Creating Calm in Children's Minds

Well, I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later. At least in more upscale neighborhoods, they are now teaching children how to relax using yoga and massage in after-school classes.

Don't be surprised if you decide to take on a non-JET English teacher position and they ask to see your massage therapy or yoga certification papers. LOL.

Imaginarius video

A shameless plug, I know. This has nothing to do with being an ALT or Japan, for that matter, but my band just put together our first video. If you're into Alternative Rock, you can check it out here. Thanks!

Second Life, Second Lingo

I thought this article was an interesting way for an English teacher in Japan to get his students more involved in cross-cultural exchange.

Cucumber soda?!

Apparently, Pepsi Japan has decided to launch a soft drink that tastes just like cucumber. As nasty as it sounds, it seems to be extremely popular.

Nova handed suspension order

If you decide to work for Nova, don't be surprised if you see a bunch of upset students. This won't affect you, the Teacher, but apparently, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry asked the company to suspend part of its business operations for holding back money from students who cancelled their contracts. Full article can be found here.

Human Tetris

One of my colleagues passed this Japanese variety show clip along. I hadn't seen it before, but thought it was worth sharing here.

"Teaching English in Japan" Podcast

I stumbled across this great podcast called "Teaching English in Japan" done up by an ALT named Chaz. He offers a lot of insight into his daily life in Japan. Definitely worth a look!

ALT Online gets a new look and location!

Notice anything different? Yup, gave the site a new look and location (please update your bookmarks!). I decided to do this so that I could update the pages more easily and efficiently. Hope you like it -- and thanks for dropping by!

What the World Eats

Not sure how long you will have access to this, but I thought it was pretty interesting. It's a series of photos showing what people around the world eat in one week. This week's issue of Time Magazine has the gallery and it starts off showing a Japanese family and what they consume during one week.