Japanese Learner Interview with @sandkatt-part 2 of 2
Posted by harvey in Books, Language, Travel, Working on 08. Dec, 2009 | 4 Comments
Hey everyone! This is Part 2 of our interview with @sandkatt. Be sure to check out Part 1 if you missed it! Following you on Twitter it’s obvious that you have a firm grip on Japanese. You read casual Japanese Twitter speak, and can reply in Japanese quickly as well. Your grammar is also very [...]
Japanese Learner Interview with @sandkatt-part 1 of 2
Posted by harvey in Books, Language, Travel, Working on 06. Dec, 2009 | 8 Comments
Hey everyone, let’s get to know the JapanNewbie crowd a little better. I want to introduce you to @sandkatt. The following is part one of a two-part interview exploring @sandkatt’s road to Japanese proficiency. @sandkatt in Hiroshima Sandkatt is a Japanese learner I noticed on Twitter. I noticed her because her Japanese is really good! [...]
The Year of No Money in Tokyo
Posted by harvey in Books, Tokyo, Working on 11. May, 2009 | 3 Comments
Wayne Lionel Aponte, the author of the recently published The Year of No Money in Tokyo, sent me a copy of his book to read and review. This was my first casual summer vacation read, and it was an interesting ride. This book did not strike me as a masterpiece, but Wayne’s experience and personal [...]
Overwork – karoushi
Posted by harvey in Media, Society, Working on 11. Jun, 2008 | 5 Comments
I rarely post news articles, but the text for the photo in a recent IHT article entitled, “Japanese salarymen fight back” is just too intense. And I quote. Hiroko Uchino in her home in Aichi, Japan, with a photo of her husband, Kenichi, who died of overwork at the age of 30. That is just [...]
Homestay in Japan with Volunteers for Peace
Posted by harvey in Travel, Working on 11. Mar, 2008 | 3 Comments
I got a question via the Talk2Me form from a reader who plans to go to Japan with Volunteers for Peace next year. I had never heard of Volunteers for Peace, and wouldn’t even have expected Japan to be an option for a program like that, so thanks for the info! Has anyone reading ever [...]
Home stay in Japan with WWOOF
Posted by harvey in Travel, Working on 14. Jan, 2008 | 9 Comments
Someone asked me recently about possible ways to arrange for a home stay in Japan. Other than the usual study abroad program via a university, or the YFU program (this is how I first came to Japan when I was in high school), the first thing that came to mind was WWOOF Japan (Willing Workers [...]
Teaching in Japan for Mid-Career Folks
Posted by harvey in Working on 30. Sep, 2007 | 2 Comments
I got a question from a reader wondering how one could go about moving to Japan to teach English when already beyond the age limits for JET. Here’s my attempt at an answer. I have never officially done the English teaching gig, so I don’t have a lot of first hand information, all of the [...]
JET ALT/CIR Interview – Part 3
Posted by harvey in Culture, Society, Working on 24. Sep, 2007 | 9 Comments
We’ll continue the interview with Sugu, the JET teacher in Hamamatsu now. If you missed it, be sure to check out part 1 and part 2! In this interview Sugu comments on the JET selection process, as well as what causes some JET’s to stay… Forever… and what causes others to leave after the first [...]
