I’m still finding excuses to write about Japan!

It has been 15 years this month since I moved to Japan to teach English — yet not a day has gone by since I’ve returned that I haven’t thought of my experiences there.

If you’ve come here via the Japan category in my blog, you may like to check out my last two posts for Writer Interrupted.

In September, I wrote about the kanji for “busy,” which is composed of the radicals that mean “death” and “heart.” My post is geared for parents who are torn between the demands of family and God’s call on the heart to write.

Slowing Down the Writer’s Heart

My October post focuses on Siri Mitchell’s book, Moon Over Tokyo. If you’re looking for a fun romantic novel that will whisk you away to the heart of Japan, I highly recommend this book. It was fantastic armchair traveling for this mama on a shoestring budget.

Inspired by the Great Outdoors

What about Japanese culture or language inspires you most? I’m thinking that October might be a good month to encourage my kids to write some haiku poetry.

P.S. If you’re interested in going overseas to teach in an international school, I’ve discovered Kelly Blackwell’s blog, All You Need to Know About Teaching Overseas, to be a rich source of helpful information! This type of advice wasn’t around when I was looking into teaching overseas — I had to look in books and go to the Japanese consulate in my hometown to nose around for ideas. If the timing seems right in your life, you should go for it!