The (in)famous Takarazuka Revue is something everyone should experience once in their Hyogo career. If, like me, your Japanese is limited to daily pleasantries, fear not, just choose a story you vaguely know the plot of. It might help (a bit). Revue performers all train for the first two years of their seven year…
 At the start of February I dragged my hands from under the kotatsu just long enough to click ‘buy’ on flights to Okinawa as a congratulations to myself for surviving my first Japanese January. I have just returned from said weekend bringing the sun with me (you’re welcome) and thought it only fair to…
February was cold and depressing, even more so for the Valentine’s haters amongst us. Fortunately heading into March we can see the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel, spring is stirring its sleepy head, soon to be followed by summer, and what do the warmer months mean? Why, putting away the kotatsu and…
Everyone loves a good acronym and in February I coined a new one. Admittedly PDDN is not as catchy as ATM, LBD, LOL or any of the other TLAs (Three Letter Acronyms) which have so sneakily invaded our everyday speech; no longer being used ironically but as words in their own right – who’s guilty…
Japan’s skiing has been kept a secret from the international market for years by the locals and Antipodeans in the know, and for good reason. The powder here is renowned for being particularly light and is eloquently named ‘champagne powder’. As soon as I got back from a week of powder in Hakuba over New…