In the whirlwind that was the first few months of living in Japan, I was lucky enough to have two second year JETs to hold my hand. They showed our ragtag crew around the area and together we went to a Hanshin baseball game, a tour of Kobe, and even to Hikone castle. On one…
For most reading, I’d assume you understand the term ‘long distance’, but saying this to my Japanese colleague caused a bit of confusion. You see in Japanese this term would be translated as ‘long distance love’ (é è·é›¢æ‹æ„›). My argument is that two people do not necessarily have to be in love (cynical I know) to…
This year, I served as a helper ALT at our anticipated/dreaded Yashiro orientation. I decided to volunteer to help in part because the preparations would give me something to do during the summer besides bum around on social networking, and in part because I recently quit drinking, and thought that the Beer Garden welcome party…
Hello Hyogo, First off, thanks to all of you who came to the welcome party, I had loads of fun meeting some fresh and familiar faces. Let’s continue partying this September! See the delights of our neighboring prefecture by coming on the Hyogo AJET Osaka night out on Saturday 28th September. The night will…
Introducing the brand new Hyogo AJET Book Club! For all you new comers finding your feet in your freshly-woven tatami homes, this club will be a great way to casually slip into the JET community. Not to mention, it will give you something to do at school in the long summer before the students arrive….
Temple 6: Tsubosakadera 壷阪寺   Temple 7: Okadera岡寺 This month we explore temples six and seven on our thirty-three route, journeying a bit off the beaten path and into the wilds of Nara prefecture. Both of these temples are less accessible than the ones previously featured, but they are both worth a visit if you have…
It goes without saying that the best things about Japan will always be the people that you meet and relationships that you forge; The friendly lady who sells bread at one of your schools, the volunteers running Japanese language classes, the other ALTs in town and random people you ‘inherit’ from predecessors. And that’s before…
A new regular feature, Where are they now? interviews Hyogo JET alumni to find out what they are up to post JET. Our first interviewee is the charming Simon Shone of New Zealand origin who spent two years based in Itami from August 2010 to 2012 and is now living in London. HT: What did…
 for Android phone users (with some iPhone suggestions) Okay, you’ve finally got your residence card, so at last you can get your phone. Now to put that baby to use! Here are the top ten applications I think you need for your stay in Japan. They are in no particular order, but grouped into…