Welcometothe2022
Theweatherisfinallycoolingoff. DependingonwhereyouliveinJapan, theleavesarebeginningtoorhave alreadychangedtothatstarkredcolor. Forme,thisseasonisalwaysnostalgic. NomatterwhereIam,whentheweather startstocool,Ifeelmyselfbeginto reminisce.Thismonth’sissueseemsto bedoingthesame,asmanypiecesare aboutthepastandthecontrastsofthe present.
Forexample,the CultureSection takes readersonanexplorationofthe abandonedsitesacrossJapan.Itcanbe fascinatingseeingplacesthatonce teemedwithpeoplethatnowlay desertedentirely,fullofovergrowthand memories.Andtheseekingoutofsuch placesissomethingofahobbyformany people,especiallyinJapan.Thearticle looksintothecultureandspiritof exploringtheforgotten;afittingpieceto thatseasonoflookingback.
Forhistorylovers,the SportsSection’s briefsumo101articlewillmakeyoufeel likeyou’reanexpert—readytovisitthe famedsumostables.Fromthestartto whereitisnow,thearticledoesagreat jobcomparingthepastandpresent practices.
Similarly,inthe ArtSection thereisa beautifulpieceexploringindigodyeingin Tokushima.Therichhistoryoftheart seepsthroughasthepracticeitself keepscommunityandtraditionalive. Whilereminiscingisn'tabadthing,any expatknowslookingbacktoomuchcan heightenthatlonelinessthatcomeswith beinginaforeigncountry.Thismonth, one Wellnessarticle takesonthetaboo taskofexploringthedepthstowhichthat solitudecangoafterthatinitialarrival. Whilealsoofferingtipsonthosefacing similarsituations,itisabravepieceand anhonestlookattheexperiencein whichmanyforeignersinanewcountry findthemselves.
Nomatterwhatarticlesyoufindyourself in,Ihopeyoufeelathomeherebetween thesecovers.We,ofcourse,areso excitedtohaveyou.
Enjoy, MonicaHand HeadEditor
P.S
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wasstandinginthemiddle ofafieldwithplasticbags tiedaroundmyshoes,slowly sinkingintothespringmud. I’dcomewithagroupof students,agesrangingfrompreschool tohighschool,tohelpweedafieldof indigoplantsaspartofacommunity volunteerproject.
“WelcometoAokike,”we’dbeentold onarrival,bytwowomenwearingtall bootsandwidesunhats.“Anybody bringrainboots?No?”
Wehadn’texactlypreparedforthemud, butthekidswereenjoyingpullingup thethinweedsgrowingbetweenthe lightgreenindigosprouts.
“Sothisiswhatindigolookslike,”akid nexttomesaid,assheadmiredthe rowsoflittleleaves.
Ifyou’reinTokushima,there’sindigo everywhere—flashypostersadvertising indigodyeingworkshops,stores sellingindigoproductsrangingfrom scrunchiesandmaskstoindigo cookies.ButalthoughI’dparticipated inindigodyeingworkshopsmany times,I’dneveractuallyseenwherethe indigocamefrom.Ilookedbackatthe buildingsbehindus,atraditional-style Japaneseestatebehindalongstone wall,allthedoorsleftopeninthesun.
Whatisthisplace?Iwondered. Communitycenter?Artgallery? Governmentbuilding? Alittleofallthree,itturnedout.
orethanayearlater,Iwent backtoAokiketotalkwith Sakaguchi-sanandInoue-san, thesametwostaff members, tolearnmore.Wesatoutdoors, infrontofaroomwithindigo-dyevatsand bigwoodentables,andtalkedasthetwo sortedastackofindigoplantsintopiles.
“Wegetasked‘Whydidyoucomehere?’ allthetime,”saidInoue-san,ayoung womanwithshoulder-lengthhair,dressed inflowypeach-coloredclothes.
“Why did youcomehere?”Iasked.
OriginallyfromSaitama,Inoue-santoldme shewasdrawntoindigoandthechance toworkintheJapanesecountryside. Shestudieddesigninuniversityand workedwithcyanotype,aslow-reacting photographicprocessthatusesa chemicalsolutionandwatertoproduce apigmentknownasPrussianblue.But theprocessbegantobotherher.“Icould tellitwasn’tverysustainable,”shesays. “Itpollutedthewater,andIjustfeltlikeit wasn’tsomethingIcouldcontinuedoing foralongtime.”
Shestartedlookingintoindigo-dyeing, aizome inJapanese,amorenatural, sustainableprocess,andthenshe foundsomethingperfect:ajobinMima City,TokushimaPrefecture,working withindigo.
hejobwaspartofJapan’s chikiokoshikyoryokutai, agovernmentprogram designedtorevitalize ruralareas.Underchiki okoshi,areasdesignatedas jinkofuri,low population,createspecificjobstoattract peoplefrombiggercitiestorelocateto theirtown.Therearesomecaveats:the one-yearcontractisonlyrenewablethree times,andthejobsareonlyavailableto candidateswhowouldbemovingfrom higher-populationareastodesignatedlowpopulationones.
Somechikiokoshipositionsaremissionorientedorproject-oriented,withspecific jobdescriptionsandexpectations.But someareuptothepersonintheposition tosettheirowngoalsanddesigntheirown projects.TheMimaCityjobfellintothat category—theonlyrequirementwastouse indigotoconnectwiththelocalcommunity. Inouegotthejob,andmovedtoTokushima inJune2020.
Sakaguchi-san,ontheotherhand,was bornandraisedinTokushima.Shehas shorthairanddimpleswhenshesmiles, andtoldmethatshe’dheardofaizomeasa childbuthadneverdoneit.Aftermorethan adecadeofdoingwoodworkinginGifuand Nagano,shereturnedtoherhometownof NarutoCity,andbegandreamingabout openingherownwoodworkingshop.But Sakaguchi-sanalsowantedtoinfuseher woodworkwithtraditionalTokushima craftsmanship—specifically,aizome.Todo that,sheknewshe’dneedtodevelopher skillssomehow.
LikeInoue-san,shesearchedforjobs onlinethatwouldallowhertoworkwith indigo—andfoundthesamechikiokoshi jobinMimaCity.Shestartedoneyearafter Inoue-san,in2021.
here’sno certificateor standardized coursein aizome, althoughInoue-sanreceived sometrainingfromaprofessor atShikokuUniversity.She broughtoutsomejarsand driedbrickswrappedinpaper toshowmethedifferentsorts ofindigotheymakeatAokike. Indigopaste,theyexplained, islikeapaint,abletobe brusheddirectlyonartwork orusedforcalligraphy.Dried, fermentedindigoleaves,on theotherhand,areusedfor indigodyeing.Thisproductis called sukumo.
“Alotofpeoplethink Tokushimaisknownforindigo dyeing,”Sakaguchisaid. “We’renot.Wedon’thavea historyofindigodyeingatall.”
“Otherplacesarewaymore famous,”Inoue-sannods. “Kyoto,Aichi,Kyushu, forexample.”
“Yeah,thiswhole‘Tokushima indigodyeing’thingisjustthe prefectureusingitasPRto sellthemselves,”Sakaguchisanadds.
ItturnsoutI’vebeenfooledby thePRcampaignaswell—I originallysetouttowrite thisarticleaboutTokushima indigodyeing.Butalthough Tokushimaisn’tfamousfor indigo dyeing,we are famous forindigo.Tokushimahas grownthemostindigoplants inJapansincetheEdoPeriod, andisspecificallyfamous forsukumo.
“Andmaybethehistoryis changingnow,”addedInouesan.“We’vebeenknownfor sukumo,butfromnowon maybewe’regoingtobemore famousfordyeing.”
Theytellmehowthe Tokushimaindigobrand hasbecomepopular inrecentyears.Sopopular, infact,that to tryaizome.
henIasked whatthemost interesting partof thejobis, Sakaguchi-sanwasquickto exclaim,“Indigo!”Shetold methatworkingwithindigo combinesallsortsofdifferent subjects—history,Japanese language,chemistry.This meansthereisnosuchthing asatypicaldayatAokike.The jobchangeswiththeseasons andthecommunity’sneeds. Indigoseedsareplanted inMarch,andmostofthe
summerisspentworkingin thefields.Harvestisfrom JulytoSeptember.Then theyseperatetheplants intobatchesfordrying,and batchestomakeindigopaste andsukumo.Throughoutthe year,theyalsohelpwiththe city’sindigoPR,holdindigo dyeingworkshops,andhost schoolfieldtrips.
And,ofcourse,gettingto workoutdoorssurrounded bybeautifulmountains,along theYoshinoRiver,isalso aplus.
“Peoplebornhereareso usedtothescenerythatthey takeitforgranted,butit really issobeautiful,”theyboth gesturedaroundus.The fieldswerefilledwithshades ofgreensandbrowns,a starkcontrastagainstthe darksoil.Inthedistance,the mountainswereadeeper green,stretchingnorthtothe horizon,thefarthestones justahazysmudgeofdark blue,likeindigo.
izomeisanexcellentway torevitalizethelocalarea, becauseit’snotonlyabout art,Sakaguchi-santoldme, butaboutcommunityhealth andagriculturetoo.Becausechiki okoshijobsarefundedbytaxes,she saysit’sagreatwaytokeepalivenatural processesthatwouldotherwisedie out,aswellasbringmorepeopleto ruralareas.
“Maybethesekindsofjobsorartaren’t verycompatiblewithcapitalism,”said Inoue-san.“Butthecommunityhas decidedthey’reimportant.”
MimaCityhasafewotherchikiokoshi jobs—somemaking wagasa,traditional Japaneseumbrellas,othersworking as“foodcoordinators,”designing andadvertisingrecipesusinglocal ingredients.Inoue-santellsmethat fourotherpeoplehaveheldthe aizomepositionbeforeher,whichwas createdin2014.Animpressive67%of chikiokoshiworkersdecidetostayin Tokushimaaftertheircontractsfinish.
Butchikiokoshijobsalsocomewith theirshareofdifficulties.Bothwomen saidthatfindingaplacetolivewas difficult,especiallyfromoutsidethe prefecture,duringapandemic.They weresurprisedthatthecitydidn’toffer anysupporttothoserelocatingtoMima forchikiokoshi,especiallyconsidering
thatmanyotherprefecturesoffer substantialhousingsupport.
Inoue-sansearchedforaplacetolive online,andwhenshefinallyfoundone, arrivedtofinditdirtyandindisarray. Then,onherfirstdayofwork,Inouesansaysthetoiletattheworkplacewas unusable.Shedidn’tfeellikethecity hadreallypreparedforhertobethere.
“Ifcitiesdon’ttryharder,peoplewon’t come,”shetoldme.
Morepositively,however,chikiokoshi jobscanserveasanon-ramptoan artisticcareer.Buaisouisoneofthe fewcompanieshiringpeopletodo aizome,somostpeopleinterested intheartknowthey’llhavetostarta businessorfreelanceiftheywantto pursueit.Chikiokoshijobsareagreat firststep.“They’rejobswhereyoucan getasalaryandpracticeyourskillsfor threeyearsbeforeopeningupyour ownplace,startingyourownprojects,” Inoue-sanexplained.
BothInoue-sanandSakaguchi-san planondoingjustthis.Sakaguchisanwantstoopenherownworkshop, usingwoodworkandtraditionalcrafts fromotherprefecturesandindigo dyeingthem.“It’sgoodforTokushima Prefecture,andalsogoodforother areas,”shesays.“Ireallywantto connectdifferentregionslikethat.”
noue-sanalsowants tocontinuepursuing aizome,andremainin Tokushima.Shesays oneofhergoalsisto setupAokikeasaplacethat cancontinuetobeusedbythe communityforindigoevenafter hercontracthasfinished.
WhenIaskedthemtoshow metheaizomepiecethey’re mostproudof,Sakaguchi-san excitedlystoodupandhurriedto theback,andInoue-sanexcitedly said,“Thestools!”Sureenough, Sakaguchi-sanemergedwith twobeautifulwoodenstools, onecraftedfrom sugi andone from hinoki wood.Shetoldme thewoodtookaboutthreedays tocarve,buttheaizomefabric ontoptookalmostthreeweeks. “Idyedthefabricforabout30 minutesadayfor20days,”she said,laughing.“Aizomecantake solong.Youhavetoletitsit.”
WhenIaskedInoue-sanwhat shewasmostproudof,she closedhereyesandtiltedher head,thinking.“Mmmm,there wasthisshirt,”shesaid,showing meanInstagramphotoofa hand-sewn,indigo-dyedshirt featuringadetailed,continuous patternshesaystookhalfayear todesign.Butthensheshookher headandshowedmeanother photo.“Thisone,”shesaid.
