As we start the new JET year and welcome all the new Hyogo-ites, we’d like to introduce ourselves… Editor in Chief : Sean Mulvihill 2nd year High School ALT, Kobe You would never know by reading my past Hyogo Times contributions that it pains me to use idioms, platitudes, and other literary…
Hey there Hyogo, As I sat down to write this, my final Editor’s letter, a huge thunder storm began. Out I went onto my balcony to watch the lights and marvel at the view which just never gets old. Sure, I was procrastinating, I’ll even admit to indulging in a little melancholia. But that’s natural…
Greetings! Now don’t hate me, but I have been craving the arrival of the rains for some weeks now. I know, I know, spring is a delightful time of year in Japan and I should savour it while it lasts, but I just can’t. I think it’s partly that the season starts so gloriously…
Well hello there and hurrah for May! The sun is shining, yet we are not melting! Cherry blossoms are long gone, but new flowers bloom every day, each more brightly than the one before. Schedules are finally in normal mode after April’s organised chaos of ceremonies, health checks and interviews. Sure we’re going to miss…
Greetings! I hope you are reading this sat on a river bank under a cloud of pink blossom, because spring has finally sprung! Yes believe it not, after the months of shivering it is time to bid a bittersweet goodbye to the kotatsu, burn the over-worn HeatTech and break out the blue tarpaulin and…
Hallo! March is a funny time in the JET schedule. We’ve said teary goodbyes to those graduating, but have yet to welcome a new batch of [hopefully] eager learners. Many of us may have a lot of extra time on our hands which can result in hours of Kanji study, applying for jobs back in…
Congratulations! You have made it through the coldest month of the year and hopefully only lost non-essential digits to frostbite. Whether you have decided to remain in Japan for a further year or not, at least decision time is over. This is of course a valid reason to celebrate and the third semester is the…
Happy New Year Hyogo! I am writing to you from the past, in mid-December, far ahead of the New Year, hoping to leave my festive season free of editing work and full of food and fun. New Year has never been a big deal for me; parties are over-hyped, overpriced and impossible to get…
Season’s Greetings! Well, a short but sweet koyo season is rapidly fading as the chill of winter takes hold. Kotatsus and electric blankets across the region are being dusted off and plugged in, and those without shiver with cold and poorly concealed envy. Thanks to the sudden switch from Halloween to Christmas decorations in…