It’s quite nice to be admired and even nicer to be respected- in Japan, as a gaijin-sensei, I certainly receive a lot of admiration. But I sometimes feel a dearth of respect. Once a week, I teach at one of four elementary schools. If you’re good at math, and Lord knows you don’t have…
I am fascinated by the music in my school. Every morning when I head into my JHS, there is an instrumental version of Danny Boy floating ethereally in the air (I have often joked that I can tell how late I am by whether he’s dead or if the pipes are still calling). I…
We all know about Englipedia, right? I mean, we’ve all been here for at least eleven months at this point, so I can’t imagine I’m popping anyone’s monocle by talking about it. If you didn’t know about it until now…good for you, I guess? Welcome to the cheaters’ table. Except is it cheating? I…
I’m not a student, that much is certain; but I’m also not really a teacher. I’m like Gollum– technically not part of either side, useful to both if controlled correctly, but too unpleasant to keep on long-term and liable to dance weirdly when he gets his way. The No-Man’s-Land nature of my job became…
  “Life’s not fair” is in the running for my least favourite phrase in the English language, along with “Don’t forget to subscribe” and “Sir, that’s not the umbrella you came in with.” Obviously, I hate that life demonstrably isn’t fair– and I know that life is much more fair on me than…
Working as an ALT, especially during the summer holidays, can wage war on your senses. Often, we have nothing, or less, to do. It can be so easy to slip into the abyss that is the internet, wasting countless hours checking Facebook, reddit, tumblr, imgur, and many more. For those who want to feel…
1. When in doubt the phrase “because Japan†comes in handy. Why did a giant cream puff with Himeji Castle on its head just rollerblade past me in the middle of the city singing Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl?â€â€¦ because Japan. 2. Try everything…think Yes Man. That means food, sports and whatever…
– A guide to Japanese school uniforms One of the negative aspects to an extended stay in Japan is the normalisation of Japanese life that would draw the stares and cameras of many a foreign tourist. Never is this more evident than in the casual acceptance of students dressed in some of the most distinctive…
This month, it was a challenge settling on a film to review. Initially, the article was going to explore Japanese remakes of American films, because as it turns out, Hollywood is not the only place “borrowing†ideas from overseas. Then, because I am cheap and ゴースト (which exists, seriously) is not eligible for half-price rentals…