Three years in Japan

This is an archive of posts and photos I took during the the three years between 2003 and 2006 I spent in Japan on the JET Programme. I lived by myself in a dilapidated teacher’s apartment on the top of a mountain, where the water froze in the pipes and the neighbourhood kids tried to feed me bugs and taught me sword fighting. I taught at Suzurandai-Nishi Senior High School, a government high school located in the north-western part of Kobe City, in Hyogo prefecture, roughly in the middle of Honshu.

The currently updated blog can be found at tinear.net. If you're looking to contact me, the contact page is probably the best place to start. Yoroshiku.

Starting points

Some posts on Japan that I like:

Photos you may like

As soon as I hit the ground in Japan, I started snapping away and I didn't stop until I hit the airport for my return flight. Whether it's secluded temples or high-rise concrete, Japan has it all in spades. You can find some of my favourite photos of Japan in my Japan favourites set, or you can view all my photos tagged with Japan on Flickr.

The real and surreal Shisa on call The PL Tower Cuteness overload Ginza Intersection

Japan Archives

April 2008
09: Flat-packed Transit (0)
September 2007
13: Taped by Shuetsu (0)
December 2006
13: The Budget East (0)
November 2006
04: Twisted (0)
October 2006
15: Alien Splendour (1)
02: Five ways to keep your fluency up. (4)
September 2006
22: Algorithm March with the Ninjas (1)
11: Cod Roe For Me (3)
11: Wikipedia knows (0)
03: Awamori or bust (0)
August 2006
01: Visa Procedure (5)
July 2006
20: Goza was great (0)
13: So there was more (0)
10: Being well (1)
07: Kimikage Stories (0)
June 2006
24: Tower of Light (0)
12: Kyoto by Night (2)
06: Pocari Sweat (0)
05: All in black (1)
05: Touch Cycle Base (0)
May 2006
22: With many legs (1)
19: Machine convenience (2)
15: Catching bugs. (0)
April 2006
27: The Yak (0)
19: Convergence (2)
14: Rice anyone? (2)
06: Kinosaki at Kojin Mari (0)
March 2006
27: Rolling the CC (0)
27: Calling service (0)
19: Kamishiro Lines (0)
17: Riding the North coast (0)
13: A Fat Man (0)
12: Kamogawa Grass (0)
02: Maid Manoeuvres (0)
February 2006
27: Tokyo, attack! (0)
27: Takasu Cannonball (0)
22: Your Light Shadow (0)
20: OIDEYASU ROLLING RICE! (0)
08: Your white finger (1)
January 2006
31: Tsugaike Turns (0)
26: The Man Wars (1)
12: Hidoi (0)
11: Sky Valley (0)
06: Ghetto Japan 05/06 (0)
06: An Akiba D F (0)
04: Grey Tokyo (1)
04: Sake and Steam (1)
December 2005
27: Up to Koyasan (0)
22: Furun (2)
20: Wedding Party Action (2)
16: Maccha cookies (2)
14: Television Spotlight (0)
12: Janga Janga (0)
05: All those moments (0)
05: SHINBASHI (2)
03: Some cat, some fire (0)
02: The darkening. (0)
November 2005
21: The joker (1)
21: A good reason (1)
16: Asparagus Tempura (1)
14: Towers of Robots (4)
13: Roaming Tokyo (2)
08: Candid Kyushu (0)
08: Getting aggro (2)
07: The rain is coming (0)
07: Kingfisher (0)
02: The Nine Prefectures (0)
01: With extra looping (1)
October 2005
31: Making pages (0)
30: Becoming Logan (0)
27: Er, what? (2)
24: Saucy (0)
17: What's the theme? (0)
13: Soft and blue (0)
10: Daibutsu (0)
03: Happy Splashers (2)
03: The worksheet (0)
September 2005
26: Third Period: Washing (0)
26: In which we do Osaka (0)
14: I'm a monkey (3)
09: The Monkey Cage (2)
07: Pulling pegs (3)
02: The JBF Superteam (0)
02: Tochou Tower (1)
August 2005
30: Shinkansen theatre (0)
27: Keep it simple (1)
23: Seishun Travels (1)
22: Half and half (0)
19: Hot pink Helvetica (0)
18: The Handbook (0)
11: Fruit fuckers (0)
10: I'll take the kasugo (0)
08: Whizz. Boom. (2)
08: The Undertaker (0)
02: Seeing Kobe Off (0)
July 2005
29: Love, Snoopy (0)
28: Joshin Man (2)
27: My Brother (0)
