Tag Archives: スミス英会話川西校

スミス英会話BBQ（塚口校、川西校、岡本校）Smith’s is more fun!

September 21, 2009 – 9:03 pm

Well we are preparing for the barbeque at my house next Sunday. It will be the last big bash for the Summer which officially already ended but not for me — not until we have this barbeque.  

By Al Bartle | Posted in Alone or Franchise?, English School Articles, Franchise Owners' Speak, Living in Japan, SSE Okamoto Corner, english in japan, teaching: why i do it | Also tagged , , , , , | Comments (2)

Kitano Ijinkan 北野異人館 Revisited

September 14, 2009 – 1:23 am

When we first explored the Kobe 神戸市 area as possibly somewhere to live when we moved to Japan, Kitano-cho 北野町 immediately struck us as a very special sort of place.

By John C | Posted in Choosing a location, English School Articles, Franchise Owners' Speak, Living in Japan, a reward in itself, english in japan, enjoyed this a lot | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Let’s Talk – Food & Drinks

September 2, 2009 – 10:09 pm

In the “Let’s Talk” Question and Answer Item in the Smith’s School of English スミス英会話 curriculum,  Question 8 asks: “Have you ever complained in a restaurant?” I have not yet had a student at my English school,  Smith’s School of English, Kawanishi, answer this in the affirmative, and I can’t remember complaining in a restaurant myself (at least [...]

By John C | Posted in Choosing a location, English School Articles, Franchise Owners' Speak, Living in Japan, english in japan, enjoyed this a lot | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

A Farewell to Rabbit – and some words on idiom

August 23, 2009 – 11:46 pm

I have just finished reading the “Rabbit” tetralogy by John Updike. At over 1500 pages, this had been a marathon read. I had read the first of the four novels, Rabbit Run, as a young man, but had not read any other of his works since, before I tackled reading the whole set a little earlier [...]

By John C | Posted in English Lesson Plans, English School Articles, Franchise Owners' Speak, a reward in itself, english in japan, enjoyed this a lot, high level students, my high level students, my passion: language | Also tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Onsen 温泉 – A Great Japanese Tradition

August 20, 2009 – 3:51 am

  Ever since my first visit to Japan, almost 20 years ago, I have always loved visiting the country’s great traditional hot springs 温泉. My first visit to an onsen was in Nita , in Shimane-ken 島根県. Although I had read much of the etiquette of the onsen, I was lucky enough, on that occasion [...]

By John C | Posted in Choosing a location, English School Articles, Franchise Owners' Speak, Free Advice English Schools, Living in Japan, a reward in itself, english in japan, enjoyed this a lot | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Another Journey in Time – Nose Myoken-san Temple 能勢妙見山堂

August 5, 2009 – 1:06 am

  Earlier this summer I wrote a post about a trip that I took to Myokenguchi 妙見口 see HERE. At the end of that article I promised a return visit, which I did last Sunday. This time we visited Myoken-san, the location of  Nose Myoken-san Temple 能勢妙見山堂, headquarters of the Nichiren Buddhist sect.

By John C | Posted in Choosing a location, English School Articles, Franchise Owners' Speak, Living in Japan, a reward in itself, english in japan, enjoyed this a lot | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

English School Franchise – the only choice for me

July 27, 2009 – 12:48 am

Two apparently unrelated events happened to me yesterday that really got me thinking about my recent huge changes in life: coming to live in Japan and buying a Smith’s School of English franchised school. First, I visited Smith’s School of English head office in Kyobashi for an owners’ seminar, where I found the friendliness and support [...]

By John C | Posted in Alone or Franchise?, English School Articles, Fair to teachers, Franchise Owners' Speak, Free Advice English Schools, Living in Japan, a look back, a reward in itself, english in japan, enjoyed this a lot, my high level students, rewarding job change, teaching: why i do it | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (1)

English in Japan: A Week in the Life of a Smith’s Student ある生徒の1週間～英語のある生活～

July 1, 2009 – 7:01 am

スミス英会話大津校の日本語のサイトはこちら 英会話無料レッスンはこちら I often hear people say “There aren’t many opportunities to speak English in Japan.” 「日本では英語を使う機会があまりないんです。。。」 I doth protest! English in Japan: A Week in the Life of a Smith’s Student ある生徒の1週間～英語のある生活～ Masako is a wonderful student who is both keen and energetic, a powerful combination in the academic world. Here is how Masako [...]

By Edward | Posted in English School Articles, SSE Ohtsu Corner, english in japan, my high level students | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments (3)

My Kind of Town part 2

June 22, 2009 – 11:30 pm

I was reading a feature on the Japan Times website recently. This article was entitled Silent Spring in Tokyo and bemoaned the lack of any sign of wildlife in the Tokyo suburb where the author lives (he states that it is about an hour’s train ride from midtown). All that I can say to the writer [...]

By John C | Posted in Choosing a location, English School Articles, Living in Japan, english in japan, enjoyed this a lot, rewarding job change | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (1)

A Journey in Time

June 8, 2009 – 8:29 pm

        There is an old railway line that runs into the mountains form Hankyu Kawanishi Noseguchi Station　川西能勢口駅, which is opposite my school Smith’s School of English, Kawanishi. This is the Hankyu Nose Line　能勢電鉄妙見線 which runs approximately 12 kilometers into the mountains north of Kawanishi, coming to an end at Myokenguchi    妙見口. As [...]

By John C | Posted in English School Articles, Franchise Owners' Speak, Living in Japan, a look back, a reward in itself, english in japan, enjoyed this a lot | Also tagged , , , , , , | Comments (2)

Bad Behavior has blocked 1331 access attempts in the last 7 days.