Twice a year, hundreds of thousands of Japanese-studying hopefuls apply for the ever-challenging Japanese language self-evaluation test—the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT).

A reality for many coming to Japan—even in Gunma, which boasts the highest number of cars per capita in mainland Japan—is that a bicycle becomes one’s main form of transportation.

Looking for a cheap getaway? Have a few unused days of nenkyuu burning a hole in your contract? Look no further than the Japan Railways 青春１８きっぷ, or Seishun Juuhachi Kippu.

If you are interested in getting outside this summer and breathing in some fresh mountain air, testing your strength and being adventurous, why not try climbing Mt. Myogi?

You know that phrase “just like riding a bike?” I suppose the creator of this phrase found riding bikes to be the most natural thing in the world; even after not riding their bike for a long time, he or she could remember everything the second they started pedaling. Well, I envy them.

So we have entered into the new fiscal year, which means that some changes were made to your staff. This, in turn, means that sometime in April, the staff that has left will come back one day to have an official ceremony to say goodbye to the students, and then you will be asked to attend the Kansougeikai, a “Welcome Goodbye Party”.

My first year on JET, as I followed the other teachers to the school gym for graduation, I was filled with anticipation and excitement.  I was eager to celebrate my students’ accomplishments and the completion of an important step in their education. Hours later I was stiff, cold, and a little confused about what I had just witnessed.

Suffering separation anxiety when parted from your kotatsu? Sub-zero apartments and icy bike rides to school mean Gunma’s cold is already biting. Without wanting to sound like a doom-monger, the worst of the winter is yet to come! Meet the cold head-on and make your pad a hot-haven…

Whether you’re a new ALT kitting out your first Japanese home, or a Gunma veteran who spent the summer gallivanting around Asia, chances are your bank balance took a hit this summer.

I must confess my stupidity. During my first 12 months in Japan I have been confusing the Japanese emoticon for ‘smiley’ with the one for ‘angry face’. It suddenly dawned on me, with a cold chill of realisation, that every time I emailed a new friend for the first time, or made a plan to meet up at the weekend, or sent an SMS to one of the teachers at my school, I’ve done it with a dirty look.