http://www.city-cost.comSat, 18 Jul 2026 02:21:58 +0900Andrew Higgins has been living in Japan full-time since 2012. He is a junior high school ALT, softball coach, lover of okonomiyaki (Osaka style), and all things Girls und Panzer. He makes YouTube videos about living in Japan. You can follow his adventures at facebook.com/HigginsInJapanenCopyright © 2015 - 2026 City-Cost All Rights Reserved.webmaster@city-cost.com (CC Team)http://img.city-cost.com/static/blog_campaign_icon.pnghttp://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Higgins/GOQxM-living_food_ibaraki"Oh I don't drink...so I've never been to an enkai!"First things first let me just say that if you don't drink, that's totally fine. What I do want to say is that attitude of "I'm better than you, so I'm not going to do that" is not!So, that quote might not sound all that bad, but if you say it with enough attitude and pomp in your voice it will. That was a quote from someone (representing a company) when asked about participating in enkai. It should also be noted that this person is no longer living in Japan...and quite frankly with an attitude like that, it's probably for the best.What is enkai you ask? Well, in the most reductive of terms it's a drinking/dinner party with your coworkers. Usually these are held at a local izakaya and can easily run you anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000 yen for the night. That cost will usually cover all the drinks and food for the evening. Expect the price to go up if you are going to a fancier venue. Occasionally, they will be held at a banquet hall (depending on the time of year). For example you may be invited to a bonenkai or end of year party. These are usually a bit more formal than your standard mid year enkai and you might even need to bring a gift. Also, a bit of clarification. Bonenkai isn't a Christmas party. While it might have a Christmas theme it's merely a coincidence. Usually these parties are held at the beginning and end of the year. Depending on where you work you might have them more frequently. If it's going to be held at the beginning of the year all new employees are usually required to give a little speech and answer some questions from the other employees. You might get asked about your hobbies, if you're married, sports, or anything. It's not a huge stress just tell some jokes, tell everyone your favorite sports team and you're in the clear.Bear in mind that you're in Japan now, somethings aren't always as they seem. These dinner parties hold a bit more importance than just getting smashed with your coworkers. While there is certainly an abundance of drink, enkai is an opportunity for you to get to know the people you work with outside of the office. Away from all the faxes and forms. It's a time for you to let your hair down, if you will. Yes, you can drink. Yes, it's usually all you can drink. But if you think it's just a opportunity to drink all the booze you can you're going to miss out on the bigger picture.While you are working In Japan, you've made a new family. The people you work with are in a sense that new family. Coming from the states this was a rather odd concept for me. People you work with aren't usually people you really hang out with or plan trips with. Sure, I've had jobs where I have made friends but at times I felt like there was a separation for me. Work friends and non work friends. Maybe it's different for you...I mean it probably is.I wanna go back to that quote I started off with, because I feel as if the person who made that statement didn't fully grasp the point. Like I said it's a dinner party. Often times drinking is a huge part of it. Japan has a pretty big drinking culture. But I have been at an enkai plenty of times and seen people not drink. It's usually because someone drove, or they don't drink. It's certainly never a requirement! By not attending you are going to miss out on a huge opportunity to get to know your coworkers better! At the end of the day the people you work with aren't going to care if you drink or not. They want to get to know you better and you should want to get to know them better as well. It's a small thing that can go along way in bridging the gap between your culture and Japanese culture. It's designed to allow you to see a different side of your coworkers and an opportunity to connect and build stronger friendships with the people you work with.I will however say, that what ever happens at enkai stays at enkai. Don't expect to come to work and reminisce about your bosses drunken rendition of "Don't stop believing".Below are examples of what you might find during enkai.A few things to get you started...This izakaya mainly served seafood. Included here sea urchin and muscles.If you're a meat and potatoes kinda person this might be just what you're looking for. This dish included roast beef, mashed potatoes and crab soup.