For any travelers out there (of which I suspect there will be many this month), layovers are often a necessary and incredibly cost-effective evil. Below you will find my experiences (or how I imagine my imminent experience will be) with five airports. These airports often serve as gateways to SE Asia, Europe, and…
Winter is near/here and you’re already running behind if you haven’t pulled out your nabe pot. A favorite winter food to cook up at the kotatsu and keep you warm, nabe is both simple and versatile. Simply stock up on your favorite meat and vegetables, stir together some yummy stock, and you’re all…
A friend recently told me that I was “so like Byron.†I tried to puzzle out what she meant: A prolific poet? A notorious bisexual? A major theme in a work by Tom Stoppard? All are applicable to me, but I imagine, given the context of the conversation in which we were engaged, she…
The Hanshin Earthquake of 1995 has widely been regarded as one of the worst natural disasters in Japan’s recent history. Over six thousand lives were lost and there were billions of dollars in damages. However, in all the chaos and pain something beautiful and bright began. The Italian government donated over 200,000 painted…
Hello everyone, I am Justin Parker Pool I, another in a long line of Shiga JETs gracing the pages of this illustrious publication’s pixelated pages. I spent my formative Japanese years in beautiful Omihachiman just east of the Mother Lake, Biwako. My base school was Hachiman Technical High School for the duration of…
Adelaide stepped off the bus and into the rain. It barely registered to him, the water lashing against his face, the disgusting cloying of the damp collar against his skin. It rained so often where he lived, it was like political corruption or economic recession– it had just become part of the scenery. Bitchface…
An Instructional Guide on Dragging People Around Japan It may not happen for everyone, but eventually you may receive long-distance visitors. In as many months, I had two friends from America make the long trek to the land of the rising sun. Naturally, I was expected to serve as guide, translator, and planner for…
Season’s Greetings JETs! (Whoa it feels odd to say that) I saw the Christmas trees go up in my local department store on November 1st and then my body tensed up and my head started shaking as I realized BUM BUM BUM… the Christmas carols are coming! I know anyone who has worked in retail…
The down jackets are out, fingers are frozen, and stores have been decorated for the holidays for too long already. Yes, that’s right: it’s December! Wherever you find yourself and whatever you may or may not celebrate, I hope this month leaves you with fond memories. For my third year, I’m finally visiting home…