December 2010
1 post
I made it onto Passive Aggressive notes!!! →
A note my dad sent me a while back finally got published on PAN! I’m chuffed. :D
September 2010
2 posts
The Endless Summer III : Shizuoka
What a hot summer it has been around these parts. Allegedly the hottest it’s been since the summer of 1979, Shizuoka is a steaming niku-man of humidity and oppressive heat. Last year when I arrived, I only used my Air con unit for 8 days or so during the time I adjusted to the heat. Sadly - for my electric bill- I’ve left it on every night during the month of Aug and then some. ...
At my Japanese class last night,
(which is largely populated by Chinese, Thai, and South American women) - I was asked about my hobbies. I answered that I liked surfing (because 1 - I do, and 2- It’s easy to say in Japanese). No one believed me though, because even though I have a nice tan, I am far too white to be considered a legitimate surfer.
Only in this country is my skin tone considered pale. I was always described...
August 2010
5 posts
Happy 1-year Japan Anniversary!
It feels like a dream. I’m still just as in love with this country as I was when I first arrived. Here’s to another great year! :D
On Fuji Rock
Fuji Rock was a blast. An absolutely amazing five day break from my standard life. I got to listen to many of my most favorite bands, as well as get into a huge amount of new music I had never even heard of before. There was rain, sun, and enough mud to last a lifetime. Pictures and details to come soon.
July 2010
2 posts
My Top Five Seasonal Treats!
Mini Kit Kats- These are not your average chocolate bars. They are unusual and delightful variations on a classic. Some are spread out regionally – like the Hokkaido corn flavor, Tokyo Soya sauce, and Shizuoka’s wasabi, while others -like ramune, aloe, V8 and lemon vinegar- appear and disappear as fantastically as the elusive sakura (which - coincidentally is also an amazing flavor)
Kotatsus...
June 2010
2 posts
My school wins a contest: J-Rock band visit -... →
So this band is currently meandering about the halls of my school… Apparently they’re somewhat successful, and play the theme song to a popular Japanese Drama. Will update later with what the day is like. Unfortunately, they get to use my classroom, so I have to teach in the students homerooms today. Small price to pay for being close to a rockstar.
May 2010
4 posts
rhymeswithjulie:
dominilucy:
I drink oatmeal at school when I dont have time to eat breakfast in the morning….
Most of my co workers have no idea what oatmeal is, they proabably think I am crazy that I have a cup with a spoon at my desk.
Sometimes they peek at it, it probably grosses them out seeing dirty looking water with white stuff in it. HAHA!
I get a similar response from oatmeal,...
Amazing Japanese Anti-Smoking Ads →
April 2010
7 posts
Sakura Fatigue →
Zumba: Joining a gym and foregoing privacy...
Recently I’ve been unsatisfied with the workouts I’ve been getting on my own: biking everywhere, walking about, generally not getting enough cardio for my liking. I’ve heard rumors of a cheap/no-frills gym in the area, and yet I’ve never managed to find it, no matter how hard I hunted.
So I bit the bullet and signed up for the “fancy” gym (read: a little less...
1 tag
Nihongo ga sukoshi wakarimasu
most useful phrase ever!
On Limited Edition Japan
Some days, it seems like everything in this country is somewhat “limited edition!” Buy now, or forever hold your peace! It wouldn’t be quite so painful, if all of these things weren’t so unbelievably cool or tasty. My personal favorite thing to collect is the unusually flavoured kit-kats. I’ve collected quite a few. Off the top of my head I can think of a few standouts; Ramune (fizzy blue...
March 2010
10 posts
Procrastination: a meme
Listening… Red Heart: Hey! Rosetta
Reading… Kafka on the Shore – Murakami, Shoplifting from American Apparel – Tao Lin, Down and Out in Paris and London – Orwell, Obsolete: An Encyclopedia of Once-Common Things Passing Us By- Grossman.
Watching…The Cove, Lost, Freaks and Geeks
Buying…Last night I bought a small mandarin orange tree for my porch, and a cute wicker chair to sit on while I watch...
Letters to Myself
When I was doing the JET orientation in Toronto, they had us write letters to ourselves; Here’s mine*. I’ve struck out everything I’ve already accomplished
“Dear Dwight, At 8am someone poisons the coffee, Love, future Dwight
*****************
Dear Katrina,
This is a flashback to [school trip] eh? I hope this letter is less underwhelming and concerned with [stupid boy’s name] ><. We...
even my whining about being cliche is cliche
“Ach aye, it’s hard to think of everyone in the last 10-15 years who has passed through my apartment. All going through the exact same experience thinking it is quite unique but only separated by a few years.”
www.anotherjapanblog.blogspot.com
argh.
on being a cliche
Hello everyone! I know it’s been a long time since I’ve put theoretical pen to paper on here, and felt bad that I was neglecting my duties on the communication front. I’ve done a ton of things that I can’t figure out where to begin. I guess I lost a bunch of steam when I started looking about on the internet to various blogs done by other JETs and English-teacher-types in Japan. I came to find...
February 2010
2 posts
December 2009
8 posts
I've lived here five months
and I just discovered another new drawer full of things my predecessor left me. Hello spice drawer, you sneaky little thing.
a really creepy man just came to take my picture,...
October 2009
13 posts
Today I met a toilet with no less than 32 buttons,...
Amazing Fanta ads with ridiculous Japanese... →
settling in
I finally feel as if I’m actually living here in Japan, and no longer just being on some adventure vacation. Today I put my bed together, which is really more of a plank bed that you put futon’s on, but all of the furniature, decorations etc and time I’ve put into the place makes it feel like mine. I didn’t have to run off to go on some excursion this weekend, I just stayed...