One of the most famous collections of woodblock prints is the “36 Views of Mount Fuji” series by Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849). Japanese ukiyo-e feature the almost sacred mountain heavily.

This collection includes the renowned “In the Hollow of a Wave off the Coast at Kanagawa” - popularly known in the West as simply “The Great Wave”. In this print Mt Fuji is dwarfed by a giant tsunami in the foreground, its whitecaps about to crash down upon the terrified fishermen in their boat below.

These ukiyo-e prints have become very popular lately, and can be found adorning all sorts of things - I have even seen this particular print available as an iPod cover!

If you are considering teaching English in Japan, I thoroughly recommend you to check out Craig Desorcy’s guide,
The Super Teaching in Japan Handbook

Craig’s handbook is full of valuable tips and information that will help you find and prepare for this life-changing experience as well as how to succeed as an English teacher and lots of insider info about the teaching business in Japan.

Many young people (and old too!) embark every year on a great adventure to Japan, enticed by the myriad of English teaching jobs on offer. Teaching English in Japan has a great appeal, and you never quite know where you will end up being posted and who you will teach.

For example, you may get a job at one of the large English schools in Japan such as Nova, where you will be teaching a variety of students ranging from bored housewives, to salarymen who feel forced into learning English in order to further their career. One area that you may not realise you could be teaching, is teaching children.

If you thought that a bunch of adults may be difficult to teach, how about a class of kids all go to the toilet at the same time… right in the middle of class! Obviously their command of English is going to be limited, so you will need a great deal of patience and the ability to manage your anger as the frustration levels rise. You have to be firm with them, and you might get a little mad, but the lessons made in anger management are an unexpected beneficial side effect. The children know that they have done something wrong, but have no idea what the foreigner at the head of the class is blabbering to them!

That’s just one of the strange twists you may take when teaching English in Japan. It’s definitely interesting and if you are thinking about doing it we recommend you take the plunge and see where your big Japanese adventure takes you!

And don’t forget to take grab a copy of Craig Desorcy’s excellent guide, The Super Teaching in Japan Handbook before you go!

Despite many other airlines already putting in their orders for the new large-capacity Airbus A380, Japan Airlines (JAL) has announced that it has no plans to add it to their fleet. Singapore Airlines are the first airline to take delivery, with other notable buyers including Thai Airways, Emirates Airlines, Korean Air, Virgin Atlantic, Lufthansa and Qantas.

The huge new Airbus A380 promises to be a revolution in air travel. Some airlines have mentioned that instead of extra seats they plan to utilize the space with luxury lounges, bars and gaming rooms. Airline tickets for these flights are expected to be very popular, but as yet no indication of price has been given.

By adding more seats to the planes it is possible that airline ticket prices may come down due to more bookings. However the luxury flights could see steeper prices for those that appreciate the finer service and relaxed atmosphere.

JAL airlines claim its decision is based on a global downsizing trend amongst the airline industry. However, the list of purchasers and orders for the Airbus A380 may go against this thinking. A spokesperson also alluded to minimizing risks to passengers in the event of unforeseen event, stating that aircraft with fewer passengers significantly decreased the risk to travellers.

The Swallowtail has recently opened in Tokyo, offering a fresh twist on the maid cafes that have proven so popular with nerdy otaku type men. Instead of cute girls dressed in maid costumes, this new cafe caters to female clientele and features strapping young men dressed to the nines in butler uniforms of old.