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My experiences coaching football in Japan have generally been good; although, at times, working with folks with different ideas about what is, and isn't, possible can be vexing. Perhaps, its just human nature; if a person has never seen, or done a particular feat themselves, they're not likely to believe it's possible. New and different ways of doing things are often met with resistance in this environment; I've experienced this on and off the football field.
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Culture...
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Culture is a major factor in what people hold to be important, true, or even possible. Though people are similar in the physical sense their cultural background and experiences can cause them to view and approach things differently.
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I never really paid attention to cultural issues until I moved to Japan. Over time, as I became acclimated to the environment, I noted the similarities and contrasts in the general approach to doing things compared to where I used to live. As a newcomer, it's fascinating to see familiar things prioritized and done differently.
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Culture...
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Culture is a major factor in what people hold to be important, true, or even possible. Though people are similar in the physical sense their cultural background and experiences can cause them to view and approach things differently.
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I never really paid attention to cultural issues until I moved to Japan. Over time, as I became acclimated to the environment, I noted the similarities and contrasts in the general approach to doing things compared to where I used to live. As a newcomer, it's fascinating to see familiar things prioritized and done differently.
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| Iguanas can swim If there was an Olympic swimming event for iguanas, the Galapagos iguanas would always win |
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"Tenth graders can't tackle"...
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I remember a day, during pre-game, when I was coaching in Hiroshima when a fellow came out of the stands and insisted I stop my players from doing contact drills during pre game warm ups "before someone gets hurt." Then he told me "tenth graders can't tackle." Apparently, it was so important for him to tell me these things that he came down onto the Johoku sideline personally. Though, he never actually played, or coached, football before he was adamant to add that he used to be the Equipment Manager for his college's football team some years ago. Despite my rudimentary Japanese ability, I managed to communicate my feelings towards him with some internationally recognized expressions of anger. Immediately, afterwards the aspiring coach decided it would be best if he left the Johoku sideline before he got hurt.
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