Tuesday 28 February 2012

Tops Tuesdays!


Find out what is tops and not tops this week after the jump!

Monday 27 February 2012

The Izu Life: Losing Weight in Japan.

It happens to the best of us. You are dragging yourself through an unfortunate spout of culture-shock-related depression and you turn to the ice cream tub for solace. Winter strikes with vengeance and a natural instinct kicks in encouraging you to consume more calories in order to produce more body heat. Unfortunately, you team this with extended periods under the kotatsu instead of healthy exercise. Furthermore, before you know it Christmas and (for some of you) Thanksgiving have come to pass and you are justifying that extra slice of pie because it is a special occasion (my mother always insisted that no one is on a diet on Christmas Day). And Japan’s abundance of sugar-loaded sweets does not exactly mitigate the problem. So what am I doing about it? Read on to find out…

Friday 24 February 2012

T.G.I.F.: Tokyo Marathon & Ito International Friendship Festival

Welcome to a double-edition of T.G.I.F. Fridays! This week we’ll look at the Tokyo Marathon as well as Ito’s International Friendship Festival! This weekend the Tokyo Marathon hails the beginning of spring and many more marathons to come. (I know I said T.G.I.F.s would focus predominately on Shizuoka events but with Tokyo only one hour away by shinkansen, how could I resist enjoying all that Tokyo has to offer while cheering on the sweaty hoards?) Meanwhile, Ito will be hosting an International extravaganza. Let’s jump straight in…!

Wednesday 22 February 2012

Diary of a JET #5: New "Alien Registration" Procedures

I received this in my inbox from my PA and thought "I couldn't have summed it up better myself!" There are going to be some new important changes to the way the Alien Registration Card and Re-Entry Permit works. Also, the way temporary residents return to Japan after a stint overseas is going to be a different procedure at immigration. So rather than lay it all out myself, I have shamelessly copied and pasted his explanation here for your perusal. 

Tuesday 21 February 2012

Tops Tuesdays!

In ‘Tops Tuesdays’ posts I will choose one thing, weekly, that I think is ‘tops’ about Japan. I stole the idea for this post from a favourite blog of mine. Enjoy!


Monday 20 February 2012

Diary of a JET #4: To Re-Contract? Or not to Re-Contract? That is the Question.

It’s a more difficult question than you think. Maybe you have seen some other ALTs ruminating about this very conundrum on other blogs recently. On the verge of spring time, just when Shizuoka is starting to warm up and look pretty, you begin to think, “Well, yeah. I could do another year of this!” Or is that just the springtime talking? The deadline looms. You start considering your options. To stay or go?

Well, the deadline has passed now, but have you made the right decision? This post contains some important tips when making a big decision such as this. Much of this information is specific to my situation and is designed to function merely as advice. Please consider your options thoroughly before making your own decision.

Friday 17 February 2012

What I Really Do...

This has been circulating on Facebook for a little while now and I think it perfectly sums up what I do in Japan...




Thank you for your time.

T.G.I.F: 22nd Annual Sakura Kawazu Matsuri

This is the first of many similar posts I hope you will enjoy on this site. T.G.I.F. (Thank God It’s Friday) will be a regular section on this site in which I hope to exhibit local events in Shizuoka happening the following weekend. So whether you are passing through Shizuoka or are a local looking for something to do, maybe the T.G.I.F section can help find something for you to do this weekend. And because spring is usually affiliated with fresh starts and new beginnings, the Sakura Matsuri (cherry blossom festival) in Kawazu is the perfect event to debut this new site feature. When talk of cherry blossoms in is the air, it means winter is on the way out and its time for picnics with friends in the park under a canopy of soft pink…
 

Thursday 16 February 2012

Travel Log: YETI Ski Trip, Hakuba, Nagano-prefecture

Welcome to the Travel Log. Here I will be making short reports on my journeys around Japan. I hope to travel a lot more this year after not doing very much in my first year on the JET Programme. I hope I can offer you some tips to help your own travels run smoother.

Not too long ago, some JETs from Shizuoka (myself included), Chiba and Aichi prefectures joined together for the annual YETI ski trip to Hakuba, a ski resort area in Nagano prefecture.
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