“Definitelythisone.”
Itwasherhands,fingersspread, dyedadeep,indigoblue.
Sources: 1. Buaiso 2. Instagram
mberBunnellisaformerJET(Tokushima2016-2019).Sheruns KohakuWorldEnglish,alanguageschoolbasedinTokushima,andis afoundingmemberofthenot-for-profitorganizationTsunaguMima WorldCommunity.Whennotteachingorvolunteering,Amberenjoys campingandtravel,andisobsessedwithonsen.Followherat @ambersensei.mima onInstagram.
It’sbeensometimesincethelastfull-fledgedTokyo GameShow,butafteryearsofcanceled,digital, andhybridevents,Japan’slargestvideogameexpo isfinallybackinfullforce. Onceagain,thewhole spectrumofgamedevelopersandpublishersishere toshowoff thelatestandgreatestgaminghasto offer,fromthesmallestofindietitlestothebiggestof blockbusterreleases.
Thethreeeventhallswerepackedfromendtoend withdemobooths,flashinglights,giganticsigns,and oh-so-manycosplayers.
Everywhere Ilooked, somegiantgamecharacterwas staringmedown.Ahugeinflatable Sonicfloatedover Sega’sboothasfreaky Persona monstersdominated thespacenextdoor.Fromaxe-wieldingsamurai onhorsebacktobikinibabesinhottubs,therewas somethingsurprisingaroundeverycorner.
Withsomanyboothswithtitlesbeingshownoff and formidablelinesforeachofthem,Icouldn’tpossibly coverevery gameon display,but hereare someof the highlightsfromTGS2022.
TeamNinja broughtalong theirnew title Wo Long:Fallen Dynasty,scheduled foran early-2023 release.
SquareEnix wasofferingup playabledemosoftheirupcoming fantasyactionRPG Forspoken alongwith CrisisCore:FinalFantasyVIIReunion,aremakeofthe FinalFantasyVII prequel.
Sega let peoplego hands-onwith theirfirst everopen-world-style Sonic game, SonicFrontiers. Theyalsobrought alongthelatest gameinthe Yakuza series, Ishin, alongwithnews theseries wouldbeknownas“LikeADragon”goingforward.
Atlus showedoff itsupcomingportsof Persona3, Persona4,and Persona5 forSwitch.
Valve hadahugeboothsetupwhereyoucouldchillononeofazillionsofasandgohands-on withthecompany’snewhandheld“SteamDeck”gamingPC.Theyevenhadamassive Steam Deckhangingoverheadplayinggametrailers.
BandaiNamco’sbigtitlesattheshowwereupcoming actionRPG OnePiece:Odyssey and DragonBall:The Breakers, an asymmetrical multiplayer title in which one superpoweredbaddyfrom DragonBall huntsdown sevenmostlydefenselesscivilianplayers.
Capcom hadplayable demosof Street Fighter6 for the firsttime,whichdrewquitethecrowd.Theywerealso demoing their upcoming co-op mechs vs dinosaurs title Exoprimal,alongwiththeupcoming MonsterHunter: Riseexpansion:Sunbreak.Buttheirmostpopular exhibithadtobetheplayabledemoof ResidentEvil: VillageVR onthePlayStationVR2system.
KojimaProductions’enigmaticpresencewasalsoof note.Whiletheydidn’thaveanyexplicitannouncements, theirmerchandiseboothhadahugeposterofa shadowywomanbearingthequestion“WhoamI?”, potentiallyteasinganewtitlefromthemanhimself.
The two most exciting titles would have to be Sony’s PlayStationVR2demoof ResidentEvilVillageVR and SquareEnix’supcomingFinalFantasyVII prequel CrisisCore: FinalFantasyVII Reunion.I wasabletotryoutbothofthesetitlesandcome bearingnewsandimpressionsfromeach.
Although ResidentEvilVillage (that’s VIII age,as in8,harhar)cameoutoverayearago,crowds werestillclamoringtotryoutthedemoforthis game.Everysingleslotwasgonewithinanhour oftheshowopening,evenonthebusinessdays ofTGS.That’showexcitedpeopleweretoseeit.
After all, this is the first event in which Sony has let anyonegohands-onwithitselusivePlayStation VR2headsetandcontrollers.Iwasfortunate enoughtoweaselmywayintothedemodespite thecrowdsandcameawayimpressedwiththe VRversionofthegameandespeciallywiththe hardware.
Iwasimmediatelystruckbyhowcleartheimage wasontheheadset.TheoriginalPSVRhad ascreenwitharelativelylowresolutionand, coupledwiththelimitedpowerofthePS4,also
endeduphavingtodroptheresolutionofmany ofthegamesthatranonit.ThePSVR2,however, lookedsignificantlysharperanddidn’thavethe annoying“screendooreffect”oftheoriginal,in whichthelow-resscreen’sdistancebetween pixelswouldmakeitlooklikeyouwerelooking throughascreendoorwhileplayingVRgames. Thehigher-resolutionscreenontheheadsetand significantlymorepowerfulPS5arenodoubtto thankforthatimprovement.Asanaddedbonus, theheadsetalsofeaturesrumblenow,soifa spookywerewolfmanpunchesyouinthehead, you’regonnafeelit!Kindof.
Therearealsosensorsinsidetheheadsetthat trackyoureyemovements.Amongotherthings, thisletstheconsolefocusitsprocessingpower andprovideadditionaldetailintheareasofthe screenyou’relookingatbyredirectingresources fromtheareasthatyouaren’t.Ididn’tnoticethis nextbitusedin RE8,butSonyhasalsotalked aboutusingtheeyetrackingtoaimorhighlight objectsinVRtitlessimplybylookingatthem, whichseemslikeitcouldhavesomepretty excitingimplicationsforVRgamedesign.
Thecontrollershavealsogottenahugeupgrade andnow(finally)featuretwostandardanalog sticksformovement. Theyalsofeature basicfinger tracking,whichallowsthemtotellroughlywhere yourfingersareandreplicatethatin-game,even whenyou’renotpressinganybuttons.
Speakingassomeonewhofinished RE8 upwards of six times, this all came together to make Resident EvilVillage feelmoreimmersiveandexcitingthan everbefore.ThegamelookedgreatinVR.Using your gun to aim and shoot in VR felt fun and natural. Andwhilethestandard RE8 wasn’tallthat scaryof agame,facingthemonstersinVRmademyfightor-flightresponsekickinmorethanafewtimes!It genuinelyfeelslikethebestwaytoexperiencethe game.
ThereareafewnitpicksIhaveaboutmytimewith it,however.Whiletheresolutionismilesahead ofwhereitwasontheoriginalPSVR,theworldof RE8 stilldidn’tlookquiteascrispasplayingatfull resolutiononaTVscreen.Whetherthehardware orthesoftwareistoblameforthat,Ican’tsay, havingonlytriedonegame.
.Thestandard versionof ResidentEvil Village is availablenow, but thereisnotyetanywordon whentheupdatethat enables VR play will be released. Pricing info on the headsetisalsostill unknown.
One of the most exciting titles at the show was the nextinstallmentinthe FinalFantasyVIIRemake series.No,we’renotgettingPart2justyet,but thisisthenextbestthing. CrisisCoreReunion is aremakeofthe FinalFantasyVII prequel, Crisis Core:Final FantasyVII, whichoriginally cameout onthePSPwaybackin2007.
Setsevenyearsbeforethestartofthe FF7, itfollowsside-characterZackFair’stimein SOLDIERandsetsuptheeventsofthe1997 original.Orsoitwould seem!Iactuallyhaveit on goodauthoritythatthisismorethanastraight remakeandwillinsteadleadintothealternate versionof FF7’sstorypresentedinthe2019title FinalFantasyVIIRemake,whichhasdramatic implicationsforZack’scharacter.Ifyouknow, youknow.
Iwasabletoplaya15-minutedemoofthegame thatfollowed Zackas heinfiltrates aWutai military compound.Alongtheway,heencountersa youngerversionoftheever-cheerfulninjaYuffie from FF7 andsooncomesfacetofacewiththe classicbossIfrit.
Thetitleismoreaction-focusedthan FF7 Remake,whichusedahybridsystemofreal-time combatandmenus. CrisisCoreReunion ditches themenus entirelyand insteadhas Zackslashing, blocking,anddodge-rollinghiswaythrough enemyencountersallinrealtime.Eventhe original CrisisCore hadsomethingofareal-time menusystemforselectingattacks,buteventhat hasbeenstreamlinedaway.Instead,thereare nowbutton shortcutsfor itemsand spells,though theirusewaslimitedinthedemo.
CrisisCoreReunion alsoretainstheslotmachine-likeDigitalMindWavesystemfrom theoriginal Crisis Core,whichhas threeslots constantlyspinningintheupper-leftcorner throughoutcombat,whichproviderandom combatbonuses,LimitBreakattacks,and evenlevel-upswhenthreenumbersor characterportraitslineup.Itwasanunusual systemtobaseagamearoundbackinthe day,andit’sjustascrazynow.Butit’salso undeniablyexcitingtohavethreeSephiroth portraitslineupinthemiddleofcombatand unleashhissignatureOctoslashattackto wipeoutyourenemiesinaflash.
Thevisualsarethebiggestupgradeover theoriginal CrisisCore,andtheylook gorgeous.Whiletheoriginalwaslimitedby PSPhardware,thisnewversionformodern PCsandconsolesisabletodeliveraversion thatlooksandrunssignificantlybetterthan theoriginalrelease did15years ago.Still,the tweakstocombat andpromiseof anewtwist onthestory shouldbeenough togetany FF7 fanexcited.
CrisisCore:FinalFantasyVIIReunion is scheduledtoreleaseonPlayStation,Xbox, Switch,andPConDec.13,2022.
Alsoreturningin2022wastheTGSSenseof WonderNight,whichseekstohighlightand awardindiegamesthatbringsomethingnew tothetableandinspirea“senseofwonder”in their players. Games are nominated in a variety of categorieslike“BestExperimentalGame,”“Best GameDesign,”“BestPresentation,”andmore. Belowareafewofthestandouttitlesfromthe showtosparkyourimagination.
Rhodopsins https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=FPOMyONFWfc
Rhodopsins isastudentprojectfromSapporo CityUniversityinJapan.Inthisgame,three playersworktogetherinacooperative2D platformerwhilephysicallywearingred-,blue-, andgreen-coloredglasseswhiletheyplay.The playerwearingtheredglasseswillbeunableto seeredobjectsonscreen,whiletheblueand greenplayerswillbeunabletoseeblueand greenobjects.
Sinceeachpersoncanonlyseecertain characters,enemies,andobstacles,thethree playersmustcommunicateandworktogetherto
clearthe stages.It’s asimple ideathat seemslike itcouldmakeforsomehilariouslyentertaining co-opscenarios.
Thegamecurrentlyhasnoreleaseinformation, butthestudentshavesaid theydohopetoshare itwithalargeraudienceeventually.
https://presskit.itch.io/morse
MadebyUKindiestudioALJOGames, Morse tasks theplayerwithturningthetideofbattle inWorldWar I armednotwithagunbutwithatelegraph.Played withaphysicaltelegraphcontroller featuring a telegraph key, spring-loaded launchbutton, switchboardand plug, and actual 1930s-style headphones, Morse has playerstapping outactual Morse code to target and destroy German ships and fighters in what looksakin totiming-based gamesof Battleship
Thegamealsofeaturesaheavy-storyfocuswith branchingchoicestomakeandcharactersto befriend.Itcanalsobe playedonaregularcontroller orkeyboard,butcomeon,howmanyothergames areyougoingtogettoplaywithatelegraph?
Aplayabledemoof Morse isoutnowonSteam.
https://thezhen10.github.io/pastrypanic/
Made by Yong Zhen Zhou of Singapore, this has to be the wildest game shown off at Sense of Wonder Night. Pastry Panic (with cat) has players attempting to cook pastriesthrough thefive actionsof kneading,cutting, sprinkling,filling,andbakingtheirbread.Butrather thanusingbuttonsonacontroller,playerscontrol thegame witha brownbox calledthe Pastry-o-Matic, whichhasbuttons,levers,dials,andswitchesthat needtobephysicallyremovedfromandattached todifferentpartsofthecontrollertooperate differentmachinerymid-game.
Asifthat wasn’tenough,the recipesforeach kindofpastryareprintedinaphysicalrecipe bookplayerswillneedtoquicklyflipthrough andreadwhilealsomanagingtheaction onscreenandtheirinsanePastry-o-Matic controllerwhiletheclockticksdownonthe customers’orders.Plus,there’salsoalazy catthatjustkindofsitsthere.