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Higgins/GOQxM-living_food_ibarakiWed, 14 Dec 2016 15:08:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Higgins/GOQxM-living_food_ibarakihttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Higgins/w2PVz-living_chiba_tokyoIt's almost time for the 2016 Tokyo Game Show! If you are in the Tokyo area this September and are interested in video games, this is your opportunity to see the latest offerings from some of the biggest names in gaming. Last year's show had nearly 270,000 visitors as well as over 2,000 booths from exhibitors located both locally in Japan as well as over seas.What can you expect from TGS? Well, expect to see the latest and greatest in video games. TGS is a showcase for upcoming titles as well as announcements for new hardware and software. Beyond games there are panels and interviews with voice actors, game producers, and developers throughout the two public days. TGS also has the benefit of being later in the year, as opposed to E3 (held in June) and many companies use TGS to make major announcements and reveal new games.The big thing this year is VR. Expect to see Sony's PlayStation VR, the Oculus Rift, and HTC Vive making an appearance. Nintendo has stated they will be selling a new console next year but Nintendo has a history of not going to TGS, but rumors would indicate they will use this year to unveil their latest console, code-named NX. Sony and Microsoft are both launching upgrades to their consoles next year. While, the new Xbox(s) made an appearance at E3 this year I will be curious to see if Sony unveils it's newest console upgrade. TGS isn't just about walking around and hearing people talk about games! There is an opportunity for you to play the games. Many of the booths presenting games will give you the chance to try out their latest product or a version of what they are developing.Sony's PlayStation 4 on display before launch. You could spend an entire day there if you like. Other than the closing times, there is no one telling you when and where you need to go. Previous years have seen the exhibition of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One (before release in Japan). As well as multiple games. Like I said before, Nintendo historically hasn't attended the show (although this year could be different) but there are usually 3rd party developers showing off their software for Nintendo's systems. So is TGS worth it? I think it depends on what you are looking for. Don't expect E3. TGS is a much smaller show. When I attended the show in 2013 I was able to see the PS4, XBox One and a bunch of games all before they were officially released. I was able to play a few of the games as well. We didn't spend the whole day there and I didn't feel like I rushed through the show. We were there for maybe 4 hours, but that time is going to greatly increase if you get stuck in a long line to play a demo. Overall, I think it was a good experience. The 1,200 ticket price doesn't break the bank and it can be a fun day with friends if you share an interest in video games. The 2016 general admission days of the Tokyo Game Show run from September 17th through the 18th. Tickets are 1,200 at the door or 1,000 if bought in advance. Doors open to the public at 10:00 am and close at 5:00 pm. TGS is located at the Makuhari Messe Hall 1-11, International Conference Halls. It's about a 30 min train ride from Tokyo Station. More information can be found hereon the official TGS website.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Higgins/w2PVz-living_chiba_tokyoMon, 27 Jun 2016 11:09:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Higgins/w2PVz-living_chiba_tokyohttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Higgins/GoqZM-living_educationI view the role of an ALT more than just being an English teacher. I think it's a much bigger responsibility than most people think it is. I've made mention before of my dislike of people who don't take the ALT job seriously. But, I write this with the hopes that it would help inform the uninformed. Because something that I see from time to time is people commenting about how they would act as an ALT. How they would react to misbehaving students. And more often than not it's ALL wrong!First things first. If you are an ALT you aren't an actual licensed teacher in the Japanese public school system. So, the things you can and can't do greatly differ from the things a licensed teacher can do. Students acting up? Want yell at them? Good luck with that. Want to discipline a misbehaving student? Good luck keeping your job. Seriously. You are not a licensed teacher. Legally you are not allowed to do a lot of things. I don't care what lines you think are being crossed or what rules are being broken. Discipline is not your job! You aren't even legally allowed to be teaching a class without a licensed teacher present.Secondly, and most importantly I want to focus on your interactions with your students. More than likely you will see your students everyday, be influential in their learning, social development, mental development, possibly help out in their club activities etc. You are going to be a huge influence in their lives. That is if you choose to be. (Which I hope you do!) Your job is now much bigger than just holding up flashcards with pictures of cats on them. To be fair you will probably do that quite a few times. Your students need positive role models in their lives. Hopefully you can be that for them. Now listen, no one is expecting you to be perfect. We all screw up and miss the mark from time to time. That can't