Top 10 faves from QQ's adventure in Japan

Almost forgot that I wanted to do a top 10 series for my Japan adventure too, following my first top 10 posts in the Tiger year.

So, what are my readers most interested in, in terms of living/ working and travelling in Japan?

*drum roll* in descending order...

1. How do I prepare for the JET interview?
Not surprising... the most popular post is about how to join the JET program, since "QQ's adventure in Japan" all started with JET. Interested to join us in sharing Singapore's culture with foreigners, imparting knowledge to students, or taking weekend trips all around Japan? Start from JET :)

2. Life-size Gundam
Love the Gundam series, then you have to visit the 1:1 real-size Gundam statue, complete with the light sabre. Catch the 18m statue in action in Shizuoka.

3. I'm on L Plate
Though I do not drive, out of curiosity, I did some research on the L plate system in Japan. In fact, they have stickers for elderly drivers and handicapped drivers as well. Sometimes, some bicycle riders also stuck these stickers on their bicycles, including me. :P

4. Magnificent Winter Illuminations at なばなの里
The winter illuminations is an annual event at なばなの里 (Nabana no sato). Catch the beautiful rainbow-tunnel or large scale illuminations during winter. Beware of crowds though. It's really very, very crowded.

5. I have a FRACTURE?! in my right wrist?!
Probably one of the worst event that happened during my JET year. A fracture in my dominant wrist, which then led to 3 weeks of arm-in-cast situation. A documentation of the A&E visit and then a followup on how I survived the ordeal with my non-dominant left hand.

6. A New School Year.. How Different is it?
A must-read for all who are interested in the public schools in Japan. In this post, I compared the new school year between Japan's public school and Singapore's public school.

7. My first studio shoot - and it's in kimono!
Triggered by a very random urge to wear the kimono, I went on a search for a photo shoot package. I penned down the entire procedure from choosing of the kimono, hairdo, makeup, to actual wearing and photo shoot. What can I say... photo shoots in Japan are really expensive! But I guess it is all worthwhile :D

8. My First Cooking Class & It's in Japanese...
If you are a newbie to cooking like me, then you might be interested in cooking classes after settling down in Japan. Most, if not all, cooking schools offer a trial session. Via this a blog post I shared on my first attempt at the trial cooking class.

9. Getting my first pair of spectacles in Japan
Always wanted those fancy wireframed glasses as I window-shopped... hence I finally acted on my shopping impulse and ordered my first pair of spectacles. I also documented on the eyesight test. By the way, for some shops, you need to go for eyesight tests before you can buy off-the-counter contact lenses, too.

10. 八扇の湯 vs あらたまの湯
As an onsen-lover, I have visited the major onsens in Hamamatsu, my city then. This is the comparison between the northern most onsen, あらたまの湯, and the southern most onsen, 八扇の湯. However, my favourite is still 風と月 nearer to where I used to stay.

And then, here is a special mention to this blog post, which is in the list, but removed as it is not related to theme. Probably it gained popularity as Gantz 2, the movie is being aired in Singapore right now.

Let's solve Gantz's mysteries!

As a true blue 二宮-fan, I watched all his 3 movies which were aired in Japan during my one year stay on the big screen. :) And of course, that includes Gantz 2. Lots of spoilers (Beware!) in this post, as I tried to explore the explanations for the many mysteries from Gantz 1 to 2.

Do catch 二宮-kun on the big screen in Singapore! :)

And so, I guess, the chapter of my life in Japan ends with this blog post, too. Hope that this blog has been useful to many who are interested in working/ travelling in Japan. :)

Onward to the next chapter... 頑張りましょう！