Ihavenoideahowthiscouldeverbeturned intoaviablecommercialproductwithallthe physicalobjectsneededtoplaythegame, butthatcrazyinviabilityisalsowherethatsenseof wondercomesfrom.
Whilegamingcompaniesandfansarestilldealing withtheswathofdelayscausedbyCOVID-19,there werestillenoughnewgamesondisplaytokeep excitementlevelshighfor2022and2023titlesand beyond.
Withhugeupcomingtitleslike CrisisCore:Final Fantasy VII Reunion, innovative new hardware like the PSVR2,nottomentiontheever-expandingbreadth ofwildlyinventiveindiecontent,thereareplentyof greatgamingexperiencesonthehorizon.
Afterskippingshowsorhavingin-person/online hybrideventsforthepastfewyears,itfeelsgreatto haveTGS backin fullforce. Here’shoping nextyear’s eventwillbeevenbetter.Barringanyunforeseen pandemics, TGS is scheduled to open its doors to the gamersofJapanonceagainfromSept.21through 24,2023.
NathanPostisaformerGunmaJETwhonowlives andworksasaJtoEgametranslatorinSaitama.He likespiñacoladas,gettingcaughtintherain,andthe fast-approachingGod ofWar: Ragnarökrelease date.
rbex”isshortfor urbanexploration,the hobbyofexploring derelictandabandoned locationswhichcanbeeither urbanorrural.Priortocomingto Japan,Ihadalwaysbeensomewhat intriguedbysuchlocations,duein parttoanunhealthyconsumptionof post-apocalypticmedia.However, inmypartoftheU.K.,thereare veryfewoftheseplacestobe found—inmostcases,theyare alreadydemolished,andifthey stillexist,theyareusuallyheavily secured.Thinksecuritycameras, spikedfencing,andtheworstofall ...“notrespassing”signs.So,inall mypriortravels,Ihadnevercome acrossanyplaceworthyenoughof anurbexenthusiast’sattention,nor hadIeverreallytriedseekingsuch placeseither.
ThenIcametoJapan, where,predeparture,mymindwasfilledwith allsortsofnon-urbexexpectations andimagery.I’msurewhen everyoneclosestheireyesand imaginesJapan,theirmindfillswith aplethoraofpreconceivedpictures andideas.Forme,Ipicturedthe mosturbanandpopulatedplace intheworld:Tokyoanditsfamous sightsandsounds.Iimagined ridingthefuturistic shinkansen.I rememberedthevariousJapanese games,films,anime,andmanga thathadshapedmyyouth.The lastthingIwouldimaginefromthe bustling,futuristic,andweirdworld ofJapanisdilapidated,decaying, andabandonedbusinesses, infrastructure,andhomes.But inTokushima,tomyshockand thedelightofurbexenthusiasts everywhere,that’sexactlywhat Ifound.
MichaelGardiner(Tokushima)
yfirst accidental discoverywas whenIvisited thelocallyrecommended AwaSandPillars. Somewhatunimpressed, afriendandItookavery slightdetouroff thebeaten path.Tomysurprise,just ashortdistanceaway fromthePillarswasan abandonedgiftshopand somekindofbar.They werecompletelyunbarred fromtheoutside,andwe wereabletofreelyenter. Whenwewentinside,we foundbothplaceswere inveryminordisrepair. Theyseemedrecently abandoned,andtherewas
littlesignofvandalismor looting.Therewerestill manytrinketsandcurios ondisplayinthegiftshop andunopenedbeverages inthefridgesatthebar. Theyseemedfrozenin timeandapparentlyleftto rotfornorhymeorreason thatIcouldfigureout.
Theplotthickenedaswe madeourwaybeyond thesetwostructures.Just ashortdistanceawaywe discoveredsmallwooden buildings,mayberentable cottages,judgingfromthe bedsinside.Closebyto thesewerestoragesheds ofsomekind,filledwith randomassortmentsof
junk,mostnotablyalarge collectionofshoesand, somewhateerily,ababy pram.Curiositynotyet sated,wethenascended furtherintothehills, whereuponwediscovered fivetosixhouses,all completelydecrepit anddevoidoflife.Their interiorswereinvarious statesofruin—somehad theirceilingscavedin, strangledbyvegetation. Oneofthesehomeswas structurallysound,though itstatamimatswere rotting.Familyportraits stillhungfromthe Buddhistaltar,andother personableitemssuchas bookslitteredtheplace.
ychance,Iwoulddiscovermore abandonedhomeslateronwhileexploring mylocalareabybike.Onehousewas chock-fullofagedjunk,butalsoitems oftangibleworth,suchasmangastillsealedin packaging.Otherhomesinthisarearangedfrom beingstructurallysoundbutcompletelygutted,to fallingapartbutstillfilledwithitems.
Ioncediscoveredahousethatwascollapsingin onitself,butwhosegardenwasstilltendedtoand hadatinyroomfilledwithsmall,cagedbirds.Iwas startledsomewhattomeetamanbythishome,and I’msurehewasequallysurprisedbymypresence too. Wemadepoliteconversation,mymind unwillinglythinkingoflow-budgetslasherflicks.I wasintheruralcountrysideofJapan,surrounded bydecayingandabandonedhomes.Adried-up swimmingpoolwithrottingdogandanimalbones nearbyaddedtothecreepymood.Itwouldmake agoodhorrorstory...woulditnot?Butweparted wayswithoutincident.Themanwasamicableand seemedonlytostressthatIshouldturnback. “Thereisnothingtoseeupthere,”hesaid, gesturingupthesteeproad,perhapsasakind ofveiledwarning.Subsequently,hedisappeared downtheroadonaricketyoldbikewithflattires. Afterwards,Iwonderedifthissurrealencounterin thehillsofTokushimahadeverreallyoccurredatall.
twouldbegoodnowto mentiontheJapanese conceptof mononoaware.Its interpretationandtranslation canvary,butatitscore,monono awareboilsdowntomeanthe impermanenceofthings.Nothing lastsforever.Butit’smorethanjust acknowledgingimpermanence.It alsoconveysfeelingsofmelancholy, wistfulness,andnostalgia—gentle sadnessatthepassingofthings. AsIexploredtheseabandoned places,itwasn’tquiteexcitement Ifelt.Itwasn’tathrillride.They were,atthosetimes,eerie,strange,
andinteresting.ButthemoreI explored,themoreIbegantotruly understandmyexperienceand feelings.Ididn’tyetknowabout mononoawareuntillater,butupon learningaboutit,itturnedouttobe exactlythatmelancholicsadnessI feltthatpermeatedthroughthese forgottenstructures.
fterasmalltasteofmylocalenvirons, Idecidedtogofurtherafieldtomore abandonedstructuresofnotethat couldbefoundinTokushima.Grabbing afriendanddrivingovertotheeasterncoast oftheprefecture,wewouldfindadesolate spapercheduponaforestedhilltopanda ruinedhotelnestledinthehillsnearasmallbut busytown.
Myurbexvisitingexperiencesthusfarwere tosmallstructures,butthespawasamassive complex.Onceathrivingbusiness,ithadshut itsdoors,nevertobereopened.Remnantsof itspastweretobefoundaroundeverycorner, mostnotablyalargeswimmingpool.Exploring akitchenareaandbehindwhathadbeena functionroomwithkaraokeandastage,we wouldfindaphotoalbum.Itwasfilledwith smilingfaces,patrons,andstaff members alike.Itshowedthat,onceuponatime,large tourbusesbroughtmanypeopletothespa’s entrance.Now,thespawaseerilyquiet,an echoofthepast,lefttoslowlyfadeawayand tobewitnessedonlybythemostpassionateof urbexenthusiasts.
hehotelwas asimilar experienceto thespa,althoughitwas slightlymoredecayed andguttedofmostofits furniture.Attheentrance, almostlikeamuseum display,stoodnumerous photoalbums.These werenoordinaryphoto albums,however—they wereweddingphoto albums,eachfilledtothe brimwithvariousshotsof happycouples.Thehotel mustoncehavebeena weddingreceptionvenue, butitwasmorethana
littleoddthatthesealbums stoodperchedinsideand ingoodcondition.Unlike thespa,thehotelwasin amoreadvancedstate ofdilapidation,withplant lifechokingmanyparts ofthebuilding.Thelarge indoorswimmingpoolwas particularlybreathtaking, withflowersandbeamsof sunlightstreaminginside.
Theseaccounts,for now,aretheextentofmy strangepursuitsintothe abandonedunderbellyof Tokushima.Itwasfarfrom whatIexpectedwhenI
eagerlyawaiteddeparture forJapan.Butinreflection, theyhavebeeninsightful experiences.Embracing theimpermanenceof things,thespiritofmono noaware,onlygivesyou agreaterappreciation forallthethrivingthings aroundyou,shouldyou lookalittleharderat yoursurroundings.
erhapsyoucanalso haveamelancholic experiencewithin thehiddenworldof abandonedJapan.Youwon’t havetolookfar.Sincemy aforementionedventures,Ihave foundmyselfstumblingontomore strangeoddities:anabandoned elementaryschool,arusting funicularrailway,andevenan abandonedapartmentcomplex inKobe—justashortwalkfrom theshinkansenline,noless.The abandonedpastofJapansurvives on,intandemwithitsvibrantand futuristicpresent.
anythingsmightcome tomindwhenthinking aboutwhatthereisto doinJapan,butonly twocitiesinthiscountry—in theworld—havetheinfamous distinctionofbeingsitesof nucleartourism.Present-day HiroshimaandNagasakiare vibrant,modern,andpeaceful cities.However,evenif foreignvisitorsaren’tactively searchingforanymemorial museumsandpeaceparks, they might walk around certain partsofthesecities.They mightstumbleuponanuclear monument,exhibit,orruin... andbesweptupinthoughts.
stheCultureSectionEditor,I’veaskedmembersofthe CONNECT staff towriteafewpassagesabouttheir experiences in Hiroshima or Nagasaki—if there’s something connectedtothebombsinthosecitiesthatcausedthemto stopandthink.I’vealsoaddedmyownreflections.Ifyoumakeit outtoHiroshimaorNagasaki,wehopethesereflectionswillhelp yougetsomethingmorefromthesetrips.
Hiroshimaisabeautifulcity.Attimes,walkingaroundthetranquil andmeticulouslymanicuredPeaceMemorialPark,it’spossibleto forget that, not all that long ago, the city had been utterly devastated. Butthen,turningthecorner,theravagedDomeappearsoverthe trees,andthehorrorsthat thecityanditspeople hadseenbecome realityagain.
Thatrealityhitmehardestonmylastmorninginthecity.Iwas sittingbytheriverdrinkingavendingmachinecoffee,stillgroggy withmy eyelidshanging heavy.Then itwas 8:15a.m., andthe chime rangout.Itwasthetimetheatomicbombstruck.
Atfirst,Ididn’tregisterwhatitwas.Butastherealizationcrept overme,sodidthatnaggingpitofdreadinmystomach.Iknewthe storiesofwhere peoplewerewhen thebombhit fromthemuseum. Theimagesofschoolchildrenwerestillrawinmymind,somestill hauntmewhenIthinkofitnow.Butsittingthereonthatbench,it wasnolongerafacefromablackandwhitephotoorpainting.It waseveryonearoundme.Itwas thechildrenpassingbyonbikes, it wasthewomanwalkingherdog,itwasmyfriendnext tomeonthe bench,anditwasme.
Monicaisasecond-yearJETlivinginShikoku’sEhimePrefecture.Sheisalso thecurrentHeadEditorofCONNECT.
StatueatNagasakiPeacePark,Nagasaki1
Havingbeen toseveral majorhistorical citiesin Japan,I knewbefore goingtoNagasakithatmostancientbuildingsinthiscountryare regularlyrebuiltandrefurbished.AndseveralplacesinNagasaki follow this pattern. The Dejima I saw was not the Dejima that existed intheEdoperiod,butacarefullyreconstructedreplica.Andthe ChinatowninNagasaki(Japan’slargest)wasdestroyed,rebuilt,and expandedwitheachpassinggeneration.
However,architectureinNagasakithathadsurvivedthebombwas leftuntouched,asthoughtheplacesheldacertainholiness,or hauntedness,dependingonyourpointofview.TheformerBritish Consulate?Leftasitwassince1945.TheUrakami“BombedMary” statue?Preservedasasymbolofrebuildingandsurvival.Ieven sawwhatappearedtobeadecayingparkinggarageintheheart ofNagasaki’svibrant,neondowntown,overtakenbymossand corrosion.Inanyothercity,suchasightwouldbedemolished,but thatgaragehadsurvivedthebomb,soitwasnottobetouched. IwenttoNagasakiin2015,whentheJapanesegovernment wasreinterpretingtheroleofitsmilitary.Therewereprotesters throughoutthe city,pleading thegovernment tonot gothrough with itsplansforre-armament,tonotforgetwhatwarbrings.Withsuch architecturearoundthem, Icouldsee whyitremains difficultforthe peopletheretoforget.
