Now that I just came back from a fulfilling few days of all-you-can-eat seafood, I’m ready to head back to Japan for more. I’d say in Japanese that’s hoitobo, but apparently hoitobo…
Category: Japan
Food Lover? This Japan Room Package is Insane.
A four-star hotel is not normally my type of lodging, nor is a buffet my dining choice, so we almost didn’t book one of the best deals around. The Grand Prince Hotel…
The Weird Math of Visiting Japan from Hawaii
If you don’t mind the long flight and if you have three or more days, it’s probably equal or less expensive to visit Japan than take a staycation in Hawaii. Weird, right?…
Japan, Seven-Eleven and US Currency Exchange
Where is the best place to get Japanese yen exchanged? It’s not Hawaii’s banks, where there is typically a lower than market exchange rate and a steep transaction fee. For instance, today’s…
Japan: From Honolulu to Osaka – A Rail Pass Guide
I just visited Japan for the third time in my life. In 2016, after spending about 18 months studying Japanese to encourage my son who was taking classes in middle and high…
My One-Year Foreign Language Test in Japanese
I give myself a low B- Earlier, I had written about why I thought world language in high school was a questionable endeavor. To prove my point, I spent an entire year…
Learning Japanese in Hawaii: what is working
Niu Valley Middle School has a world language core requirement, either Mandarin Chinese or Japanese. Once that language is selected, if your child goes on to Kaiser, they must continue in that…
It’s Too Bad Niu Valley Middle Only Teaches Japanese and Mandarin
Yesterday my husband lamented the lack of choice in Niu Valley Middle School’s world language curriculum. “It’s too bad they only teach Japanese and Chinese,” he said. Underlying his sentiment, was the…
Bargain Karuta and other tips for learning written Japanese in Hawaii
I’m in heaven. Today I stopped by at Don Quixote on Kaheka Street and discovered that Book Off used bookstore has opened inside the supermarket. I bought a set of Karuta from…