In the mountains in Mie
Mie and Nagoya summers are, to say the least, not much fun. As conscientious, environmentally sensitive global citizens, most of us Nagoya city dwellers doubtless try to use the air conditioner as little as possible,... more
Best friends
Franciszka, my mystic nurse from Poland, has just made her annual visit. She left 3 days ago, and since her departure I have been trying to console myself by rereading Mumonkan, that wonderfully irreverent and... more
Aussie Rules Rugby in Nagoya!
Australian Rules Football - The Nagoya Redbacks Australian Rules Football in Nagoya The Nagoya Redbacks are the only Australian Rules Football team in Central Japan. Join us as we defend our NAFL title and warm up for... more
Mie and Toba: Ama divers of Toba
Ama free-divers are found in various locations around Japan, but nowhere is the tradition so well maintained as in the Toba/Ise Shima area of Mie prefecture. The coast line here is rugged, indented with pebbly... more
Nagoya Art Collaboration
The interesting thing about being a foreigner in Japan is that you get to see the various mergings, combinations and adaptations that happen when cultures collide. Take your average, reasonably fluent gaijin in Japan. When... more
Expat groups around Nagoya
Nagoya, including the surrounding region, has very active expatriate communities. There isn’t just one community; there are a variety of them. Each community serves a particular interest. While there is some overlap in the membership... more
Aichi Small Business Support Center
Have you thought about starting off a new business in Japan, particularly in the Aichi area? As you are probably aware, there is a level of bureaucracy to negotiate that is probably very alien to... more
Partners in Crime: Life in a mountain village
Among the things that I have learnt from living in Japan is the problem of having too many principles. Each situation is different and one should change accordingly. And, then, with time, one’s views change, or... more
Bicycling and Nagoya
It seems like everyone rides a bicycle in Japan. Most of the major cities, being built on river deltas, are pretty flat, making riding a bicycle a much more practical option than some other cities... more
Aichi-Nagoya international Business Center
The Aichi World Exposition was held in 2005 in Aichi. One point that the local authorities became painfully aware of at the time was that internationally (and to a degree, within Japan), brand name recognition... more