DamagedHouseholdCeramics,Hiroshima2
Thereareanumberofmomentsthatstruckmewhilevisiting HiroshimainJanuary2022,butwhilethemainexhibitionsofthe HiroshimaPeaceMemorialMuseumwereveryprovoking,Iwas especiallycaptivatedbya specialexhibitatthe endofthemuseum, nearthegiftshop.Itappearedfairlynew,anditprimarilydisplayed everydayobjectsfoundinthedestructionleftbythebomb, itemsdonatedbylocalresidents.Therewereclustersofmelted glassbottles,shardsofpottery,heat-blastedteapots,inkbottles, cosmeticscontainers,andotherassortedobjects.
Iwasgreetedbyaquestionattheexhibitentrance,“Didpeople wearmake-upevenduringthewar?”Whiletheexperiencewasn’t asharrowingasthebloodiedclothesorbatteredsentimental belongingsdisplayedintheupperlevelsofthemuseum,Iwas struckbythis moremundaneexhibit’s concludingstatement.While seeingalloftheseordinaryobjectsasevidenceofthelivesthe atomicbombaffected,thestatementspeculatesthatwemightbe compelled to react with anger. However, it follows up with a different resolution,saying“ourmissionisnotturningthisangerintohate butconvertingitintoanenergytocreateaworldwhereeveryone canlivehappily.”Itseemedalittlehopeful,evenconstructive,and leftmewithmoretoponderabouttheatomicbomb’sdeeperand moreprofoundimpactsonhumanity.
WhenI arrivedin Hiroshima,the firstthing Inoticed wasthe quiet. Hiroshimaisasprawlingcityof1.1millionpeople,butitfeelsa littlequieterthanothermajormetropolitanareasinJapan.Icame withafewtouristsitesinmind,mainlytheAtomicBombDome, thePeaceMemorialPark,andtheHiroshimaPeaceMemorial Museum.SeeingtheAtomicBombDomefeltsurreal.Iknewthe ruins were an important part of history, but in person, the structure feltstuckintime,atragedyamidthenormalcitybustle.
OnesiteIoriginallyhadnotplannedtovisitwastheHiroshima NationalPeaceMemorialHall.Istumbleduponit,and,when entering,thespaceinsideimmediatelycapturedthefeeling ofpasttragedy.Theimmediatepathbeyondthememorial’s entrancesteadilydippedintotheunderground,thestarklywhite wallsgraduallyrisingaboveasIdescendeddeeperbelowinto thememorial.Soon,thehallbecameavastverticalspace,with aclockinthecentersaying8:15a.m.,thetimetheatomicbombs fell. Plastered on the walls were the names of victims from different neighborhoods. The open space and the lonely clock in the center madethehallfeelhollowandsomber;itfeltcleanandrespectful, butaheavinessweighedonmytriptotheground,surroundedby thewallsofdeceasednames.
Therewasadeafeningsilenceinthatspace.Itspokelouderthan anycityscapecould.
ChloeHolmisafirst-yearALTlivinginEhime.Sheisthe CONNECT MagazineTravelSectionEditorandlikesDnD,StrangerThings, andpoetry.
Bycompletecoincidence, Iendedup travelingtoNagasaki during theanniversaryofitsatomicbombing.Somberceremonies croppedupnearmemorialmarkers.Drinks(sakeespecially) aren’tuncommon offeringsat holysites andgravestones inJapan, butthe copiousnumber ofwater bottlesmade methink therewas somespecialmeaningthere.
As a history enthusiast, I’d like to say I’m a little more informed than theaveragepersonabouthowdevastatingtheatomicbombings were,butuntilIvisitedtheAtomicBombMuseum,itescapedme the effect those bombs had on the weather. Nagasaki was bombed onacloudyday,andnotlongafter,anominousblackrainfell. Rumorquickly spreadamong survivorsthat theyshouldn’t expose themselves to that rain under any circumstances, let alone drink it. Therainwasirradiatedpoison—ittearsthebodyapartfromthe insideifconsumed—butatthesametime,thecityjustsuffereda scorching, and there was little safe water to go around. Dehydrated andbadlyburnedchildrenbeggedtheirparentsforwater,and manyparentsdeniedthemduetotherumors.Manykidsdied anyway,inagony,theirparentsleftwrackedbygriefandguilt... Couldlettingthemdrinkhavesavedthem?Perhapsitcouldhave beenalastsmallcomfort.
WhenI connectedthe dotsfrom agonizingthirst thento thewater bottlesatthememorialsnow,itreallyhitme.Japaneseparents, evennow,aremourning.
Marcoisafifth-yearALTinTokushimaandthecurrentCultureSectionEditor forCONNECT.Helikeshistory,andthinkssadhistoryisworthlearning,too.
SophiaMaas(Saga)
HowmuchdoyouknowaboutJapan’s nationalsport?I’msureyou’refamiliar withtheevocativeimagesoflargemenin nothingbuta mawashi (belt)standingoff againsteachotherina dohyō (ring),but that’s not all there is to the sport. Sumo has a rich history that began centuries ago and stillpersistsstronglytoday.
Thoughitishighlyregulatednow, sumodidnotstartasasportwith manystrictrules.Infact,itdidn’t startasasportatall. Somesaythat thefirstwrittenrecordofsumoappearsinoneoftheoldestsurviving Japanesetexts.The Kokiji,orRecordof AncientMatters, talksabout thefirstsumomatchbetweentwo gods, TakeminakataandTakemikazuchi.However,NominoSukune,a legendaryfigureinJapanesehistory,isgenerallycreditedwithoriginatingthesportduringthereign of EmperorSuinin (29BCE-70CE). Regardlessofthespecificorigins, sumowouldpersistinearlyJapanesehistoryasaShintoritual, mostlyatshrinesorincourt
Sumoremainedaritualpractice, typicallyinitiatedbytheruling class,untiltheSengokuperiod (1467-1600)whenpublicfights cameinto existence.Thepublic boutstendedtobebloodierand more brutal than their more formal counterparts,leadingtoadecree to shortly ban public sumo matches.Sumosoonreturnedwiththe firstsanctionedmatchoccurring in1684atTomiokaHachiman Shrine.Withthissanction,many ofthe rulesand traditionsthat still occurinmodernsumowereestablished.
Becauseofitsancientorigins,Japanesetraditionand Shintoritualhavebeenemphasisedandoftentimes publicisedtogarnersupportandinterestinthesport. Japan’snationalsporthasearneditsnamebybeinga veritabletimecapsulethatallowsusinmoderntimes tolookbackatcertainaspectsofJapanesehistory.If you’vewatchedasumomatch,you’vecertainlynoticedthespecificwaythe gyōji (referee)dresses,or maybeyouarrivedearlyenoughtowatchthedohyō bebuilt.Almosteveryaspectofsumo,fromtraining to finishingafight,isdonewithpurposeinaccordance withthetraditionsthatremainpreservedtoday. PhotobyTimMossholderonUnsplash PhotobyBobFisheronUnsplash
Sumowrestlersaretrainedina heya (stable)andlivetheirdaysaccording tohighlyregimentedschedules.The wrestlerswilltypicallywakearound six inthemorning(thoughsomewake laterintheday,dependingontheir rank),andconveneforluncharound 11o’clock.Sumowrestlersmusteat mealsofadishcalled chanko-nabe, acalorie-richstewthatiseatenin largequantitiestoincreaseweight. Afterthislunch,theywilltakealong nap,whichismeanttohelpthem absorbnutrientsandcaloriesfrom theirmeal.Individualschedulesafter thismaychangedependingonthe rankingofthewrestler.Allthisis,of course, in preparation for their official matches.
Beforeamatchcanbegin,oreven thinkaboutbeginning,adohyō mustbebuilt.Traditionally,thisisa 4.55-metreraised platformmade of clay. Thedaybeforeatournament thedohyōis“cleansed” byplacing aseriesofitems,includingsalt, cleansed rice, and a dried chestnut, intoaholeinthecentreofthering. Then,thematchcanbegin.Well... notquiteyet.Whenthefightersappearforamatch,thegyōjidressed intraditionalgarbandthewrestlersthemselvesinnothingbuta mawashi,severalothercleansing ritualsmusttakeplace.
Maybeyouhaveseensumowrestlers perform a shiko, the movement ofraisingalegand slammingdown ontothering.Thisisdonewiththe intenttocrushlingeringmalign spirits.Withthisritualcompleted, thewrestlerscleansethemselves with chikara-mizu (literallytranslatedtomean“strength-water”).Ifyou haveenteredashrineoratemple (notduringCOVID-19times!),perhapsyouhaveperformedsomethingsimilar—itistheactionoftakingawoodenladlefullofwater and swishingitaroundinyourmouth.
The next ritual signals that the fightersareabouttoentertheringfor theirfight.Withahandfulofcleansingsaltthrownintothering,they arereadytofight.
Thefightsthemselves arevery,very short.Infact,mostarelessthan30 seconds.Manyspectatorswillarriveearlytowatchthespectacleof theritualbeingperformed,marking sumo’stradition asa majordraw for somefans.
Therankingsystemsandprestigeofferedtosumowrestlersarecomplicatedandmulti-tiered.Thespecificsof thewrestlersinthering,theirregulatedmoves,andcataloguedwinning techniquesare vastlyinteresting andhave theirownoriginsinJapanesehistory.Ifyouareinterested in learning more about Japan’s national sport, you can plan a trip to Tokyo’s Sumo Museum, a place dedicated to gatheringandpreserving oldsumorelics, suchas bankuze (officialrankinglist)andtheceremonialapronswornbythe fighters.
SophiaMaasisafirst-yearALTcurrentlylivinginSagaprefecture. Theircurrent hobbiesare exploringtheir cityby bikeand participating inasmanycommunitycookingeventsaspossible.
Idon’tthinkanythingcouldcomparetothe wayIfeltduringthefirstfewdaysinmy apartment,locatedinasmalltownlyingon theoutskirtsofToyamaCity.Theblurry, frozenimagesofasleepyJapanesetown thatGoogleEarthhadsokindlyshownme priortomyarrivaldidlittletopreparemefor therealthing.
Afterdraggingmywoefullyjet-laggedself aroundthetowntosortoutessentials,the gravityofmysituationtrulyset-inthe momentmyapartmentdoorclosedbehind me.Iwasfinallyleftwithnothingbutthe soundofmyownbreathamongstthecries ofcicadasleakinginthroughmywindow. Thentherealchallengebegan.
TeddyClayton(Toyama)
Beingaloneinaforeigncountryas uniqueasJapan,andknowingit’s goingtobeyourhomeforthe foreseeablefuture,isafeelingIdon’t thinkanyonecouldhavepreparedme for.Thosewhoarewell-traveledor havepreviouslyfacedthemental strainofmovingabroadforan extendedperiodwillperhapsnot encountersuchadauntingand overwhelmingsensation.
Asformyself,likemanyothersIhad recentlyturned21,didnotknowalick ofJapanese,andhadneverspent longerthantwoweeksoutsidemy homecountry,theU.K.Thechallenge thatlaybeforemehadneverfeltmore realasIstoodsilentlyinmykitchen. So,whatdidIdotocounterthe overwhelmingdreadthatbeganto squeezemychestwithincreasing tension?Iwenttobed,sleptfor thirteenhours,wokeupthefollowing daytothemid-morningsunanda magnificentviewofthemountains frommywindow,andthenIcried.
That,asstrangeasitmaysound,was thefirststepItooktocounteringthe phantompaingraspingmychest.To letthetearsandfeelingsflow,toface uptoandacceptthetruemagnitude ofthesituation,andtorecognisethat it’sokaytobeupsetisthegrandest adviceIcouldgivetothosewhofind themselvestenseuponarrivalin Japan.Oncethetearshadruntheir course,Ifeltthegripever-so-slightly loosenaroundmylungs.Iknew,in thatmoment,thattheindiscernible pressuremountingonmymental healthwas,infact,conquerableand thatcertainstepscouldbetakento combatit.Thefirstofwhichwas identifiedthankstoafewtearshere andthere:toacceptthatthereisan issuetobeaddressedinthefirst place.
Toletthetearsandfeelingsflow, tofaceuptoandacceptthetrue magnitudeofthesituation,andto recognisethatit’sokaytobeupset isthegrandestadviceIcouldgiveto thosewhofindthemselvestense uponarrivalinJapan.
