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How to Stay Warm During a Japanese Winter (Part 1): Enter the Kairo

February 20, 2012
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How to Stay Warm During a Japanese Winter (Part 1): Enter the Kairo

I don’t hate winter, but let’s just say it’s my least favorite of the four seasons. Even during Japan’s summer heat and extreme humidity, I would always say “Yeah, it’s really hot out here, but at least being too hot, isn’t as bad as being too cold.” To me, being the Georgia boy that I am, walking around in the cold is about as much fun as having a monkey double fisting handfuls of feces at my head. Not cool…not cool at all. So today, let’s take a brief look at a cool, inexpensive, Japanese item to keep you warm this winter season: enter the kairo!! What is a kairo? A kairo is essentially...

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Learning Katakana? Here’s a Cool Trick

February 17, 2012
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katakanausualsuspects

The Japanese writing system is an interesting one indeed. Learning hiragana (the most basic of the Japanese system), learning katakana (used for loan words or foreign words) and learning kanji are the three essentials of being able to read and write. Japanese is perhaps one of the more complex writing systems of the modern world. I don’t know who was responsible for creating the system but perhaps it was...

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My Five Biggest Japan Gripes

February 16, 2012
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My Five Biggest Japan Gripes

Ah Japan…the Land of the Rising Sun, home of some of the most beautiful temples & shrines you will ever see, and a hot spot for all things tech. So, I’ll admit. I love living in Japan. I could probably write a mile-long list of the reasons I think it’s so wonderful, but today, I don’t want to focus on that. Let’s look at the flip-side of that. Here...

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Things to Keep in Mind Before Choosing Your Japanese Apartment

February 10, 2012
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Things to Keep in Mind Before Choosing Your Japanese Apartment

This is my first full winter in my second Japanese apartment and I must say I am a little disappointed. Since moving in, I’ve noticed several things that make me believe that my previous apartment was the better place to live overall: insulation, heating and air-conditioning, circuitry, and repair...

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The Japan Guy Featured in the Hayabusa Movie (はやぶさ)

February 9, 2012
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The Japan Guy Featured in the Hayabusa Movie (はやぶさ)

Hey guys, this is just a quick post to let you know that I just saw myself on the silver screen for the first time. I got to see myself for a whopping 5 seconds (or somewhere thereabouts) . Last summer I was an extra in the latest Hayabusa...

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High Speed, Total Recall and Japanese Fluency

February 8, 2012
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High Speed, Total Recall and Japanese Fluency

I apologize in advance to those who might have been thinking this article would show you how to get high speed, total recall, and Japanese fluency . This post is more on the hypothetical side of things . We cool? Okay, please read on… Did you ever see the...

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Power Rangers My A**!

February 7, 2012
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Power Rangers My A**!

You know what I love about YouTube? It’s the fact that if you’re not careful with your browsing, you could end up on the site for hours at a time. One of the main reasons I think that can happen is because YouTube has that dag-blasted related videos feature,...

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A Japanese, First Grade Janken Jungle

January 31, 2012
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A Japanese, First Grade Janken Jungle

Today was a really fun day with my first graders. In class today, we were doing the final lesson on animals, so I decided to make it fun for the kids. It’s not always easy coming up with new English activities to do in a Japanese classroom, but I...

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Aonori, the Japanese Karaoke Song I Have to Learn!

January 26, 2012
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Aonori, the Japanese Karaoke Song I Have to Learn!

At the end of last year I had my first Bonenkai with the elementary school teachers and simply put it was a blast. It’s always nice to relax with cool people, have good food, and do a some karaoke. This was the first time I’ve been to karaoke where...

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What Happens if You’re Late Paying Your Taxes in Japan?

January 25, 2012
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What Happens if You’re Late Paying Your Taxes in Japan?

This is short post that I meant to put up last year, but since my taxes are broken into payments, I think it’s still relevant. When you live in Japan, so many of the things you see and do will be different from back home. However, some things don’t...

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The Trouble With Teaching At a Shogakko

January 24, 2012
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The Trouble With Teaching At a Shogakko

Ah, teaching in Japan, one of the most fulfilling experiences you could ask for. The sun shines everyday, even on rainy days the sun shines just on my school. Birds chirps in English, the children are always 200% genki and merry, parents of your students greet you with fresh...

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Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream!?!?

January 18, 2012
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LIquid nitrogen, egg ice cream!!

We have club activities after school on Wednesdays at my shogakko . There is a cooking/home economics club, an outdoors club, and a science club…just to name some of the ones I’ve taken a glimpse at. Each of the clubs that I’ve seen has a really special appeal. If...

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Japanese Electricity Bill Blues (JEBB)

January 13, 2012
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Japanese Electricity Bill Blues (JEBB)

Dum dee dum dum dum. Donald gets home from work, it was a standard, nothing too surprising, no major issues at school that he couldn’t handle. He opens the his mailbox to find a couple of bills inside. “No worries, just one of those costs to take care of...

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Japanese Ekiden, The Ultimate Relay Race

January 12, 2012
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Japanese Ekiden, The Ultimate Relay Race

Have you heard of Ekiden before? If not, it’s a race that’s very much a part of Japanese popular culture. Ekiden is what I like to think of as a relay race with a twist. The twist is that each runner runs a half marathon. At the collegiate level...

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Sweet Potatoes and Daigakuimo, A Tasty Vegetable Turned Tastier

January 11, 2012
By
daigakuimosaucethumb2

One of my New Year’s Resolutions is to get as fit as I possibly can before Obon rolls around. I’d like to go to a nice beach in Japan and be super-ripped. Why? I don’t really have an answer. I know I enjoy exercise, and I figured getting as...

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Four Years in Japan…Still Here, Still Loving It

January 10, 2012
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Four Years in Japan…Still Here, Still Loving It

Today is January 10th, 2012, indeed a very special day for me. Exactly four years ago today I hopped on a one-way, nonstop, 12-hour flight to Narita Airport in Tokyo, Japan. Although it doesn’t really feel like it, four years is quite a bit of time. Four years is...

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Japan Fauna: No Squirrels in Japan?

January 9, 2012
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Japan Fauna: No Squirrels in Japan?

You know what animal I don’t see in Japan, that I saw everywhere in Georgia? SQUIRRELS! I hear they exist in some parts of Japan, but I have yet to see any. I’m sure have to exist somewhere around because I’ve seen several anime with squirrels or flying squirrels...

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What are Your 2012 New Year’s Resolutions?

January 9, 2012
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What are Your 2012 New Year’s Resolutions?

It’s 2012! Everybody! It’s a brand new year, and a chance for a brand new start. It’s time to dust off all of those fitness machines that you never bothered to use It’s time to start thinking about how this year will be different from 2011. It’s time for...

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