 The Seto Inland Sea (瀬戸内海), surrounded by Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu, is a veritable treasure trove of adventure. You can take the longest suspension bridge in the world, Akashi-KaikyÅ, to Awaji Island to feast on onions. From Awaji, or Shikoku’s Tokushima prefecture, there are the turbulent Naruto whirlpools where Japan’s fastest currents make one…
It’s time to pull out the old iPod, blow the dust off the touch screen, and plug in those headphones for a walk down memory lane. This month’s album anniversaries will take you back to a time when CD players were still the dominant medium for listening to music on the go and rather than…
 Japanese Whaling Not “for purposes of†Scientific Research  On 31 March 2014 the International Court of Justice handed down its long-awaited decision in Australia v Japan, concerning the legality of whaling in the Antarctic Ocean. While the decision in Australia’s favour effectively prevents Japan’s continued whaling hunt in the Antarctic under its current…
On a sunny Sunday in spring, a dozen book clubbers assembled under (one of) Rough Rare’s retro roofs. With the Ball Room and Royal Room both occupied by newlyweds, the centre of the Supper Room (2F) became our discussion space for a couple hours. The classic 1980s sci-fi story, Ender’s Game was the…
Dear Ms Hart,  The people in the apartment next to me have a television. A loud television. A loud television that they seem to watch only late at night. Unfortunately this television resides in the room that shares a wall with my bedroom. I first noticed it in October when I originally thought my neighbors were…
The Takarazuka Revue is a whirlwind show; blink once and you’ve probably missed a costume change or two. The town of Takarazuka is famous for two reasons: it was the home of a famous manga artist and it plays host to the Takarazuka Revue, an all-female company that performs plays, musicals, and dazzling dance numbers….
Print your tickets! Pack your bags! The most celebrated week of the year (at least in Japan) is here: Golden Week!　By now you’ve heard of the series of national holidays clustered at the beginning of May.　Perhaps it was a fellow ALT or a friendly JTE who first made you aware of this spectacular feat in…
The month of May has crept up on us once again, hello May! We welcome you warmly as you bear the best gift a nenkyu-less ALT can get, Golden Week! Come Friday May 2nd I’ll be all packed and ready to dart out of the staff room straight onto a flight to Seoul! Whether you’re…
Well hello there and hurrah for May! The sun is shining, yet we are not melting! Cherry blossoms are long gone, but new flowers bloom every day, each more brightly than the one before. Schedules are finally in normal mode after April’s organised chaos of ceremonies, health checks and interviews. Sure we’re going to miss…