persimmon picking 003

Perimmon harvest and Halloween parties

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October 29th 2011
I'm feeling totally Halloweened out today. I taught several Halloween themed lessons at Junior High school in a rare opportunity to take classes on my own. I managed to integrate a game of "Tower of terror" into the lesson (basically Jenga in which they have to say something in English before having a go) which went down well! I even got a round of applause from one class at the end. On Fri ... read more

Asia » Japan » Nagano

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In 1603, a Tokugawa shogunate (military dictatorship) ushered in a long period of isolation from foreign influence in order to secure its power. For 250 years this policy enabled Japan to enjoy stability and a flowering of its indigenous culture. Fol... ... read more