be changed. But what you can do is try and realize that some of your students might not have any positive influences in their lives. Most of the time you aren't going to know what's going on in your students lives after they leave school and go home. In this respect, Japan isn't any different than any other country. People like to keep their private lives...private. And troubles at home are unfortunately a universal problem. You might however have students open up to you if you make your self available. Sometimes it's not easy. Let me tell you right now, after nearly 15 years (as a private teacher and ALT) I'm not used to it. I have left school in tears and heartbroken. I have gone home praying for students because I just don't know what else to do. While I find teaching easy, it's never easy hearing stories of broken homes, abuse**, and pain. Ultimately, this is going to require you to be available to your student. At times that will just mean being there to listen. Sometimes that's all a student will need. They just need someone to talk to and you fit into this weird role of friend/not a parent/not quite a teacher role. It's actually very cool. You have an awesome chance to just be there for your students. Sometimes it's not easy. I've heard some heart breaking stories over the years. But, I've also seen students open up, and be willing to talk about something that is troubling them. That is a huge first step in working through a problem. Especially if you are working with teenagers...man...so much drama!Thirdly, there is literally no reason for you to be a strict or mean teacher. Your students don't need another person yelling at them. Keep in mind, you are going to have students that don't want to pay attention to your lessons. They will ignore instructions, not answer, or do their work. That's something that happens to everyone. You will have unmotivated students from time to time. Again, it's your job as a teacher to motivate them. Not yell at them or be a drill sergeant. There just isn't room for that kind of attitude.Leave the discipline for the licensed teachers and focus on finding ways to motivate your students. Don't worry about the students that don't want to participate in class. In all reality you can't and won't reach every student. But you should be making the effort to do so. There shouldn't be any acceptable loses when it comes to teaching. Finally, the rapport you build with your students is crucial. You need to learn what interests them and what motivates them. What is the best way to motivate students? Unfortunately what I do with my students isn't going to work for you. You're students will have their own set of characteristics and interests. You should be working to find out what those things are and run with them! Try to find out what music they like, what sport/club they are in, or what their favorite TV program is. It's really that simple. Being an ALT is more than just teaching. Hopefully, you can be the type of person students trust and want to listen to. I'm not a parent. I don't claim to know how students act 24/7. But my years as a youth pastor, mentor, and teacher have taught me a lot of things about students. At the end of the day, just like everyone else, they want to be loved, respected, and listened to. Being an ALT after class boils down to essentially that. Be there for your students. Be the type of person that years fromnow they will look back and remember you for being there...not for yelling at them in class over something stupid. **It should be noted that you should always report abuse. While you can't prevent it from happening if you see or hear anything you have a responsibility to report it!This was also the topic of one of my Friday videos. Please check that out as well!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Higgins/GoqZM-living_educationMon, 13 Jun 2016 11:42:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Higgins/GoqZM-living_educationhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Higgins/Gl6bM-food_tokyo_chiyoda-kuWhat?Yurakucho is known for its bars and restaurants located directly under the train tracks. These small bars cater to nearly every type of food you could want; German, Italian, French, and Japanese. They are smoky, noisy, and crowded. The amazing food combined with a unique dining atmosphere leads to an experience that is absolutely worth checking out!Where?If you are at Tokyo station then you are almost there! Take the Yamanote line south from Tokyo station. One stop later you will find Yurakucho. The row of restaurants and bars extend for hundreds of meters from below the station. When?Don't expect there to be anything open when the sun is up. This spot is not known for it's lunch specials! Dinnertime is when the action happens. If you arrive late in the evening you may run into trouble finding seating. How much?Take a look around. Nearly every restaurant will have its menu posted outside. Along with a staff member or two outside to entice you in. The staff can also inform you if there are deals or any kind of specials happening. Depending on your budget you can easily tell which restaurant will work for you. You can expect to spend anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000 yen per person. It all depends on how much you end up eating and drinking. Weird side note, it seems that a few places we tried to go to only had two person seating. So, go in pairs!