Specialized Positions

• President: Chelsey Reid
• Vice President: Heber Rowan
• Secretary: Jenn Cohen
• Treasurer: Christopher De Borja
• Editor: Patrick McGarvey

Regional Representatives

• Chubu Region Rep: Laura Vaughn
• Tone Region Rep: Michelle Li
• Tobu Region Rep: Hebah Emara
• Seibu Region Rep: Marcus Coll
• Agatsuma Region Rep: Rachael Mahan

Congratulations to the winners!

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President

1. Chelsey Reid

Hello Gunma! I’m Chelsey, and I am recontracting for my 4th (!) year on JET. I have some experience on GAJET as last year’s Seibu rep, and was your host for the farewell and welcome beer gardens, as well as the new I CAN JAPAN fundraiser. If I am elected president, I’d like to make it easier for you to have a voice and encourage you to be involved in the events throughout the year. I pledge that I will lend any support I can the event ideas you might have… Do you like meat? Do you want everyone you know to join you in the eating of said meat? Make it a BBQ event, and GAJET can back you! Do you like the outdoors? Let’s make that hiking trip happen for everyone with the help of GAJET! GAJET exists for YOU!  We are here to support you, and to make sure every year on jet is better than the last! Looking forward to the best year YET!  I believe I can put my experience on the council last year and my experience in Japan to good use by serving as your president this year! Yoroshiku Gunma!

Random point of interest: I joined my high school’s wrestling team on a dare, and got 3rd place at provincial championships and 3rd place at nationals. Unfortunately, there were only 2 other girls in my weight class both times.

2. Alice Volkmar

Hey guys! I’m running for president of GAJET and really excited about the possibility of working for you all. During my time on JET I have presented at the Summer Conference, participated in the JOMO JET committee to encourage JET engagement with the wider Gunma community, and been a Tokyo Orientation Assistant where I presented a panel and helped facilitate the Irish Embassy Event. I was also invited to present a panel last summer at Anime Expo in California on the topic of life in Japan, with promotional consideration provided by the Gunma Tourism Board. Hundreds of instant converts to the church of Gunma-chan cheered when he came on the screen, and promised not only to visit Japan but to specifically come to Gunma as well. I’ve been doing my best to spread the good word about life in Japan and especially Gunma both at home and abroad since the moment I arrived!

Before my time on JET, I was president of Otakorp Inc., a multimillion dollar 501c3 Educational Arts Non-Profit Corporation which regularly puts on events of up to 30,000 people. As a result of my work for Otakorp I have been running events in both the US and Japan for over six years. I am well-experienced in running events of all sizes as well as managing communities, both digital and in real life. I love event planning, community management, and social media, and want to put all of my skills to the test for the Gunma community!

I want to continue the great work of the GAJET council and continue improving life in Gunma for all ALTs in our lovely prefecture. I want to increase engagement at a local level, and I also want to engage Gunma with the wider ALT community. To that end I want to increase interprefectural events–there are so many great people in our community as well as the nearby prefectures like Saitama, Tochigi, Nagano, Fukushima, and Ibaraki just to name a few, and I hope to bring them all together!

I believe our organization should be inclusive, be engaging, and be awesome. I hope you believe in me!

3. Andy Siriapismai

Hello everyone! My name is Andy and I am running for GAJET president. I will be a 4th year JET this coming August. I am running because I would like to continue all of the great things that GAJET always does and expand on them in whatever way possible. If you aren’t familiar with me, I’ll start by saying I am an organized, direct, logical kind of person. I’ve spent a lot of my time here helping people on a generally small scale and would like to broaden those types of actions. I want GAJET to be accessible and to work for all of its members. This means, of course, continuing all of the regular GAJET events that have become “tradition,” along with welcoming and organizing new events and ideas that come along. In addition, I want to build on connections that people have made and try to reach out to more people by creating even more ways for the community to interact with each other, maybe via interactive media for example. In a broader sense, I am looking at ways to expand the influence of the Gunma JETs as a whole. I know that if we have a president that is focusing on issues both inside and outside of Gunma, we can achieve all of these goals.

