Teaching in the Land of the Rising Sun
The Boeing 747 wheels hit the tarmac at Narita International Airport in Japan. The whirling engines slowing down the plane as they cruised down the road. Over the intercom, a cheerful Japanese flight attendant states in English and Japanese they have safely landed. She continued to state the local time and to have a wonderful day. As the plane taxis to the gate most people start to chatter, pulling bags from under seats and stretch. Most seemed thrilled to leave the plane to explore the far off land of the rising sun or return to love ones. Everyone seems to be happy except one person.
Sitting at a window seat mid plane, a young college graduate sat with a tired melancholy look on his face. Though that was only partly of that was due to the 11 plus hour flight from San Diego. His hair was a trim dark brown almost black in color. He wore a jersey from his alma mater of San Diego, a plane t-shirt, blue jeans and comfortable sneaker. The young man appeared to be of mixed Asian decent. He had a slightly masculine facial features and toned muscles. This was Ken "Kenji" O'Brian; one of the many new abroad program English teachers recruits aboard the plane.
Ken was a half Japanese half Irish-American. His parents had met each other 25 years earlier at college and fell in love. Though Ken's Japanese grandparents initially hated his white father. Jim O'Brian for "stealing" their daughter. When Ken and his sister Amy "Aimi" O'Brian were born a few years later they softened up. His parents didn't give Ken or Amy Japanese names on their birth certificates. This was due to the struggle people had writing and pronouncing his mothers name. Even though everything is spelled phonetically. There was a legal snafu that prevented Ken's mother from being naturalized for over a year due to a paperwork error on immigrations end. She never let the grudge go.
Though Kens parents were not wealthy, they loved and cared for their children. Ken and his sister were normal happy athletic kids growing up. As time went on, Ken learned that life was not always fare. He started to notice that people fawned over his sister. Calling her an idea Japanese princess. Even their mom joked she would have been an idol singer if they lived in Japan.
This only got worse as he got older. When Ken and his sister were in high school, boys were falling head over heels for Aimi. Which was only exacerbated when she joined cheerleading. Ken did not receive the same treatment. Though Ken was smart, athletic and had a decent number of both male and female friends. His girl friends were always platonic and never went beyond a friendly hug. He tried to be more popular by joining on the local soccer and lacrosse teams. Not once did he have a girl show him the same level of affection as his teammates. It hurt Ken when he found out one of the people he called a friend only did so to get closer to his sister.
Unfortunately Asian stereotypes permeated terribly in Western culture. Asian women were scene as exotic beauties with perfect bodies. Asian men were looked at as generally unattractive, tiny dicked, beta males. Unless that man was a wealthy doctor, they were kind of fucked.
Ken was the complete opposite of these stereotypes. Though he did think of himself as average looking guy. Ken took charge during school projects and sports. Almost taking his team to state one year in soccer. As for his package Ken was no Ron Jeremy, but he certainly did not have a micro dick. In his mind he felt as though the deck was stacked against him.
Ken's parents assured him that grade-schoolers were immature and he would find love when he got older. After graduating high school, Ken decided he wanted to become a teacher. Applying to the University of San Diego. Though he was an excellent student and his teachers praised him for showing the key skills to teach. His love life did not improve. The constant rejections to his advances on classmates and girls at parties were disheartening.
That changed when he was a senior. Ken met a Chinese-American girl named Fei Xu through one of his courses. For the first time in Ken's life, he felt like he was whole. They went on dates and studied together. Ken visited her parents, and talked about life after graduation. Though Fei never wanted to go beyond second base. Stating she wanted to save herself for after graduation. When Ken was in his final semester he wanted to surprise his girlfriend with a romantic gesture. Ken went to her apartment with a small bouquet of flowers. Only to find a moaning Fei naked and getting plowed by a 200-pound muscular white guy on her couch. He later found out through friends that Ken was her public boyfriend to get her strict Asian parents off her back.
This was the straw that broke Ken's back. He fell into a deep depression. Drinking himself until he blacked out on multiple occasions over the next several months. It was a miracle he did not kill himself yet alone graduate by the skin of his teeth. Back at his parents home, his mother Tsumugi O'Brian helped her son recover after he graduated. Taking him to therapy and talking him through his problems.
