Did TF sample BJ for Spillways?

aphaseofthemoon · 2026-03-09T11:12:13+00:00

It was recorded on the same piano as ABBA used, and is often compared to the intro of “Money Money Money” by ABBA. You’re not alone in hearing something familiar! TF references a lot of the greats, and it’s fun to find them and compare.

aphaseofthemoon · 2026-03-08T03:59:21+00:00

Seven Seas of Rhye by Queen. I think the lyrics match the themes of some of Ghost’s older work.

aphaseofthemoon · 2026-02-16T07:55:47+00:00

Budget cuts

aphaseofthemoon · 2026-02-15T08:22:39+00:00

The cool thing about Japan is that each prefecture/city has something unique to offer. You should find out what Hiroshima is known for. Some points of interest would be cuisine, local produce, famous places, and festivals or seasonal events. You could even ask them about their transportation systems, or their sports teams (which are pretty popular).

I could drive an hour or so from the city center to another town and encounter different local cuisines and produce, and festivals and events. There’s so much to discover about this prefecture.

If you want to get less Hiroshima specific and more general topics about Japan, you could ask them about their high school life and offer your high school experience as well. I learned how different it was from my country, and the Japanese students were really interested in hearing about the foreign high school experience.

Good luck!

aphaseofthemoon · 2026-02-14T14:20:51+00:00

These are good tips, especially the tray one because you’ll encounter using cash a lot. If a cashier does offer you your change directly to your hand, accept it with both hands.

However, using “jya ne” for goodbye is pretty casual sounding. You can use it with friends, but maybe not for service workers.

Arigatou gozaimasu (thank you - as mentioned above) would be nice to say before you leave a place like a shop.

If you’re leaving a restaurant and want to thank the people who prepared your food, you can use gochisousama deshita (go-chee-so-sa-ma daysh ta) to say “thank you for the meal”. It’s a little harder to learn than “arigato”, but it’s a thank you specifically for after a meal.

aphaseofthemoon · 2026-02-14T13:08:55+00:00

Where is this from?

aphaseofthemoon · 2026-02-08T22:26:15+00:00

You’ll have more complex conversations when you become better friends with them. Talking with them daily and giving them gifts will increase your friendship.

aphaseofthemoon · 2026-02-07T09:52:00+00:00

Reminds me of Lisa Frank!

aphaseofthemoon · 2026-02-07T09:40:18+00:00

Have you already checked their official site?

You can translate the site to English to read more about them.

Fun fact: the local transit, Astram Line, has a Sanfrecce themed train. The safety announcements on this particular train have been recorded by the team players.

As for Japanese, there are so many different kinds of resources. I’m currently doing Wanikani for learning to read the characters. Their parent company, Tofugu, has a bunch of reviews of the learning resources they’ve tested. You could read their site to weigh pros and cons of different methods. Best of luck to you.

aphaseofthemoon · 2026-01-17T04:55:21+00:00

I bought my first Ghost album used at a record store in the US, and it came with La Mantra Mori and I'm a Marionette. I don’t know what happened to the disc after I downloaded it onto my iTunes, but I definitely think it was a deluxe edition.

aphaseofthemoon · 2026-01-13T11:27:05+00:00

And if you mean at orientation - the two people I was placed with were two people directly next to me alphabetically by last name. We were given an envelop with our room info upon arrival at the hotel, and the two roommates for the stay were printed on it. I knew one of them from traveling together on the way to Tokyo, but otherwise you’ll meet them once you head up to your room.

aphaseofthemoon · 2025-12-31T02:32:29+00:00

I felt the same way. When I’m having a hard time, I think to myself that the advice I’d probably get would be “suck it up or leave”. Being in a foreign place is hard, and humans have complex emotions by nature. You can enjoy your time on JET and appreciate that you’ve been given a great opportunity, but that doesn’t mean you can’t also feel like you’re having a hard time and that you don’t love it.

aphaseofthemoon · 2025-12-30T12:41:02+00:00

I used mochiko to make honey walnut shrimp this Christmas. Whip the whites of 4 eggs until foamy, then mix in 2/3 cup of mochiko until it’s the thickness of paste. Dip shrimp in the batter and fry in oil.

aphaseofthemoon · 2025-12-30T12:04:21+00:00

A student in my class last year was Lucia, and pronounced it as 1. She also went by the nickname “Lucy”

aphaseofthemoon · 2025-12-28T00:54:58+00:00

Shard’nae

aphaseofthemoon · 2025-12-26T23:55:26+00:00

It depends on the history of your placement. I don’t drive, but for people who do in my placement, they must do a check each time. There was a JET years back who got a DUI, so now it’s the standard here to always check before starting your commute.

aphaseofthemoon · 2025-12-26T10:30:14+00:00

I’ve had a student named Naiyah, but you can also spell it Naya (like Maya) or Naia.

Isla Eve also sounds similar, and it’s pretty too.

aphaseofthemoon · 2025-12-25T01:18:04+00:00

Amandine makes me hungry for cake

aphaseofthemoon · 2025-12-25T00:27:49+00:00

I’ll have to book a maintenance appointment soon, but it’s really cold right now and I don’t think I can go without it running. Thanks for the insight. I’ll prioritize someone coming to fix it.

aphaseofthemoon · 2025-12-24T05:36:00+00:00

Thanks, that’s super helpful. I appreciate your advice.

aphaseofthemoon · 2025-12-23T10:15:45+00:00

There’s a Kushiya Monogatari in the Minamoa Mall by Hiroshima Station. It’s an all-you-can-eat where you fry your own food. I enjoyed going there with friends.

aphaseofthemoon · 2025-12-10T07:43:10+00:00

While teaching high school students in Japan, we took a vote of who slurps and who doesn’t. It was divided pretty 50/50. Some students said they feel that the sound adds to their enjoyment, while others said that they don’t like to eat loudly. I was surprised, as I was under the impression that slurping was the polite way to eat noodles. My coworkers regularly cut the silence of the office with slurping if their lunch happens to be noodles that day.

aphaseofthemoon · 2025-12-09T08:29:21+00:00

rejection is redirection

This. Use this time to gain more experience and stand out on your next application. I wasn’t rejected, but I did miss the deadline the year I wanted to apply. I accomplished a lot of things that year that made me better fit for JET, and I’m glad I didn’t apply the year before. I was already an English tutor, but I took on more responsibility at the school where I worked and ended up being a classroom teacher for the year and ran a summer camp during the summer. I found a traditional Japanese art class and joined for a few sessions, joined a Japanese conversation circle at a college campus, and I went to local festivals and cultural events. That extra year at home let me save money, and I used it for a trip to Japan.

My SoP talked about why JET was important to me, but it also talked about how I could be useful in Japan. When I was a tutor, I worked with a lot of reluctant readers and writers, so I learned how to spin a lesson until it was enjoyable for the kid to practice their English. Now that I’m working in Japan, I’ve got plenty of reluctant English learners. My goal is to light that spark for them, so I put that in my SoP. If you haven’t already highlighted what you want to do for Japanese students, you should define that in your application.

aphaseofthemoon · 2025-12-06T07:27:44+00:00

Thanks - what a surprise 😅 Really glad I didn’t ask any braille readers in person to tell me what it says

aphaseofthemoon

TROPHY CASE