Thenextweekorsowasspent establishingaroutine;atechniquethat— I’msureallofuswouldagree—isa powerfulwayofkeepingtheeveryday scariesatbay.However,formethiswent beyondfindingthebesttimeandplaceto goforaweeklygrocerieshaul,orknowing howtoplotthedayaroundcooking, eating,sleeping,andthedreadedgarbage disposalschedule.
Afterestablishingaroutine,youmayfind yourselftemptedtotrynewmethodsto maintainmentalwell-beingthatyou haven’thadtoemploypreviously.Thisis perfectlyfine.SomethingIfoundhelpful wassimplyfindingthetimetoaskmyself, “AmIdoingalright?”Itisharderthanit sounds,especiallywhenday-to-day activitiesvaryinintensitythroughoutthe weekandcansometimesdominateyour time.Oncethequestionisasked,itiseven hardertofindthebestwaytoanswerit. Everybody’sanswerisdifferentandthere aremanypossiblesolutionsforeach individual,soIwilltellyouwhathas workedformewhenIanswer,“No,todayI amnotdoingalright.”
Keepingadiaryisnotsomethingfor everyone,myselfincluded.Thelevelof commitmentrequiredtorecordallactions andfeelingsonaday-to-daybasisisnot somethingthatmanycanmaintain,for variousreasons.Forcingyourselftokeep upcanbemorefrustratingthan therapeutic.Ihavefound,however,that notingdownmythoughtsandfeelings everynowandthen,orsimplywhenIfelt asifIhadnootheroutletforthem,isthe bestmethodtokeepthetensionatbay.
Itdoesn’thavetobeaspecificdiaryor blog,ortakeupadesignatedtimeduring yourday.Anyformofdocumentationis valid.Firstcomesrealizingthemomentit’s needed,andthenputtingthepentopaper, fingertipstokeyboard,orvoiceto microphone.Onceyoustart,itcanbehard tostop.Havingsomethingyoucancarry withyouandquicklyspillsomethoughts intowhenafriendorfamilymemberisn’t availableissomethingIwouldsuggestto anyonestrugglingwiththeirmental health.
“
Othersmayfindsanctuaryinphysicalfitness, engaginginahobby,orconversingwithloved ones;allthesemethodsandmoreare completelyvalidstepstotakeinordertocounter problemsandflourishhereinJapan.Thekey,in myopinion,istohaveareliablemethodof mindfulnessthatcanbeeasilyintegratedinto yourdailyroutineifyoufindtheanswertothe dailyquestion“AmIdoingalright?”less favorablethanyouhadperhapshoped.
Asidefromconcentratedeffortsandmethodsto improvementalwell-being,I’vefoundthat relievingtensioncanalsobeachievedthrough celebrationofthelittlevictories.Weallhave momentswherealistoftasksislaidbeforeus, butthebodydoesn’twanttomovetocomplete them.ThosemomentswillcomeinJapan,and theymayevenfeelmorepotentthannormal. Thatiswhyitissoimportantto always commendyourselfforanytaskachieved,bigor small,becauseyoudeserveit.Wehaveflown milesawayfromhomeandareworkingina foreigncountrysodifferentthat“cultureshock” isacommonissue.So,yes,youshouldfeel proudofyourselfforanyandalltasks completed inaday,nomatterhowsmall.
Somethingassimpleasmakingitthroughan interactionwithalocal,nomatterhowsmoothly orroughlyyoufeltitwent,isstillaninteraction you engagedin,andforthatyoushouldbe proud.Wakingup,gettingup,andgettingout thereisatriumphtobecelebrated.Theonly thingstoppingyouisadoorthatyou—Ishould hope—havethekeysto.
AlexandraCrombie(Gunma)
EarlierthismonthItravelledtoTakayama,atowninGifu Prefecture,whereIembarkeduponafour-hourroadtrip. TakayamaishometotheHachimanFestival,namedafterthe HachimanShrineresidinginthenorthernhalfoftheoldtown. Thisautumnalfestivalisrenownedasoneofthemost beautifulinthecountry,andmyfriendsandIwerelucky enoughtoseethefloatsoutinfullforceonSundaymorning.
WearrivedonSaturdayafternoon andsettledourselvesinourhostel beforeheadingoutfordinner. WithonlyGoogleMapsfor guidance,weselectedalocal izakayaaroundthecorner. Tryingtoavoidmeatproducts anywhereinJapanalwayslimits yousomewhat,buteatingout meanstherewillusuallybea decentselectionofseafood. Althoughthesectionwas ominouslynamed“marine products”onthemenu,Iwas spoiltforchoice.Iwentforthe sashimi,asIammakingitmy personalmissiontotryandtest thesashimiplattersofevery prefectureIvisit.
Ireceivedabeautifullyorganised platethatwasmorevariedthan usual,featuringsevendifferent kindsofwhitefish,octopus,and whatIsuspectedtobesomepart ofajellyfish.Ihavetoadmitthere weretwothick,white,circular piecesthatIhaveyettoidentify.I amnofishconnoisseur,butIhave finallydecidedonmyfavourite typeofsashimi:searedbonito. AlthoughKochiPrefectureisbest knownforthisdelicacy,Ihave enjoyeditthemosteverytime, whereverIam.
Thisturnedouttobethemost aestheticallypleasingdrinkthathas evergracedmyhands.Thewarabi mochihadbeensoakedincoffeeand poundedintosmallerpieces,forming thebottomlayerofthedrink.Rich, milkycoffeeandafinalspiralof whippedcreammadeupthe remainder.Iwouldhighlyrecommend both.
Unfortunately,itstartedtorainaround twoo'clockintheafternoon,sothe remainderofthedaytimefestivaland theeveningfestivalwerecancelled. Weonlyallowedtheraintodeterusfor acoupleofhourswhileweholedaway atthehostel,untilweventuredoutfor dinner.
Wecameacrossadecentlypriced, family-runrestaurantthatoffered ramenlocaltoTakayama.Funnily enough,thedishIorderedwascalled “Takayamaramen.”Itcamewithcurly noodles,alovelybrothwithadepthof flavour,andaboiledeggthathadbeen marinatedinsoysauceovernight.It alsocontainedacircularcutofbroiled porkthatIniftilytransferredovertomy friend’sbowl.
Giventhatthespecificflavoursandtypeofbroth candifferfromregiontoregion,ramenisalso somethingItrytoorderatleastonceeachtime Itravel.Thisparticularbowlwaswarmly receivedonarainySundayevening.
YoumayhavenoticedIleftsomemealsoutof mydescriptions.Forthese,Ireliedonthetrusty conbini.Ifyouareeverpeckish,inneedofa post-night-outsnackorquickbreakfast-to-go,711mightnotbetheheightofsophistication,but itwillneverletyoudown.
AlthoughIhavefocusedlargelyonthemeals andsnacksIconsumedovertheweekend,the scenerycan’tgowithoutmention.Thedrivewas magnificent.Thisprobablyhadsomethingtodo withthefactthatIwasfreetogazeoutofthe backwindowratherthanhavingtotraversethe terrifyingwindingtracksmisleadinglynamed “roads.”Millionsoftreescreatedamoss-like blanketoverthemountainsthatstraddlethe prefecturesofNaganoandGifu,onethatwas lazilytransitioningfromagreentoanorange hue.
Asweascended,thecliff-droptomyright becamecompletelyobscuredbyfog.Itwas difficulttoseeeventwometresintothe distance,anditfeltlikewehadaccidentally stumbledintoanotherdimension.Thankfully,as wedescendedtheoppositesideofthe mountain,wereturnedtoearth.Wemadeit thereinonepiece,andIwasabletocomplete myresearchforthisarticle,asopposedtobeing cartedofftofacetheTerminator,forwhichIam sureyouareallverygrateful.
AlexandraCrombieisafirst-yearJETlivingin Gunmaprefecture.Herfavouritecolourisa dark,mutedblue,andshelikestospendher freetimecampingorexploringwithfriends. Shealsoenjoyswatchingcopiousnumbersof films.
Asreadingisoneofthemostchallenging ofthefourlanguageskills—speaking, listening, reading,andwriting,it goes without saying that reading in an unfamiliar languagecanbeoverwhelming.Even themostavidreaderswhoareexcitedto readintheirsecondlanguagemayfind themselvesstrugglingwhentheyopen abooktofindmanyunfamiliarwords intinyprintcrammedontothepages. Thenaturalresponsetothiswouldbeto considerbooksthatareeasiertoread, suchaschildren’sbooks.Surprisingly, many adult English as a Foreign Language (EFL)learnersdon’tconsiderreading children’s books because they are “just for kids.”However,foranadultEFLlearner, readingchildren’sbooks—particularly picturebooks—has manyadvantages that supportreadingdevelopmentandoverall languageproficiency.
Recentstudieshavefoundagreatdeal ofpotentialinusingchildren’sliterature foradultEFLlearners.Birketveit(2015) startsoff herexplorationofpicturebooks bystating,“Despitethefactthatpicture books offer new and exciting reading for all competence levels, picture books seem to bealargelyundiscoveredtreasuretrove inEnglishasaForeignLanguage(EFL) today.” (2) She goes on to write that picture booksskillfullyincorporatepicturesand textsinawaythatisappealingtoEFL learnersofalllevels.Manyotherstudies alsosuggestthatpicturebookscan increasemotivationforstudentslearning English.(4)(6)(7)
Often,thekindsofbooksthatstudents interactwithintheclassroomaresimple storieswhichalignwiththecultureof nativeEnglishspeakers.Whilethese kindsoftextsmightbeeasiertonavigate forstudents,recenttrendsinEnglish languageeducationhaveencouraged theincorporationofauthentictextsin EFLclassrooms.(1)(3)(5)Usingauthentic texts,particularlyonestargetedatadults, mightbechallengingforsomestudents, sotheobvioussolutionwouldbetouse children’sliterature.
Gettingusedtoreadinginasecond languagecanbedifficult.Thisis particularlytruewhenthesecond languageusesacompletelydifferent writingsystemfromthereader’snative language.Yang(2019)foundthatstudent anxietysurroundingreadingnotonly decreasedwhenincorporatingpicture books,butthatstudentsspentmoretime readinginEnglishforpleasureoutside theclassroom.(7)Theseresultscouldbe attributed to the overall nature of children’s booksintermsoffontsize,illustrations, vocabulary,andgrammar.
Constantlystrainingtogetthrougheven onepageoftextcantakeitstoll.Quite frankly,it’sfrustrating.Toremedythis discombobulation,wemustremember thatthebrain,thepartdoingmostofthe workinlanguagelearning,isamuscle. Andjustasitiswhenweareintheearly stages of muscle development in any other partofthebody,itisimportanttostartoff withweightsthat areskill-appropriateand taketimetoslowlyincreasetheintensity. Inlayman’s terms,start withsmall tasksor asinthecaseoflanguagedevelopment, startwithbooksoriginallyforsmall people—children.Children’sbookstend touselargerfontswithlesscontenton onepage.ThisallowstheEFLreaderto practice reading in English without feeling overwhelmedastheymightwithanadultlevelnovel.Additionally,illustrationsadd totheenjoymentofthetextaswellas providecontextsformeaning-makingas theEFLlearnerexperiencesthestory throughreading.Kochiyamafoundthat usingpicturebooksincreasespositive attitudestowardlearningEnglishandthe targetculture.(5)Atthesametime,the readertendstofeelthatthedifficultyof thetextswasappropriatefortheirlevelof understanding.
Itisalsoimportanttoconsiderthelevel ofvocabularyandgrammarthatabook has.Readingprovidesgreatopportunities topickupnewwordsandphrases,but if a readerchoosesabookthatcontains too manyunfamiliarwordsoneachpage, theymayendupreadingthedictionary more thanthebookitself.A booktargeted atayoungeragelevelwill containeasier vocabularyandsimpler grammar,allowing thereadertolearn throughcontext without theburdenof lookinguptoomany unfamiliarwordsor phrases.
