JLPT Boot Camp – The Ultimate Study Guide to passing the Japanese Language Proficiency Test

I’ve got a good start on the first book of Game of Thrones (氷と炎の歌１). It has been a lot of fun because I really like that... Read more

When I first came to Japan, I was, like so many others, fascinated by the vending machines. I mean there are vending mac... Read more

When you visit a foreign country, the first thing on your list to check out is usually not the houses. After all, they a... Read more

You were probably advised when you were very young to not eat the yellow snow. What about yellow sand? It’s that season ... Read more

So the test is finally over for 2013. I was barely able to get to the test much less put in serious study time the whole... Read more

Ukiyo-e, if you are not familiar,  is a Japanese art form that was popular from 17th century  to 19th century Japan.  It... Read more

In school, I always had a hard time paying attention in class.  The teacher would lecture away and we were suppose to be... Read more

There was somewhat recent Guardian article  that got a lot of Facebook love about a month ago. It was essentially the re... Read more

I have finally finished off the two elementary school level books that I had lying around the house. They were novelizat... Read more

Okay so I officially failed the exam again. I had a bit of a hunch that I wouldn’t pass but it is good to get the offici... Read more

I’ve been married now for 5 years. This is after dating my wife for about 3 years before we got married, so we have been... Read more

A few years back, I was working at a school and we were trying to arrange a farewell party for one of our fellow teacher... Read more

I’ve been taking it pretty easy with my studies recently due to some re-prioritizing of my time. I’m chugging away on Hi... Read more

I should start off by saying that I’m not getting divorced.  I’m still happily married and probably will be for the fore... Read more

I’ve been spending (or wasting depending on how you look at) with keeping my streaks up on Memrise. I think it is great ... Read more

There seems to be a small subsection of the expat population in Japan, that likes to shower the world with negativity an... Read more

I’ve been trying to keep my studying pretty steady over the last couple of months and not really piling on and changing ... Read more

A couple of weeks back I had some free time to take my family to Baymax (US title: Big Hero 6).  It is a cute little mov... Read more

December in Japan is always unbelievably busy. There is the Christmas/Bonenkai party season. Then, you have New Year’s c... Read more

Last month, I ranted on about 5 things that I think Japan could import from other countries. One thing that I missed on ... Read more