Travel Japan: Hiroshima Prefecture in a Day!
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Travel Japan: Hiroshima Prefecture in a Day!

On a beautiful Saturday morning in November, I went with two of my close friends and boarded the Shinkansen heading for Hiroshima. We had quite an ambitious plan: visit Hiroshima Peace Park and Memorial Museum, roam around Miyajima and then finish off the day playing with bunnies on Okunoshima. I have to admit that we…

Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage: 勝尾寺 – The Temple of Winner’s Luck
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Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage: 勝尾寺 – The Temple of Winner’s Luck

I’ve saved a special temple for January – temple 23 of our 33, the temple dedicated to winning. 「すべては自分に勝つために」”Everything you do is to win against yourself.” Now spelled勝尾寺 (win, tail, temple), formerly勝王寺 (win, monarch, temple), it is said that the characters were changed when Emperor Seiwa regained his health after the offering of fervent prayers…

HAJET Book Club: The Cuckoo’s Calling
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HAJET Book Club: The Cuckoo’s Calling

Hyogo AJET Book Club (3)   Happy New Year Hyogo!   It’s time to stop kidding yourselves and write off those generic, unattainable New Year’s resolutions now. You might join the gym this January, but are you going to GO? Here are some realistic resolutions to consider: socialise with more Hyogo Jets, venture to our…

Kicchiri Kitchen: Chinese Chicken and Potato
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Kicchiri Kitchen: Chinese Chicken and Potato

This year Chinese New Year just about makes it onto January’s calendar, sitting firmly on the 31st. To celebrate the famous zodiac race, you could immerse yourself in all things sweet and sour, salt and peppered or egged and fried but why not try something a little more authentic? This month’s recipe has been stolen…

Miso Green: Homemade Kairo (and other tips for winter)
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Miso Green: Homemade Kairo (and other tips for winter)

There is a lot I could have written about in the last three months, but I’ve been sick and busy. Those are easy things to say to an editor who is, albeit very kindly, urging contributors to write so that she doesn’t have to put an entire magazine together on her own, but those aren’t…

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Current Events: Increasing Closet Space for Skeletons: Japan’s Secrecy Law

If there is one thing the year 2013 demonstrated, it is that the adage, “Secrets don’t make friends,” is as true for government as it is for people. Edward Snowden’s revelations of numerous National Security Agency programs, including those where the United States spied on its allies and collected enormous numbers of phone records, has…

Where Are They Now:  Bumper Edition!
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Where Are They Now: Bumper Edition!

With the recontracting deadline looming ahead, I had a very good long chat with three of my closest friends from JET who left the programme last summer and are settling into their new lives back home. I think their respective experiences are important to share because they cover the main three situations those returning will…