“I’ve spent a lot of time in primary schools recently so if I tell you to sit up straight and stop talking, and call you very naughty boys then I apologise in advance.” This was how I addressed the retired gentlemen that comprise Saltram Rotary Club last Tuesday, all of whom seemed quite ready for [...]

My school visits started up again today, with six sessions at Thomas Keble plus lunch with their school council. I just love how this school has completely embraced Japan and is so enthusiastic about learning about the country and culture, as well as raising funds for an Oshika-Hanto Home. I started off with an assembly [...]

What would you do if someone you’d known for over twenty years told you they loved you? Would you feel flattered and thrilled or, as I was when this recently happened to me, would you be shocked and just a little bit cross? 2011, in so many ways, is turning out to be the most [...]

I got an email today from someone I’ve been close to for my entire fifteen years in Japan. He talked about the “state of flux” that he, along with many others, is going through. In many emotional and practical ways he’s been a rock to me throughout those years — he really is the kind [...]