Category: Life

It’s gonna be a Lovely Day

I have noticed that I struggle with my emotions at this time of the year. It’s by no means unique to me. The start of a

I passed the JLPT N4

I have some good news! I passed the Japanese Language proficiency test N4! Passing the JLPT N5 greatly boosted my confidence a

2022 Year in Review

I used to make “Happy New Year” posts but for whatever reason stopped. After web-surfing into Jeff’s 2021 year-in-review

DNA Test Results – my Ancestry according to 23andme

I did a 23andme DNA test recently to get a closer look into my ancestry and impatiently waited on the results. Being from the

Please Adult Responsibly

Adulting is a scam. The last 2+ years have been strange, to say the least. The last 6 weeks have been like riding a non-stop a

Life Logger – Python Programming Project

My renewed interest in programming and love of the python programming language has birthed another project that is sucking awa

Cycling in rural Japan – Nishinoshima

It’s been a while since I made one of these adventures in nature. I went to a rural island nearby to enjoy cycling in Ja

7 Things I am better at now than at the start of the pandemic

The last 2+ years have been an unbelievable time to be alive. Lockdowns, mask mandates, limited movement, vaccines, work from

Sometimes your life feels like, a broken rollercoaster

When I shared my internal ramblings related to Coronavirus/COVID-19 in early 2020 I didn’t dream that in 2022 we would s

Japan Scene 13: Nanban? Barbarian Chicken!

My friends are either annoyed or amused when listening to my many stories of me mixing up similar-sounding words/phrases in Ja

New Phone! Google Pixel 6

I have acquired the new Google Pixel 6 and like a true technophile, I’ve been giddy with excitement playing with the lat

NPR Documentary – Living While Black, In Japan

Living While Black, in Japan has its own challenges, but they don’t include fearing for your life. That’s how I wo

My Short Film debut as a reincarnated Japanese Emperor

Late last year I was invited to be part of a short film project. It was about Japanese Emperor Gotoba, who was exiled to Oki I

JLPT N4 failed – Yes, I do need a teacher…

More than two years since passing the JLPT N5 and realizing that the 3rd time wasn’t a charm, I… failed the JLPT N

Fujifilm Instax SQ6 has me loving photography again

Something interesting has been happening in the last weeks/months I have been using the Fujifilm Instax SQ6 – I have fal

Video: Goodbye Spring, Hello Summer

For a few weekends in late May to mid-June, I grabbed my DJI Pocket 2 and Fujifilm Instax SQ6 for some therapeutic walks to en

Operation Visit Japan – a lesson about Personal Goal Setting

The year is 2010, I am living paycheck to paycheck and I didn’t realize yet that I was stuck in a cycle that would not c

Why did I give up meat (and more) for a week?

Not long after arriving in Japan, I started to have digestive issues. I thought my changed diet was a shock to my system but a

Poorly explaining the joy of Blogging and Content Creation

I’ve got myself a new camera and though my reasons I have trouble vlogging remain, I must say I have been enjoying creat

15 year Anniversary of blogging

Today marks the fifteen-year anniversary of Jamaipanese.com. While looking back at old posts and reminiscing its obvious that

Video: Project “Ferry” – Oki Kisen 隠岐汽船

Small island life in Japan involves spending a lot of time on ferries and boats. The island where I live and work has about 23

Japan Scene 11: I can’t swim!

Doraemon has been finally set free (I am told) but it seems I was been enslaved in a different sense when I somehow forgot tha

Taking the JLPT N4 again, 3rd time’s a charm?

The year that is 2020 has been “challenging” to put it lightly. My Japanese learning journey continues with my imp

New web host! – everything still works?

The last few months have been a frustrating tug-o-war with my former web host for Jamaipanese.com. My blog was performing poor