In one of his early secessions, Ken called out that his own mother married a white guy. That even she could not even stand to see herself in a relationship with an Asian man. Though Ken had a good relationship with his father growing up; he found it hard to even talk to him anymore. Subconsciously associating him with everything he hated about his life.
His mother Tsumugi told him she had dated plenty of Asian men thought her life. Many that would go on to be more successful and handsome than his father. She bluntly told Ken that she did not fall in love with his father's penis. Instead due to Jim's compassion, drive, and love for life. Many of the men she mentioned were abusive and terrible workaholics. That they just threw money in their spouses and children's faces. Not being real men. She was sorry that other people did not see that, but they are out there. Her Kenji needed to keep trying.
After a few months, Ken started to mentally recover when his mother wanted to talk to him. Sitting at their breakfast nook, Tsumugi had a packet in her hand. It was for a teaching English abroad program that Ken had applied for before his breakdown. His mother pushed for him to do it. He could go to Japan for the next two years and surrounded him self with his mother's people. Maybe this is was the fresh start he needed to move on and find happiness.
Ken had only been to Japan three times in his entire life. When he was in grade school to visit his grand parents and vacation. In total he had only spent about a month time overseas. Though his mother made sure to teach him Japanese as a child. He watched plenty of Anpanman, a Japanese equivalent of Sesame Street, as well as a healthy dose of Anime. He was pretty rusty. At this point Ken had the reading writing comprehension 5
th
grader. Enough that he could get around. Not good enough to understand the complexities of the language. Though the program did not need any knowledge of Japanese to apply. The program subtly implying they preferred applicants that had no experience. To which Ken lied and put minimal to none on his application.
Ken took his mothers advice and agreed to go. Two weeks later he and roughly a dozen other education graduates were on a plane to Japan. Though he would not see any of them for over six months after they left for their assignments. Ken did not bother trying to make friends.
After getting their luggage. Ken and the others saw a large group in the common area of the airport welcoming them to Japan. Each mini group held a sign with the persons name on it with a bouquet of flowers. As everyone split up. Their schools representatives greeted them with open arms as well as plenty of photo ops. When Ken approached his sign. The two older men and woman dressed in similar business suits looked at him with confusion.
The two finely dressed men in grey suits appeared to be in there fifties. Both had salt and pepper hair, which was well manicured. They both had stern looking faces. One wore wire-framed glasses which hung off his wide face. While the other, slightly portly man patted his sweaty face with a white handkerchief. The woman was around Ken's age, maybe about twenty-five. Similar to the other two men she had on a grey business jacket and pencil skirt. Her slender legs had modest stockings with short black heels. She had straight neck length brown hair that framed her face well. Her face was well proportioned and had soft glossy lips.
Turning toward each other they started whispering something while looking at a piece of paper. When Ken applied he had dyed his hair blonde because his slut of an ex-girlfriend asked him to on a whim. Also his dad's genes made him look more Caucasian in the small photo. Over the half year since he applied his natural darker hair color grew back. As well as all the outdoors exercise he did made him look like a normal tan Asian again.
Ken approached them holding his passport and drivers license, showing them his ID's. The two older men took Ken's information and scowled. One man muttering "half gaijin" under his breath. The woman standing beside them was subtly looking Ken up and down. As the other groups started to leave, Kens group was trying to figure out what to do.
The one man holding the bouquet meant for Ken had stepped away to talk to the programs organizer. The principle Hayao and the female teacher Maho were trying to make awkward small talk. Meanwhile the now red-faced superintendent was berating the organizer out of earshot. The organizer making several apology bows over and over. After about twenty minutes of this. The superintendent shoved the flowers into the organizers hands. He returns to his colleges, trying to compose him self.
After a tense thirty minutes since they first met, the principle handed back his ID's. No photos were taken as the three lead him to the nearby train station. Buying tickets to Mito, where his teaching gig was stationed. The four got on the train leading back to the high school. The older two men sat together speaking in angry low tones. Ken knew they were talking about him decided to move to the front of the car sitting by the window.
Using one hand, Ken rubbed his temples. All Ken could think to himself was, "Taking this job was a mistake. Not even my moms people wanted me." Falling back into his depression.
A few minutes later the woman that came with them sat next to Ken. She introduced herself again as Maho. She was one of the schools math teachers. Once again trying to apologize for the principle and superintendents behavior. Based on his name and photo, they were expecting a white man to show up. They were just a little surprised by his appearance.
