What’s on your JET Life Bucket list? I was sitting in my apartment with the windows open (finally), listening to a fantastic album called “Dance, Dance†and contemplating what to write about. As a lot of us enter the final two-ish months of our time on JET, I’d love to know what’s on…
The month of May has crept up on us once again, hello May! We welcome you warmly as you bear the best gift a nenkyu-less ALT can get, Golden Week! Come Friday May 2nd I’ll be all packed and ready to dart out of the staff room straight onto a flight to Seoul! Whether you’re…
Spring is happening on Awaji, and love is in the air! Oh and pollen, mostly pollen… As a grumpy old dude trapped in a 27-year-old’s body, I find excuses to hate on things for no other reason than to feel superior in a miraculously childish way. Example: Baseball caps are dumb. With simple unfounded…
It was in October of 2010 when I applied to join the JET Programme, full of excitement of the possibilities for the future. After filling in a handy online application form I discovered there were quite a few more hoops to jump through than had been apparent at first glance. Hoops jumped through and application…
To stay, or not to stay? That was the question we recently asked ourselves. By now your papers are signed and handed in. For JETs choosing to re-contract, I offer my congratulations! I hope the incoming year will offer more unforgettable experiences. For JETs choosing to make the next big (and scary) step, CLAIR is…
Hello Hyogo! I hope you’ve all had some nice R&R during your winter holidays, and for those of you who have gone abroad　- welcome back to the land of the rising sun! I’ll be the first to say that winter is my least favourite season [“You call yourself a Canadian, Paige?†There, I said…
The short sleeved shirts and cool-tech innerwear of summer have finally given way to the scarves and gloves and berets and socks and layers layers layers of winter. With the weather switch now firmly jammed on cold, many JETs, especially those from warmer climates (namely, those from the Southern hemisphere who greeted summer smugly) may…
Hi everyone! I hope you all enjoyed your Halloween and are looking forward to Thanksgiving. After a surprisingly long summer, the temperature has rapidly dropped which means the start of my favourite season! To me, autumn is on a par with spring. People seem to migrate to famous places like Kyoto and Nara just to…
Hello Hyogo! Happy Halloween! Ok so I know I’m a bit early, but Halloween will be here before we know it! For me October means all of my sports festivals are over and it’s time to start teaching again, including getting ready for my Halloween lessons. This month there are a lot of fun events…