Tops Tuesdays: Cats doing people things...

I found this series of photos from Japan of cats doing adorable people things... Enjoy!

Continue reading after the jump for more!

Tops Tuesdays: The Japan Wrap

While searching for videos on Youtube which perfectly encapsulate the experience of Japan's culture, media and lifestyle, I stumbled across the following videos and couldn't choose just one for my Tops Tuesdays post. Enjoy some funny videos from Japan...

See more after the jump!

Travel Log: Getting my nerd on in Odaiba and Akiba

I headed out to Tokyo during the week to doing some shopping before I leave Japan. My calendar is filling fast with farewell parties and summer barbecues so I wanted to take advantage of my free time now to tick some of the things off the pre-returning-home-shopping-list. First stop was Odaiba in Tokyo Bay...

The Izu Life: My final Sports Day in Japan

Before I get all emotional about how my time in Japan is dwindling from months to mere days too quickly for my liking, let me just get on with it and share with you some of my favourite pictures of this year's Sports Festival at the high school where I teach. Check them out after the jump. Enjoy!

Tops Tuesdays: Ten Things I Wish I Knew Before I Came to Japan

My first few months in Japan were a whirlwind. Most new JETs get a few days to recoup from their jet lag, participate in orientation and training, and make some new friends before they begin teaching. I hit the ground running. Straight from the airport, I was shuttled to my new workplace and, bleary-eyed, introduced to my new colleagues. I was expected to start work the next day bright and early. No orientation for me. I could see my jet lag was going to become very drawn out and turn into JET lag so to speak. 

It took a long time to adjust emotionally after that. I took even longer to make friends because I just didn't know where any other ALTs were. Looking back, there are many things I would try to do different. It was a difficult set of circumstances, but there were options to make that period in time more bearable. 2011 turned out to be one of the worst years of my life. But luckily, in 2012 I figured a lot of things out, and 2012 turned into one of the best years of my life. If only I had known in 2011 what I know now, things could have gone much more smoothly...

The Izu Life: My Very Last Culture Festival

Last weekend was my final chance to experience a Japanese high school culture festival. The kids put in a lot of effort and produced a lovely cultural festival for the public to enjoy. Many seemed to sense that this was one of their last chances to interact with me freely outside of a classroom and were very courteous and kind. So I would like to say thank you to my students for making my final cultural festival a memorable experience. Check out some of my favourite pics of the cultural festival after the jump...