In addition to what I wrote above, I am patient, I have an awesome sense of direction, a good memory, I love taking pictures, meeting new people, getting things done, and always rise to the responsibilities that are given to me. I know that my heart’s in the right place to be your GAJET president, and my mind is ready to back me up on it. If you grant me your support as well, I look forward to helping make next year a great one for everyone. Happy voting everyone!

Vice President

1. Heber Rowan

Hi! My name is Heber Rowan I hope to be your next GAJET Vice-President! I come from a small town by the sea in Ireland and after a skint in college with Spanish and International relations. I found myself in the small mountain village of Kanna-Machi. Since I’ve arrived it has been a series of highs and lows, but generally highs.

I, fellow JET, want to be your Vice-President because the more you give into any experience the more you get out. I want to be an active, helpful part of your experience. As a class representative to chair of the Young Greens society in university: I planned events, negotiated prices, protested, managed accounts, resolved disputes all the while doing a job that, I feel is in my bones.

When you want to go skiing or bungee jumping this year, I will do the donkeywork, I will email, I will call, I will plan, and I will sweat: because your good time in Japan, is mine too.

Make me work for you, make me your GAJET Vice-President. Thanks!

2. Tim Wong

Hey everyone! I’m Tim, I’m running for GAJET Vice-President this year. This will be my 4th year on JET, so I have quite a bit of knowledge about living and traveling in Japan. I’m currently on the Jomo JET planning committee and I’d like to play a bigger part to the ALT community, so naturally using my skills as a part of GAJET would be the best way.

I’ve had a lot of experience as an event planner. In university, I was a committee member of the Japanese International Student’s Association. I was also a council member/advisor for the Anime North anime conventions. Professionally I have worked as a public relations adviser and event organizer for eStarburst entertainment. I mainly took care of planning and promoting tournaments, and special event nights at our affiliated locations. We supplied arcade machines to game centers such as Orbit, Playdium, Playscapes and Campus Cove at York and Waterloo University.

As Vice-President of GAJET, I’m looking forward to planning more around what all of you want to do. I will not only lend my skills towards getting the big events planned, but I also want to support the regional reps so that they have a strong presence and many local events.

I would also be one of the connections between GAJET and Jomo JET. This means that we’d have a great opportunity to make some events to further build the relationship between us JETs, and our surrounding communities.

I’m looking forward to getting some great events together for everyone next year, so please vote for me as your GAJET Vice-President.

3. Allen Bo Agunday

Hello mina-san! I’m Allen Bo from Toronto, Canada. I’ve had another great year getting to know everyone and enjoying all the events we’ve planned! I’ll be going into my 3rd year on JET, and if you will vote for me as your Vice President, my 2nd year on the GAJET Council.

I’m friendly, outgoing and I feel that as your Vice President, I could do a great job, so give me a chance to explain why:

EXPERIENCE:
I’m already currently on the GAJET Council
Thus, I already understand the politics and logistics of working together and event planning for GAJET, so I strongly believe that I can get things done. Everyone has really great ideas, and GAJET is always open to suggestions so with your help and my experience on the council, we can really have a fantastic year. Among the things we got done this year, I led the Fuji Trip with Kaitlin Kirby and the Monkey Onsen trip with Chris Deborja. So I have experience with not only planning, but executing those and other logistical nightmares (haha).

As a side note, I endorse Chelsey Reid as president. On GAJET Last year, Chelsey and I were your Seibu Region reps. We worked hard to make sure that Seibu Region had lots of events and stuff going on throughout the year, as well as making sure our voices were heard within the council when it came to planning big events. If you vote for her as president and me as VP, I’m sure the two of us would make a good team.

I was Gunma’s TOA (Tokyo Orientation Assistant) last year
In addition to being Seibu Representative for GAJET last year, I (along with the beautiful Kaitlin Kirby) were Gunma’s Tokyo Orientation assistants. We met all the new JETs at Orientation B, kept everyone organized, partied with them, and got everyone to Gunma. I also presented seminars at both Tokyo Orientation and Gunma Orientation. One good thing about working at Tokyo Orientation was that I made a lot of contacts within National AJET last year. I would love to leverage those contacts as VP to make GAJET stronger than ever.

