5 Reasons to Visit Japan

***UPDATE: The September 2011 Blog Matsuri can now be viewed here: Reasons to Visit Japan.*** It’s Blog Matsuri time again, and this month the theme, hosted by A Modern Girl, is “Reasons to Visit Japan“. I don’t need to be asked twice to promote tourism in Japan, so without further ado, I give you: 5 … Continue reading →

Sayonara Anjo!

When living in Japan I think it is important to (1) have Japanese friends and (2) have Japanese friends who are not just your students (assuming you are a teacher). I know many people who either just hang out with other foreigners, or hang out with their students, but I think it’s important to get … Continue reading →

A Very Japanese New Year…

あけましておめでとうございます！ Happy New Year! I had the pleasure of spending my New Year’s Eve doing very typical Japanese things, with my mum, my friends and their family, in Anjo.  New Year (Oshogatsu) is a big deal in Japan, probably the biggest festival, so it was totally awesome to do it properly! First, a feast was … Continue reading →

Onigiri, illuminations and birthday cake…

I had a lovely day on Sunday.  I went to a friend’s family home in Anjo, where I was shown how to make onigiri (something I have attempted and failed before!).  It’s actually a lot easier than I thought – once you know how! First you make a ball of rice.  Then you make a … Continue reading →

Anjo

I had the pleasure of a brief escape to Anjo today.  Anjo is about 20 minutes outside Nagoya, by train.  It’s not somewhere I had considered going before, but one of my student’s husband’s parents live there, and I was invited to their home. I haven’t visited a real Japanese home before, so it was … Continue reading →