Author Archives: John C

Keeping it Fresh

I’m writing this sitting in the classroom at my English conversation school Smith’s School of English, Kawanishi スミス英会話川西校 waiting for my next student to turn up. Yesterday, Asada Mao won a silver medal in the women’s figure-skating at the Vancouver Winter Olympics. Today I have already used an exercise, based on an article about the final from [...]

3D TV – in TOEIC and Reality

Al, of Smith’s School of English, Okamoto 英会話岡本, and I have recently been working together on some TOEIC listening excercises on the smithweb.co.jp website. Our latest effort, yet to be published, relates to the launch of 3D television, and more specifically, to Japanese manufacturers position in this new market sector. I am looking forward to using this [...]

INVICTUS – A Journey to my Birthplace

Recently, one of my students at my English conversation school 英会話, Smith’s School of English, Kawanishi スミス英会話川西校, mentioned to me that the movie Invictus had been released in Japan, and that she was keen to see it. She told me about this because I was born and brought up in South Africa, and Invictus is the [...]

Even more working together

As Al from Smith’s School of English, Okamoto mentioned in an earlier post, we have been helping each other distribute flyers for both his school and mine, Smith’s School of English, Kawanishi スミス英会話川西校. In addition to this, we are now working on a series of TOEIC+ listening excercises on ssejapan’s youtube channel. You can see our [...]

スミス英会話川西校 iPod or iPhone

Unlike Adrian of Smith’s School of English, Hirakata, (see his post) I am not at all a “techie”: I’m still trying to master the remote of my TV, which I have had for almost 2 years. A few months ago, I was looking for something to use to listen to music on my train journeys [...]

スミス英会話川西校 Lymington – My Old Home Town

My wife, めぐみ, and I were lucky enough to spend our last 12 years in England, before moving to Japan, in the delightful small town of Lymington. I can think of few more fortunate towns to live in; with its beautiful coast to the south, giving views across the Solent to the Isle of Wight, and the [...]

スミス英会話川西校 What?…Why?…When?……TELL ME ABOUT

I often use “Let’s Talk” type question lists during lessons in my English conversation school, Smith’s School of English, Kawanishi スミス英会話川西校. Sometimes I base most of a lesson on these lists (some from the Smith’s School of English curriculum, and some lists that I have made myself to augment these), or sometimes to occupy the last [...]

スミス英会話川西校 梅田スカイビル Umeda Sky Building – a great outing

Whenever I ask students at my English school, Smith’s School of English, Kawanishi スミス英会話川西校, which cities in Japan they would recommend for a visit by overseas visitors, they invariably say Kyoto 京都, occasionally adding Nara 奈良市, and even more rarely, Tokyo. Only one has ever suggested Osaka 大阪市, which is also my choice. Why? Well, to me, [...]

スミス英会話川西校 Manganji Temple 満願寺 – Another Local Gem

During the 9 months that I have been the owner and teacher of Smith’s School of English, Kawanishi スミス英会話川西校, I have done quite a lot of exploring in the area around my English school. I never cease to be amazed by the very special places that I have found in this part of Japan.

(スミス英会話) A Foreigner in Japan – with a camera

I have had a great love for photography ever since the first time I saw an image appear on a piece of photographic paper (as if by magic), in a friend’s darkroom. For several years I produced monochrome photographs in my home darkroom, and had some success, exhibiting and winning awards in several countries. That [...]

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