Friendship Friday: What Japan

Wow, I haven't done one of these in a while. Time to remedy that, I suppose.

Today I'd like to introduce a Facebook page that was recently started by a friend and former student of mine. Actually she was one of my best students and was already pretty fluent in English when I met her. Now she's working to further her career as a translator, and she created this page, WHAT JAPAN, to inform about Japan (and to keep up her English, I wager).

Despite being relatively new, WJ already has a good variety of posts and some very interesting links, including a story about a "sake arcade" in Nigata and a list of kanji that Japanese elementary school students learn.

She also posts some amusing anecdotes and cute pictures.

Another attractive element is that she will reply to comments in Japanese if you'd like to give it a go - a great opportunity if you don't have any chances to use your nihongo and would like to practice.

On a personal note, although I can't really claim any part in how good her English is or how she's improved over the years, it's always deeply satisfying to see a (former) student grow and succeed.

In conclusion, if you're rocking them facebooks, definitely check it out. If not...well. 残念, I guess.

頑張れ、WHAT JAPAN!

Friendship Friday: East Meets West Blog

I haven't done one of these in a while, but recently I've come across some blogs that have caught my interest. Today I'm highlighting East Meets West Blog!

What?

About a year ago, Makoto, the blog's author, dropped an answer to a J-Word Play in my inbox. She had her website in her signature, and for some reason I only recently came back across it and checked it out. And I have to say, I really like her style.

Makoto is a Nagasaki native who has lived in several countries and is currently settled in the U.S. with her American husband and children. Her blog is about her experience living abroad and reflections on life.

Why I like it

Makoto writes with an impressive degree of openness, and going through her entries I could tell how passionate she is about life and her family. The way she writes about her marriage, in particular...well, I hope I can achieve that kind of union someday.

Here's a blurb from a simple post in which she talks about her husband trying to make her happy and help her when she wasn't feeling well:

“Let me help you with forks”, my husband came in the kitchen while I was setting the table for dinner. I saw him opening a drawer and starting taking forks. He worried about me a bit because I came down with cold yesterday and I have not been feeling well. I have to admit my sickness has made me cranky yesterday and today. Without knowing why I was feeling this way until I realized that the cold virus was affecting me today, I was feeling guilty, too, for my crabby behaviors. [...]

[...] I looked at him in the kitchen and I loved the way he was picking forks. I truly appreciated his unconditional love to me. I went up to him and hugged him from behind. It was my way to show him my appreciation. We didn’t need words; I just wanted him to feel my love. I can picture our life together like this 10, 20, or 30 years from now. I will be wrapped by his love and so will he.

The warmth of her posts is refreshing. I've read a lot of blogs about frustrations, amusing anecdotes, and drama; that's fine. That's part of life. A lot of my posts have been of those varieties! But I haven't come across many bloggers writing about their love and their happy, successful relationships.

Here are another couple of posts that I especially liked and I recommend:

Losing an identity by living in a foreign country?

My love with my husband - there is always something that I can learn from

I think I also enjoy her blog because I haven't come across many Japanese women blogging in English from abroad (especially living in the U.S.). It's a unique perspective that I enjoy reading.

So happy Friday, and once again be sure to check out East Meets West Blog!

Friendship Friday: Surviving in Japan (without much Japanese)

This week's FF is Surviving in Japan (without much Japanese)! Full disclosure: I have written a guest post for this one, but beyond that have no affiliation.

What?

Ashley's Surviving in Japan (without much Japanese), henceforth "Surviving," is an aptly named blog that compiles resources and how-to guides aimed at helping foreign residents in Japan. From the about page:

"This is not a blog about etiquette, where to find a job or apartment, or a list of how to prepare for life here (though, there are some ideas concerning that scattered throughout these pages - see the how-to archives for more). Most of that information can be found on the internet, or in books about living in Japan (which I've highlighted in the "resources" section and various posts). I had to learn how to do a lot of things on my own during my first years here - things that weren't reiterated in the various websites and books I read before arriving. And now I'm compiling the knowledge that has helped me "survive" in Japan in this blog for you."

Surviving has been around for well over a year now and has a large amount of guides and information to peruse.

Why I like it

Quite simply, Ashley manages to deliver on her blog's description. While I've become pretty able at handling most tasks I need to accomplish here, Surviving's advice and guides are especially newbie friendly and designed to help both veterans and newcomers alike, with minimal Japanese ability required. I've discovered some useful resources through her site.

