Welcome to the first ever guest post on Haikugirl’s Japan! I don’t normally invite guest posts, preferring to write everything myself (this is Haikugirl’s Japan, after all, and my intention is for this blog to be about the way I see Japan). But, for the anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami today I really … Continue reading
I finally got around to reading Baye McNeil’s book, Hi! My Name is Loco and I am a Racist, published in 2011, and here are my thoughts. I don’t want to write a formal book review though, and I will stress that everything below is based on my own reaction to reading the book, which … Continue reading
I’ve been back in the UK about seven months now and, what with the rapid approach of the end of the year, it seems appropriate to reflect a little on my time in Japan. Also, I’ve been invited to participate in Whoa… I’m in Japan‘s blog carnival which is looking at the question “What Have … Continue reading
I wasn’t a JET. When I tell people I taught English in Japan, they often respond with “oh, were you a JET?”. Then I have to explain that I wasn’t a JET (Japanese Exchange Teaching Programme), and I wasn’t an ALT (Assistant Language Teacher). I worked for a private language school (“eikaiwa” in Japanese). This … Continue reading
Surviving in Japan (without much Japanese) is one of the best websites available for tips on how to survive in Japan when your Japanese isn’t quite up to scratch yet. The website, created by the lovely Ashley Thompson, covers everything from tampons to teaching, mosquitos to mail – and all in amazing detail. I’m mentioning this … Continue reading
So, as you might know, I’ve never really talked that much about my job in Japan. Why’s that? Well, my company had this rule about sharing too much information, which is fair enough. Anyway, I’ve left now, but I will still respect that rule by not naming names. You can put two and two together … Continue reading
It’s my last day at my job today. This year in Hamamatsu has gone by so fast. It feels like just yesterday that I was getting excited about moving here from Nagoya. And when I think that I’ve been in Japan for three years – well that seems hard to believe too. My students have … Continue reading
Ask the average person to name something about Japan, and one of the things they will probably say is “origami”. Origami (折り紙) is the world-famous Japanese art of paper-folding. Typically, people think of paper cranes when they think of origami: Paper cranes are something you can often see all over Japan at shrines and temples, and … Continue reading
I got up early to see flowers this morning. I think it’s the first time in my life I have ever done that. Does that mean I’m getting old? Or perhaps just that Japan is rubbing off on me. Even though I’m planning to go to Hamamatsu Castle Park for hanami (a cherry blossom viewing … Continue reading
This is just amazing. What’s even more amazing is that a male student (in his 20s) made this for me… 🙂
