We’ve all been there; falling asleep as a lecturer drones on, yawning as a fascinating life story is told as a monotonous forty minute speech with fully four slides, texting instead of concentrating when a speaker waxes lyrical about his pet project using more acronyms than exist in the United Nations… Poor presentation skills seem…
Thanks to everyone who came and made the two sake tasting days a success. For those who didn’t come, here’s a rundown of what went on January 25th and 26th. Feel free to use this itinerary to go on your own! Follow us virtually on this map! We met at Mikage station at 11:30 am,…
Along with a lot of other ALTs, sumo wrestling is on my (very long) list of “things to see†while in Japan. Luckily, Hyogo is right next to Osaka, one of only four cities in the country to host Grand Turnament competitions. Tickets went on sale February 2nd and a good friend was kind enough…
Adventures await! Did you love scavenger hunts as a kid? Were you a champion at hide-and-seek? Why not join Geocaching, a growing phenomenon ascribing to those interests. So, what is geocaching you may ask? It is a worldwide scavenger hunt made for the modern adventure-loving person! Using a GPS enabled device, players may search for,…
Seeing in the New Year from a mountain top ‘Leisurely’. Yes, I distinctly remembered that particular adjective being mentioned. ‘Easy’, yes, I think ‘easy’ was there too. It was just a shade away from ‘strolling’. Half-way up a boulder-strewn mountain slope in the pitch-dark, elbows and feet grimly jammed into crevices in the slippery rock,…
Last February I ventured north to Hokkaido for the famed Yuki Matsuri. Admittedly the sculptures were very impressive, the snow slides worth their two hour queues and the atmosphere buzzing. But even though I am a snow-junkie, the festival is not something I feel the need to visit again. The local food, however, demands a…
With February upon us it is time to celebrate the birth of famous suffragette leader, Anna Howard Shaw, on Anna Howard Shaw Day, or, as some people like to call it, Valentine’s Day. Like most Japanese appropriations of Western holidays, a sensation of “same same but different†permeates February 14 in the land of…
Having somehow managed to get through the Kobe Marathon in November and remain smiling for most of it (no I’m not sure how that happened either), I had almost forgotten that I’d signed up to participate in the Osaka Sweets Marathon in December. When signing up, I think my reasoning went something along the lines…
In amongst the faux snow and strains of, “I’mmmmmm dreammingggg of a whiteeeeee Christmassssss”, you may have also seen in your department stores and supermarkets ornate square boxes filled with products in every colour, begging to be bought at obscene prices. A far cry from roast turkey (northern hemisphere) or seafood (southern), this is osechi…