As the hostess of this month's Matsuri, I posed the question: What has Japan taught you about yourself or your home country? A few brave souls took on the challenge, dug deep and provided us with the posts outlined below. If you submitted your post via the blog widget and did not also put a ...
The subject of learning Japanese while one is living here can get a little heated. There are those who don't want to learn the language at all, for various reasons and there are those ...
As with any house move the greatest stress, I find, comes with the juggling act that is needing to leave packing to the last minute because, frankly, you are using your stuff to live! When moving overseas, particularly for a finite amount of time based on a project or some such, there is (more often ...
Opening the blinds today to take advantage of the bliss that is a day cool enough to open the windows, I was met with a lovely surprise! I had thought that the variegated grass plants in our tiny terrace garden were just for greenery but it turns out they are for lilac-ery too!
For months before coming to Japan I read blogs of ex-pats living here to give me some insight into what the experience might be like. Since arriving, I have become involved in a small online community of ex-pat bloggers. I have now 'met' and communicated with many of those bloggers I used to read ...
Now that the sea shipment is unpacked and this move which feels like it's taken 4 months is over, I figured I'd write a post which would have been great to find at the beginning of the process. I guess a couple of qualifications first: 1) I am in Nagoya, I'm sure that there are many ...
Okay, so it doesn't seem like it would be a big deal and, in fact, I had assumed it would not be that big a deal but it's hard to find a wok in Japan! Well, in Nagoya within non-car walking distance from the house, with very little knowledge of the city lol. You can ...
While browsing the NIC newsletter the other day I noticed they have a regular photo contest. This Summer's theme is "A Japanese Summer" and I thought: what is more Natsu than fireworks except, perhaps, for flowers in full bloom so I thought I'd enter my "Hanabi no Hana" from my Gifu Natsu Matsuri evening. It ...
More cream and pink crockery I'm afraid! This teacup and bowl are part of a set available at Nitori for around 299yen a piece. I got plates too which are a lovely organic semi oval shape. The five-petaled flower ...
Any native English speakers living in Japan will have experienced Japanese English speakers/students when lost for either words or courage flip out their electronic dictionaries and deftly tap away with their thumbs till they come up with the English word they need. At this point they will either show you the screen or say the ...
