Tops Tuesdays!

It's exam season in Japan so many students will be flat-out studying and many teachers will be flat-out marking those exams. Its a busy time of year but if you work in Japan as a teacher, you may have noticed your students' increased propensity towards the humble Kit Kat chocolates recently. This is because the Japanese pronunciation for 'Kit Kat' sounds like "きっと勝つ" (or “Kitto Katsu”), which translates into Japanese as, “I'm definitely going to win!” Obviously, chocolate is no substitute for studying but some students like to think of Kit Kats (with their many weird and wonderful flavours) as a lucky charm to carry into their exam with them. Good luck and "頑張って!" ("Do your best!") to all the high-schoolers and high school teachers out there this exam season!

Image source: http://blog.creamglobal.com/right_brain_left_brain/2012/03/kitkats-secret-to-success-in-japan.html

Travel Log: Autumn in Tokyo

It feels weird making this a "travel log" entry considering how close Tokyo is to Shizuoka, but Saturday I decided to check out some of Tokyo's best "koyo" (autumn leaf veiwing) sites while I got some Christmas shopping done...

T.G.I.F.: Chichibu Night Festival

December 2nd and 3rd is the Chichibu Yomatsuri (Chichibu Night Festival) in Saitama Prefecture. This festival is considered one of the top three mikoshi (float) festival next to Kyoto's Gion Festival and the Takayama Festival. The real treat comes on the 3rd day when the mikoshi, decorated elaborately with Japanese weapons and lanterns, transform into stages where kabuki is performed for onlookers. Click the image below for more details. Happy Friday!

Travel Log: Kobe

A couple of weekends ago, I struck a course and set out for Kobe. My sensei back in Australia who taught me Japanese hailed from Kobe so I had been curious for years about this "modern city" she described to me. As it turns out, Kobe is a modern city largely due to the Great Hanshin Earthquake of 1995 which destroyed much of the city and forced the citizens to rebuild their home anew with modern, earthquake-resistant structures. Kobe does not hold much excitement for the average foreign tourist in Japan but I was itching to try that famous Kobe Beef and I managed to make a memorable time of my visit. Check out some of my favourite snaps below!

Tops Tuesdays!

It's that time of year when you break out the kotatsu, dust off the kerosene heater, and start thinking about applying bubble-wrap to your windows to help with insulation against Japan's notoriously poorly designed modern architecture. It is still the koyo (autumn leaf) viewing season, however, the days are growing noticeably shorter and colder. Today's Tops Tuesday post is dedicated to the one thing that will enable me to survive the coming months, and (coincidently) from under which I write today's post... that simple yet ingenious Japanese invention... the kotatsu...

Image Source: http://prettycoolland.com/2093/everyone-needs-a-kotatsu/