Whiletherearemanytypesofstories suchassci-fiandfantasy,children’s booksnaturallyrevolvearoundonekey component—the child as the audience. As a result, adult EFL learners can often relate tothecommon,simplethemes.Theyare likelytohavealreadyfacedtheconflicts andlearnedthelessonschildren’sbooks oftenteach—fromgoingtoschoolforthe firsttimetofightingwiththeirbestfriend. Furthermore,theserelatableexperiences areoftenframedthroughtheculturallens oftheauthor.Thoughalladultshavetheir ownexperienceofchildhood,adultEFL learnerscanlearnnewculturalnuances ofgrowingupinavarietyofEnglishspeakingcountriesthroughsuchbooks. Theuseofpicturebooksalsoallowsfor ananalysisof stereotypesprevalentin the variouscultures.Forinstance,Kochiyama usedthetext ThePaperBagPrincess intheirstudy,whichprovidesstudents withanopportunitytodiscussgender stereotypesthatoftenappearastropes intraditionalfairytalessuchas Cinderella and SleepingBeauty.(5)
Anotherbenefitinreadingsuchtextsisto “givestudentsopportunitiestolearnnot only language skills but also to be sensitive todifferentcultures.”(3)Children’sbooks arenotlimitedtothekindsofstories mentionedhere.Manychildren’sbooks arewrittenbyauthorsfromdiverse backgrounds,includingauthorswho havemigratedtoothercountries.Astudy conducted by Zhu (2022) analyzed the use ofpicturebooksasameansofsupport forinternationalcollegestudents.(8)The findingsconcluded thatpicture bookscan serve as a way to present serious topics as pedagogical tools that promote discussion amongstadultstudents.Thisnotonly helpstosupporttheacademicneedsof thestudentslearningEnglish,butalso providessocialsupportforstudentswho sharesimilarneedsinsecondlanguage learning.
Insum,children’sliteratureshouldnotbe overlookedwhenconsideringauthentic materialstouseinadultEFLclassrooms. Therearemanybenefitsfromreducing anxietyandincreasingmotivationto expandingculturalunderstandingand providingcontextfordiscussionsabout avarietyoftopics.Withhardworkand patience,adultEFLreaderscanimprove theirlanguageskillsbyreadingchildren’s booksuntiltheyarereadytotakeonmore challengingadult-leveledworks.
Rachaelisagraduatestudentwitha backgroundinlinguisticsandEnglish education. She has taught English in Japan forover sixyears andenjoys incorporating cultureandauthenticityintoherlessons.
Pitta-GayPowell(Ehime)
Shakespeare,in RomeoandJuliet,onceasked,“What’sina name...”.Here,Iwanttotakeitastepfurtherandask, “What’sinaphrase?”
AmongnativespeakersofEnglish,thereisoftenalotmore meaningtowordsusedthanhowtheymaysoundtoEnglish asaForeignLanguage(EFL)learners.Wordsmayform metaphoricexpressions,idioms,andotherfigurativedevices whichmakecommunicationalotmorecolorful.
ThepotentialchallengetoEFLlearnersbecamecleartome whenonebilingualJapaneseadultexplainedthatidentifying sarcasmisdifficult,especiallyinspeech.Itgotmethinkingthat culturaldifferencesmayplayapartinthischallengesince sarcasm’sprimaryaimistomockandJapanreallyisa countryofcourtesy.Butitalsogotmewonderingwhatother figurativedevicesnativespeakerstakeforgrantedwhen speakingthatEFLlearnersmayhavedifficultyunderstanding.
Howmanytimeshasanative speakerspokenof“takingaleaf (page)outofsomeone’sbook?” Probablymoretimesthananyoneis willingtocount.Butcanyou imaginetheconfusionasanEFL learnertriestocomprehendwhata randomleafwouldbedoingin someone’sbook?Furthermore,why wouldanyonewanttotakeit?Well,the expressionisanidiomlikening “someone’sbook”totheirlife,andto “takealeaf(page)”meansthatthe receiverofthestatementshould emulatesomething—suchasa positivecharactertrait—fromthat person’slife.
Leavesareassociatedwithautumn morethananyotherseason becauseitisatthistimethatthey aremostdifferentandarguablymost beautifulacrosstheworld.They changecolorandeventuallyfalloff trees,leavingthembare.Thisaffects animalsandsignifiesadrastic changeinseasonisaboutto begin—winter.Manyoftheautumnrelatedfigurativedevicesarecentered
invocabularywhichreflectsthings thatareprominentintheseason suchasleaves,animalsandeven rain.
Sooften,nativespeakersofEnglish casuallyspeakof“turningovera newleaf,”“squirrelingaway” valuablesor“savingsomething (especiallymoney)forarainyday.”
Formanyofus,thesecommon statementstriggernoalarmas weautomaticallyunderstandthat someoneisstartingover,hiding stuff,orsavingmoneyin preparationforsomething unexpected.However,weneed tobemindfulinthepresence ofEFLlearnersbecausethose imagescreatedthroughourspeech arelikelytocauseconfusion. Eitherwewhounderstandthese expressionswillexplainthem duringconversationoravoid themforthesakeofclear communication.
Ifyouareapersonwhousesthese kindsofexpressionsoften,I imagineyou’llbe“walkingon thinice”withyourEFLfriendsreally quickly.Getit?Winter?Thinice? Thereareatleastasmanywinterrelatedidiomsasthereareautumn ones.Towalkonthiniceconjures theimageofsomeonewalkingon thiniceabovewater—alake’s surfaceforexample.Whena stepbreakstheice,theyfallin. Therefore,themeaningofthe idiomhasverylittletodowith actualicebuteverythingtodo withdangerandnegative emotion. “Breaktheice”isanotherwinterrelatedidiom,butthisonehasamore positivemeaning.Tobreaktheice isametaphoricwaytodescribe whatpeoplesayordoinatense situation—suchasagatheringof strangers—tomakeothersfeel relaxedorcomfortable.
Itmaybethatwinteristheleast favoriteofallfourseasonsbecause mostofitsrelatedidiomsare mostlynegative.Wemayargue aboutthisor“putitonice.”Toput somethingonicetopostponeit. Thisidiomisusuallyusedasit relatestotopicsofdiscussionor decision-making.Sometimes,your viewsmaybeunfavorable,andyou endupgetting“thecoldshoulder” fromyourfriends.Here,the”cold shoulder,”likemanyidioms,has nothingtodowithashoulderoreven thetemperature.Instead,itrefers tobeingignored.Ifyourfriends ignoreyou,it'snaturaltofeel “icedout”—feelingnoaffection fromyourpeers.Asimilaridiomis “toleave(someone)outinthecold” whichdescribesabandonment amidharshconditions.
Afterwinter,mustcomespring.Here iswheretheexpression“spring cleaning tobecoldanddrearyinmanyplaces. Duringwinter,someplacesareso coldthatnotmuchcleaningis necessaryor difficulttomoveabout.Inspring whentheicethaws,thewhole house isusuallycleanedso thoroughly itmakesupforallnot done inwinter,andthehouselooks asvibrantasthe cheerfulweather outside.This”spring cleaning”takes alotofeffortsothetermisusedall throughouttheyeartorefertoany majorcleaning.
Thiscleaningusuallymakesmany peoplewhoclean“asmadasa Marchhare.”Thisexpressionisa similewhichlikensaperson’s character tothatofaMarchhare. TheMarchharesareparticularly chaoticinthespringseason, especiallyasitistheirmating seasonwhichtheyattendtorather vigorously.Theexpression,however, iscompletelynon-sexualandisused atanytimeoftheyeartodescribe chaoticbehaviour.Afterallthis cleaning,somepeoplefindthat theyareno“springchicken”—not young.
Thesummer,thesunniestseason, isalikelyfavorite—especiallyfor children.Forthosewhogotoschool, summeristheirtimetounwind andbaskinthesun.When someoneisdescribedas“aray ofsunshine,”that’sagoodthing. Itmeansthattheyarechirpyand exudethepositivityofafairday. However,ifoneistoldto“brighten up”neitherasheennorglowis required,justamorepositive countenance.
Finally,let’slookinto“onesparrow doesnotmakeasummer.”Thismay besaidinvarioussituations,butI doubtanyearlyESLlearnerwould get itsincethesayinghas absolutely nothingtodowithabird andisnotconfinedwithinthe season.Whatitmeansisthatone goodthingisnoindicationofgreater goodthingsor change.Itimplies that asinglepositiveoccurrenceis unreliable.
Intruthfigurativeexpressionsare innumerable—eventheonesthatare connectedtoseasons.Theyare discouragedinwritinginfavorof claritywhiletheyarekeptalivein speechbecausetheymakeoral communicationmoreinteresting and oftenaddmoredepththanliteral wordscouldinspire.
AsEFLlearnersgraspproficiency inthelanguage,theywillneedto becomeaccustomedtothese common non-literalexpressions.At thesametime,nativespeakershave aresponsibilitytotheirEFLfriends andcolleaguestochoosetheir expressionswisely,bemindful,be patient,andlookoutforaneedto explain.
PittaisanEnglishteacherwithher handsinmultiplearts.Shewrites poetry,watchesanddrawsanime, readsandwritessciencefiction mysterynovels,andmakesahobbyof sleepingatoddhoursoftheday.
Vectorsbyfreepik|freepik.com
Ehimeisquitetherurallocation inJapan;placestakelongerto travelto,butI’mthankfulforthe transportconnectionsthatare available.IhavelivedinSouthern Ehimeforalmostayear,butitwas onlyacoupleofweeksagothatI learntaboutTakegashima,asmall islandinTsushima,acoastaltown locatedto thesouth ofUwajima city inSouthernEhime.Theteachersat my school spoke of Takegashima, as oneofthemhadpreviouslyworked attheelementaryschoolonthe island.Hehadveryfondmemories oftheplaceandwasverywell thoughtofthere;whenitwastime tomoveaway,theresidentstied ribbonsto hisboat asit departed,to thankhim.Hecommentedthathe feltwarm,happyfeelingsandhad
long lasting memories from his time atTakegashima.
Theislandisaboutatwentyminute boatridefromTsushima.The boatrideprovidesbeautifulviews whicheverwayyoufaceandthe wateriscrystalclear.Ilearntthat thereareonlytenpeoplecurrently livingontheisland.Thereareno shops,noconveniencestoresand novendingmachines. I wondered howthepeopleontheislandwere abletoacquirenecessities,only todiscoverthateachpersonowns theirownboatandhastosailback andforthtoTsushimatogetgoods. Thisisthesameiftheresidents needtoseeadoctororgotothe hospital;it’lltakealongtime,which isaconcernduringanemergency.
Whiletherearecurrentlyten peoplelivingontheisland,about thirtyyearsagothiswasnotthe case.Around100peoplelivedon Takegashimaatthattime.While thisisstillaverysmallnumber,the islandwasbustling:festivalswere heldandpeoplefromnearbytowns wouldtraveltotheislandtoattend. FromwhatIcouldpicture,itwasa veryclose-knitcommunityandthe peoplewereproudtoliveonthis smallisland.Thepeoplelivingon Takegashimamadetheirmoneyby pearlfarming,averycommonand famouspracticeinUwajima.The pearlfarmingindustrycontinues tothisdaybut,unfortunately,with
fewerhandstofarm,incomehas becomescarcerandthebusinesshas suffered.
Iwasfortunateenoughtoaccompany myschoolonafieldtriptoTakegashima. Sincethereisnolongerpublictransport totheisland,theschoolhadtohire boatstotakeusto theislandandback. Our job for the day was to tidy the island andenjoylisteningtothestoriesof the peoplethatlivethere.Wesetoff early withourcleaningsuppliesand bento andboardedtheboats.Theislandwas beautiful,withmountainsmakingup themajorityoftheland,followedbya smallrow ofhouses, mostof whichare nowuninhabited.
Theislandhasoneelementary school.Thisschool,however,has beenshutdownforanumberof years.Whenwearrived,wehadthe opportunitytotourtheschool.Alot ofthesurroundingbuildingswere uninhabited,butyou wouldn’tknow from looking at them on the outside. Theyremaineduntouched,loose papersboundtogether,posters stillonthewalls,delicatecups andplatesneatlystacked,asifthe ownerwouldsoonreturn.Whether thebuildingsarecurrentlyused forotherpurposesisunknown.I reallyenjoyedseeingtheseplaces stuckintime—theygavemea weird,indescribablefeeling.Ireally enjoyedthisatmosphereforthe samereasonthatIenjoytheconcept oftimecapsules:thepreservation ofamemoryfromthetimeitwas created—smallanecdotesfrom magazines,newspapers,and postersonthewallsthatdated from2016-2017.Itwasstrangeto experience,especiallyasthese relicspredatedCovid,too.
ThestudentsandIcleanedthe elementaryschool.Ihelped studentsreachthehigherwindows andthendustedthetables.We foundmanyinsectsintheschool, mainly funamushi (smallbugswith severallegs—theyresidenearthe
seaandscurryawayveryquickly, muchtothestudents’terror!) andcockroachcarcasses.Inthe teachersroom,Ifoundspidersthat weresochunkyIinitiallymistook themforcrabs!Takegashimais hometoseveralothercreaturesas well,includingfelinefriendsanda widevarietyoffish. Wewereableto spotmanydifferentcolouredfishin theclearwatersatthepier.Striking redsandbluescaughtoureyes,as wellastheoccasionaljellyfishand oneratherintimidatinggrey,lumpy fish.Itseemsthewildlifeherehas thrivedandbecomeasanctuaryfor manyotherlivinganimals.