I volunteer with JOMOJET
Lastly, I also do volunteer work as a member of JOMO JET, which is a Maebashi Kencho endorsed internationalization initiative headed by our current CIR Brooke Brown and Brent Thomas. We plan things like orphanage visits and culture nights with the Japanese locals to promote internationalization. I would love to utilize the experience I gained from that as your Vice President, and to integrate JOMO JET activities with GAJET.

VISION:
My grand vision for this year is not just to plan more social events and have more fun, but to develop a tighter knit community that stays strong for the ENTIRE year. The JET community in Gunma is already really strong and vibrant, but I would like to create and sustain a really strong and proud identity that gets stronger and stronger every year. We are GUNMA JETS, and we should be even more proud of it!

HELP ME HELP YOU:
I want to mention that I was actually thinking of running for President of GAJET, but after giving it much thought, I decided I would hold off on running for a year because I feel I want to use this year to learn as much as possible as your VP. That way, I can really maximize my tenure as President next year if you vote for me then. Think of my run as VP as a trial run – I want to get to know as many of you as possible this year, and earn your trust so that you believe that I can run GAJET as President next year.

I’ve probably met you at some point within the past 2 years, and I hope I’ve made a good impression on you. I promise that as VP, I will not only continue to strive to be a good friend, role model and shoulder to lean on, but will really step my game up and push myself to push EVERYONE to make next year the best one yet.

Secretary

Jenn Cohen

When I first arrived to Japan, I was both excited and anxious to begin my life here, meet many new people, and work as an ALT. I had no knowledge of Japanese language and had never been to Japan before, but the many friendly faces of GAJET were there to welcome me during my first few weeks. I learned about GAJET prior to my arrival as I came across the website. My first impression of GAJET was that it is a really fun, supportive network, as well as an informative resource about life in Gunma. This year, meeting many JETS and attending events, I experienced the warm, exciting environment that GATJET emits. GAJET has provided me with such opportunities to learn many new things, experience Japanese culture, meet new people and understand Gunma. I would like to become involved in the GAJET committee for this following year, with respect for what GAJET has already done for me as a new JET and foreigner to Japan. The best way to further strengthen and enhance a group is to put your heart into it and give back; I will try to this coming year for new and returner JETS. Looking forward to a new year!

Treasurer

1. Christopher De Borja

Hey guys! My name is Christopher De Borja and I am your current GAJET treasurer. I would like to be your treasurer yet again this upcoming year with the intent to give back to the GAJET community. We have accumulated a lot of funds in our account, so I would like to be able for GAJET to give discounts or help pay for some transportation costs on some GAJET events. Furthermore, during my university days, I’ve handled money for my fraternity when we had fundraising events and I have helped organize fundraising events with my non-profit organizations.

If the above won’t persuade you to vote for me, let’s do some math. (Because I’m a math major and I love math!)

1. Pick a number between 1 and 10.
2. Square your number.
3. Root your number.
4. Subtract your original number.
5. You have come to the number of chances you should take with Christopher De Borja as NOT your GAJET Treasurer.

Vote Chris DB for GAJET Treasurer because it makes CENTS! (get it? har har)

2. Kevin Sales

Profile not received.

Editor

1. Patrick McGarvey

Hi everyone! I hope you’ll consider me for GAJET Editor this year! I came to Gunma back in August and, due to an out-of-the-way location, it would have been easy for me to feel isolated; however, the events that GAJET organized right from the get-go gave me a solid reason to make the long trek out of the mountains, and I feel that the events made that transitional time much easier. Because GAJET’s efforts helped me out so much, I’m enthusiastic to get involved and help bring as many events to the prefecture as possible. I don’t really enjoy long walks on the beach–I always pick the unlucky scorching hot patches of sand–but I do enjoy making the most out of my time in Japan, and I think that having easy access to as much information as possible is the quickest way to achieving that goal. I hope that, as Editor, I can help put as much useful Gunma or Japan related information as anyone could ever need at your fingertips. I have experience in events planning as President and Program Director of my university’s Association of International Students, I did a lot of proofreading for my international students friends, and I spend most of my free time at home reading and writing, so I’m no stranger to any of the tasks that being Editor might pitch my way. In the interest of not boring you any more than you may be already, I’ll leave my ramblings off there, and ask (read: beg shameless on my hands and knees) that you click Patrick McGarvey as your new Gunma Editor!