Here are some sample posts:

8 ways to winterize your Japanese apartment (or house)
How to get a library card
What to do if your alien registration card is lost or stolen
How to find ibuprofen
Words to know when ordering online

Anything pique your interest? You can find these and many more guides and how-to's here.

Once again, I heartily recommend having a look, especially if you're new to living in Japan: Surviving in Japan. Happy Friendship Friday!

Friendship Friday: Daily Bento

This week's FF features a website (blog?) called Daily Bento.

What?

From Daily Bento's About section:

Daily Bento – A bento is a traditional Japanese lunch box that the majority of Japanese people will bring to their schools or companies. These convenient and tasty bento boxes can also be found in convenience stores throughout Japan. We all need our daily fill of whatever it is we need whether it’s watching our favorite TV show, having our daily coffee, etc. We want to fill your daily bento need which can vary from news, recent electronics, culture, entertainment, new products, and anything random to entertain YOU. We hope you’ll join us!

Why I like it

Daily Bento is good for little amusing tidbits and bite-sized entertainment. With few exceptions, DB doesn't post essays or long articles. It's mostly a collection of amusing pictures and videos, often (but not always) related to Japan.

Honestly I don't know much about DB. I'm not sure if it's run by one person or a group. Comments seem infrequent and there isn't really much of a community as far as I can tell. Still, it has its purpose and is a nice place to kill a few minutes and maybe have a chuckle, especially if you've never been there before.

So once again, please feel free to check out Daily Bento.

My friend Steve

This post is a submission to the March 2011 Japan Blog Matsuri, hosted this month over at Haikugirl's Japan. Thanks, Ali!


The theme of this month's Matsuri is "Faces of Japan." I thought a lot about who I wanted to write about, and ultimately decided to break the rules of the theme. Sorry, Ali! I was supposed to write about a Japanese person in my life, and while there are plenty of people more than deserving of a blog post, I decided to write about a non-Japanese friend of mine. A friend named Stephen.

I have a knack for photoing people as they blink.

Living in Japan, I've met a lot of amazing people, both Japanese and non. Going through some old photos on my computer the other day, I came across a few of Steve and it jogged some memories. I'm really glad to have met this guy. Let me tell you a little about him.

Steve and I both entered the JET Program in 2008 and were placed in Hyogo-ken, right between Osaka and Kobe. I think we first met at the orientation for new JET ALTs at Yashiro (lovingly called "Yashiro Prison" by all who attend), where we were roommates along with two other guys. Incidentally, one of them was our very own Joe. I remember my impression of Steve was positive right off the bat. He was often grinning, friendly, and positive, though not in the same way that wide-eyed Japanophiles tend to be.

Over the months we met up a few times to either grab a bite or go hiking, and though we didn't hang out often, I felt like the time we did spend together was quality. I know this is sounding more and more like a man-crush, but I just mean he was both a fun guy to hang out with and the kind of person who one can learn from. And no, he's not dead or anything, but I'm gonna keep talking about him in the past tense anyway.

If he were a professional photographer, this would be his bio picture.

Our hikes to Fushimi Inari in Kyoto and Mt. Rokko near Kobe are great memories. He was a big fan of hiking and also into photography, so he set up a number of these scenic hikes and always issued an open invitation to anyone interested. Now that I'm thinking of going hiking once or twice in the spring, I regret that I didn't go with him more often.

931 meters up, baby.

On our hikes we had some good talks. He really was an interesting guy - originally a businessman working for Nike (apologies if I'm mistaken, Steve! I remember it was a footwear company), he decided that he wanted to try something different, something more fulfilling. While a lot of people would (and do) just stay where they are and be miserable (hey, at least they have a paycheck), he decided to go out there and try something different. So he went to go teach English in Japan. I remember him telling me that he used to be a stressed out person, often getting angry and worrying all the time. One day he decided that he didn't want to be that kind of person, and committed to becoming happier and more positive. He accomplished that, but still managed to maintain a somewhat cynical edge, which became evident especially when talking about business or politics. That's what I saw, anyway, and I greatly admired that about him.

Steve only stayed on for one year - his then girlfriend, now wife, was waiting for him back home. Though I wish I had gotten to know him a little better, we do still keep in touch, though infrequently. Regardless, I'm glad to have met him. He's one of the friends I've made here in Japan, and was a kind of mentor to me, as well. If you read this, Steve, thanks for all the advice and friendship. It's a small world - if our paths ever cross again, let's have a beer. It won't be at an udon shop at the top of a mountain, and it may not even be Japanese beer, but it'll be in good company!

This post is also a submission to Budget Trouble's Show Me Japan. Check it out for more posts about Japan!