If I had a yen for every time someone mistakenly said "I'd love to live in Japan just like you", I wouldn't be very rich. However, I could probably buy something at the 100yen shop, If I were living in Japan that is. You see, I moved back to Australia last year where I'm now living and working.
Like most of my readers and students on eduFire, I know one day I will get (back) to Japan. I have my little Japanese family with me, and our friends around us in Australia, so all is good for now. For news about what is actually happening in Japan, and staying involved, I rely on the much larger J-blogger community.
Today I want to introduce you to a few expat bloggers that have a perspective on Japan that not many people get. You might be surprised at the variety. I deliberately chose friends that have an experience dissimilar to mine. I also wanted to give you, my readers, a broader picture of the kinds of lives you can lead in Japan, whether you are just starting out, or you've been there for a lot longer.
Each of them has something special to offer, I hope you find their perspectives as interesting as I do.
Nick Ramsay
Nick RamsayLocation: Japan
Web: http://www.japans...
Bio: Founder of JapanSoc.com, long-term Japan resident, Social Web CMS developer and work-at-home dad.
Nick is the founder of Japansoc.com and a developer for the open source social bookmarking platform Social Web CMS which powers JapanSoc.com. Nick started his life in Japan as an English teacher more than ten years ago, and now works from home where he controls his small empire of childhood education websites. You'll find some really helpful stuff from this stay-at-home dad on his personal website LongCountdown.com.
Micaela Braithwaite
Micaela BraithwaiteLocation: Fukuoka, Japan
Web: http://www.youtub...
Micaela arrived in Japan just as I was preparing to leave, when I first saw her vlogs on YouTube she reminded me of the wide-eyed way I took in the experience when I landed. She may hope we believe she is small and fragile, but I think she is stronger than she lets on in her livejournal. Most recently Micaela collaborated with fellow YouTuber Alejandro on an entry in the Lotte Fit's Dance contest!
Shane Sakata
Shane SakataLocation: Chiba, Japan
Web: http://www.nihons...
Bio: An expat living and writing about Japan's great travel destinations, history & culture.
Shane Sakata is the blogging machine behind The Nihon Sun, and also one of the driving forces behind the J-blogging community that is starting to take shape on JapanSoc.org. Shane trains her lens on parts of Japan that sometimes only get a small mention in travel guidebooks, like the recent Sumo at Yasukuni Shrine. I really enjoy her attention to detail which you can see in her post of fashion faux pas in Shibuya and her focus on the cultural aspects of being in Japan. you can see more of Shane's photography in her Flickr pool, or in the newly formed JapanSoc Flickr group.
Chris Gaunt
Chris GauntLocation: Tokyo, Japan
Web: http://www.nihong...
Bio: Learning Japanese and helping others to find the motivation to do so at www.nihongonotes.com
Chris hasn't been in Japan very long but he is one of the most active bloggers in this little community we have going. He has worked on the new design for Japansoc.com and also runs JPop Japan, a place to share your Japanese music news and articles. I like his British sense of humour. He's been soaking it up, and sharing it with his readers, in the hope of inspiring you to learn more about Japanese language and culture. I'm glad he's found work as a programmer, because it means he'll be telling his story from Japan a bit longer.
Joseph Tame
Joseph TameLocation: Meguro-ku, Tokyo
Web: http://www.tamego...
Bio: The iPhone-Runner, Tokyo-based husband, photographer, apple fan, teacher, podcaster and change enthusiast
Joseph Tame has been been blogging prolifically since 2002 and has been described as Phileas Fogg with an iPhone. Once you start reading though, you'll realise that Joseph's life is one larger than any fiction. He hit the headlines in March this year running the Tokyo Quarter Marathon with a jail-broken iPhone strapped to his forehead. In his video response to critics he announced that wasn't important to see where you were going so long as you followed your heart. Joseph has just completed the first Japan Podshow, expect to see more ground breaking stuff from a man who refuses to be defined or confined.
Neil Duckett
Neil DuckettLocation: Tokyo, Japan
Web: http://www.neildu...
Bio: Australian guy living in Tokyo. Pictures and Stories from Life In Japan, Part time photographer.
If you've ever wondered what a 30 something professional bachelor gets up to in the worlds largest metropolis, then look no further than Neil Duckett. Neil believes in living life to the fullest, his blog testament to fast times, and more recently, fantastic photography . Regular posts include his highly popular J-Babe Of The Week and JR Yamanote Line, a stop by stop expose of the 29 stations that surround the city of Tokyo.
The round up
There are plenty of people I could have mentioned that have a big role to play in the J-blogger community, these guys and girls are just the tip of the iceberg. Head on over to JapanSoc.org to get involved if you are interested in being part of it!
Who do you follow in Japan? What are the best resources you have for learning about life in Japan? Are you blogging about Japan from Japan, or somewhere else? Let us know in the comments!