2. Robin Stafford

Please vote for me, for Editor, Gunma JETs!

As Editor, I would like to incorporate more forms of media communication, including Twitter and Youtube. As well, I will try my hand at a comic for the site.

I do a good bit of proofreading as well as composition using simple English, for many of my classes at Kirijo.

Finally, I have experience with GAJET, helping with the Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations last year, as Tobu Rep. At Columbus State University of Georgia, I was the Health and Fitness liason for the Campus Nerds. I helped run a blood drive for the Red Cross on campus. I also helped with many events for the Nerds. I’m sure if you ask, they’d vouch for me. And long, long ago, when most of you were in middle and high school, I ran the website for Anime UTA, at the University of Texas at Arlington.

Regional Representatives

Laura Vaughn (Chubu)

I am currently a 1st year Isesaki JET going on my 2nd year and I am running for the position of Chubu Region Rep. I have had a really great time with the GAJET events this year, and I want to help make next year’s events even more amazing. I am qualified for this position because not only do I live in the Chubu area, but I also give 110% to everything I do. I like organizing gatherings and if I am elected, I will organize either monthly or bi-monthly dinners for all JETs in the Chubu area so that we can get to know each other better and just have fun. I served in a variety of elected positions in various organizations while in college, and I am currently involved in the Jomo JET community service group. I would love to serve you as the Chubu Rep, so please vote for me!

Michelle Li (Tone)

Hello Gunma! I’m Michelle, a Minakami JET going on my second year and I am running for the position of Tone Regional Representative.

What we lack in big city luxuries, we make up for in natural wonderlands. As Tone rep, I’d like to organise gatherings that really make the most of our beautiful location. Such exciting adventures include, but are not limited to: riding ski hills during the day and night, relaxing in our endless onsens, rafting and canyoning down clear rivers, or even just kicking back at good ol’ Coco’s, where many a good time has been had. Despite our spread out locations, I hope to continue our tradition of maintaining aclose-knit community with regular catch-ups and general tomfoolery.

Hebah Emara (Tobu)

If I become Tobu Rep, my goals are to plan interesting events for Tobu JETs and to community where Tobu JETs have opportunities to interact with each other.

One of my favorite moments in Japan was attending my first Yagebushi festival in Kiryu, It was on one of the hottest days of the summer and I ended up in a circle of people doing Kiryu’s yagebushi dance for who knows how long. It was crazy but unforgettable. I hope that I can be a resource for Tobu JETs and help them experience what the Tobu region has to offer!

Marcus Coll (Seibu)

Rachael Mahan (Agatsuma)

Profile not received.

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Guide to applying for a Rakuten Credit Card!

Participating on the GAJET committee is a great opportunity to meet people, take part in planning the various annual events and plan new events of your own, and add experience to your resume. GAJET committee members can take part in Gunma orientation welcoming the newbies this summer as well as run the Gunma desk at Tokyo Orientation! Meetings are held in Maebashi and are seldom, but always a good time! Most of our communication is through email, so GAJET is not a huge time commitment. You can bank on committing about 1 hour per week on duties, and can get involved in as many events as you would like.

Our annual events include the farewell/welcome beer gardens, canyoning, the Fuji climb, Thanksgiving dinner, our Halloween party, a sumo trip, a snowboard trip and a visit to Nagano’s monkey onsen. This year GAJET committee members planned the first-ever “I Can Japan” charity event as well as many small regional events. We created a brand new website and filled it with resources and articles about life in Gunma, designed a new T-shirt, and we monitored the Gunma ALTs Facebook group.

The nomination period is from now until Friday April 20th. If you intend to run in the GAJET council election please e-mail president@gunmajet.net and let me know which position you intend to run for. Please only apply for one position.