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Higgins/Gl6bM-food_tokyo_chiyoda-kuWed, 11 May 2016 08:43:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Higgins/Gl6bM-food_tokyo_chiyoda-kuhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Higgins/zK0AG-living_educationSome people find it easy to complain aboutbeing a teacher in Japan. I see it all the time on YouTube. Videos and top 10lists flood the internet with titles like "Here's the ugly truth ofteaching in Japan" or "Here is the REAL reason teaching in Japan sucks!"While, it can be argued that Japan might not be as advanced as other countriesin English education, or that things need to change, these videos usuallyaren't about that at all. I often seethem as nothing more than an opportunity to get "likes". Sometimes, Isee it as people expecting Japan to fulfill some sort of misinformed dreamthey've had about what it's like to live/work in Japan. Others think thatrunning away to Japan will fix all their problems. Then there are thosethat...well...just suck at teaching.Although I feel like I could writeabout any of those, this article isn't about that at all. What I want to talkabout is the act of complaining about your job.The act of complaining itself will destroyyou as a teacher. Complaining does nothing more than distract you from yourjob. Sometimes you might see your ALT job as being nothing more than glorifiedbabysitter. Other times you are going to see the workings of the Japaneseeducation system and cringe. Some days you are going to absolutely love andnever want to do anything else.Somewhere in between all of that are yourstudents. The reason you are teaching. Your job doesn't exist to make YOU happy(read that again, maybe a few times because I can't stress the importanceenough). Your job exists to educate thestudents in your school or schools. That's huge! That should scare you! It mostcertainly scares me. To think that I have some sort of hand in the education ofthese children...it really makes me think about my actions. And my actions areconstantly under a microscope in Japan. (Read my other article about yourconduct in Japan.)You are going to have some rough days,some rough classes and certainly some out of control students. It's happened toall of us. I should probably let you in on a little secret. I've never won aGrammy. Have you won a Grammy? I doubt it. Guess what? You're probably going tohave to sing in class. Don't complain. I've also never won any awards from theRoyal College of Art (voted as the top art school in the world bytopuniversites.com seriously...I googled it). I'm going to assume you're in thesame boat. Guess what? You're going to have to draw pictures in front of 40students. Don't complain!Your students are depending on you! You aretheir teacher. They might not always show it but if you are there for yourstudents you will earn their trust. It's going to take some time if you're newto a school. Rest assured, if the students see you as someone that cares abouttheir education, cares about them, theywill open up. They will be more willingto learn, and be excited when they see you. Like I said this can take some timeif you are new to a school. Usually this takes 2-3 months. People need time to figure outwho you are. This is also true for the teachers you are going to work with aswell. Take that time to show them you are someone they can trust. There is no magical Utopian school whereyour students love you instantly. It's going to take time and it's going totake effort. More than anything it's going to take a person that is willing tobe flexible and willing to accept a challenge. Nothing is perfect. TeachingEnglish in Japan can be a challenge. At the end of the day you could complainabout it or you could change it. As a teacher you should be creating anenvironment for your students where they feel free to make mistakes, free toask questions, and free to learn. Don't hinder that by complaining.I recently made a video about this as well. There might be some content overlap but give it a watch!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Higgins/zK0AG-living_educationMon, 15 Feb 2016 14:29:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Higgins/zK0AG-living_educationhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Higgins/G0ZjM-livingIn 2020 the Olympics will come to Tokyo, bringing many top athletes to Japan. They will train for years to be thebest in their field. They will work very hard to represent their sport and their country.In the coming months you will have a some random foreigners.With little to no training they will step into Japan. They will come here fortheir one year vacation...I mean ALT job. They will treat Japan like theirplayground, think Japanese people are racist because no one wants to sit nextto them on the train, constantly complain, and think that Japanese laws don'tpertain to them.Now, I know that might sound like anextreme example. Surely, those people don't actually exist do they? Sadly, theydo...they very much do. The big problem is that their selfishness can ruin yourtime in Japan. In