Guzen Media Japan-Episode 53

In this episode John and I talk about Japanese weddings, the Design Festa, computers, ways to learn Japanese, and many other things.

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Miss Universe 2007 from Shizuoka

Miss Universe 2007, Riyo Mori, is from my neck of the woods. I wonder if this part of Prime Minister Abe's BeautifulJapan program. I'll let you know if there are any special events planned for her return to Shizuoka.



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Design Festa Tokyo Big Site

This weekend, May 26th and 27th, I will be up in Tokyo at the Design Festa in Tokyo Big Site. More than 6,000 artist from Japan and other countries will be displaying their art, performing live, showing movies, and doing other cool things. Over 50,000 people are expected to attend the event.

I will be hanging out at booth C-684 on the 1st Floor West Wing. So, if you come to the Festa stop by and introduce yourself.

Ticket Info
In Advance 800 yen(1 day) 1,500 yen(both days)
At the door 1,000 yen(1 day) 1,800 yen(both days)

Design Festa Movie

Guzen Media Japan-Mikoshi

In this video you get to see a mikoshi (portable shrine) being carried through the streets of Shizuoka.




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Teen Brings Severed Head to Police Station

The news is reporting that this morning that in Fukushima a 17 year old boy walked into a police station holding a severed head and said he had killed his mother.

3 or 4 Year Old Boy Left in Baby Hatch

I posted a story about Japans first Baby Hatch opening last week at a Kumamoto hospital. On the first day the hospital was very surprised to find a 3 or 4 year old boy placed in the hatch. The hatch is meant to be a safe haven for babies of parents that are unable or unwilling to take care of them. No one was expecting a 3 or 4 year old child to be left there. Police are investigating whether this is a case of neglect and abandonment.

In the Beginning-Installment 1

In the Beginning is a new series of shows that I will be doing to tell you about all/most of the things that I have experienced throughout the many years that I have lived, worked, and played here in Japan. I hope you enjoy this walk down memory machi with me. Feedback is encouraged and welcomed!

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Happy 母の日

Today is Mother's Day (haha no hi) in Japan. Most mother's receive flowers, especially red carnations, along with other gifts. Mother's Day began in Japan after World War II.

Japan's First Stork Cradle

A hospital in Kumamoto is the first in Japan to allow people to leave unwanted babies in an incubator that can be accessed from inside and outside of the hospital. When an infant is placed in the incubator alarms go off to alert doctors and nurses. The infants will be taken care of and if the parents refuse to raise them or they can't be found the children will be put up for adoption. In English this type of drop is called a baby hatch and konotori no yurikago in Japanese which means stork cradle.

The idea of having a place to drop off unwanted children is centuries old, but in the late 90's Germany started opening babylappe to give parents an alternative to abandoning their babies. The parents have 8 weeks to return to reclaim the child without any legal repercussions, if not the child be will be put up for adoption.

This a highly controversial issue, but I feel it's better then the child being abandon without any help or worst the baby is killed. I do think the parents should face some kind of punishment for neglect even though they used the hatch.

Sound Tour-Shibuya

In this sound tour I recorded my walk to Shibuya Station in Tokyo. You can hear people chatting, street sounds, chimes of the famous crosswalk featured in movies, announcements, giant tv screens, and other sounds outside Shibuya Station.



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Teaching Thoughts Tuesday

from my other site English Teaching in Japan

Today is Tuesday and I just decided that every Tuesday, well that's the plan, that I would write some thoughts that I have about teaching. I really enjoyed reading the book Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom. If you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend it. For those of you who have read the book, I'm no Morrie, but I do have many years of experiences that I would like to share. That is why I started the podcast English Teaching in Japan and now this.

I have been teaching in Japan for 12 years now and I truly love what I do. Like anything in life it has it ups and downs, but each and every day I'm excited about teaching and learning with my students. I feel very fortunate to be allowed the opportunity to be a part of my students lives and given the chance to witness and share in their accomplishments and failures.

Teaching is not my job, it is my responsibility. A responsibility that I take very seriously. Each class, each moment is a chance to make a difference. After all these years I still get a little anxious and wonder if I'm doing the right thing with my life on my way to class. But once I walk into that room and see my students, I know that I am a teacher and this is what I really want to do.

See you next Tuesday!

Guzen Media Japan-On the Bus

See and hear what it's like to ride a bus in Japan.



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