Whenever I open the app, I get ads from AliExpress, etc that are really disturbing. Things like a person holding a severed pig's foot (because I have a pigs board but they are alive cute pics) and ads for caneras where it's two people in bed like they are recording p*orn. I reported it but it keeps showing up.
At my witt's and!
Hello everyone. I have a question about what I'm not sure is a glitch or a new layout: when I go to a board with sections, I now have to scroll left and right to see the sections vs them all being laid out in a grid as they were before. Over this section it says "No saves yet - save ideas you love and fill this board with what inspires you", but the pins are right there! Right below that line in that stupid scrolly section.
I painted Sapporo, Japan in Autumn from a picture I took. I made a mistake with the grass in the water, but I like it overall. I really like Quentin Blake and William Steig. I displayed it in my dining area. It's the first of my paintings that I have displayed.
I've been decluttering my apartment and decided to re-home Edgar.
He's been with me since April (I got him accidentally when I bid on two of the same pigs, Ikea no longer sells them in Japan, and won both).
Here he is saying goodbye to Hamlet, Horatio and Neige. He's been purchased in less than 24 hours after listing him for sale!
All the best in your new home, Edgar!
Hello everyone. I'm a 35 year old from the Caribbean currently on the JET programme (going into my third year). I have a BA in literature and linguistics and 1 year teaching at home (I switched careers).
I would like to continue working in a highschool environment, so I'm choosing a teaching license over the distance MAs that are typically done by people in my situation.
However, I know one needs to be in a classroom setting to do this, but it can't be done in my current setting. So, I'm considering completing my 3 years here, saving aggressively, then moving to the UK to complete the one year program.
How much of a fools errand do you think this is? Has anyone done something similar successfully?
Thank you!
Hello everyone. I'm a 35 year old from the Caribbean currently on the JET programme (going into my third year). I have a BA in literature and linguistics and 1 year teaching at home (I switched careers).
I would like to continue working in a highschool environment, so I'm choosing a teaching license over the distance MAs that are typically done by people in my situation.
However, I know one needs to be in a classroom setting to do this, but it can't be done in my current setting. So, I'm considering completing my 3 years here, saving aggressively, then moving to the UK to complete the one year program.
How much of a fools errand do you think this is? Anyone done something similar successfully?
Thank you!
From*
I live in Hokkaido, Japan, and recently discovered this iwashi kabayaki ,which is sardines that are grilled and brushed with a sweet soy sauce glaze. It's so good. I add some lemon juice and chilli crisp sometime and eat it as an after work snack.
It's three cans for ¥600
I (I'm 35) met someone (37). Things were going great, we have a lot in common, he is really thoughtful, he gave me flowers last week and then the next day started acting VERY cold.
Yesterday he said to me after I asked if he was ok (actual conversation):
Guy: Good evening! Everything is fine. I’m just emotionally distancing myself😅
Me: Hey _____ . Why are you emotionally distancing yourself?
Guy: It’s a habit of mine. Often, when I start getting close to people, everything goes to shit.
Me: Firstly, thanks for being honest about how you feel. I appreciate that. I wish you wouldn't distance yourself because that means you're not giving yourself a chance to prove that maybe not "everything goes to shit"
Now even though I said that last sentence, and the rest of the chat went back to him being himself, I feel conflicted because, while I'm not anxiously attached, when I have an avoidant partner (which I had once before. Though I don't know if this new guy is avoidant), I was very anxious. Last week I felt that way (though I didn't say anything to him) when he suddenly became so distant.
I plan to just observe how it goes for now. What has your experience been with someone like this and how did you proceed? In my last experience, I became super guarded because of his hot and cold ways, and we eventually broke up.
Two years ago I moved from Trinidad and Tobago to Hokkaido, Japan. My life drastically changed for the better.
I didn't have Instagram, but created it because my younger cousins asked me to. Over time I found myself becoming more and more obsessive about how my posts made me appear: does this show I'm happy here? Does this show my life has improved? Does this show I'm loved and have friends? Etc. Everything became proof and I overshared a LOT. I couldn't just experience something. The first thing I would think was "how would I post this?"
A couple months ago. I took a picture of the sunlight through the trees on my way home and posted it. I thought it was beautiful. People viewed it but didn't like it. I deleted it. Then I immediately felt...I don't know ... repulsion? It felt like I suddenly looked down at something I was eating with relish and saw it was actually rotten. I immediately deactivated my Instagram.
It was very spur of the moment , so I lost contact with lots of people (some people had my WhatsApp and they messaged but to most people, I just disappeared lol).
After I came off Instagram, I used WhatsApp status in the same vein, albeit way less; however, the more time passes the less I feel like I want to share ANYTHING. I still take a LOT of pictures, but I don't feel the need to share them.
