May 2016

The weather may stay warmer, my school will have Taco Rice Tuesdays, and Golden Week insanity is upon us! May also brings a more settled schedule for many of us following the holidays at its start.

My first year, Golden Week was split into two, with the first half devoted to a solo trip to Kyoto, and the second to random hangouts in Osaka and Kobe. Last year, I rented a house in northern Kyoto with this pretty jerk I know, and we had a good time watching a giraffe drink another’s urine and the drunk in Kawaramachi. Both were at zoos, obviously. This year still involves a trip to Kyoto, but joining it is a deluge of other people and places. One of my friends is visiting from America (my aunt and her friend may visit too), and there are at least four other people we’ll be traveling to Tokyo with. I anticipate a hemorrhaging wallet and hijinks.

Once again, this month is full of articles for your reading pleasure. Resident Hanshin Tigers 大ファン Larisa shares her tips on getting the most out of a game. If you want to go a little farther afield, there are reviews of Shikoku’s Setouchi Triennale and Taiwan. Rory shares his experiences of remaining uninformed in the staffroom and a story about a father’s fear of flying. Mandy has another poem for us, as well as a recipe on a pineapple dessert, the deliciousness of which I can personally vouch for. You can also read about the most recent book club, and HAJET’s reasons for volunteering (and why you should too!). Finally, our alumni for this month is Alex Barrett.

Golden Week (together with my Sailor Moon addiction) may be the death of my bank account, but in these circumstances, I remind myself that I’ll remember the experiences much more than my balance. Add in those extra stops on your road trip, stop off at that nice restaurant you’ve been dying to try, go see that concert, come to the Biwa Boat Ball. Have fun!

Brittany Teodorski