The voting period will be between Monday April 23rd and Sunday May 6th.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Specialized Positions

Put your mad skillz to use!

1. President

As the big cheese you will make sure everything runs smoothly. You will be responsible for arranging GAJET meetings, setting the agenda and delegating tasks. You will be problem solving and making final decisions about money, events and operations. You are the liaison for National AJET and will be in close contact with our block representative. You should be friendly, organized and outgoing. You will have to speak on behalf of GAJET at various ALT meetings.

2. Vice President

Similar to president but with a bit less emailing. Pres and VP are buddies.

3. Secretary

Your main duty is to take detailed notes at GAJET meetings, type them up and distribute them to all committee members. You will compile a year-end guide of all GAJET events to pass on to the next committee.

4. Treasurer

You will be responsible for all of GAJETs money and receipts. You will make decisions about money along with the Pres and VP. You should be organized, responsible, diligent and good with numbers.

5. Editor

You are responsible for all the content on the gunmajet.net website. You will encourage others to write articles, edit them and post them to the site, as well as write articles of your own.

Regional Representatives

Regional representatives are the go-to people in each region, acting as a local support for new ALTs. You are responsible for contacting local ALTs with various regional events as well as planning small outings and dinners together.

6. Chubu Region Rep

Isesaki, Maebashi, Shibukawa, Shinto-mura, Tamamura and Yoshioka.

7. Tone Region Rep

Minakami, Katashina, Numata, Showa and Kawaba.

8. Tobu Region Rep

Chiyoda, Itakura, Kiryu, Meiwa, Midori, Oizumi, Ota, Oura and Tatebayashi.

9. Seibu Region Rep

Annaka, Fujioka, Kanna, Kanra, Nanmoku, Shimonita, Takasaki, Tomioka and Ueno-mura.

10. Agatsuma Region Rep

Higashiagatsuma, Kuni, Kusatsu, Naganohara, Nakanojo, Takayama and Tsumagoi.

When’s the last time you gave MEXT feedback about your job? How about the last time you attended a JET event outside of Gunma? And the last time someone’s given you extra money to become a better teacher?

If you’re wondering what these three things have in common, the answer is simple: National AJET. National AJET pride themselves on “Community, Resource, and Voice”, keeping JETs connected to each other and the greater educational system in Japan, as well as helping JETs do their jobs to the best of their ability with resources and scholarships.

As a part of the Gunma community, to AJET you’re one piece in a larger ‘block’ of Japan. Block 3: Gunma, Saitama, Ibaraki, Tochigi, and Nagano Prefectures. This past year, understandably, our block hasn’t been that connected as everyone’s focused a little closer to home. This year we’re hoping to change that.

And that’s where I come in. My name’s Sabbi Topal, I’m from Nagano, and I’m running uncontested in the National AJET 2012 elections to be Block 3 rep for the next AJET year.

If all goes to plan, you’ll be hearing from me once a month about AJET’s surveys, scholarships, contests, awards, and events. I want to meet you, to sit down and talk with you. I want you to have some regional pride. I also want to hear your opinions, complaints, hopes, and dreams for the JET Programme.

We’re in this Block 3 boat together, and I want to improve our lives and communities. I’m willing to take the good as well as the bad, so let’s get to know each other more. Get revenge for my frequent pestering by pestering me back!

I’ll be sending out a few messages and hopefully coming to meet as many of you as possible in person sometime soon, but until then, I leave you with one announcement.

Right now, as a JET in Japan, you have a choice! You may vote for me as your representative or you may abstain from voting. You may also vote for a National AJET Chair, Vice-Chair, and Treasurer. Don’t miss this chance! Take a few minutes to read through the election statements on the AJET website and choose the people you want to represent you.

You have until March 21st 2012 to vote, so make your voice heard. I look forward to hearing it more soon!

If you are like me and have a fascination with monkeys, and don’t mind climbing snowy mountains, the Jigokudani Yaenkoen Snow Monkey Onsen in Nagano is the perfect adventure for you. It’s actually one of the most exciting things I’ve done in Japan so far.

Before going, I had a fairly good idea what the monkey park consisted of. However, I had no idea what the feeling of being so close to the interesting and very cute creatures would feel like. It was very surreal and exciting.

