Updates to David Wood's year in Japan blog. en-gb http://www.davidwood.eu/japan http://www.davidwood.eu/hp2009/images/head_logo.png http://www.davidwood.eu/japan David Wood Thu, 13 Oct 2011 For anyone who does not know me, I'm David Wood, currently 22, from Solihull in the heart of England and I've just finished my final, fourth year at St Anne's College, Oxford, having gained the powerf... http://www.davidwood.eu/japan/?id=jb_intro The handbook of notes sent over from Japan included a section on gifts. Gift giving is really important in Japan, so much so that apparently the stations in major cities sell souvenirs of places all... http://www.davidwood.eu/japan/?id=jb_gifts After packing several times to make sure that I was within the weight limit, meeting up with friends still around Solihull and having a nice relaxing meal with my family I got a good night's sleep t... http://www.davidwood.eu/japan/?id=jb_flight Looking back on my summer stays in Hamburg and Munich (and Oxford too) and anything that seemed strange at first seemed to get quickly assimilated into everyday life and accepted. That is why I have... http://www.davidwood.eu/japan/?id=jb_first_imp As already mentioned, we are staying in Cambridge House (don't worry, there is an Oxford House too), a reasonably recent construction with a large entrance lobby, dining hall, ornamental pool, app... http://www.davidwood.eu/japan/?id=jb_accomm As part of the orientation week we were given a tour around our new home town, Fukuoka, about a week after arriving. We needed to be introduced to how the trains and buses worked and shown where a ... http://www.davidwood.eu/japan/?id=jb_tofu Nihon Keizai Daigaku, or Japan University of Economics, is situated in Futsukaichi, a southern suburb of the conurbation around Fukuoka. It is this university that I am now a member of and where I ... http://www.davidwood.eu/japan/?id=jb_univ Japan is a country which celebrates the autumnal equinox with a national holiday, though officially it is the day to honour one's ancestors. There are several festivals that are held around this tim... http://www.davidwood.eu/japan/?id=jb_hojoya As I documented in an earlier post, I had been wondering what presents to bring to give to Japanese people that represent the UK. Well, on Friday 23rd Sept. I was able to find out for myself what the ... http://www.davidwood.eu/japan/?id=jb_britishfair On Thursday 6th October we're going to be TV stars! All be it on NHK (Japan's National Broadcaster) local channel news for Saga prefecture. How come? Well let me introduce to you Naoya Hara, who pro... http://www.davidwood.eu/japan/?id=jb_naoya Three railways run parallel south of Fukuoka to the town of Kurume, namely the brand new Kyushu Shinkansen bullet train, the normal JR (National) railway and the private Nishitetsu commuter line. So f... http://www.davidwood.eu/japan/?id=jb_kurume Becoming Japanese is something that is very difficult, something notable by the fact that when walking anyone who doesn't look East Asian on the streets has often interrupted conversations between us ... http://www.davidwood.eu/japan/?id=jb_inkans At one of the classes I teach, a student explained to me that for his child's kindergarten sports day he made it to the school at 7am in order to get a good seat. The doors opened at 7.30am and the e... http://www.davidwood.eu/japan/?id=jb_sportsday Of course, Japan has long been a world leader in mobile phones, but having cut themselves off with different standards the market was long segregated from the rest of the world with few Japanese phone... http://www.davidwood.eu/japan/?id=jb_phone Every year, in October, in the nearby city of Kurume, local sake (pronounced saki) breweries get together to hire out for a few days a park square in the middle of the city, next to the main shoppin... http://www.davidwood.eu/japan/?id=jb_sakefest I'm writing a blog about my Year in Japan with articles on topics that interest me and various trips. Please take a look and contact me with any comments.Introduction 26th Aug 2011How do you represent... http://www.davidwood.eu/japan/?id=jb_home Every year, Japan University of Economics, the provider of the Japan scholarship, hosts it's Gakuensai or school festival. Also every year, the exchange students from England are provided with a budg... http://www.davidwood.eu/japan/?id=jb_gakuensai "Samui desu ne" - It's cold - as many Japanese people utter to themselves and those they know at this time of year. Despite being in one of the country's most southerly cities, it has been getting co... http://www.davidwood.eu/japan/?id=jb_momiji As the trumpets start blaring again from the PA system in the local supermarkets in Fukuoka, you know that you're going to have to hear it again. Where you hear it its invariably on repeat and on o... http://www.davidwood.eu/japan/?id=jb_hawks