Thepeoplewholiveontheisland stillkeeptheschoolopentouse asaworkspace.Thecomputers arestillfunctional,andthelibrary isfullystocked.Theschoolhall hastwo taiko drumsandIbelieve thehallitselfisusedasameeting spaceforresidents.Therearealso stilldrawingsandwritingonthe blackboards,andIwonderedhow longagothepicturesweredrawn. Weateourlunchintheschoolhall, thentookawalkaroundtheisland. ItwassoquietthatIinstantlyfelt relaxed.Thestudentsallseemed verycalm,too.Iwishedthatthe islandwasmoreeasilyaccessible.
WhileIunderstandthedownsideof livinginsucharemotespace,Ifelt sadforthisalmostforgottenisland. Itwascertainlyverypeaceful;I walkedtothepierandspentsome timestaringoutattheocean.One ofmyfavouritethingsisthesound ofthesea,solisteningtothesea whilstfeelingthegentleseabreeze onmyskingavemetheultimate comfort.
Iamverygratefultohavehad theopportunitytotravelto Takegashima,andIcannothelp butwonderwhatwillbecomeof theislandinthenext20-30years. Ihopeitisnotforgotten—itisa beautifulislandandverypeaceful. Itwouldbe nicetomove ataslower paceasdailylifeseemsmuch differentthereincomparisonto anywhereelseI’vebeeninJapan. Itisasmallbutstrongcommunity, anddefinitelyaplacetogotorelax andenjoymindfulness.
Amytakesanyopportunitytoleave thehouseandexplore,evenifit’s totourtheconveniencestoresin thecity.Abigfanofdocumenting everything,hercamerarollisfull ofbeautifulviews,onigiriand nonsense.
Deepintheheartofthelushisland ofKyushuliesamysteriousand wonderfulplace:theKujumountain range.Locatedontheinnerborders ofOitaandKumamoto,itiswellout ofthewayformostnatureseekers. Yet,despitethis,itremainsoneofthe hiddentreasuresofsouthernJapan.
Surroundedbyforestsand meticulouslygroomedgrassfields, theKujurangewearsmanyfashions throughouttheseasons:Inspring, therangeisflankedwithaskirtoffire
astheresidentsannuallyrevitalize thesurroundinggrasslandswith controlledburnstokeeptheforests atbay; earlysummer seesan eruption ofthefamous MiyamaKirishima,the mountainazaleas,astheycrownthe peaksinbrilliantpinkflowers;autumn becomesapatchworkquiltofrusset, gold,orange,andgrayspreadover theshouldersofthemountains; evenduringwinter,whenmuchof thehighlandsareadullbrown,the mountainswearaveilofwhitesnow crustedwithabrillianticelake.
MarkChristensen(Fukuoka)Thisareaalsohasarichhistory: Inthepast,itwashometomonks fromseveraltempleswhovisitedthe mountainsonreligiouspilgrimages datingasfarbackasathousand yearsago.Lateron,peopletook advantageofthearea’sricharray ofhotspringsandtheyconstructed onsensandageothermalplant aroundthemountain.Kujuismost famous,however,forthedistinction ofbeingselectedasoneofJapan’s topmountainsbylegendaryclimber KyuyaFukada,authorofthebook “100FamousJapaneseMountains,”a favoriteofEmperorNaruhitoandthe subjectofmanyNHKshows.
WhenIfirstlearnedofmyplacement inKyushuontheJETProgram,I admitthatIwassecretlycrushed. Myfavoritehobby,onlyadopteda fewyearsearlier,wastrekkingthe hillsandmountainsofthePacific Northwest.ThemountainsofKyushu,
itseemed,weremuchsmallerand tamercomparedtotitanslikeFuji andtheJapaneseAlps.Butforme,it wasn’tsimplythesize.Inthealpine meadowsofmyhome,explorerscan enjoyavarietyofnaturalfeatures rangingfromexoticflowerstoice andsnow.MyfearwasthatI’dhave tosacrificethatforseveralyears.Still, Imadetheleapoffaithandpushed forwardintotheunknown.
Icouldn’thavebeenmorewrong. ItwasduringmyfirstOctoberin JapanthatIwasinvitedtoexplore MountKujuwithoneofmyteachers. Expectingaboringsetofhillsand low-lyingmountains,Iwasinstead stunnedtodiscoverhowvaried therangewas.Despitebeingfairly isolatedandonlyafewmileslong, therangecontainspeaksover1,700 meterstallandanumberofdistinct alpineenvironments.
MountKuju,ratherthanasingle peak,isactuallypartofaringof interconnectedmountainswithan openingonthenorthernendand severaltraversablemountainpasses. Thejourneyintothesemountains, however,isquiteunique.
AtChojibaru,oneofthemost commonlyusedtrails,alargegrassy marshsurroundsthebaseofthe mountain.Featuringsilverygrasses inthefallandpurpleirisesinthe spring,it’sburnedannuallyinorder tomaintaintheartificialmeadow. Throughthisarea,alargeboardwalk leadshikersafewhundredmeters toadenseforestontheflankofthe mountain.Oncethere,hikersascend amazeofroots,stairs,gullies,and smallstreamsbeforefinallyreaching thefirstoverlook.
Breakingoutintothesunonthe upperedgeoftheforest,hikersare treatedtoaviewofoneofthecentral peakstoweringoverthem.Thepath continues on, this time cutting through afloodedalpinemeadowpopulated byanumberofdeer.
Thesecondforestfoundafterthisis stickywiththick,black,volcanicmud andsportssmalleroaktreesandthe classicbroad-leavedsasagrass.After continuingtodescendthroughthis mess,acobbledstonepathappears, signalingthearrivaltothecore.
Known as Bogatsuru, this is the central hubofKuju.It’soneofthelargest meadowscontainedinanearperfect bowlwithpeakstoweringoverhead onallsides.Here,hikerscanenjoy camping,anonsen,andevenalive volcanicvent!
Itisinthisbackground,then,that I’vereflectedonwhatmountains andnaturemeantome.Originally,in 2016,Ibecameaclimberinorderto challengemyself.Ichosetallpeaks becauseIwantedtostrengthen myself,bothphysicallyandmentally, andtoimprovemyconfidence.
AsI’msureyoucanguess,climbing mountainscan behard. Iused topush myselftothelimit,tryingtotakepride in attaining once unreachable heights. ButIlearnedthatmountainshaveso muchmoretoofferthanasummitor aprettyview.
The first thing I discovered was peace. Inourbusylives,itcanbesoeasyto haveamindclutteredwithstress, worries,anddoubts.Itcanbedifficult topickoutwhat’simportanttofocus on,andtemptingtoworryfor thesake ofworryitself.Mountainschallenge thisbydisconnectingusfromthe dailygrind. Whereonce Ifound myself strugglingwithchaoticworries, climbingbecameameditationwhere Icouldsimplyletgoandfocusonthe present.
ThesecondthingIdiscovered,or rather rediscovered, was a connection tonature.Insheddingsocialmedia, communication,andtheconstant hustleandbustle,it’smucheasierto seeandhearthebeautifulthingsyou mayhaveignored.IntheCascades, IrealizedIhadmissedahidden worldofglisteningwhitemountains andgoldenlarchesonmydoorstep. Duringmy climbsat Kuju,I discovered thattheassumptionsIhadmade aboutJapanesemountainsinKyushu werewrong.WhereonceIonlyheld respectforthetallestpeaks,Irealized thatevenlowermountainscanstill hideincrediblesecretsandbeauty, suchastheazaleasIwouldhave neverseenbackhome.
Third,solitude.Lonelinesscanbe hard,butI’ve foundthatsolitude gives meachancetofacemyselfandto learnhowtobelieveinmyself.
Fourth,strength.Hikingandclimbing hastheabilitytobringoutone’s strengthsinunexpectedways.Beit rain,wind,darkness,orblisters,every experienceforgesyouintoatougher person.
There’s a common misconception that hikersandmountaineers“conquer” mountains. We see images of climbers withflagsorbannerstriumphantly flutteringinthewind.Butthere’s anotherperspectiveaswell.Rather than conquerors, we are stewards and guestsofthe mountains.Manyhikers knowthepoweroftheseplacesand justhowquicklynaturecanhumble themighty. Humility,I think,is thefinal giftmountainsgivetous.
AsthefamousclimberSirEdmund Hillaryonceputit,“Itisnotthe mountainweconquer,butourselves.”
So,nowthatyou’vereadthis,how canyoubeginyourownjourney?Be ithikingormountaineering,itcanbe intimidating,especiallyifit’syourfirst foray.Butnottoworry,becausethere aresomegreatresourcesthatyou canfind.
Thefirst,andgreatest,resourceI’ve found is called the “10 essentials.” This isalistoftencriticalitemsyoushould considerhavingwhenyouhike.While some, such as “fire” or “knives,”areless relevantfortheJapanesewilderness, otheritemsaremuchmoreso.There areseveralslightlydifferentversions ofthislist,but,forthisinstance,I’llbe referencing REI’slist
However,whenpeoplestopforalong breakortodealwithsnow,rain,or wind,theirbodytemperaturedrops. Inbadconditionsandhighpeaks, this canbedangerous.Assuch,people should bringextrawarmclothesand/ orraingear.
Whenhiking,youwanttoknow where youareandwhereyouaregoing. Unlessyouarereasonablyfamiliar withatrail,it’sbesttohaveanidea ofwhereyouaregoingandtostay onthatpath.It’snotuncommonfor hikerstogetlostbecausetheydidn’t payattentionorfollowsigns. Bringa maporapictureofamap.
Waterisbyfarthemostcritical resourceyouneed,especiallyin summer.Besureto bringatleast3 bottles ofwater or fitnessdrinks,and moreinsummer.
Whenhiking,it’sabsolutelyessential to bringaheadlamporflashlightin reserve. Ifyoufallbehindschedule andfindyourselfindarkness,a flashlightcansometimesbetheonly thingsavingyoufrominjuries.
Itdoesn’tneedtobefancy,butit’s importantto haveextrafood stashed awayinyourpackincaseyouare stranded or the excursion takes longer thanexpected.
Thistipisespeciallyimportantin winter.Hikingandclimbingisa game oftemperaturecontrol.When hiking, peoplegeneratealotofheat, reducing whattheyneedtowear.
Duringthesummerandwinter,it’s importanttomakesureyou stock uponsunscreen toprotectyourself againstsunburn.Alternatively, wearhoodedclothingmadeoutof lightweightfabricandpairwithahat. Evenoncold,snowy,overcastdays,it ispossibletobecomeseriouslyburnt assnowitselfcanactasamirrorand reflectsunlight.
Whilenotofficiallyonthelist,thisis alsoanincrediblyimportanttipto remember.Weatherisnothingtojoke withonamountain,beithighorlow, and can result in injuries or harm if you arehiking. Alwayschecktheweather. Furthermore,iftheweatherbecomes dangerous,don’thesitatetostop.
Asclimbersoftensay,summitinga mountainisoptional,returningsafely ismandatory!
There exists a saying in Japanese, ichi-go, ichi-e, which translates to “onetime,onemeeting.”Itsmeaningisbittersweet:appreciatethe moment,fornothingcanlastforever.Fittingly,itwasduringathree daye-biketouracrossWesternShikokuthatIlearnedthisphrase. Nowthatthosethreedaysareover,Iexperienceichi-goichi-elike theoppositeof deja-vu;ratherthanwonderifithashappenedbefore,IwonderifIwillevergetthechancetodoitagain.Itleftme wantingformore.
WhenmostpeoplethinkaboutbikinginShikoku, theythinkoftheShimanamiKaido,arideovera series of bridges which begins in Eastern Ehime’s Imabaricity. However, thisride ison thecomplete oppositesideoftheregion,beginninginSouthwesternEhime inthecoastalcity ofUwajima. Boastingoneofthefinaltwelvecastlesinallof Japantostillbeinitsoriginalcondition,Uwajima isnosmalltown.
Startinghere,thefirstdayofthe ridewasawarm up, featuring a leisurely ride circling Ku Island duringwhichwestoppedtodrinkhotchocolateand watchthesunsinkbelowthesea.WhenIasked myfriendwhathethoughtaboutthefirstday,he toldme,“ExperienceslikethisarewhyI’vecome tolove Japan.”I couldn’thave saidit bettermyself.
Thereweretwelveridersincludingthetwoleaders—WillTurnerandhiswifeTamie—andafew supportriderswhowerethereincaseofemergencies.Itwasgoodcompanyallaround.Many ofuswerefromneighboringcities,cameeither toenjoytheregion,enjoythebiking,orboth,and weallhad differinglevelsof experience.Wewere quitethediversegroup.MyfriendandIwere bothMinnesotans,WillwasfromEngland,and theotherswereallfromdifferentpartsofJapan.
