Category Archives: Living in Japan

Every day life: What it’s like to pick up and stay here for real.

3 Great Parks Near the Nakamozu English Conversation School. スミス英会話なかもず校周辺の公園案内

スミス英会話なかもず校・堺東校の講師が書いた記事。日本語はこちらへ。 Autumn is here! I love this time of year in Japan. It is a relief to see the end of the humid summer and I’m ready to enjoy a few months of beautiful weather. One of the best ways to enjoy this weather is to spend some time in a park. I live and [...]

Student impresses me with a great writing example

Yesterday, one of my long-time students showed up with a short essay she wrote about her experience the past weekend. I want to share it because it is quite impressive. There wasn’t much to correct. It was nearly perfect. Wow! Very impressive!  I like to think that several years of studying with me has helped [...]

Doing it Right… Japanese Desserts

As with so many things, dessert is something that is done well in Japan, with thought and consideration. Not to mention the absolute beauty and deliciousness of Japanese sweets! Recently we visited Chocola, a small cafe and cake shop on Lake Biwa in Otsu, Shiga. Chocola offers a 1000 yen all-u-can-drink plus 1 dessert deal [...]

Living and Sightseeing in Japan : Biwa Lake Resorts

Every once in a while you just have to get away and relax, and this year with all its ups and downs and continuous bad news here and there and all around the world, it is tempting to just remain complacent and wait for better times.  At least we are not at war! But the [...]

***** WINNER ***** August 2011 Festival Review : Tsuruga Hanabi Taikai Tohrohnagashi Aug 16th

Hello y’all!  I hadn’t actually planned this to become a competition but as an after-thought, here it is!  We really do have a favorite festival each year!  So here goes:  this is the third and final installment in my rather lengthy 2011 Fireworks Festival Calendar and Review.  Tsuruga has by far and wide been our favorite [...]

Dining out near SSE Nagaokakyo, Kyoto: Wine Bar Terra-スミス英会話長岡京校のグルメ:ワインバーテラ

A stone’s throw from Hankyu Nagaoka-Tenjin Station, WineBar TeRRA is a great spot for a casual bite and/or glass of wine.  If you ride the Hankyu through Nagaokakyo, you can’t miss the red sign and storefront at the north end of the station, on the east side of the tracks. SSE Nagaokakyo held a wine & [...]

August 2011 Festival Review : Otsu Biwako Hanabi Taikai Aug 8th

The second festival on our most-loved list and one that deserves at least an honorable mention in any one’s top five review is the Aug 8th show at Otsu Biwako. This is a very good show in a charming setting but the crowd can be quite daunting as you’d expect. The setting off the beach [...]

August 2011 Festival Review : Kobe Minato Hanabi Taikai Aug 6th

Hope you all had a great break! With the festival season now pretty much coming to a close, I thought it might be a good idea to review and recap some of the festivals that my wife Yoko and I are particularly fond of.  The rationale behind this is that next year all of you [...]

Living and Sight-Seeing in Japan: Kyoto Gosho and Its Fabulous Ikebana Displays

Hello all! Now I cannot profess to know very much about Ikebana, but it is one of my wife Yoko’s favorite hobbies and she is surprisingly intuitive and talented for it. Sagagoryu is the type of Ikebana Yoko has studied at length as a hobby, but anyone even remotely knowledgable on the subject can tell [...]

Takoyaki Class Party

スミス英会話なかもず校・堺東校の講師が書いた記事。日本語はこちらへ。 I have a class of teenagers who are always so enthusiastic to participate in class. I enjoy class time with all of my students, especially those who are so eager to do their best, learn a lot and to help themselves. I think that good effort should be rewarded, and I often try to come up [...]

Bad Behavior has blocked 1333 access attempts in the last 7 days.