Located 300km South of Okinawa, Miyakojima and his tiny surroundings islands, are the quintessential beach destinations. This almost completely flat islands retain a very traditional living, where the day is spent working in the sugar cane fields or fishing with little boats. Miyako ancient culture has survived much better than his famous neighbor Okinawa. Cost/day:...

Once upon a time in Okinawa people were so healthy and happy that many of them lived more than one hundred years. The legend says it was because of their special diet, the very active lifestyle (Okinawa is the motherland of Karate) and the strong sense of community that keep everyone together. Still today Okinawa...

Cost/day: 35$ per day and I have been hosted 6 nights out of 7. My last night in Tokyo I slept in a internet-cafè which cost me 1450yen for 10 hours package+ 800 to secure my bag in a locker for 2 days. What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen lately? Sanitary masks. Many people in...

As someone living a mere ferry ride from the coast of Japan, I've been hearing a lot of debate among ESL teachers as to whether they should leave the area or not. Italy has offered a free flight home to their citizens living in the area, and other countries have issued warnings to leave at...

Japan's massive 8.9 earthquake last week creates new headlines every day as the world sits and watches the rescue and recovery mission. People everywhere seem to be asking how they can get involved and help in the recovery process. Many of the headlines are the same. Professionals in the area are asking that people wait...

On a recent trip to Japan, I had the opportunity to experience the country’s Shinkansen train service. The Shinkansen, sometimes called the bullet train, is a network of high-speed trains that carry passengers across the country at speeds up to around 450km/h. Japan is notorious for its vast and efficient transportation system. True, tickets can...

One of the most eye-opening moments when working abroad is finding about all the differences between your host culture and home culture. For example, a Japanese salaryman might accept unpaid overtime as business as usual. A French worker, on the other hand, might disagree with staying beyond normal business hours. Salon.com did a detailed comparison...

Blazing-fast Internet has become commonplace in Asia. Japan and South Korea frequently rank as the most wired countries in the world. Singapore is looking to boost its broadband infrastructure too, according to this NY Times article: Singapore gets wired for speed . John, an Australian expat friend of mine, just moved into a new apartment...