Oingo Boingo reference. Just ignore that if you have no idea who they are. Right, that’s still all of you then ^_^;.
Last year was a difficult year, filled with new complexities the younger me never dreamt I would face. On a positive note I…
The Dark Night of the Soul
I've ruminated on this idea for some time now. It's one of those aphorisms that makes me uncomfortable, because it flies against…
Dare to be Vulnerable
This is the home of Genesis Simple Portfolio, a plugin which adds a portfolio to any WordPress theme, with support for the…
Genesis Simple Portfolio
Battleship Island Becomes a UNESCO World Heritage Site
It's official! Sometime after 10pm JST on 5th July, the UNESCO committee decided that the 23 'Sites of the Meiji Industrial…
Finally! New English Road Signs in Japan!
It's been a long time coming, but it seems Tokyo winning the 2020 bid for the Olympics and the surge in visits from foreign…
Top 50 Japanese Buzzwords of 2014
Continuing an annual tradition here on Gakuran.com, I'm back translating the Japanese buzzwords for 2014. Fresh new expressions…
Sunday Night Ghost Island
A documentary I coordinated and helped to film on Hashima Island (Gunkanjima) is airing on Sunday Night, an Australian television…
Why I Love Urban Exploration
I was first attracted to urbex (or 'haikyo' in Japanese) by the promise of adventure. The thrill of touring abandoned buildings…
Gaku-RUN-Man - Running the Tokyo Marathon
Today is the Tokyo Marathon! I signed up on a bit of a whim, but after defying the 1/10 odds and being selected, I started…
Hi! I'm a Foreigner! Racist Party Mask
Anyone who has lived in Japan for a reasonable amount of time (and many who have just visited) will have had the pleasure of…
Gunkanjima Geocache
Geocaching is always something I've wanted to get into, but there's a lot of effort that goes into organising and maintaining…
Greetings fellow explorers! It's been quite a while since my last haikyo post - over half a year in fact. Although this one does…
Documenting Adventures in 2014
The Japanese Zeitgeist: 10 Buzzwords of 2013
As a followup to my popular Top 50 Buzzwords of 2013, Anthony Joh, director at Gaijinpot and producer for the well-known Tokyo…
Top 50 Japanese Buzzwords of 2013
In what's become something of an annual tradition here on Gakuran.com, I'm back again analysing the Japanese words of the year -…
Ama - The Pearl Diving Mermaids of Japan (Warning: Nudity)
One of the lesser-known but fascinating parts of Japanese culture is that of the Ama pearl divers. Ama (海女 in Japanese),…
How to Buy the Things you Love from Japan
Have you ever wanted to buy certain products from Japan but found it difficult to do so? You may not have realised, but there is…
Gakuranman: A History Through the Pages
Gakuranman is ten years old today!
Half Cat, Half Hoax?
Today a Kickstarter email landed in my inbox entitled 'Projects We Love: Stranger than Fiction'. As an enthusiast for the…
Don't Compare Your Inside to Someone Else's Outside
There's nothing new here that hasn't been said before. But, sometimes, it serves us well to be reminded of adages which embiggen…
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