In the whirlwind that was the first few months of living in Japan, I was lucky enough to have two second year JETs to hold my hand. They showed our ragtag crew around the area and together we went to a Hanshin baseball game, a tour of Kobe, and even to Hikone castle. On one…
It goes without saying that the best things about Japan will always be the people that you meet and relationships that you forge; The friendly lady who sells bread at one of your schools, the volunteers running Japanese language classes, the other ALTs in town and random people you ‘inherit’ from predecessors. And that’s before…
 for Android phone users (with some iPhone suggestions) Okay, you’ve finally got your residence card, so at last you can get your phone. Now to put that baby to use! Here are the top ten applications I think you need for your stay in Japan. They are in no particular order, but grouped into…
I live in a remote patch of Japanese countryside called Taka-cho. I’ll forgive you if you’ve never heard of it. Even the BOE has trouble remembering we exist out here, not even bothering to replace my predecessor’s name with mine in the prefectural English Dept. directory after two whole years! The town, to put it…
It is August. And once again, it is time to accept your part as that sweaty, melting gaijin, collapsing into the air conditioning on a train, as your fellow, perfectly groomed, Japanese passengers desperately try not to sit next to you. It’s time to acknowledge that feeling of inadequacy as you see an army of…
When I moved to Japan last summer I remember spotting a woman dressed in a kimono on the train and thinking to myself “I’ve spotted my first geisha! But why isn’t she wearing her makeup?†Later I was informed of my rookie mistake. In fact, she was no geisha, but rather an ordinary Japanese woman…
Hello Hyogo-ites! By the time you read this, you will have uttered, “atsui ne†or “mushi atsui ne†at least once to anyone who will hear it. Well, ganbare – summer has only just started! For those of you who are returning home this summer though, you will get to leave the oppressive heat and…
Wales vs. Japan (Sat 8th June 14:00) On Saturday the 8th June a young Welsh side met a feisty Japan for an exciting first game of Wales’ tour of Japan.  Osaka’s Kintestu Hanazono Stadium, Japan’s oldest dedicated rugby stadium, was the stage for the first game of the Japan-Wales test series. 30,000 rugby fans…
This experience hasn’t been easy, but it has easily been the best and most rewarding experience of my life. Always being a commuter student, this was the first time I had truly been on my own. Unlike a lot of participants on the JET Program, I had already been to Japan several times and had…