The author spent one year living in an undisclosed location in southern Japan, working as an English teacher in a public high school.
The observations and memories presented herein are not meant to be representative of Japan as a whole; the author, moreover, is neither a 'bitter gaijin' (foreigner) nor a Japanophile, but rather someone with a background in the study of the Japanese language, culture, and history, who spent a year living and working in Japan. Being someone who did not live in Tokyo or Kyoto, and was not a student, the author feels that the experiences she wishes to share are not well-represented on the web. The year consisted of highs and lows, of serendipitous discoveries and unexpected adventures along with episodes of disappointment and frustration.
It is hoped that the reader may glean from these reflections a glimpse of one person's subjective experience in a diverse and surprising land.
If one is so inclined, please do not hesitate to contact the author to share opinions, criticism, and thoughts. The author loves to engage in a good conversation, with old friends or new. She can be contacted at mali aht crankyuser daht com. (Obviously, one needs here to replace the words with the symbols to make a real email address. I am trying to avoid spam. Be sure to replace those western Pennsylvania accented words with @ and a real "daht." Apologies that this author is somewhat weird, but the accent is entertaining her greatly at the moment.)