A Spooky Short Story for Halloween from my Latest Book TOKYO TALES called ‘The Lucky Bar in Nihonbashi’.

It’s time for a spooky Halloween treat! Sit back, relax and read my short story The Lucky Bar in Nihonbashi from my latest book Tokyo Tales: A Collection of Japanese Short Stories.

Nihonbashi is a business district in Tokyo. The character in this story has had a terrible day and she decides to drop in for a drink at the ‘Lucky Bar’ near Nihonbashi train station on her way home from work but everything is not as it seems . . . I’m sorry but I’m not going to give away the end of the story here. You’ll have to read the entire story from below to find out what happens. Whether you’ve been to Japan or not, I’m hoping you’ll enjoy this supernatural short story.

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THE LUCKY BAR IN NIHONBASHI

It was the fourteenth of June and it seemed like the worst day of the year for me. Everything had turned sour for me that day. For starters, it was the beginning of the tsuyu rainy season in Tokyo and I’d left my umbrella on the train that morning in my rush to get to the office. Leaving my workplace at the end of the day without anything to shield me from the rain outside, I knew I looked just as pathetic now as I did when I’d arrived at my desk at eight thirty a.m.

I remembered stumbling into work after running three blocks from Nihonbashi train station to my office not long after eight fifteen in the morning with just a plastic bag covering my head to protect me from the pouring rain. I’d wiped myself down in the crowded elevator while everyone else had shoved to one side so they didn’t have to rub up against my wet clothes. As I exited the lift on the eighth floor, I felt the eyes of everyone in the office upon me as if they were judging me for showing up looking like 51YvolbLYXL._SX311_BO1,204,203,200_I’d been for a swim in my work clothes. I sat down in front of my PC trying to hide from and ignore the amused expressions and the snickers from the three girls who always sat next to me . . . READ THE REST OF THE STORY.

Final Chance for You to Give a Donation to The Japan Society Tohoku Earthquake Relief Fund

I’ve been donating ten per cent of my profit from the sales of my paperback Tokyo Hearts: A Japanese Love Story to the JAPAN SOCIETY TOHOKU EARTHQUAKE RELIEF FUND since June 2012 and this ends on 31 December 2014. If you have thought about making a donation to help the victims of this terrible disaster and if you’re interested in literature set in Japan, you can buy a copy of TOKYO HEARTS from Amazon. TOKYO HEARTS is also available from more than sixty other retailers online and in stores worldwide.

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Optimized-Tokyo Hearts coverA COUPLE OF BOOK REVIEWS FOR TOKYO HEARTS: A JAPANESE LOVE STORY

“I love being introduced to new settings in books and this one was particularly wonderful. It is very clear that the author knows her stuff when it comes to all things Japanese – making me ache to actually go to that part of the world. To be honest, it had never really appealed to me before reading this book. Tokyo Hearts is absolutely charming and, with its innocence intact, I would highly recommend it to teens as well as adults. I loved the purity and charm of the characters and wonder if most Japanese are as polite and thoughtful to one another as Takashi and Haruka? In fact I would suggest that this book should be marketed to the NA fan – with its coming of age appeal, I think that all young and new adults would find it particularly engaging. The first line pretty much sums up the style of the book – ‘On the last tempestuous Thursday in July, Takashi discovered the difference between the type of girl that a boy could like and the type of woman that a man could love’. Sigh, isn’t that just beautiful? It’s kind of like those old folklore tales we were told as children, but for a slightly older audience and that’s what I liked about this book” — Fiction Dreams

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“A coming of age story, almost a novella, that charts the relationship between Takashi and Haruka. For us this is a fabulous novel that weaves its way into the heart of Tokyo life and brings the city into sharp focus for the reader. This is a great novel for exploring frenetic Tokyo life, offering up little aspects that make Tokyo, well, Tokyo. The automatic opening of taxi doors, the young peoples’ love of Western and Japanese named brands, descriptions of the kotatsu heaters that many older style dwellings still have. Pocky Sticks! The intricacies of the subway lines . . . if you fancy an armchair trip to Tokyo, either to rekindle memories of a visit, or to prepare for an upcoming journey; or just because you want a bit of insight, then give this book a go.” — TripFiction

Do You Need a University Degree to Teach English in Japan?

So you’re thinking about going to Japan to work as an English teacher. You’ve heard you can make a lot of money, you love to eat sushi, you want to see all the latest technology in Akihabara and you want to travel all over the world and Japan seems like a great place to live for twelve months before you conquer the rest of Asia. There’s just one thing nagging you at the back of your mind – you don’t have a university degree and you’ve heard this can be a real deal breaker when you’re looking for a job in Japan. On the other hand, after speaking to a few of your peeps on Twitter or Facebook, you’ve also heard that you just need to be a native English speaker and you shouldn’t have any problems finding a well-paid job even though you haven’t completed a tertiary education.

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I truly believe anyone can succeed in Japan with the right determination and a sincere personality. However, please believe me when I tell you that if you do have a university degree, it will be a hundred times easier for you to get a job in Japan.