That day it was raining but we weren’t miserable, just anxious to go. The drive to Nagano from Takasaki was smooth, and the mountains gradually appeared more snow-covered and beautiful as we got closer to the park. When we got out of the car it was snowing, not raining anymore, which made me even happier.

At the foot of the park there was a really cute and funny sign. It read: “Traditional Japanese Inn for Human Being” with an arrow pointing left, and “Monkey park for Monkey” with an arrow pointing right!

Walking up the mountain made me feel a little bit uneasy. It was very slippery and the path was very close to the edge. When I looked down, I was feeling dizzy and a little bit sick from climbing so high, aware of the treacherous drop beside me! But the nature around was breathtaking and being surrounded by snowy trees was familiar to me. It made me feel like I was back in Canada for a moment.

At the onsen I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. An indescribable, adrenaline rush overwhelmed me. I felt amazed and happy but I was careful not to stare the monkeys in the eyes. They occupied a small territory, walking through the fluffy snow in between many tourists.

The monkeys were so cute and quite relaxed despite all the tourists. I was very surprised to see many of them falling asleep in the onsen even though there were numerous cameras in their faces, and the commotion of humans talking all around them.

Their lean bodies plunged into the onsen gracefully, and many of them groomed one another in a very loving and extremely affectionate manner as though no one was watching. I watched in amazement as one of the monkeys climbed a very high tree. His grip was uncanny. I had only seen monkeys from a distance at the zoo, so it was difficult to see how wild and cute they really are. But in Nagago, I got to be less than a foot from them for nearly an hour.

I met a very kind professional photographer at the onsen who gave me titbits about the behavior of monkeys. The precious little creatures were constantly searching through the snow with their paws. He told me that the monkeys were searching for rice which they are fed. They are very intelligent, the most human-like creatures on the planet. It seems as though their ability to understand the world around them is heightened compared to other animals.

It was nice to see the monkeys in the onsen but seeing them in their natural environment was equally as interesting. I went down a slope to see some near the rocks below. I stared a monkey in the eyes accidentally and he looked like he might attack me, making a screeching sound. It’s amazing how much control the monkeys have in their natural environment. Even though humans are larger than them, they seem to be fearless.

The cutest monkeys were running down the snowy hill. Something about seeing them in the snow made them appear even more adorable. I watched as one of the monkeys rolled a snowball and was chewing on it. It was one of the cutest things I have ever seen. There was a mother with her baby on one of the rocks that sticks in my mind.

After the park, we had a nice lunch at one of the shopping centers in Nagano. We talked about many things, but mostly the monkey onsen. I bought some postcards that I will send to friends and family back home in Canada, and two monkey magnets to remind me of the journey!

I feel a lot closer with many fellow ALTs after going to the monkey onsen. Building friendships and being up close and personal with monkeys was exciting. It was a fantastic, unique and extremely surreal experience.

If you get a chance, join the next GAJET snow monkey event. I can promise you that you won’t regret it!

The biggest attraction at Tsukiji Fish Market is probably the tuna auction. However, be prepared: A visit takes dedication! The tuna auction starts in the wee hours at 5am, meaning you must drag yourself up at 3 in the morning, line up outside in the freezing cold for an hour, transfer to a small room with over a hundred other people and wait there for another half an hour.

You then stand in a smelly warehouse for 15 minutes to see dead, frozen fish being sold. As unappealing as the procedures sound, the truth is, for a tourist who is keen to witness Japanese culture in action, that long-awaited 15 minutes at the end is definitely an eye-opening experience!

Admission into the auction is limited to 120 visitors per day on a first-come first serve basis. 30 minutes before the auction starts, visitors are led inside a small room where they are handed bright neon vests and a pamphlet with guidelines on attending the auction. Visitors are split into two groups of 60 to enter at different time slots. My friend and I were in the first group. We were led by a guide to the off-limits inner market where the auction is held.