fact it can do a lot more damage than they care to thinkabout. While you might live in Japan for years, they will go back to their homecountry and tell all their friends how bad of a time they had in Japan. Let me tell you something about Japan thatyou might not know. Whether you like it or not in Japan you represent your culture, race,country, or whatever box people want to put you. Some people (and I want emphasizesome) will judge you based on what they perceive you to be. Before even knowingyou some people are going to have formed an opinion of who they think you are and they believe you will act.Please, please keep in mind that thisisn't everyone! You will meet some amazingly nice and gracious people in Japan.I can't even count how many times people have helped me or have evenjust been patient with me. Over the years I've had many amazing Japanesecoworkers and friends. What I'm trying to say is that sometimes people aregoing to pigeonhole you into who they think you should or shouldn't be. And,acting like a fool isn't going to do you any favors.Also, let me clarify one more thing. I'mnot talking about the little nuances and "rules" of a foreign countrythat you might not be aware of. I'm talking about breaking laws, treatingpeople with disrespect, and acting like you've never been out in public before.Hopefully you can tell from your surroundings what behaviors are appropriate. And hopefully you don`t thinkyou`re somehow above the law just because you are a foreigner. While in Japan there have been times whenI've run into people who think they already know how foreigners act. They'veseen movies, watched the news, or even had the occasional run in with aforeigner. If I've never met this person before I have no idea how theyprocessed that information. They might have had a wonderful time. Maybe theforeigner they met was loud and obnoxious and stole their shoes after a longnight of drinking. The point is, I don't know how they perceive me andunfortunately I haven't been given the gift of reading minds.So, how should you act? How should I act? How do you react topeople who are uncertain of you? Those are great questions! The fact that youare even concerned about how you act in a foreign country probably means youprobably don't have anything to worry about. On the other hand if you don'tcare, then for my sake (and the sake of other foreigners in Japan)don't come to Japan, seriously. I'm not trying to be rude I'm just tried ofpeople thinking they can go to a foreign country and do whatever they please.As I said earlier foreigners represent their country. You might not want to,you might not think you should, and you might not even be the right person to.But, fact of the matter is you do. What you do, and how you act is going to represent you, me,and other foreigners in Japan.This shouldn't beearth shattering news but as a foreigner Japan isn't your homecountry. Maybe in your country no one cares if you act like a fool on the train,seeing if you can break the world record for how many pull ups you can do.Maybe in your country no one will care if you are disrespectful to your serverand make remarks like, "I can say whatever I want, they don't speakEnglish anyway". Maybe in your country "soft drugs" don't getyou into any trouble. Maybe in your home country no one will care because inyour home country your actions don't represent you as well as the largercommunity. But, in Japan they do. Again, like it or not that's the way itis.What you chose to do with this informationis up to you. You can play the "I'm a foreigner and I can do whatever Iwant" card. You can choose to blatantly ignore all the rules (written andunwritten), which you are free to do. Despite what you might think I'mnot going to tell you can't. What I'm trying to do is help make your life (andmine) a little easier while you are here in Japan. You can do as you please.Just remember, your actions represent more than just you in Japan. When youmeet someone for the first time they are going to put you into a category.Ultimately, it's up to you to decide which category we end up in.Photocourtesy of Kazz Takahashi Photography. Check out his work!!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Higgins/G0ZjM-livingWed, 27 Jan 2016 09:16:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Higgins/G0ZjM-livinghttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Higgins/zKORz-livingCongratulations! You've finally done it! You've sold everything you own, said goodbye to your loved ones, packed your bags, and survived the gruesome flight that you swore would never end. What's next?! Who knows! That's the awesome part. You're in Japan now and that's all that matters.You're now free to hit up all the arcades you want. Time to spend all your time in Akiba drinking milk tea and eating onigiri from Family Mart. You've spent all your loose change in every gachapon machine you pass. Maybe you hit up Harajuku and buy some super kawaii shirt or something with Engrish blasted all over it. Or better yet, you head over to Yoyogi park, lay under the trees and wait for something spark your imagination. Everything is bright and shiny and new! This is the greatest. Man, Japan is just like your animes!Then, one day you wake up and you hate everything. You