(April 2020) My name is Jim, and I’m a 15-year franchise owner at Smith’s School of English http://smithweb.co.jp in Sagamihara, Japan. (Rewind to October 1979) The US Army recruiter picked me up and took me away. I was 18 years old and in for the ride of my life. I enlisted as a musician- a […]
Mooo or Mo—? Animal Sounds in Different Languages
How are languages different? How can we “compare” 2 languages? Every language is unique and although there are many shared characteristics, the differences are what make learning a new language both difficult and interesting. Phonetic range, written forms, historical context and cultural background all affect the development of any given language. For this reason, the […]
Sumo on Youtube
Due to an ongoing pile-up of scandals and problems in the sumo world, sumo coverage has been limited on Japanese TV recently. Fortunately, Japan’s national sport and my personal favorite sport to watch is available via YouTube. What most people in Japan probably don’t know is that NHK broadcasts in other countries as NHK World, […]