20: Rumbles from the depths (1)
19: Action men (0)
19: Roadtripping Shikoku (0)
15: The road to Awa (0)
11: Tonic Jam (0)
11: Ajinomoto (2)
09: Naughty power (1)
08: Mind Expansions (0)
07: Tick A, B or C (0)
06: Kozomi Kinetics (0)
04: San-in Fragments (0)
June 2005
27: Khan & Konpa (0)
20: Layback shots (0)
14: Twinkling eyes (0)
06: Canned (1)
May 2005
31: Dulcet tones (0)
31: Boys in Blue (0)
28: Heading West (0)
24: Just not getting it (2)
21: Random acts of (0)
16: Western Vices (1)
12: The manga (0)
April 2005
27: Amagasaki Crash (3)
21: Monkey claw style (0)
11: Spring walks (4)
06: Coffee, Cake… (0)
March 2005
31: Rikishi (0)
29: Quick, Boy Wonder, strawberries! (0)
12: Only partially visible (0)
06: Bigger is better (0)
03: Sotsugyou (4)
01: Charlie’s Party (1)
February 2005
23: Dragging my feet (0)
16: Fresh and Slimy (0)
16: Stealing. With honour. (4)
15: Hachikogen (0)
14: The Customs’ Dog (0)
07: She’s got The Look (0)
January 2005
28: Kani Miso (0)
27: Tally pain (1)
25: Dogs in scarves (2)
December 2004
31: Pounding Mochi (0)
31: Open up your smile! (0)
23: Fun with swords (0)
18: Forget the year (3)
16: 30 reps (0)
04: The Price of Surprise (0)
November 2004
29: Premium Seafood (2)
25: Kurashiki (0)
25: Eternal optimism (0)
22: Komyo-ji (0)
16: Complete with skirt (0)
12: Corner Karaoke (0)
02: With extra screaming (0)
October 2004
28: Hmm, chotto… (1)
22: Tokage (1)
20: Goodbye taste (1)
14: Click, brrr (0)
09: Ma-On (0)
06: Strength like weeds (2)
September 2004
10: Huff to the Puff (1)
07: Resignation (3)
06: Earthquake (0)
August 2004
25: Kimikage Picnic (1)
09: What are you looking at? (0)
July 2004
30: English Camp (4)
25: Rokko / Arima (0)
21: Tajima’s beautiful beach (1)
17: Ring ring (0)
16: The New München (0)
16: Sayonara Party (0)
11: Cooking photos (3)
10: Hangi (0)
07: Cooking with Grandmas (1)
03: Salmon Sashimi and Spaghetti (0)
03: Just like a prison (2)
June 2004
29: Cleaning Day (0)
24: And this is my LV handbag… (4)
22: ATC Afros (1)
21: Meeting Rati in Kyoto (3)
19: Bunkasai (0)
12: Pizza Party 2004 (0)
10: Unsere Beste (2)
08: Mushiatsui (3)
05: Renewers Conference (0)
01: Namba (0)
01: Pleasure is Non Stop! (0)
May 2004
29: Stealing umbrellas (0)
22: Udon! (5)
22: Bon Chere (0)
20: Light Blue Day (0)
April 2004
18: Striku (2)
15: Nomimono (0)
07: Hanami (0)
05: Toy Navel (0)
March 2004
24: Bling! Gouchui Kudasai! (1)
13: PUPA (1)
13: Polo Dog (0)
06: Bitch boy (1)
03: Kansai from Space (0)
February 2004
29: Graduation Blues (1)
14: Akoing (0)
13: Training in Kansai (0)
07: Journals (0)
January 2004
31: English Enkai (0)
26: Heijokyo (4)
25: Deer pao, I be loving you (0)
23: Welcome to the Dark Ages (1)
06: Yakiniku Xmas (0)
02: Trooping the New Year (0)
December 2003
25: Kobe Luminarie (0)
15: Searching for Margot (1)
November 2003
29: Autumn in Takarazuka (0)
26: Tezuka museum (0)
08: Blues on the Highway (0)
07: Terrorist (0)
02: Muppets invade Japan… (1)
October 2003
24: Sanzen-in, Kyoto (2)
24: Around Gion (2)
17: Kyoto (0)
06: Art Appreciation (0)
02: Stance #3 (0)
September 2003
29: Breadman (2)
22: Osaka Wheel (0)
20: Rokko & Port Islands (0)
18: Tsutaya (0)
13: Tokyo Panorama (0)
13: Suzurandai Students (3)
08: Ako (0)
08: Himeji Beer Garden (0)
08: Himeji Castle & Art Museum (1)
08: The Breast Machine (0)
02: Exploring Osaka (0)
01: Some like it hot (0)
August 2003
27: More School (5)
25: Suzunishi Staff Room (1)
19: The art of Bakeries (1)
18: Yashiro (0)
18: Engrish (1)
11: Hammertime in Kobe (2)
08: Settling In (0)
05: Genki desu (0)
02: And so it begins (0)
July 2003
31: The Consul General (1)
15: Matrix Pong (1)
06: My Predecessor (1)
June 2003
27: Dancing Breasts (1)
23: Keyword: Scary (0)
17: Anticipation (0)
April 2003
08: JET (1)