Active Life educates through language, sports, art and cultural exchange. Join our projects and interact with the international community!
Active Life educates through language, sports, art and cultural exchange. Join our projects and interact with the international community!
Active Life educates through language, sports, art and cultural exchange. Join our projects and interact with the international community!
Japan is an island nation shaped by mountains. From Hokkaidō to Okinawa, its rugged landscapes offer beautiful hiking trails, volcanic scenery, and popular winter sports areas. Although Japanese mountains are not as tall as those in other parts of the wo ...
In Japanese contemporary literature, food is never just food. It’s memory, emotion, and sometimes—like in Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto—a quiet declaration of love. First published in 1987, Kitchen became an instant classic, not only for its delicate prose ...
(How to understand the colors, process, and what to expect) If you live in Japan and already have a driver’s license, sooner or later you’ll have to renew it. The renewal process may seem confusing at first, especially because most of the information ...
Japanese summer can be really hot and humid. It lasts from June to September, with the hottest months being July and August. This year, the heat was especially intense, reaching about 40 degrees Celsius in some cities. During summer, there are many festi ...
Summer in Japan is famously hot and humid. Everywhere you go, you'll find kakigori shops (shaved ice) offering sweet relief, people gracefully fanning themselves, and many wearing colorful yukata, the light cotton kimonos perfect for summer festivals. Du ...
If you’re learning Japanese, you’ve probably come across the word gohan (ごはん). It’s one of the first words taught in any beginner class, usually translated as “rice” or “meal.” But did you know that gohan represents much more than just food? ...
A group of volunteers of the Ushiku City International Association Cooking Division, in Ibaraki Prefecture, organizes an event called “The World Home Cooking” 世界家庭料理の会 (sekai katei ryori no kai), held two or three times a year since 1994. They pr ...
About Karo Neighborhood, in Tottori, Japan I have always lived between two worlds: the coast and the mountains of Ecuador, with their eternal rivalry. That's why, when I first visited Tottori City—in 2004—I was struck by the harmony in which the sea a ...
Confessions of a Japanese Linguist (NJM Publishing, 2014) is a detailed book by Shane Jones, an American ceramist artist, Japanese/English translator and language teacher who shares, with tons of generosity, all his thoughts and secrets on how to really ...
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador, through its Embassies around the world, gives recognition to Volunteer Ecuadorian organizations’ Leaders for their efforts to promote Ecuadorian citizens’ well-being and participation in the social life of the ...