realize your Japanese isn't all that great. You question why you have to fill out the same form nine different times. Fax machines are still a thing. You now own waaay too many plastic figures. And to top things off you are starting to think that living abroad might not be your thing. You hate your job, you hate your one room apartment, you hate seeing vending machines everywhere (What is Pocari Sweat anyway??!!) and what's worse you hate Japan. These are just some of the things I've seen people go through. I've seen people flake out after less than two months in Japan. They just couldn't handle it. The honeymoon stage of Japan happens to us all. And adjusting to a new culture takes time. To some degree or another you will experience the highs and lows of living in Japan. I don't want to see you go home hating Japan or your experiences here. I'm fairly certain that you don't either. So, what can youdo? How can you fight culture shock and get past the honeymoon stage in one piece after some of the shine starts to wear off Japan?The best advice is to not let it stop you. If you let it stop you it will break you. You need to get out. I know for some people that's easier said than done. But you need to allow yourself to break out of your shell in Japan. Think of it this way. You might only be in Japan for one year. Try to experience all the culture and history Japan has to offer. Don't just get caught in the glitter and glamour that is Tokyo. Sure, it's a great town with a lot to do but there are so many other amazing things to do while in Japan. Explore as much as you can. Visit local temples and shrines, eat at local restaurants and challenge yourself.Most importantly, surround yourself with good people. Find people you can trust, find people you can be honest with. As foreigners we're all in this together. We are all hundreds, or even thousands of miles from friends and family. Find those people you can trust and share with them if you are having a hard time. That way when it happens, when you feel the pressure of living abroad you won't feel like you have to deal with it alone.Certain people can't handle living in Japan. That's OK! Living abroad isn't for everyone. It takes a strong person to admit that they can't do it. Sometimes, that means giving up your dream of living in Japan and that really sucks! But, you owe it to yourself to keep trying. When the honeymoon stages ends (and it will) you need to be able to find what you love about Japan. Find what you love doing in Japan and do it. Finally, if it gets too bad there is support for foreigners in Japan. Tokyo English Life Line is an NPO thatprovides free and anonymous counseling by licensed professionals over the phone as well as over Skype. If you need to get in contact with them check out www.telljp.com While I'm no counselor, If you have questions for me feel free to contact me at facebook.com/HigginsInJapan I would love to talk to you about what it's like living in Japan.Photo courtesy of Kazz Takahashi Photograhy...check out his work!!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Higgins/zKORz-livingMon, 14 Dec 2015 13:49:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Higgins/zKORz-livinghttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Higgins/MEAvM-living_educationAnyone can write a blog and give advice. It's really easy. Unfortunately, some of the advice I read is terrible. (Obviously nothing on this blog of course!) It's so bad in fact that I've questioned whether or not the people giving said advice have ever even worked in a Japanese school. I've even been given advice by people that claimed to know what life in a Japanese school was like. It seemed like they were just passing on second or third hand knowledge. That being said, here is some advice for you if you plan on being a teacher in Japan. Don't worry, I'm fully aware of the irony.Don't just sit in the teachers office!More than likely you will havedowntimeat your schools. You might have lessons to plan, copies to make, or for in-explainable reasons things to befaxed.Whilethose things are important and necessary (minus the fax machine) might I suggest you find something outside of the office to do. Instead of doing busy work, or finding some storage closet to go sleep in why not do something? Why not invest your time?The fact of the matter is it can be very easy to "hide" in the teacher's office. I'm pretty sure that's what some of the Japanese teachers do from time to time. But for me, it's that down time that kills me! I'b much rather be out and about. Which is why I like to limit the time I spend at my desk. There are definitely times when I need to be doing actual work in the office. There are also times when you'll just need to sit down or just get away for a few minutes.I have two reasons why I don't like sitting at my desk.First,Idon't like being bored. Being away from my desk helps with that. Second, I also understand that there is some intrinsic value to not being in the office. If your studentsonly see you as a teacher, only see you as that scary foreign person standing at the front of the room, they won't be willing to talk to you. Your job is to teach English after all, so try to be approachable. I guarantee you will see students