Love getting involved? Love exploring Japan? Want to know how others are living in Japan? Interested in learning the language? In Community, Travel and Language, this section is here to give you an insight on how to be apart of the community and show the travel destinations you love to explore..
Nokishita: A Retro Night Cafe Featuring Antiques and Soba Under the Eaves
Tori Bender (Hyogo) 軒下, Nokishita —under the eaves. Nestled in the quirky town of Kasai, about 30 minutes by car from Himeji City in Hyogo Prefecture, is an even quirkier shop, with a name that ...
From Headlocks to Happy Hours:
How a Wrestler's Passion Created a One-of-a-Kind Bar Taylor Hamada (Kyoto) Arashi Danjiro is a dynamic force who weaves his diverse talents into a vibrant tapestry of creativity and athleticism. As a professional wrestler, he ...
Stories From an Eikaiwa Group
Three cultural exchange ambassadors in rural Kyushu Kira Jinkinson (Oita) Every Wednesday evening, in a brightly lit room on the second floor of our city hall, a lively eikaiwa (English conversation) group takes place. Small ...
A Journey of Imagination
Transforming Lives Through Gunchu Elementary School’s Multicultural Library Amaris Lopez (Shikoku) I used to love reading books because they took me to magical places where I could imagine myself as a magician, a knight, or ...
Neko-nnection
This article originally appeared in the February 2024 issue of CONNECT. Christopher Dedrick R. Conwi (Kagoshima) As an animal lover, coming home to an empty apartment that didn’t allow pets was a bit of an ...
IJUIN: Small Town, Big Hearts
This article was originally featured in the December 2023 issue of Connect. Vianna Chow (Kagoshima). About 20km to the west of Kagoshima City is Ijuin, a town home to 25,000 people—well, now 25,000, plus one ...
What a simple yes has done
This article was originally featured in the December 2023 issue of Connect. Shanel Taylor (Kagoshima) As I was walking out of my one-on-one Sakura Japanese lesson at the Kagoshima Friendship Center one evening in September ...
Run with the Umineko – Race Day
This article originally appeared in the October 2023 issue of Connect. Etienne van Rooyen (Aomori) The Morning of the Race: I woke to an early start. I didn’t know whether to get up or to ...
Tokyo Orientation: Back to Business
A Word From the Panelists at Tokyo Orientation 2023 Nabeela Basa (Kagoshima) Tiffany Smith (Nara) Billster Mangaoil (Kagoshima) The August 2023 Tokyo Orientation welcomed hundreds of jet-lagged, starry-eyed new ALTs who have been accepted into ...
Post-JET Inspiration: Returning Home to Create Community and Opportunity Through Sports
South Africa to Japan This article originally appeared in the October 2023 issue of Connect. Nabeela Basa (Kagoshima) The plan was to pursue a business project, based on all the things he is passionate about ...