I really wanted to write about this on my blog sooner, but I needed a lot of time to process my million and one emotions. I've actually been starting and stopping this "Life After JET" post since September. I don't think I'll ever have it written exactly as I want it, but now that I've… Continue reading What I Realized After Leaving Japan
Tag: Japan
A Culminating Climb up Mount Fuji (AKA Are we on the moon?)
My last epic adventure before starting my descent back to America was to climb Fuji. I left Amami the day my teaching contract ended and met Lesley (who I also hiked Yakushima with last September) and her brother, Graham, in Shinjuku so we could set off early the following morning for Shizuoka, the prefecture where… Continue reading A Culminating Climb up Mount Fuji (AKA Are we on the moon?)
Truly Rural (Inaka Road Trip to Miyazaki)
Over the weekend, I was just looking forward to spending time visiting Chiho and Kevin at their new home in Issa with Ching and Megan, but our time in the inaka (the countryside) left me feeling so satisfied and fulfilled! It was my first time going on a road trip in Japan and spending some… Continue reading Truly Rural (Inaka Road Trip to Miyazaki)
I Live in a Tropical Paradise
That settles it. Amami Oshima is the most beautiful place I have ever been to. I already knew that but maybe I've never said it aloud. Monday's national holiday was appropriately Marine Day, or "Ocean Day." So we rented a beach house for Saturday and Sunday night for mine and Carson's leaving party (and Jonathan came… Continue reading I Live in a Tropical Paradise
My First Trip to the Doctors in Japan
I made it over 11 months without needing to go to the doctors here, but today I had to go because my right ear had been plugged up with sea water since Saturday and I couldn't get it out. I am very dramatic and worried I had an inner ear infection even though I wasn't really experiencing… Continue reading My First Trip to the Doctors in Japan
An Ephipany in the Classroom
I started off my week by giving a speech to all my third grade students about how I was failing math in high school until I found a teacher who tutored me almost every morning before school so I could pass his class. I told them to never be afraid to ask for extra help… Continue reading An Ephipany in the Classroom
JET Placement Results: 7 Things I Did and One Thing I Wish I Did Before Moving to Japan
So word on the web is that JET Placement Results have been unleashed to the world. It`s all so exciting! Last year, my impending move to Japan finally sank in when I received the email saying that I was headed to Kagoshima-ken. I was excited to be headed south to a place with friendly people, a subtropical climate,… Continue reading JET Placement Results: 7 Things I Did and One Thing I Wish I Did Before Moving to Japan
A Snapshot of My Life, and Why I Haven’t Written About Golden Week Yet
I love the way sunshine breathes life into a city. I just returned from a beautiful evening bike ride around my little city, the perfect way to close out a great weekend at the beach. On my bike ride I saw more kids outside playing than usual, and lots of people were enjoying dinner with their… Continue reading A Snapshot of My Life, and Why I Haven’t Written About Golden Week Yet
Amami Oshima, You`re on to Something…
It's been weeks since I've updated! I have been busy playing Amami Tour Guide. My boyfriend was here for a week, and then the day after he left I had some mainland friends stay with me at AirBnBecca (yep, that's what I call my central island apartment.) This week, I've been catching up on sleep,… Continue reading Amami Oshima, You`re on to Something…
Springtime in Kansai
Last week, a few of us islanders decided to escape during "Spring Break" and visit Kansai. We booked our flights for the last week in March so we still could attend soubetsukai and see off leaving teachers, but to our surprise, our trip coincided perfectly with Hamami in Kyoto and Osaka! After 5 days of Big City traveling, I… Continue reading Springtime in Kansai
The Becca Jar 