Life After JET: The Write Stuff by Ashley Thompson
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Recently posted to the JETAA Oceania Facebook group by Eden Law: The JET Programme has led to many opportunities and careers, sometimes rather unexpectedly. This is the first in a series of articles by former JETs about their lives after participating on the programme, and how it has shaped their careers and paths. We hope that it […]
JQ Magazine: JET Alum Ashley Thompson’s ‘Surviving in Japan’
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By Ashley Thompson (Shizuoka-ken, 2008-2010) for JQ magazine. Ashley is the founder of Surviving in Japan (Without Much Japanese) and Lifelines columnist for the Japan Times. Six years ago, Japan was nowhere on my radar. If someone had told me then that Japan would become my second home, I would have laughed. Japan was foreign, […]
Japan Times: How you can help – by JET alum Ashley Thompson
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A really helpful article in the Japan Times titled “How You Can Help” written by JET alum Ashley Thompson, who also writes survival tips and unique how-to’s about living in Japan at www.survivingnjapan.com. (http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20110322a1.html) A few readers have questions about donating supplies. WA writes: “I have seen the tragic earthquake and tsunami incident that happened […]
Nihongo Master: The Fun Way To Learn Japanese Online
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Posted by Ashley Thompson (Shizuoka-ken, 2008-10), Community Manager for Nihongo Master and editor of Surviving in Japan. Japanese is one of the hardest languages to learn. I’ve heard this numerous times. People say it’s because you have to learn thousands of kanji in addition to hiragana and katakana. As a visual learner, I’ve found the […]
Kitcher’s Café, a new series by Lana Kitcher (Yamanashi-ken, 2010-12) is an assortment of articles, topics and commentary written for the JET Alumni community. Lana currently serves as the Business Development Associate at Bridges to Japan, a New York-based cross-cultural consulting firm founded by JET alum Jennifer Jakubowski (Hokkaido, 1995-97). As I sat in my empty Yamanashi apartment, […]
Posted by Ashley Thompson (Shizuoka-ken, 2008-10), Community Manager for Nihongo Master and editor of Surviving in Japan. Japan is home–the place I got engaged, married, and gave birth to my daughter. It’s the birthplace of my husband. I never expected Japan to become so special to me six years ago, let alone that the most important […]
Posted by Ashley Thompson (Shizuoka-ken, 2008-2010) of Surviving in Japan: without much Japanese and Lifelines columnist for The Japan Times. Cherry blossoms are blooming, depending on where you are in Japan, and various other types of trees and flowers are starting to show their spring colors. Graduation ceremonies are being held (or have already happened) […]
Surviving in Japan: The Ultimate Guide to Reading Food Labels
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Posted by Ashley Thompson (Shizuoka-ken, 2008-2010) of Surviving in Japan: without much Japanese and Lifelines columnist for The Japan Times. When I first came to Japan, attempting to read food labels and understand what things were and what was IN what I was buying and eating was a huge obstacle. I could read hiragana, katakana […]
Posted by Ashley Thompson (Shizuoka-ken, 2008-2010) of Surviving in Japan: without much Japanese and Lifelines columnist for The Japan Times. So you’ve prepared your home in Japan as best you can for winter and you’ve got a heater or two, or a kotatsu, to keep you warm. What else can you do to survive the […]
Posted by Ashley Thompson (Shizuoka-ken, 2008-2010) of Surviving in Japan: without much Japanese and Lifelines columnist for The Japan Times. Most homes in Japan aren’t equipped with central heating, so people typically rely on space heaters and similar items. Now, we all know that wearing some extra clothes and warm fleece is a good way […]
Posted by Ashley Thompson (Shizuoka-ken, 2008-2010) of Surviving in Japan: without much Japanese and Lifelines columnist for The Japan Times. I wrote Part 1 of this “Giving Birth in Japan” series last week, so if you haven’t read that already, you may want to before reading Part 2 below. ******** As I was being stitched up, […]
Posted by Ashley Thompson (Shizuoka-ken, 2008-2010) of Surviving in Japan: without much Japanese and Lifelines columnist for The Japan Times. 6 weeks. I can’t believe it has already been about 6 weeks since our dear daughter Ai-chan joined us in world. It’s mostly been a blur of sleep, insomnia, diaper changes, incessant feeding, incredible soreness […]
Surviving in Japan: What is “Calorie Off” and Why Should You Care?
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Posted by Ashley Thompson (Shizuoka-ken, 2008-2010) of Surviving in Japan: without much Japanese and Lifelines columnist for The Japan Times. My time in Japan so far has seen many changes, as to be expected, and most have been gradual. One such change has been the increasing prevalence of “calorie off” drinks. When I first arrived […]
Surviving in Japan: How to stay cool without air conditioning
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Posted by Ashley Thompson (Shizuoka-ken, 2008-2010) of Surviving in Japan: without much Japanese and Lifelines columnist for The Japan Times. The last week or so has been rather hot (in central Japan at least), with temps here in Shizuoka hovering around 30 Celsius and up (high 80s to 90s Fahrenheit). My husband and I still […]
Surviving in Japan: How to find cheese in Japan
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Posted by Ashley Thompson (Shizuoka-ken, 2008-2010) of Surviving in Japan: without much Japanese and Lifelines columnist for The Japan Times. Most expats in Japan know how difficult it can be, at times, to find cheese (and I don’t mean the Japanese types of cheese). Even when you do come across something like cheddar, it’s often […]