open up in class and be less afraid of making mistakes. Mistakes are, after all, part of learning.Let's take one of my students for example. We will call him Kenji (obviously not his real name). By his own admission he is a pretty cool kid. Soccer takes up most of his time. In his opinion English is just an obstacle keeping him from playing soccer. Frankly, he finds English boring. In class he is prone to naps, talking to other students, making far to many requests to use the toilet, or just straight up walking out of class.This behavior concerned me. So, I took some time outside of class to talk to him. That's how I found out he loves soccer. It's also how I found out he thinks English is boring. I would ask him how soccer practice was going and if his team was any good. Nothing earth shattering, but showing interest in his hobbies. Slowly I started to notice he wasn't sleeping so much in class and his requests for bathroom breaks stopped. I've also noticed he is trying to use English more and his test scores have improved a bit.Now, let's assume that I never asked him about soccer or talked to him outside of class. Say I only stood at the front of class and walked around with my red pen correcting homework. Would Kenji care about English? Would he even be able to greet me in the hallway or care to for that matter? Maybe, maybe not. But, I'm not willing to take that chance.So, don't just sit there! Get out of the teacher's office and talk to your students. You'll be surprised in the changes you see and you'll get to learn about your students. Being an English teacher means more than just teaching in the classroom. Get out and invest your time.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Higgins/MEAvM-living_educationTue, 08 Dec 2015 08:48:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Higgins/MEAvM-living_educationhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Higgins/MgaAG-foodWhen was the last time you put a candy barin the oven? Seriously, when was it? I would like to know because for me ithappened about two weeks ago. To be honest I've never been a huge Kit Kat fan.I don't hate them or anything but they've just never been one of my favoritecandy bars. However that changed once I moved to Japan. Kit Kat has a bit of ahistory in Japan as being a candy that is given out as a good luck charm to students.Kit Kat (whenpronouncedin Japanese) sounds a bit like "kitto katsu" whichtranslates to assured victory, basically if you eat a Kit Kat before a test you'll pass!That being said, there is a seeminglyendless flavor of Kit Kats in Japan. From green tea to pumpkin pudding, redbean, strawberry, citrus and everything in between. About 99% of those flavorsare seasonal so it can be extremely difficult to get your hands on most ofthose flavors. Fortunately for me I was able to findpumpkin pudding flavored Kit Kats this fall. Not only did I buy them Idiscovered baking instructions on the back. Yes, you read that correctly. There are bakinginstructions for Kit Kats. I was skeptical at first but after trying them Idon't think I will ever be able to eat them the same way ever again. Bakingthem did something to the taste of the Kit Kat. It enhanced it! The rathersubdued taste of the pumpkin was amplified and the warmth increased itsflavor.Like I said I was never ahuge Kit Kat fan. But this changed everything. If you are interested in how thebaking process is done check out my video. I made it because I feel like othershould know about this amazing way to enjoy Kit Kats. If you try it let meknow, I would like to know what flavors work and which ones don't!Postshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Higgins/MgaAG-foodWed, 25 Nov 2015 10:26:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Higgins/MgaAG-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Higgins/MnxEG-living_food_shoppingAbout seven months I found myself in a new town. Three years previous to my move I had been living in the same small town in Japan. It was great! I no longer needed GPS or feared I would get lost. I knew the back roads, and short cuts to get around town. I had my own little part of Japan all mapped out. Then...I moved. I no longer was familiar with my surroundings. I had to find new restaurants, shopping malls, and grocery stores.Around the time of my move I got a message from someone. This person was also moving to the same town as me. He asked me where he could find good restaurants, grocery stores, and everything in between. Being new to the town myself I really didn't have any answers for him. Other than get lost!That's my advice to you! Big or small, the size of your town doesn't matter. When moving to a new town you've got to explore. I didn't even have a car my first year in Japan, which meant all my travels would have to be done on foot. Nor did I have a smart phone at the time, which meant no GPS. So, I armed myself with a paper map and a general idea of where I lived I started walking. I found grocery stores, restaurants and everything in between.To be honest most local mom and pop places you find in your town aren't going to have a website and probably won't show up on any google search. Also, nine times out of ten the local places are going to be better than the chain