At first glance, the auction area looks a bit disorganised. Among the rows and rows of tuna there are people everywhere. Some are walking around shining flashlights on the fish and poking at them with odd-looking metal sticks. There are photographers standing around in the corners doing nothing in particular, and random workers walking around looking equally as bewildered as the tourists.

Nothing happens for the first few minutes then, all of a sudden, a man walks close to one of the tuna and rings a cow bell. People gather around him, and the next thing you know, he’s chanting at the speed of light! Even though I had no idea what he was rapidly chanting, we felt stressed out as we witnessed buyers bidding. He talked so fast! Each auction ended before we even realized what was happening. We managed to watch about 3 auctions during our time in the auction area.

When our visit time was up, the guide led us out to a different gate. It was this 2-minute walk that made me realize the market truly is an acutal market, and not just some show put on for tourists. Workers on tiny delivery carts zoomed through the area way too fast, weaving between the traffic of much larger vehicles regardless of whether they were stalled or not.

People crossed in front of moving vehicles everywhere, avoiding being hit by mere inches, yet nobody seemed scared – except the tourists. Wide-eyed, amazed, but utterly terrified, we hurried along behind our guide back to the gate, trying our best to stay alive during our walk through the busy inner market. It really is off-limits to visitors for a good reason!

If unfortunately, you cannot make it up in time for the tuna auction, a visit to the outer market – opened to the public at all times – is a must! Hidden behind the blocks of retail stores selling anything from fish knives to freshly cut fish, are some of the best sushi restaurants in Japan. Most of them serve fresh fish that has just been brought in that morning, so compared to the average sushi restuarant, the restuarants at Tsukiji are already loads better! However, since we had gotten up so early, we wanted to justify our efforts by trying only the best of the best: Sushi Dai.

Although there are many restuarants lining along the alleways of the outer market, it is not difficult to find Sushi Dai – just look for the only restaurant with a line-up at 6 in the morning. Since coming to Japan, I have tried eating sushi at many different restaurants, but the sushi at Sushi Dai was so much better!

You can choose between ordering one of two set menus. I opted for the more expensive one (around 4,000円) while my friend chose the other (around 3,000円). I definitely recommend the more expensive option!

While waiting in the line-up, the waitress will come around to ask you to choose between one of the two sets offered. The only difference she will describe between is that the more expensive one comes with 2 extra pieces of fish. This is quite misleading. In fact, while both options serve the same line-up of fish, the more expensive option offers the better, more delicious part of the fish.

While all the sushi was absolutely delicious, my favourite was definitely the toro (fatty tuna belly). I’ve never really liked tuna that much, preferring salmon instead. But toro is just so good!

Sadly, because we had to return to our hotel to check out in time, we could not explore the outer market after our indulgement. If you have time, and are only planning on staying in Tokyo for the day, I recommend checking out the many seafood stores lining up along the streets to bring a freshly cut piece of fish back home!

Find out more about the market and how to get there on the Tsukiji website. 

Bubble wrap your windows

Bubble wrapping your windows will give you instant double glazing. Bubble-up to keep the cold out and your precious warmth in. Wrap with smaller bubbles will be more effective as the bubbles are packed together more tightly than those on a larger grade wrap. Fitting it is simple; clean your windows, cut your wrap to size, and use masking tape to attach it to the frame. Some websites recommend just spraying water onto the bubble wrap and sticking it directly on to the glass. Here’s a step-by-step for the DIY-phobic.

You can pick up sheets of bubble wrap at the 100円 store. For larger lengths visit Cainz Homes. Try and resist the urge to pop all those lovely bubbles before Spring!

Banish drafts

Don’t let a draft blow that warm fuzzy feeling out of your kotatsu. Wobbly doors and flimsy windows seem to be the norm in Japanese apartments. A sukima teepu (すきまテープ) is a quick fix to keep the cold winds out. These tapes have a peel-off sticky back and are available in foam and brush varieties. Cut lengths to size and stick them around the edges of your doors and windows. These are also great for keeping out noise, dust and summer insects. Pick some up at a hardware store or online.

