Miso Happy!

Before coming to Japan, I talked with several friends and acquaintances who had either taught English in Japan in the past or who are currently teaching English here. Many of them had not had experience teaching English at the university level, but most had generally been positive about their experiences in Japan with the one caveat that they hadn't been able to save much money (from what I understand, this is true unless you work for JET). Since I was aiming to teach at the university level, I sought the advice of a specific acquaintance. This acquaintance has been teaching English at a university in Japan for several years. He warned me about several factors that might impede my successful pursuit of university-level employment. I optimistically did not think his assessment of the current job market would be true across the board (what did I know?!), but I believe he was correct on each point. I'll go through the list: 1. Stricter Requirements Compared to Similar Positio...

Along with Miyajima, my favorite stop on my winter break travels was Nara. In fact, my planning for this trip started with Nara because I was told that it would be a good place to witness a more traditional New Years Eve in Japan. Since Kyoto is the center of traditional Japan what with all of their temples and history, Nara is often thought as a smaller, less well-known Kyoto. Similar to Kyoto, Nara is full of temples and its citizens display a more laid-back sort of life apart from the madness of cities like Tokyo and Osaka. It is worth mentioning that my favorite hostel during my travels was also in Nara: Nara Backpackers. A 100-year-old house had been converted into a hostel. It was definitely the coziest hostel experience I have experienced, and the house and garden itself were beautiful. Additionally, the host (seemingly the only employee) was also incredibly nice. He was a young Japanese guy who had lived in Canada for a year giving tours to Japanese tourists to see th...