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Current Affairs: Building “Brandt” Bridges: Prime Minister Abe and Promoting Peace

On December 7, 1970 in Warsaw, Poland, West Germany’s Prime Minister Willy Brandt laid a wreath and fell to his knees at a monument commemorating the lives lost during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. His gesture, appearing to be both spontaneous and genuine, came to symbolize the acknowledgement of past wrongs. Brandt’s act, although unpopular with…

Special Feature: Pecha Kucha: a solution to the presentation pandemic
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Special Feature: Pecha Kucha: a solution to the presentation pandemic

We’ve all been there; falling asleep as a lecturer drones on, yawning as a fascinating life story is told as a monotonous forty minute speech with fully four slides, texting instead of concentrating when a speaker waxes lyrical about his pet project using more acronyms than exist in the United Nations… Poor presentation skills seem…

Special Feature: Sumo: the nuts, bolts and loincloths
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Special Feature: Sumo: the nuts, bolts and loincloths

Along with a lot of other ALTs, sumo wrestling is on my (very long) list of “things to see” while in Japan. Luckily, Hyogo is right next to Osaka, one of only four cities in the country to host Grand Turnament competitions. Tickets went on sale February 2nd and a good friend was kind enough…

Travel: Vietnam: a quick guide for the smart traveler
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Travel: Vietnam: a quick guide for the smart traveler

Looking for your next beach vacation? Vietnam consistently ranks as one of the top destinations, offering a cultural smorgasbord, complete with a distinct cuisine sure to please any foodie’s palette. And it’s all possible at a budget backpacker’s rate of less than 2500 yen/ day.   I’ll try not to bore you with the typical itinerary…

Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage: Kimii-dera 紀三井寺
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Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage: Kimii-dera 紀三井寺

Our travels are taking us further and further afield, this time down the coast to Wakayama-ken! Kimii-dera is temple number two on our pilgrim quest. The only temple farther south on our list than Kimii-dera is temple number one, Seiganto-ji, deep in Wakayama. Getting to Kimii-dera takes some doing, but in cherry blossom season it’s…

Miso Green: Jizo, Koji, and Dirt: Savotem’s Story, Part One
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Miso Green: Jizo, Koji, and Dirt: Savotem’s Story, Part One

                When my boyfriend, Chris, first arrived in Japan, he didn’t have a job in hand. He found one rather quickly—within about 6 weeks—but there were still a few months between his hiring and start dates, so he decided to sign up for WWOOF Japan and work on…

Heart of Japan: Mt. Kabuto Hike
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Heart of Japan: Mt. Kabuto Hike

This article is brought to you through a partnership between the Heart of Japan blog, a project by the Hyogo International Association, and the Hyogo Times.   If you’re looking for a day-trip hike in the Hanshin Area, around the cities of Osaka, Kobe, Nishinomiya, or Amagasaki, I recommend heading out to Mt. Kabuto (possibly named…