“So, what will you being doing this year at Christmas?†This question was met with various permeations of bemusement, amusement and indifference. These were the most common responses: “Nothing really†“Working†(this is a Japanese office after all) “Having a party with friends†“Drinking†“At lectures†“Eating Christmas cake†“What? Should I be doing something? 
This year, from 5 December to 16 December, Kobe will again glow in the multiple colours of the Luminarie, and you too can enjoy the spectacle whilst being carried along in a tide of people, neck craned skywards. The site, extending from the Old Foreign Settlement to Hiyashi Yuenchi Park, will be visited by…
      Maybe you have recently thought to yourself, “Gee whiz, I’ve been working so hard creating engaging lessons, exploring a new country, and learning a new language, I have had no time to stay up to date on global current events.†Even worse, with the holidays right around the corner,…
This article is brought to you through a partnership between the Heart of Japan blog, a project by　the Hyogo International Association, and the Hyogo Times. Boasting 10,000 candles placed all over the town, Takasago Lantern Festival (é«˜ç ‚ä¸‡ç¯ç¥, Takasago Mantousai) also features jazz and traditional Japanese music performances along with specially illuminated historical buildings, temples…
Hyogo Board of Education’s annual Skills Development Conference November 21-22, 2013 Attended by 485 ALTs and JTEs A review by two JHS ALTs: This year’s Skills Development Conference was a pleasant surprise. Sort of. Well, there were pieces that were helpful and interesting. Unfortunately, there were more parts of the Conference that were frustrating and…
      Taking full advantage of the glorious weather over October’s only three day weekend, 17 ALTs assembled in Sannomiya to begin the four hour journey down to Kochi prefecture on Shikoku. After crossing the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, the longest suspension bridge in the world, we headed over Awaji Island, and finally…
‘There’s Pride in Osaka?’ My incredulity says something about my expectations of Kansai Rainbow Parade 2013; I had been fore-warned that Japan, wonderful as it is, is sometimes not the most tolerant or permissive of countries when it comes to certain personal preferences. So, it was with a little trepidation and cautious enthusiasm that I…
In 1994 Osaka, despite being a cosmopolitan hub of international business, offered no opportunity to celebrate European film culture. Fortunately, all that has changed thanks to the ongoing hard work of film aficionado Patrice Boiteau, chairman and founder of the Osaka European Film Festival. This November the Osaka European Film Festival celebrates its 20th year….
If you are an Australian or New Zealander living in Japan for any extended period of time, whaling will undoubtedly have arisen as a topic of conversation. It may be sprung on you out of the blue at an enkai during a course of whale, or initiated by your own actions if you’re bored in…