 For a small country, Japan is surprisingly full of remote and beautiful places. The Ogasawara islands take the cake, on both remoteness and beautifulness. Accessible only by a ferry from Tokyo—a ferry that takes 25 hours in good weather, runs once a week, and costs 25,000円 one way—few people ever make it out….
Perhaps you’ve become over-stimulated by the massive spread of Tokyo and need a slightly smaller cityscape. Perhaps ramen and Chinatown fare would really hit the spot. Perhaps you just want to see what Japan’s second largest city has to offer you. No matter your reasoning, at only half an hour from Shinjuku Station, Yokohama makes…
After reading the most recent Hyogo book club selection, From the Fatherland, With Love, I felt I already had a connection to the city of Fukuoka, where most of the novel takes place. Fortunately, there have been no recent attempts to invade the prefecture’s capital, though interestingly enough, the origin of kamikaze stems from one…
My name is Penny Fox and I’m originally from Sydney, Australia, although I’m not sure now which to call my ‘hometown,’ since I spent the full 5 years on JET (2009 – 2014). I actually had 2 placements – one for the first 3 years, where I taught at a total of 10 schools (3…
8:15 AM. At this time on August 6th, 1945, the city of Hiroshima became the first to be devastated by a nuclear weapon. The ones who were instantly vaporized were lucky in that they did not have to suffer the effects of radiation poisoning. After Japan surrendered, reconstruction began. Now, the only visible remnant…
What’s up Hyogo people, my name is Elliot Seeto. I’m from the city of San Francisco, California but I lived in San Diego for several years prior to joining JET. I’m a 2nd year JET ALT, and the current president of Aichi AJET. I reside in Tsushima, which is a small city about half an…
Not for the Galaxy, but still Useful: Hitchhiking in Japan During my latest travels in Fukuoka and Nagasaki, I met a fellow traveler from Australia at the hostel we were staying at. A few minutes into our conversation I realized the two of us had arrived at our destination by very different means. After…
Who are you? Where are from originally? What year are you on JET? Where do you teach? What level? My name is Nicole Finch, and I’m from the hockey loving, maple syrup drinking country of Canada. I’m a 3rd year JET in Okayama City, Okayama, where I teach at two academic high schools, one academic…
 Naha            The capital (actually the prefectural seat, but that’s beside the point) of Okinawa has been an important center for the island from the time it was still the Ryukyu Kingdom. This kingdom had strong ties to both China and Japan until it was annexed by the latter in 1879. During World War…