Curtains for the cold

Tackle the shivers by investing in some drapery. Flimsy curtains will let the heat escape and the cold penetrate. I did away with my apartment’s flimsy, too short, lurid green curtains and replaced them with some heavy heat keepers – the improvement was instant. Heavy curtains will serve you well throughout the year by keeping the sunlight out and you cool during the summer. A makeover at your mado won’t cost the earth either… I picked up my miracle ‘heat-in, sun-out’ curtains at Sanki for a bargain 1,000円. I did a smaller window for 500円. Hang some new threads at your genkan for an extra defence against the winter.

Fit a stop panel

Another solution for window warmth warfare is a ストップパネル (stop panel). These plastic or foam sheets have a reflective silver side and can be cut to size. Fit them to windows and glass doors to tackle heat loss and drafts. These panels are only high enough to cover the bottom section of your windows and doors, so are maybe worth considering if bubble wrap alone isn’t keeping you toasty. You can find stop panels on Rakuten.

Apply some heat

It seems there isn’t anything that can’t be heated by a kairo. The word kairo comes from the kanji 懐 (futokoro) meaning pocket, which can also be read as kai, and 炉 (ro) which is translated as oven. Eco-kairo are environmentally friendly microwavable gel pockets offered in an endless array of designs. Pick up your ‘pocket oven’ at a hundred yen store or go high-tech with a USB version.

When your futon feels like a block of ice, slip in a kairo bed pad and pillow for a cosy night’s rest. Try a kairo band-aid which can be strapped to your favourite cold spot for a guaranteed 40 degree glow on the skin.

But the heat doesn’t stop there… A set of USB kairo glove warmers could come in handy when you’re bashing out February lesson plans on the keyboard. And for ladies who are very brave, and presumably very cold, there are even kairo panty liners. Good luck girls!

Stay warm Gunma.

Thank you to everyone who entered and all the voters. There were some really nice photos this month. Stay tuned for the next GAJET photo contest — coming soon!

1st Place

2nd Place

Zauo is a Tokyo izakaya with a difference. This ‘restaurant’ is the shape of a large wooden boat, with diners placed on chunky benches all along the port and starboard sides. A sea pool surrounds the boat, and it’s from there that you can catch your dinner.

A couple of floors up in the same building that houses Shinjuku’s Washington Hotel, it seems an unlikely location for a spot of fishing. But what is about to be the freshest sashimi in Tokyo is waiting to be hooked.

I took my friends who were visiting in December for some authentic Japanese cuisine served with a touch of the bizarre. Our set menu for four people came in at 12,500円 and provided a seemingly endless offering of dishes; tempura, tsukemono, sushi, karaage, tiger prawns, omelette, salad, rice…

Along with our dinner we received two fishing tickets each, as well as two fishing rods and some bait shrimps. The waitress explained that we could fish as much as we wanted. Every fish that bit our line would have to be bought. A big fish would use up five of our tickets. The remaining three could be put towards another large fish and we would have to pay for the rest of it. Any other fish would have to be paid for, at around 2,000円 each.

The shoal is made mostly of a fish which is called 伊佐木 (いさき/Isaki) in Japanese. The English name – Grunter – sounds far less appetising but is no reflection of the fish’s delicious taste. There are also mackerel, lobsters, flounder, hardtail and a number of unidentifiable shelled things from the depths.

Fish started nibbling as soon as our lines were cast and before long me and my friend had both caught fish. The other diners let out a cheer and there were cries of omedetou as we wrestled our catches from the pool with nets. The waitress quickly took our fish and offered to return them either fried, grilled or as sashimi.

We chose sashimi for our first fish. The tasty Grunter was fantastic, but quickly became a guilty pleasure – and a little hard to enjoy – as we watched its body still moving beside the display of flesh! Our second was fried and tasted entirely guilt free.

Buoyed by his fishing success, my friend went for a stroke of the manager’s pet shark. The shark protested and thrashed around belly up. I’d recommend not killing the manager’s pet as this will probably be frowned upon.

The night we visited Zauo was particularly lively with a few companies celebrating bonenkais, but I suspect the atmosphere is fun any night. If you fancy trying your luck on the line you can find out more on the Zauo website. There are occasional discount coupons on Hot Pepper so time it right and you’ll get a bargain… happy fishing!