Everyone says that Japan is the country of four seasons.
Summer, Winter, Spring and Autumn are four distinct times in Japan where each season brings not only different food, weather and a changing landscape but also mentality. To some extent this is true in any country. Cold and harsh weather makes it more difficult to go and do sport, socialise and enjoy [...]
Read Full Post »
Posted in Me in Japan, tagged big decisions on January 7, 2008 | 2 Comments »
Stay: no job in London, Japanese will be a great skill for future jobs (If I get round to learning it), I’m having fun, can explore Asia while here, I like the school where I work, teaching can be fun…great highs! I enjoy teaching and think I am doing a good job.
Go: I don’t want [...]
Read Full Post »
The food, the kanji, the complete dependence on those around you for assistance with the simplest tasks? The inability to work out the offers in shops, read your bills, read the paper, understand the news, the weather forecast, the chatter on the bus? The fact that you can’t speak on your phone on the train? [...]
Read Full Post »
We walked into Osaka University campus at 9am and saw crowds of people leaning on the walls, sitting on benches, squating on the floor, crouching on the grass. Some were chilled, some where smoking and some where looking at notes. On a Sunday morning a crowd of foreigners had gathered to take the JLPT (Japanese Language Profeciency Test). It [...]
Read Full Post »
Hiroshima, surviving domeI’ve been trying to start this blog for a while now but just don’t know how to begin writing about a subject which is so disturbing and distressing. Terrifying and horrific, Hiroshima is the symbol of human cruelty, a planned mass killing, long term effects, cover up and the desire for power.
When an atomic [...]
Read Full Post »
Today was judgement day, after all our dancing practises we were finally on stage at the EXPO park showing off our wonderful dancing skills to a very cheesy pop Japanese song!It was an early start for a Saturday and wasn’t welcomed by those who had been heavily drinking at Hard Rock the night before. Mid [...]
Read Full Post »
Posted in Me in Japan, Uncategorized, tagged Tokyo on November 10, 2007 | No Comments »
Tokyo: raw chicken, Tokyo Tower, shrines, children in Kimonos, Harajuku girls and shopping parade, Roppongi! Thats a lot for a day and a half and one evening. Tokyo was a lot of fun last weekend. I saw my first drunken Japanese fight too. It was quite funny. Standing on the packed train after dinner on [...]
Read Full Post »
Posted in Me in Japan, tagged school on November 1, 2007 | No Comments »
“Lavinia. You are beautiful in the school” haha, not sure exactly what one of the second year students meant but I am happy for the compliment…or maybe he was saying that I am like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: beautiful in school but ugly outside! Hmmm.
I don’t know what the students were on today but nearly everyone [...]
Read Full Post »
Posted in Me in Japan, tagged Kyoto on October 21, 2007 | 1 Comment »
Coming back home today I felt the autumn weather settling in. Unlike the nice weather which Felicity and I were fortunate to bask in during the day by evening the sun had disappeared and the cold weather crept slowly in.
Felicity and I had spent the day in Kyoto at a vegetarian festival which we had [...]
Read Full Post »
Posted in Me in Japan, tagged Barbie, Osaka, shopping on October 13, 2007 | No Comments »
Today I was lucky enough to have had the chance to spend the day with Mayu, a lovely friend from University. We met at Shin Osaka station at midday and then we decided to fill our stomachs in order to prepare for our long day shopping. Being pushed along the streets by the busy crowds we [...]
Read Full Post »
