My name is Katie. I moved to Japan with my fiance, now husband, from the beautiful state of Colorado. We were lucky enough to find ourselves in the rural, friendly, and stunningly mountainous prefecture of Yamanashi. I write about Japan's quirks, irks, and perks on my blog: KatieandBeninJapan.blogspot.com
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- It’s Not Too Late To Get A Job In Japan
- March 14th, 2013Category: Work Tips
- Ben and I have had an amazing adventure, and I hope some of you will be sharing your own soon. For those of you who are interested, now is the perfect time to find a job in Japan. The next school year starts in April and many people, like Ben and I, will be returnin ... » Continue Reading
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- Giselle: A Tale of Disappointment
- March 1st, 2013Category: Arts & Entertainment, Play
- The National Ballet of Japan is doing a performance of Giselle and Ben and I went this week to see the show. Giselle is one of the most popular shows performed on stage. It is a tale of unrequited love and tragedy, and its charm lies in the emotional journey you take wi ... » Continue Reading
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- Bean There, Done That (Setsubun Festival)
- February 7th, 2013Category: Arts & Entertainment, Culture, Events, Travel
- February 3rd was Setusbun, the day you throw beans at demons to get rid of your bad luck, and start a year of new better luck. Sestubun in celebrated yearly on February 3rd, and is reminicent of the historic lunar new years/start of spring. The rituals of the day are ... » Continue Reading
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- New Year in Kyoto
- January 7th, 2013Category: Arts & Entertainment, Culture, Events, Food & Dining, Play, Travel
- Ben and I went to Yasaksa Shrine near Chion-in Temple. We were originally planning to go to a temple, because of the Buddhist tradition of bell ringing just before midnight, but we got bored waiting in a line that started queueing at 7 pm. Temples do not allow food, e ... » Continue Reading
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- Cinderella – National Ballet of Japan
- December 28th, 2012Category: Arts & Entertainment, Events
- For Christmas Eve, Ben and I saw Cinderella performed by National Ballet of Japan. It was a magical experience, and for me a perfect way to celebrate the holiday season. Cinderella ballet carries the sentiments of the season without devoting itself to christmas like The ... » Continue Reading
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- Zen Feng Shui & Yin Yangs
- December 11th, 2012Category: Culture
- You walk into a house, above the door is a Ba-Qua mirror. There is a Zen sand garden in one of the corners, a bamboo plant in another, and a painted yin yang hangs on the wall. Paper lanterns hang down from the ceiling. A fat Buddha, becomes you into the room, and i ... » Continue Reading
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- Japan’s Internet Piracy Laws
- December 7th, 2012Category: Arts & Entertainment
- A new law in Japan makes downloading copyrighted music and video punishable by up to two years in prison, and a penalty of up to 2,000,000 yen. News articles talk about how the new law has hurt the music industry. Japanese people are buying less music now. The go ... » Continue Reading
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- Japanese Ryokan
- November 21st, 2012Category: Culture, Food & Dining, Play, Travel
- Photo by Katie McGregor Hostessing is an art, and it is an art that the Japanese have refined over many generations. If you are visiting Japan I highly recommend staying at a Ryokan. A Ryokan is a Japanese style inn. Ryokan are a way to rest and relax while exper ... » Continue Reading
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- Literally Lost and Lost in Translation: iPhone Maps System in Japan
- November 6th, 2012Category: Travel
- First of all, Google maps is really stupid. Anyone who spends more than 5 minutes in Japan quickly learns that all street signs, all train signs, and all signs that are at all useful for navigation in Japan have Romaji on them (English alphabet). This is because Kanji ... » Continue Reading
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- Getting Work as a Couple in Japan
- October 9th, 2012Category: Work
- For those of you lucky enough to have someone to bring with you on your journey to Japan, here are a few tips and tricks to getting work while sticking together. Ben and I both work in the same town, we live in town, and my longest walking commute is about half an ... » Continue Reading
