By Natalie Laber I don’t want to brag, but I might be the queen of losing things. There’s nothing these magic fingers won’t drop, break, or set down and forget about. Back in America, I can think of three separate times when I set down something worth over $100, only to go back for it … Continue reading
By Natalie Laber Let’s talk about cars, ベイビー Let’s talk about フ・ブ・キ * – Shio-N-Kosho *吹雪 （ふぶき）：blizzard Continue reading
By Natalie Laber This past winter, for the first time since I began my tenure on JET, I returned for the holidays to my native shore of California. It was a welcome change in climate – from a miserable -3°C to a balmy 15° – but being home for the first time in eighteen months … Continue reading
You know the pet stores you see in Japan? With the really adorable kittens and puppies in the disturbingly cramped and unsanitary looking enclosures? Have you ever wanted to hold those tiny yet cripplingly expensive kitties in your arms, but been cruelly rebuffed by the shop attendants? Well, I have a hot tip for you. … Continue reading
By Natalie Laber Do you ever see Japanese people on the street and they look like they literally just stepped out of a fashion magazine spread, and you glance down at your own shabby attire which you’re wearing for the second day that week because you forgot to do laundry (again), and feel the deep … Continue reading
The cutest electrician in Japan – w4m Me: sitting at my desk sipping a cup of joe, just trying to get through a painfully dull morning at the office. You: the cutest electrician in Japan. Glasses, effortless sideswept bangs, blue electrician (? some type of maintenance? to this day I don’t know) outfit, coming … Continue reading
By Natalie Laber It was a warm spring evening in Tokyo, and Sandy, Rikuto and I were running very late. For reasons I shan’t get into, we were in Harajuku at 7:10 and needed to be at a restaurant in Saitama for our 7:00 dinner reservation. Were we going to be late no matter what? … Continue reading
By Peter Underwood This isn’t an experience I had while on JET (thankfully), but one I had while travelling after studying abroad – one that, especially in Japan, I was not expecting. If it had happened to me back home in West London, I wouldn’t have thought twice about it, but happening where, when and … Continue reading
By Natalie Laber One of the beautiful things about living in Nippon is that if you can say even one word in Japanese, you are considered 上手 at 日本語. If you’re me, sometimes you even get praised for being able to speak fluent 英語 (which makes you かっこいい). All of this constant and undeserved (and … Continue reading
By Natalie Laber Here’s a thought: what the dickens is up with kamoshika? Continue reading
By Natalie Laber In this week’s Japantics: True Crime Stories, let me tell you about the most horrifying thing I’ve witnessed to date in Japan – nay, in the entirety of my young life. Continue reading
By Natalie Laber One of my top three favorite things* about Japan is the culture around cherry blossoms. I love the fascination with a beautiful bloom made even more exquisite by its delicate and fleeting nature, a symbol not only of spring but of the wonder and fragility of life itself. Also, I think they’re … Continue reading
By Lauren DeCosta It’s a dark Tuesday evening, snow gently drifting down from the sky, and the captivating voice of Hadley Fraser filling my ears as I drive. I’m on my way to dance class, enjoying the relaxing route through the country roads along the base of mountains. Continue reading
By Lauren DeCosta Earlier this year I was excited to go to a concert, amazed that an artist I liked was even coming up to Aomori. Continue reading
By Lauren DeCosta As the air cools off and Aomori-land begins to feel more like Autumn, we get out of the season of welcome parties, and into a more relaxed busyness. As evidenced in our events column, there are tons of things going on throughout the prefecture in any given month, so no matter what … Continue reading
By: Lauren DeCosta As summer settles into warm days with cool nights, and we’re all beginning to get back into the swing of things at our respective schools, I’m sure all the new comers are beginning to settle in nicely. Continue reading
By: Lauren DeCosta Welcome all of you new comers to Aomori! I’m sure you’ve been having loads of fun filling out all sorts of paper work, writing your name in all caps like a small child, trying to figure out what EXACTLY they want from you when they say “sign,” and all sorts of other … Continue reading
By: Lauren DeCosta Let me paint you a picture. The vibrant yellow of the canola blossoms blowing in the wind. Their subtly sweet fragrance dancing through the air. Mt. Iwaki as a backdrop, with just the slightest brushing of snow still gracing its peak. The promise of delicious soft cream, fresh from a Jersey Farm. Continue reading
By Lauren Decosta As it slowly starts to warm up, making it almost feel like spring at last, everyone is no doubt being graced with the infamous small talk about the weather. It’s an easy conversation starter, opening up the path to better communication, or so I’ve been told. Undoubtedly, after you’ve been here long enough … Continue reading
By Ellen Fraser Column Editor: Lauren DeCosta Hello, hello, all you lovely people in Aomori-land! Thanks to GMA’s wonderful new editor in chief and his powers of persuasion, from here on I will be reviving the Japantics column as the new column editor. Which means I’ll be bringing you stories about all of the crazy things … Continue reading
Good Morning Aomori 