Every year, Japan’s abundant Momiji trees change from green to a glorious shade of red. This beautiful sight, naturally, demands admiration. So, here’s a list of some great spots in Hyogo for all your viewing needs. And it’s even in a convenient map format! Note: Leaf viewing in Hyogo usually starts in mid October at…
 So you’ve finally made it through all the self-introductions and slightly awkward Q&A sessions with your new students. Congratulations! Now it’s time for the real fun to begin: you’re going to have to actually teach for real now. What a joy. For those of you feeling more or less paralyzed by fear and…
 Perhaps while wandering near Tits Park, you’ve come across the innocuous skull and crossbones sign announcing the presence of The Lockup. Though only one of many locations across Japan, it is not an experience to be missed. The commitment to a horror-prison themed restaurant from the staff, menu, and ambience leads to a…
A Sweet and Uplifting Bedtime Story I stare at the bones for several seconds before I realize just how angry the birds are. I’m confused. They ruffle their feathers, heads jogging back and forth. A clack of a beak, a small whistle that sounds more like a growl. “Why here, Fireflight?†asks Henwyn….
 For a small country, Japan is surprisingly full of remote and beautiful places. The Ogasawara islands take the cake, on both remoteness and beautifulness. Accessible only by a ferry from Tokyo—a ferry that takes 25 hours in good weather, runs once a week, and costs 25,000円 one way—few people ever make it out….
 Placement + years on JET I was placed in Shiga Prefecture(requested from a prior JET’s recommendation) as an ALT at Kawase Junior and Senior High School. Initially thinking I’d be a short-term JET, my position there as a fully utilised teacher saw me stay the full 5 years. Favorite JET memory Of…
 Japan is a country of many wonders, delights, sights and experiences. Unfortunately, those experiences are occasionally negative, even terrifying. We are talking about natural disasters. Few other countries in the world experience the sheer number and variety of natural disasters that Japan does, from floods and typhoons to earthquakes and volcanoes: they have it…
While for most of us October is the Month of Halloween, on the Shinto calendar it is the Month Without Gods. That’s because they are all at Izumo Taisha in Shimane Prefecture deciding on your love life for the coming year! But who are these gods? And where are they when they’re not matching…
 Lynn lived alone. This had several advantages: she could smoke wherever she wanted, she could stretch out in the bed and have the blankets all to herself, she could eat, bathe and listen to music according to her fancies alone and she could practice the black arts without anyone interfering, trying to save her…