So why is it so important to have a university degree when you’re a native English speaker? Well, I’d like to share with you why I believe it’s such an important requirement for the top language schools in Japan: When you study at university you often have two exams and an assignment to complete for each subject. For example, when I studied my business course I had twenty-four subjects to complete. That equates to forty-eight exams and twenty-four assignments. When your assignments are marked by your lecturers, they can penalize you for poor grammar and incorrect spelling so you soon learn that you should always make sure your work has no mistakes when your submit it. For this reason, Japanese employers know you automatically have a great command of the English language, simply because you attended university.

It’s your choice whether you study hard and do well at university but it’s also your choice if you want to party. If you can’t find the right balance between homework and socializing and if you skip your lectures and tutorials and study the bare minimum, you’ll soon realize there is no-one there to give you the type of guidance you received in high school. If you continue to go out all the time and your grades are poor, you’ll probably be told at the end of your first year at university that you might not be able to continue into your second year. Japanese employers know that university graduates worked hard to finish their degrees and therefore they are more likely to stay in the job and dedicate themselves to their responsibilities as an English instructor.

You might be thinking now: I know my English language skills are good so do I really need a degree if I want to teach English in Japan? The reason a degree is so important is because being a university student requires discipline and working in Japan as an English teacher truly requires an enormous amount of discipline. Not only will you be obligated to follow a strict curriculum at the better known English language schools, you’ll also have to be on time despite a complicated train system. You’ll need to make sure you get to work in high humidity levels which can be tiring and exhausting in the rainy season, and you’ll need to be an interesting and dedicated teacher even if you’ve been partying until late the night before with your new-found friends in Roppongi or Shibuya.

Here are a few more reasons: Have you considered the possibility that you could end up staying in Japan for more than just one year? If you have a university degree, you can open up a lot more doors to many more exciting job propositions and even better paid employment. Furthermore, have you considered the likelihood that you may end up applying for a Business Visa or you may even end up marrying a Japanese national? In either of these circumstances, you’ll be pleased you spent the extra time studying at university so you can stop working as an English instructor and broaden your horizons in IT, journalism, tourism, broadcasting, marketing, graphic design and the list goes on.

Finally, in the lead up to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, more jobs are becoming available for foreigners in a lot of different areas. You may still be in Tokyo in 2020 and at that point in time the competition for good jobs will invariably increase. Don’t you want to stand out from the rest of the crowd and get the best job you know you deserve? Your university degree may get you the job and give you the confidence to do well in your interview.

So, if you really want to go to university or if your halfway through your degree but you have a burning desire to teach English in Japan, please don’t forget about your studies because they can only stand you in good stead later on in life.

Read a Short Story from TOKYO TALES called ‘My Cute Kawaii Boutique’ with an Illustration by Yoshimi OHTANI –

My Cute Kawaii Boutique is the first of fifteen exciting short stories from my latest book Tokyo Tales: A Collection of Japanese Short Stories. This particular story is a tale about the “kawaii” obsession in Japan that is gaining popularity throughout the world, as well as personal growth and strong family ties. As an extra treat, take the time to feast your eyes on the gorgeous illustration by Yoshimi Ohtani, designed specifically for this tale. Many more of Yoshimi’s images are scattered throughout Tokyo Tales and on the book cover.

MY CUTE KAWAII BOUTIQUE

‘I’m twenty-one years old and I’ve been working part-time for a fashion shop in Yokohama for two years but now I’d really like to work for My Cute Kawaii Boutique,’ I told Junko, the manager of this delightful shop, during my interview in Harajuku. I was full of hope she’d approve of me as I thought about how wonderful it would be to work in such a pretty place.

Junko, the manager of My Cute Kawaii Boutique, looked me over slowly from head to toe. A shiver ran down the back of my neck and I rubbed my clammy palms over the top of my skirt. This was only the second time I’d ever been interviewed.

‘Are you happy to work here full-time?’ Junko asked.

‘Full-time work would be perfect for me,’ I replied.

‘I need to employ someone who doesn’t need to be constantly supervised. Do you think you could work in this store by yourself sometimes without any help, Kimiko-san?’ Junko asked me, raising one eyebrow.

‘I think I’ll be able to manage just fine after a little bit of training,’ I said to Junko. I licked my dry lips and hoped Junko couldn’t see that my hands had started to shake.

51YvolbLYXL._SX311_BO1,204,203,200_‘That’s a good answer,’ said Junko as she ran her eyes over my resume.

Junko asked a few more questions about my previous retail experience in Yokohama at a shop where I’d sold predictable and appropriate clothing for staid shoppers who’d always wanted to dress exactly the same as everyone else. I thought my answers were good but maybe a bit brief. The shop in Yokohama was nothing like this one. The clothes in My Cute Kawaii Boutique allowed for individualism and creativity. A girl could really make a statement here and channel her inner princess. ” . . . READ THE FULL STORY.