Showing your family around Japan is always going to be exciting. However, there are a few things you should keep in mind. The absence of creature comforts at home which your family takes for granted, such as being able to travel by car anywhere, can cause tension. No one wants their holiday to be ruined…
Though summer in Hyogo can be sticky, there are days when the oppressive humidity gives way, and one’s thoughts turn to evenings of frosty beers in the open air as a light breeze rolls in. Until recently I believed that, besides beer gardens, Japan just doesn’t do alfresco dining, but I have happily been proven…
Hello Hyogo JETs! First, we have lots of people to whom we want to thank (in Japanese, ‘cause we want to be cool) for their hard work this summer – hopefully we’ve covered everyone. ãŠç–²ã‚Œæ§˜ (otsukaresama) to those of you who sweated through the JLPT this July (literally and figuratively)! If you’re still panicking, just…
Look at us now! A decade or two later and you can vaguely see the scars (and I’m not talking about Mac make-up working its magic here); we don’t cry anymore (or at least not for the same reasons); we are bandaged up, and all our bones have finally been reformed; we emit love instead…
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…
When is Meat Day in Japan?
This is one of the best games I played with my students in three years (I played it each year!). I call it simply: The Ainu Game. In essence, it’s a True/False game played in teams of 5 or so students. (I just tell my kids to get into “lunch groups’ and they seem to know what to do!) …
In 1954, the town of Sasayama decided to create a festival that integrated the annual Bon Odori that was previously held in the old town centre. The result was what is now known as Dekansho festival, held every 15th and 16th of August. Professional and amateur dance troupes, as well as individuals from the very young to…
Ahab’s Wife or, The Star-Gazer Sena Jeter Naslund Sena Jeter Naslund took a brief reference in Moby Dick mentioning Captain Ahab’s young wife (and son) and from that seed, she planted and grew herself a transcendent novel. What kind of woman could hold up against the magnificent (and stubborn) Captain Ahab? If Naslund had asked…