, if a boss is younger than some of his employees, how does he address them?  Formally because they're older?  Informally because he's their boss?  Do they have to use more formal language with him even though he's younger?  I'm just glad everyone at my school except one teacher is older than me!