Okinawa PhotoAbsolutely beautiful photos, thanks for sharing! I really want to go to Okinawa some day and try to learn about some of its traditional culture. Less of the beach for me but it's still beautiful.
Japanese Language Proficiency TestGood to know that the JLPT wasn't very useful for you in job-related matters. I was going to do it this year but several work and family related matters all crashed down on me in October (and will continue until middle of next year, it seems) and it...
Japanese NicknamesThe only time I had a nickname was when my best friend in middle/high school gave me one. Her family all shortened their names anyway so it was really just a matter of time. No one else calls me Cait though, although it always brings up images of C...
Christmas in JapanI just got back from one of the closer cities and already, the Christmas stuff is out. It's all gaudy Christmas stuff too, like a whole big Walmart display. T-T
A Week in Tokyo 28I'm currently in my first full-time job, technically. Everything prior has been part-time. Of course, working 3 part-time jobs during summer meant my work week was much higher than it is now. With the US economy being what it is now, I don't know...
British Ambassador to JapanI do get homesick, mostly just for food. I think if I were living in Canada or England, there would be some differences but I could probably get a lot of the same ingredients I need to make my favorites. Here, and particularly in the rural Iwate ar...
A Week in Tokyo 27This season's Heroes has kind of been meh, from what I've seen. I've been told the latest episode is pretty good so I might go back and watch it but I'm kind of busy at the moment (aside from reading your blog).
I switched to contacts so I could du...
Japan WeatherI use the JMA's site because my town/area is so unimportant, no one has the weather for it. I end up looking at the nearest 2 cities and averaging it to get an idea of what my weather will be like. The temperature is pretty accurate but the weather...
Tora DoraI liked the first episode but I thought Taiga was fairly annoying. I think they'll start toning her down in future episodes - I don't know how they can keep a show running with just mindless violence like that.
Japanese EmoticonsI think there's a wider range of emotions in the Japanese ones so I tend to use them. However, if I'm sending email to the parents or someone who I know would be entirely unfamiliar with the Japanese set, I make it a point to stick to the Western on...
Japanese Law EnforcementEveryone knows everyone so the cops here are pretty good. I love how they double as crossing guards when the kids come to school in the morning. I bet for most of them, that's the majority of work they do all day.
Tokyo 1999 - 2001Thanks for the backstory...it really gives me motivation. Up until this year when decided to focus on Japanese, I was working on Photoshop, PHP, and MySQL. It's just been a hobby (I have a BA too) but I'm still thinking more and more about it.
Anime FansubI've always watched mine subbed or raw. I was first introduced via subs and never really had the reading irritation some people have with foreign movies. There are a few dubs that I would watch but for the most part, I think the voice acting is hor...
Japanese NeighborsI live in teachers housing so during the weekends, it's dead quiet. Only me and the 1 other single girl are here. Everyone else goes home to their families. The rest of the neighborhood is pretty cool though.
Japanese FestivalsThe festivals in my area are pretty small. The entire town has about 10k people total. But the food is the same, as are the games. My favorite food is probably obanyaki.
Ueno Photo WalkMy first love is web design but I don't think I have the skills and technical knowhow to make it there. My second is Japanese but foreign languages have never been my strong point. It's coming to a point where I'm afraid I'll have to settle for a m...
Closed - Translators WantedI thought about it but I don't think I have a sufficient amount of knowledge (yet). Hopefully, there might be more chances in the future, and maybe then I'll have some qualifications. :(
AkihabaraMissed by a week. :( Was just there and was hoping to see the dancing stormtrooper but I figure it would be too soon, seeing as July was a busy month for you. Maybe next time. ^_^
May 2008 StatsI honestly can't remember how I found the site but I come more for the Japanese cultural stuff than the figures. I use RSS too. ^_^ Congrats on the new stats!
Tokyo StabbingsI live in the countryside in Japan and I feel very safe, aside from the giant hornets. This makes me very sad to see and I think it's a problem of society, not just here but in the US (my homecountry) as well.
Krispy Kreme TokyoAwesome! When I took the kids back to the US last year, the rest of the chaperons all wanted to go to Krispy Kreme. There was no time to go in Tokyo.
The Early Years 1Your room reminds me of one of my friend's room. She had all the walls covered with images. Great drawings too. I wish I could draw. T-T
