Hanami in Japan

It is Spring again in Japan. This is actually my 5th spring in Japan. I even have to admit that I am suprised. When I arrived here in 2008, the plan was to only stay here for 2 years and then head back to Canada. A few years later and I am still here in Japan working and living life with my very awesome family.

I have to admit that my favorite time of year in Japan has always been spring. Back home in Canada, I love Fall. Fall in Canada is an amazing time that always brings back incredible memories of going back to school, Halloween, Remembrance Day (a sombre occasion, but as a kid somehow exciting) and of course the anticipation of Christmas.

In Japan, spring is a festive time. it is a time to shake off winter and get ready for Hanami! Hanami basiacally translates to "cherry blossom viewing." In Japan, the blossoming of the cherry trees is a very major thing. Across the country, people head out in the millions to look at the "sakura" or cherry blossoms, take pictures of them, have picnics under them and drink tons of booze. It is a festive and very fun time of year.

I wanted to share a few of my cherry blossom photos from this spring here in Kobe.

How Do You Battle Stress?

It's been a long school year and one that certainly brought its fair share of stress. As the year comes to an end (one week left in my school year) and vacation quickly approaches, I've been reflecting a lot.

I've been thinking about how I was able to cope with the hard times I had and also how I wasn't able to cope so effectively. I suppose I also began to think, not just about the past school year, but other periods of stress in life.

Stress is something we all must face from time to time. It can come from any direction and at times, when you least expect it. I suppose that what's important is how you deal with it.


Ways I've coped with stress over the years:

1. Avoidance: this is if course probably on of the least effective ways of dealing with things. Simply put your head in the sand and pretend everything is all right. While you avoid your problems though, they tend to grow. I've used this method many times, especially in my 20's. Nothing good ever came from it!

2. Vacations: In the past, getting away from things for a few days or weeks has often don the trick! It still does work.

3. Drinking: Often seems like a good idea, but normally ends up being the opposite. Having one or two drinks to unwind is one thing, but anything more than that can just lead to a headache, a lighter wallet, a nasty taste in your mouth and nothing solved (and often made worse) in the morning.

4. Running: An amazing way to release stress. Of course you release so many endorphins and lots of other fun physical benefits, but you have a lot of time to think. It’s also not just a regular way of thinking. Thinking while running a long distance can be so clear and concise that you actually can very easily work your way through problems.

5. Talking with friends and loved ones: This is of course a no brainer! There’s nothing better than unloading on friends and close family for advice and support.

6. Drastic life-altering change: My former life as a tech guy caused me a great deal of stress. What did I do to solve it? I quit my job as a 3D modeler in Canada and moved to South Korea to work as an English teacher! Many years later, I am now a professional teacher with my license and a passion for what I do!

7. Research: Getting online and trying to Google the way you feel and a way to make it better (probably not the most ideal way of dealing with stress).

8. Family Time: Now that I have a family, time with them, maybe a picnic or walk, makes almost anything better!

Stressed Much?

There are of course many other ways one can deal with stress. These are just a few things off the top of my head. Of course, just so all of you wonderful readers know, at the moment, I have very little stress in my life. Things are very good and I'm a pretty happy guy!

How do you deal with the stress you have to deal with? Leave a comment ☺

Follow me on Twitter: @jlandkev

Soju Boy...You're Fired!

I spent more than five years living and working in South Korea. I left Korea several years ago, but of course have a lot of memories. With some of those memories go some good stories. This is a story about one teacher I knew who let Korea's famous and potent drink, soju 소주, get the best of him.



95% of teachers I met and worked with in Korea were great people. I did however cross paths with a few human train wrecks.


Follow me on TWITTER: @jlandkev

Kobe's International Radio Station

It's amazing how many things you miss even when you've been living somewhere for a few years. I just learned today that the city of Kobe actually has an international radio station. I suppose since we don't have a radio in our house, I never had a chance to come across it. It's also not a new thing. It's been in existence for 15 years. Radio FM YY is a foreign language station that has shows in 10 languages and is run by a staff of more than 100 volunteers. The station was born out of the Kobe Earthquake when there was no way for the roughly 45,000 foreign residents of Kobe to receive emergency information.

I learned about the station today while reading an article on Japan Today.

15 years after quake, Kobe radio station still serves foreign community
KOBE - The Radio FM YY studio looks like a miniature version of Kobe and the city’s more than 43,000 foreign nationals from about 120 countries.

“So, how do people in Latin America spend their holidays?” asks a DJ in Spanish in one recording booth, while in the booth next door a DJ welcomes a Thai dancer in Japanese and tells him to introduce himself through simultaneous interpretation.

The community radio station, which broadcasts music, news and other programs in 10 languages, is in a modern-looking church building near the waterfront in Nagata Ward that bears little resemblance to how the area looked after a magnitude 7.3 temblor hit the Hanshin region on the morning of Jan 17, 1995.

The site was an emergency shelter for scores of foreigners, especially Vietnamese living in the area, after the Great Hanshin Earthquake hit, leaving more than 6,000 people dead and thousands injured and forced into hardship.

The disaster was made worse for some foreigners because they couldn’t understand Japanese. Read the rest of the article



Of course, Japan wasn't able to avoid the economic meltdown in 2009 that hit other parts of the world. With a bad economy comes less drinking money in one's pocket. How do you solve this problem? The 50 yen izakaya (50 cent pub).

50-yen 'izakayas' emerge for cash-strapped workers
TOKYO - These are hard times for the average salaried worker, with no pay raise and reduced bonuses. But the happy news is the emergence of so-called “50-yen izakayas.”

According to gourmet writer Ryuji Tazawa, “In recent years company employees have no more than 20,000 yen to 30,000 yen a month as allowance money. After deducting lunch costs and others, you have at most 10,000 yen for after-work drinks. If you spend 5,000 yen a night, you can only go out twice a month. That’s the situation. So this year, I expect an increase in low-budget izakayas to meet the demand of such people. A number of places already serve 50-yen appetizers, so a customer can eat and drink plenty for 1,000 yen. The 50-yen izakayas will probably become very popular this year.” Read more