Every year in Kasama City, Jr. High students from all over Ibaraki come together with their teachers and their ALT’s to present their own unique 5-minute speech. This year 78 students participated, split into 2 groups. Continue reading
Located in Mito City in Ibaraki Prefecture, Kairakuen (偕楽園) has been designated as one of the three most beautiful parks in Japan. And lucky me, I only live about 40 minutes drive south! In general, Kairakuen is a pretty park, Continue reading
Summer break is over, the homework is turned in and 2nd term has started. You know what this means?
You got it! Sports Day!
The late summer air filled with students cheering and laughing, teachers screaming encouragement (because no one here is competitive at all, no, absolutely not!) and parents scrambling to get the best photo spot to practice their action shots (it’s a nation of photographers after all). Continue reading
I’ve now been living in Japan for a year and a half and I have yet to write anything about learning Japanese! Shameful!
The truth is, my Japanese ability is pretty embarrassing. When I thought I was leaving last March I stopped studying over the winter, thinking it wouldn’t matter, and ever since it’s been hard to pick it back up. But many of my friends are starting to take the JLPT and I’ve decided to challenge myself and join in the weekly study parties to attempt either the N4 or N5. Continue reading
Here we go! The year is moving fast and it’s time for a new survival guide! Hope it helps and let me know if you have any more questions!
Fall
Ah, the fall. My #1 most favorite season, especially in Japan! Summers humidity is gone, it’s not too cold yet and the colours! My gosh the colours! I’ve never seen trees so vibrant and reds, golds and oranges so breathtakingly vivid. I love summer but the fall totally wins as my favorite season. Continue reading
It’s happened. You’re in Japan. You finished all the training. You have all your materials and your Survival Kit is ready for anything. You’re ready to teach up a storm!
Ready, Set….
Sit in the Teachers Room.
It’s that time of year again! Typhoon season! We’ve already had one come through the area and I recently found this post I had written back in October 2014 and forgotten about! Woops! So without further ado, the new and improved Typhoons in Japan!
We’re nearing the end of the official typhoon season here in Japan and I’m here to relate my experiences with them, as well as offer some advice from a sunny southern Californian on how to safely weather them if you’ve never seen anything more than an inch of rain falling throughout a whole day (or as a refresher for those who’ve seen them before and just want some reminding). Continue reading