Onthelastday,Tamiementioned, “Despiteour varied backgrounds, it’s nice that we can all come togetherlikethistoappreciatetheregion.”The rideitselfwas apilotfor anew line oftoursaimed atpromotingthispartofEhimethroughcycling. WhenIaskedWillaboutit,hetoldmethatthe governorreallyenjoyscyclingandiscontinually attemptingtoincorporateitintothecommunity. Itreallyshows,too.Thewholeexperiencewas veryaffordable,andthesupportstaff extremely friendly.
“Despite our varied backgrounds, itʼs nice thatwecanallcometogetherlikethisto appreciatetheregion.”
Ifthefirstdaywasawarmup,the seconddaywasthemainevent. Atroughlysixtykilometersoftravel,thedayprovedtobeaworkout, evenonane-bike—thoughwhat waswaitingforusattheendmade itwellworththeeffort.Ourdestinationwas Mizugiwano Lodge,or RiversideLodge,locatedinNametoko Gorge.
Thestyleofthelodgeremindedme ofthelakesidehomesintheforests ofnorthernMinnesota,butwitha distinctiveJapanesetwisttoit.That night,inthelodge’sbuilt-inItalian restaurantSelvaggio,Willcongratulatedusformakingitthroughthe day.“IlovethefeelingofaccomplishmentwhenIseejusthowfar we’vecome,”explainedthewoman nexttome.Halflostinapleasant winedelirium,Ijustnoddedand smiled.
Thefinaldaycametooquickly. Thistime,ourscheduledtravel wasonlythirtykilometers,half ofthepreviousday,butastrong headwindmadeforslowprogress.Ididn’tmindthis,however, asalthoughreachingthefinish meantagoodmealof taimeshi —anUwajimaspecialtyofsea breamsashimi,soysauce,raw egg,andhotrice—italsomarked theendofthetour,andareturn toourdailylives.Theriderswere quietastheyrode,thewindfilling theirearswhiletheireyestookin themountains,rivers,andsky.
Ehime’scountrysideisauniquely picturesquepartoftheworld,and Icansympathizewiththegovernor’sdesire toshare itwith others. Cyclinghasbeenahobbyof mine eversince Iwas young,but evenif theideaofane-biketourdoesn’t appealtoyou,Iwholeheartedly recommendmakingavisittothe area.
James Steinbrueck is an English teacherresidinginIkata,onthe westernmosttipofJapan’sShikokuIsland.BorninMinnesota, hemovedtoJapaninmid-2022, andloveshisnewhome.CurrentlyaGeneralSectionEditor forCONNECT Magazine,he enjoysgaming,mountainbiking, fiction,andlyinginthesun.
You press the triangle button and the video plays. An Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) in inaka Japan walksyou througha dayin herlife. Sheshows youher $500apartment, mealsshe haspreparedforthewholeweek,andhowshegetsfromthe eki toherthreevisitschools.
Inanotherwindow,youloadanothervideo.Thistime,ofanewly-mintedJETpreparingto leaveforJapan.Sheshowsyouher“secrets”ofpacking.Likeamagicianbombardedwith oddsandendsaroundher,sheskillfullystuffedtheseintotwolargereceptaclesinajiffy, readyforflight.
Thebestcontentisstories,pepperedwithuniquecircumstancesandpropelledbyone’s sheercommitmenttosharethesestories—forthemtobeheard,toberesonatedwith,and tobeentertainedby.Howshouldweturnstoriesintocontent,then?
Pursuing content creation can be daunting, and it is sometimes plagued with two questions: “WheredoIstart?”and“WhatshouldIuse?”
ForTomi-aneHyatt, aformerJET ALTwho usedtolivein HyogoPrefecture,theequipmentissecondary.“My first30orsovideos were filmedusing myiPhoneand atripod, andIeditedthem inmyphoneusing iMovie,”Tomi,assheisknowntoherfriendsand followers,shared.
“Theonlythingrequired fromyouisto love andwantwhat youaredoing becauseyou needtokeep going,evenwhen nooneis watchingor sharingyour content.”Since shejoined YouTubein April2017, Tomi’s channel, Tomi’sWorld,now has19.1ksubscribersand over1.2 millionviews. “Vloggers must have a ‘can-do’ attitude,” she said.
Findingone’svoiceisanintegral step.Themostsuccessfulcontent creatorshaveestablishedtheir channelsforwhattheyare, not for howmanytopicstheycancover. Definingavibeorflavorto encompass one’schannelwillmake itincredibly easier for the creator to find their way and consistently come out withcontentthatcan resound.
“Ipostedonlyonevideobefore comingtoJapanandittookme aboutayearonJETbeforeIbuilt uptheconfidencetojustgofor it,” Tomisaid.“Irealizedthatthe questionsIhadpriortojoining JET arethesamequestions applicants are asking.Idecided toanswerthese questionsthrough myvlog.”
“Themostimportantthingistoknowyour ‘Why’andyour‘What.’Findyourvoice,” saidAndreaRomualdez,StrategicPartner ManageratYouTube,inalectureinthe Philippines.“Consider askingyourself: How wouldyouliketohaveanimpact?Areyou therebecauseyouwanttosharesomethingspecific?Doyouhaveapassionfor somethingor atalent thatyou reallywant to getoutthere?”
This is the advice that Donalyn Paulo Espe, a second-yearFilipinoJETALTinFukushima, has taken. A young teacher who hailed from thecoldCordillerasregioninthenorthern Philippines,Donalyn’sfirstcontentswere ontourismandlifestyleinherhomeprovince.WhenshewasacceptedintotheJET Program,shedecidedthathervlogwould beabouthelpingotherFilipinoseaseinto theJETjourney:application,preparation, andintegration.
One of Donalyn’s vlogs showed her stay in a hotelupon arrivalin Japanfor quarantine.In aseriesofratheramusinganecdotes,she showedhowtoheatone’sbentousingthe waterheater,howtodolaundryusingthe bathtub,and howto entertainoneself inthe confinesofahotelroom.
BothDonalynandTomistartedwiththeir iPhonesbeforeinvestinginmoresophisticatedtools.“Ithinkthebiggestthingthat changedfromwhenIstartedwasmyeditingstyle,”Tomienthused.“AndthemoreI didit,themoreIresearchedhowtodobetteronit.So,thebetterIgot.”
Tomilaterinvestedinadigitalcameraapt forvlogging,evenwithouttheassurance ofalargefollowing.“Ididn’tknowifIwould evergettoapointwhereYouTubewould payme tocreate contentthen, butI thought thepeoplewhowerewatchingdeserved thebest.”
Deciding to vlog means accepting that youmaynotbeeveryone’scupoftea. “Somevloggerseasilygetdismayed whentheirvideosaren’tgettingmany views,”Donalynsaid.“Thus,being comfortablewithwhatyoushare, whetherviewedornot,iswhatmakes oneagoodvlogger.”
“Beingontheinternetmeansopening upyourselftotrollsandjustallowing anyonetovoiceopinionsaboutyou. Unfortunately,I havemet uponseveral ‘bodyshamers’whocometomycommentsectionjusttotellmehowfatI am,”Tomirecounted.“Ihadacommentthatsaid,‘Youaresofat!’That wasit!Nothingaboutmycontent,just aboutmybody.Somepeoplesaid meanerthingsthatYouTubehadto block.”
Tomialsoexperiencedracismonline. Shewastoldbysomeviewersto“go backtohercountry,”amongother things.Tomi’scontentfocusesonlife inJapan,andthecommentswere mostlyfrom“weebs”—non-Japanese peoplewhoareobsessedwithJapaneseculture,theywishtheywereJapanese.“ButIgrewupJamaican,soI definitelyknowhowtofilteroutnegativity,”Tomisaid.
Intermsofexpandinghercontent, Tomirespectsrecommendations. Acolleagueatherformerschoolin Yamaguchi,forexample,wouldshare someideas.Shewouldalsogetsuggestionsandideasfrompollsshe launches on Instagram. YouTube commentsectionsarealsojustashelpful.
ForDonalyn,whoisknownonsocialmediaas JustMeDonnah with7.04kfollowersonYouTube, her channel is her way of paying forward.
“Ithinkthatmyhow-tovideos onapplyingfor theJET Programmeattracted alot ofmy views. SomeaspiringparticipantsfromthePhilippinesevenmessagedmeonmyFacebook page.Igetwordsofappreciation.Iamhappy toknowthatmyvideoshelptheminachieving theirdream,toworkhereinJapan,”sheremarked.
Vlogscouldberevealing,too,notjustabout oneself,butaboutsensitiveinformationrelatedtoacompanyororganization.Donalynhas soughtpermissionfromtheJapanInformation andCultureCenterinthePhilippinesbefore creatingcontent.Despitebeinggrantedpermission,Donalyn’sruleofthumbistonotdisclosepertinentinformationaboutthescreeningof JETparticipants because“those matters shouldbeinthehandsofthescreeningcommittee.”
Ethicsisnon-negotiable,andTomiagrees. “Vloggingaboutotherculturescanbetricky. JapanisnoexceptionandIhavepersonally beenchastisedseveraltimesforjustsharing myownopinionandexperiencesthatIhave actuallybeenthrough.Nonetheless,Ihavealwaystried tonot betoo criticalof aculture that isdifferentandnewtomeandIalwayslookat bothsidesofthestorywheneverIspeak,”she established.
“Thisissoasit’snevergoodtojustspewalot ofnegativity,andnoonereallywantstolisten tothatanyway.Additionally,Itrytoputbad thingsinalightercontextwithjokesandfun innuendosjusttomakesureit’seasiertodigest,”sheadded.
Donalyn,forherpart,wantedtocatertoaudiencesinherhomecountry.Shechoseto talkaboutthequestofaFilipinoinJapan,goingforlightertopicssuchashertravels,to morecomplicatedissueslikehowtoflyyourhusbandtolivewithyouinJapan.Shesaid thatthelatterhasamassedmoreviews,andshehasbecomemorecomfortablewith codeswitchingbetweenEnglishandFilipinoinhervlogs.
ForDonalynandTomi,theirstoriesareetchedintheannalsofvideobytes.Theseare nowremindersofpreviousexcursionsintheiryoungerlives.Donalynisexcitedtosee whatelsecanbetoldassheadvancesinherJETjourney.ForTomi,whohasleftJapan, hervlogsareherlovelettersforacountrythatbecamehersecondhome.
“Vloggingaboutothercultureshasbeensomuchfunandsatisfyingforme,”Tomisaid. “Onething thatI canadvise isto alwaysbe mindfulnot todisrespect othercountries’ culturesandpractices.Yourwordscouldimpactthewayyourviewersseeothercountries. Thus,filteringthewordsyouuseinyourvideosisverycrucialtobeculturallysensitive. Ialwaysrememberwhatmymomsays,‘Ifyoucan’tsayanythinggood,justdon’tsay anything.’That’swhyinmyYouTubechannel,Ipromoteoptimism,andIdoawayfrom negativity.”
IanLayuganisasecond-yearFilipinoJETin KiryuCity,GunmaPrefecture.Hisacademic interestsare inthe fieldsof linguistic anthropologyandgenderednarratives.He enjoys hiking,readingliteraryprose,and exploring museums.He isthe Community Section EditorofCONNECT.Hevlogson YouTubeat SpilledBeans andblogsat ianlayugan.com
Tomi-AneHyatt,morecommonlyknown asTomifromherYouTubechannel, Tomi’s World,isaJETProgramalumna(20182022).InhertenureinJET,sheserved the YamaguchiBoardofEducationas bothan ALTandPrefecturalAdvisorbefore getting transferredas ALTto theKobe Boardof Education.Sheiscurrentlyback homeinJamaicawhereshecontinues educatingthenext generationofgreat minds.
DonalynEspeisasecond-yearJETin KoriyamaCity,Fukushima.Sheloves traveling withfriends,exploringrestaurants, taking picturesandvideos,andjoiningin communityevents.Shebelievesthatbeing content inlifeisthekeytohappiness.Follow heradventuresonYouTubeat JustMe Donnah.
CONNECTisamagazineforthe communityinJapan,bythe communityinJapan.Everyone iswelcometowrite,nomatter yourexperienceorstyle!Ifyou haveanideayouwanttoseein thesepages,reachouttoour HeadEditor,oranyofour awesomesectioneditors.We’ll workwithyoutomakeitthe bestitcanbeandshareitwith ouraudienceofthousands.Not everyarticleneedstobean essay!Wefeatureinterviews, infographics,top-tenlists, recipes,photospreads, travelogues,andmore.
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