Hinamatsuri, or Girl’s Day, is celebrated in Japan on March 3rd each year. The day has origins in the activity of doll floating, where straw made dolls were floated out to sea taking bad spirits and bad luck with them. Doll floating had to be stopped as it ruined fishing for a good few days, and…
Category: Life in Japan
Nagasaki Weekender
Dan and I recently had a weekend away, in the great company of Brittany and Lauren, to Nagasaki. Just like the infamous Nagasaki night view, this beautiful hilly city has to be in my top three favourite places in Japan (so far…) We stayed in a fishing port town called Mogi, a twenty minute drive…
Thoughts on Japanglish…
Japanglish (Japanese style English) is a common occurrence found mainly in ￥100 shops in Japan. (The better Japanese equivalent of the pound shop). It can often be found on bags and clothes in particular, and it is usually supposed to inspire the owner and make them feel a little more sophisticated. I own a few…
Mojiko, Party Boat and Another Sunset
Last weekend Dan and I had no big plans and initially lent towards a weekend under the Kutatsu table. We had been doing a little research into local cafes and things to do, and came across a place called Mojiko, which is just across the water on Kyushu. We pulled ourselves out of our warm…
Fukuoka Flower Circles
Dan and I ventured to our nearest `big city` for a brilliant weekend of Asahi brewery beer touring, ramen eating, and gallery exploring. Fukuoka is Japan`s sixth largest city and a mere hour and half away from ours on the bus. That may feel like an age in the well-connected UK city scene, but for…
Our Neighbourhood
A little peak into the beauty we are surrounded by on a daily basis. This is a short bike ride we took to our nearest gym, back past our apartment (you see a flash of me pointing at a Soviet style look alike block) and to the beach, about 100m away from our door. Pretty…
Dinosaurs with Secrets we all Need to Know
It may be the kerosene heater highs, but last week my class highlight (teaching aside…of course…) was stumbling across the worlds happiest dinosaur stickers. I have never seen a picture of a T-Rex smile with such delight, and I was a big fan of the BBC’s epic ‘Walking with Dinosaurs’ series. It gave my students…
Having a Down Day? Fear Not, I Have the Ultimate Stupid Solution!
The other day I was feeling a little unwell and had to spent the afternoon at work being wound into a tight ball of stress by the pen clicker sat next to me. You know the type, those that click out what I can only assume is a tune in their mind on a pen….
Without a Song
It took me some time to work out why Japan sounds different to the UK. The different sights, smells and tastes are all so obvious. There are the notable sounds like the language, road crossings, pachinko parlors and electric cars (the latter can creep up on you at any time, even when you swear you…
Reflections on a 1970s Classroom
I am already starting to get used to life in schools in Japan, so, before it becomes too ‘normal’ for me, I wanted to record my impressions of the Japanese school. When I arrived, each school felt like walking into a 1970s under-loved British school. I was surprised by the lack of technology, heavy reliance on…