– 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…
While most of you may have the luxury of a fish grill tucked under your 2-set stove, I, among others, do not. But daijoubu, I have an ever-so convenient 860W toaster oven to save the day. This month I’ll show you how to easily transform salmon into a bento lunch or fish supper. …
Spring is happening on Awaji, and love is in the air! Oh and pollen, mostly pollen… As a grumpy old dude trapped in a 27-year-old’s body, I find excuses to hate on things for no other reason than to feel superior in a miraculously childish way. Example: Baseball caps are dumb. With simple unfounded…
Greetings! I hope you are reading this sat on a river bank under a cloud of pink blossom, because spring has finally sprung! Yes believe it not, after the months of shivering it is time to bid a bittersweet goodbye to the kotatsu, burn the over-worn HeatTech and break out the blue tarpaulin and…
Continuing on from last month’s Miso Green is part two of my friend Savo’s life story. It’s a really good one, so check out last month’s piece if you need to catch up.  I had another huge decline in my condition when I was 28…. I was swollen, feverish, and couldn’t even get…
On December 7, 1970 in Warsaw, Poland, West Germany’s Prime Minister Willy Brandt laid a wreath and fell to his knees at a monument commemorating the lives lost during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. His gesture, appearing to be both spontaneous and genuine, came to symbolize the acknowledgement of past wrongs. Brandt’s act, although unpopular with…
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…