HAJET Book Club: All the Light We Cannot See
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HAJET Book Club: All the Light We Cannot See

  For the first book club of the new JET year, fourteen ALTs found themselves gathering at Tits Park fooled by the weather, wearing layers meant for the previous day’s chill. While waiting for everyone to arrive we made our introductions, some for the second and third time, and were also graced with the presence…

Grilled Sanma
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Grilled Sanma

  The humidity of summer is finally disappearing, replaced by a slight chill in the air at times and announcing the arrival of what the Japanese call shokuyoku no aki(食欲の秋). This roughly translates to “the season for eating,” an apt description for the renewed appetite that the cooler temperatures bring. Grilled with a light sprinkling…

Mountain Mocha Kilimanjaro – The New Face of an Old Sound.
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Mountain Mocha Kilimanjaro – The New Face of an Old Sound.

    Some say funk is dead, but honey, I beg to differ. Starting back in 2003 Mountain Mocha Kilimanjaro, a six man Japanese whirlwind of classic funk and ska, has been taking the world by storm. To give you the gist of their sound, you’ve got Naohito “Temjin” Yomoda on trumpet, Takeshi Kurihara with…

Big in Japan: Bodybuilding Competition
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Big in Japan: Bodybuilding Competition

    Inside the crowd was unique and varied. Larger men who wistfully looked up at the stage hoping to one day compete or perhaps remembering their own glory days, friends and middle-aged wives smartly dressed shouting words of encouragement to their partners on stage, and then the few photographers and writers scribbling notes on…

Clap and Scream: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, and Her Name in Blood
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Clap and Scream: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, and Her Name in Blood

  If you live in Kobe you recognize that there are many amenities the city provides that are harder to find in other parts of Hyogo. Simply put, we have a Costco! ALTs know just how lucky they are to be in such a great location, this is especially true for those who are avid…

Cloudy with a Chance of Violence: Protests in Hong Kong
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Cloudy with a Chance of Violence: Protests in Hong Kong

  This month we’re branching out from the usual coverage of Japanese current events and taking a look at our neighbors in China (expect to see more updates about regional news in future issues).   As many of you are well aware, Hong Kong’s commercial district has been flooded with protestors, the majority being students,…

K-Town
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K-Town

  The dark, pungent, and crowded area immediately outside Tsuruhashi Train Station serves as forced introduction to Osaka’s Koreatown. As you exit Tsuruhashi Station, the narrow alleys are filled with people and smells greet visitors. The alleys can fit two people comfortably or three people uncomfortably, and as I made my way past little shops…