Japan is renowned for its dislike of tattoos. You’ll often see signs indicating they are banned from various places like gyms and onsens (Japanese public baths). It links back to organised crime and the stigma has failed to be shaken off by tattoo loving westerners or alternative Japanese youth. So what better place to ink…
Category: Yamaguchi
Goodbye Shimonoseki!
As my JET programme contract ended on the 31st July 2018, the time has come to say goodbye to Shimonoseki. Fortunately, ALTs like to leave in style, and so there have been a few enjoyable trips and gatherings to mark our time in Yamaguchi. Firstly, we visited Karato fish market for some top notch sushi…
A Very Japanese Pastime: Karaoke
Karaoke. We have all heard of it, but only some of us have tried it. Let’s face it, Karaoke isn’t a very British pastime. If you ever come to Japan though, it has to be up there on your list of things to try. Unleash the Ed Sheeran, Rihanna, and Morrissey in all of you….
Moving on Up, Moving on Out…
The time has (almost) come to say goodbye to Shimonoseki. My two year contract has come to an end, and wow, what an incredible two years it has been. I am so proud of us for what we have achieved, overcome, and experienced. Living here will be an experience we will never forget and which…
That Beach Over There
On the 16th June Dan and I hosted a beach party. I mean, there was little hosting to be had really, but we selected a spot on the beach and people joined us from across the prefecture to relax in the sun and swim in the sea. Coming from the UK, it is a pretty…
Tsunoshima and Goodbyes
In January we took a trip up to the Tsunoshima bridge and island. The trip was our last (for now!) with the lovely Lauren, who is moving back to Hawaii to pursue her career goals of becoming a flight attendant. Lauren’s dedication to seeing as much as possible and Instagram photos has led to some…
Akiyoshidi Winter Wonderland
To fight those January blues we have been trip planning. It is certain death for the savings, but for the life experience, totally worth it! Before we depart Yamaguchi Prefecture in July, we have decided to check out some of its hot tourist destinations. The first on the list…Akiyoshidi Plateau and Cave. We decided on…
D and His Golden Balls
As an ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) in Japan, I have four schools that I visit each week. One is my ‘base school’ which is where my supervisor is and where all my paperwork (of which there are trees worth) takes place. The other three are called ‘visit schools’, where I am never seen as a…
Musical Conversation
The Beat cafe provided us with another musical and conversation delight during the summer holiday (I hate that I now call this a ‘vacation’) Although we were tired and sitting on a wooden bench for three hours had its own challenge, we got to enjoy three musical acts as the sun set over Ayaragi beach….
J&J visit the Inaka!
At the end of August we were lucky enough to host our first oversees guests as James and Jade visited us from the U.K. On Thursday we took a day at the beach and relaxed the hell out of that. The sea was like bath water, but alas, it is quite the temptress! After a…