shops. It's well worth your time to check them out. It will do you a lot of good to find which grocery stores have the best produce or which shops offer unique things to your town.So go! Get lost! Well, don't actually get lost. That would be terrible. But go, go and explore your town! It's full of adventure just waiting to be discovered. When this happened I made a video about it...check it out!Postshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Higgins/MnxEG-living_food_shoppingTue, 17 Nov 2015 08:50:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Higgins/MnxEG-living_food_shoppinghttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Higgins/z3B2M-living_kanagawa_yokosuka_shi_kanagawaLocated in Yokosuka,Kanagawa prefecture sits the Battleship Mikasa, a pre-WWI battleship. Gettingto Yokosuka from Tokyo is fairly easy. The trip from Tokyo Station will takeyou about an hour and twenty minutes and cost around¥810-¥1080 depending onwhich route you take. From Yokosuka station you can walk to Mikasa Park.Walking from the station through town will take you about 20 minutes, but for¥180 you can take a bus from Yokosuka station. However, you will still needto walk about 800 meters to get to the park. I suggest walking from the stationif you can. The city is very beautiful and on a nice day the walk will be veryenjoyable.Admission to theBattleship Mikasa costs¥600 and once on board you are free to explore theship. We were lucky and a tour guide offered to show us around (free of cost).He explained many things about the ship that we might have missed had he notpointed them out. For example, he pointed out that the sailors would sleep ondeck next to the guns so they could be ready for battle at a momentsnotice. Even if you don't get a guidedon't worry, almost all of the displays have English descriptions as well asJapanese.The Mikasa is very foreigner friendly!The Battleship Mikasa offers the Japanese history buff an opportunity to step on board a pre-WWI battleship. Definitely not something you get to do everyday! Outside the ship there is a small gift shop where you can purchase many different Mikasa themed souvenirs. Including Japanese naval flags, naval patches, hats and photos of the ship.Overall I had a great time. The experience is very foreigner friendly and you could probably spend a few hours reading, learning and exploring the ship. Depending on your location getting to Yokosuka might take some time but the port area is very beautiful and well worth the trip! This is a cool piece of Japanese history and shouldn't be missed.A brief history of theMikasa.Construction on theJapanese battleship Mikasa was finished in the late 1890's. It was commanded byAdmiral Togo Heihachiro. The Mikasa fought during the Russo-Japanese War. Afterthe war the ship was used for coastal defense in World War I and also duringthe RussianCivilWar. In the 1940's the Mikasa suffered heavy damage but wasrestored in 1961.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Higgins/z3B2M-living_kanagawa_yokosuka_shi_kanagawaFri, 23 Oct 2015 13:16:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Higgins/z3B2M-living_kanagawa_yokosuka_shi_kanagawahttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Higgins/GBqOz-living_ibarakiI'll admit I was pretty lazy before coming to Japan. To some extent I still am. But, Japan has changed me.It's not big revelation that people in Japan value a hard days work. Manysalary-menwill put in a six daywork week and even working longer than the normal eight hours a day.They do sacrifice a lot to accomplish this. Family time, rest, relaxation and a host of many other things. They do it because in many cases it's expected of them. Sure, they do it for the money. You'd be hard pressed to find someone willing to work that long and hard for free.So, when I moved to Japan I knew that despite being a foreigner I was going to have to change. Obviously, no one was going to expect me to work those crazy hours or sacrifice all of my free time. But I knew, that for me, I would like to go above and beyond.This year I started coaching softball at my school. Certainly not because anyone asked. With the way our season started out I'm sure some people were wondering what I was even doing.That being said, no one required me to help out. I chose to. I chose to be a part of this team because something inside me changed.What am I sacrificing? A couple Saturday mornings. A few hours a week after school. So, what? Is my time so valuable that sleeping in is more important? Time when I wouldn't be doing anything anyways.For me going above and beyond was a nobrainer. It surprised the people at my school. It's evensurprised me! As the season comes to an end I feel I made the right decision. Sure we didn't win every game but I learned that a little hard work isn't so hard after all. It was all about being a part of something bigger, something bigger than just my "look out for number one" mentality.So, from now on when people ask, "how has Japan changed you"? Thisexperiencewill be myresponse. What will your response be? To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Higgins/GBqOz-living_ibarakiTue, 13 Oct 2015 11:54:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Higgins/GBqOz-living_ibaraki