I post one or two on WhatsApp status occasionally if I go somewhere because it seems my family thinks I'm dead if I don't, but I don't share anything personal because I no longer need to prove anything about myself to anyone. I don't need others' opinion for my life to be real or have meaning.
I'm a 35 black childfree woman living in Hokkaido. I've been here since 2024. At first, I met and dated another JET programme ALT, but after we broke up, I installed tinder, hinge and bumble.
Now, before you tell me I should've focused on dating in real life, I'll say that doesn't work for me. I have a very robust social life, and many of the men I meet are too young, already taken, single but have kids, I'm not attracted to or vice versa.
So, the apps. For one, most men there say they want kids or they are ENM. Then I have found (paid for a week premium occasionally) that most of the men who actually like me are Japanese men (duh, it's Japan), but I feel like foreign men who come here are only interested in Japanese women (I lived in France and had no issue meeting men; in fact, I changed my hinge location to there and got a LOT of likes).
I matched and went on two dates with foreigners, but one could barely speak English and the other was here for only 6 months
Ok, so date Japanese men then. Well, many of the men who like me seem to only do so because I'm black (if you know, you know about the Asian men who really like hip hop, rap etc) or a foreigner (they want to "try something new"), and so when we matched they would sexualize me a lot. Sometimes they were good at texting, but when we met, they were unhinged: trying to touch me. Ask gross questions (eg: one guy asked me if my ass was real or a bbl)
So, after 6 months, I'm calling it quits. I have a lot of hobbies, friends etc, so I was simply looking for companionship, but it's a sunken place
I moved from Trinidad and Tobago to Hokkaido Japan in 2024. I never had a routine because I never had problems with my skin. However, when I came to Japan, my skin began being really dry due to winter and there were lots of tiny bumps. Around my mouth also started getting very dark.
I started using hada labo cleanser, the gokujyunn lotion and milk for the dryness. The shirojyun gel and melano cc for the darkness. Nothing helped. I then tried exfoliating with innistree aha once a week for the tiny bumps. Also didn't help (the before picture was a not so bad day)
I came across a post about using just basic skin care with no crazy additives and decided to try curel. I started on the 3rd June and this is my face on the 14th. I just use the cleanser and the lotion. That's it. Nothing else (beside the kiss me mommy SPF)
The cleanser is foaming and non stripping. I can wash my face and it doesn't look ashy before moisturizer. The moisturizer is sort of whipped and silky and very effective. They are expensive, but I think I can get two months out of the 40g jar of moisturizer.
Hello all.
I work as a highschool English teacher and recently one of the native English speakers choose "indeed" in answering this question. To me, it's correct; however, the Japanese teacher said it should be "necessarily". To me, the latter sounds strange
War ______ brings sadness
Thank you!
Hello! The day after my 35th birthday, I found this little pig at a thrift store. She wasn't for sale, but I begged and they sold her to me!
I named her Neige (Snow in French), for obvious reasons, but also I'm an expat in Hokkaido (snowiest part of Japan).
Since then, I have been taking her on adventures. I enjoy photography, sewing and craft, so I also really enjoy making her clothes and accessories and taking her picture
Hello everyone. I'm entering my third year in a senior high school. The students are supposed to be on the more academic side.
I am thankfully given quite a few responsibilities as it relates to lesson preparation, which I'm glad about as someone with a teaching background.
However, one thing I noticed that bothers me, and I'm not sure what to do about it, is the reliance on Google translate. To write simple one or two sentence answers to questions like "who is your best friend?” or "what did you do this weekend?” (questions based on grammar points they were supposed to have covered the weeks before my class, example: past tense, adjectives etc), my JTE tells the kids to use Google translate. Naturally, the kids simply write the sentence in Japanese and copy it entirely.
So, I get students who can't even use "is and are" right writing very grandiose sentences in English.
I have created templates for each question, given examples, walked around and individually helped with word selection, but the teacher just tells them to use Google translate, so they have stopped asking for help and simply do that.
I said maybe they can use an online dictionary to look up individual words. This way they still practice sentence construction, grammar points etc. He said that's too hard. What is the point then?
Not sure what to do at this point. Any advice is appreciated. Thank you!
Hello everyone! I don't know if it's because my 35th birthday is approaching (tomorrow!), but ive been overhauling my life for the past few months. One thing i 've been struggling with is Instagram
Almost two years ago, I moved from the Caribbean to Japan. Before moving, I never had Instagram, but I created it to keep in touch with family and friends. However, it has become a way to perform my new life in Japan. EVERYTHING I do, my first thought it "i should take a picture to share".
I'm quite self-aware and so I noticed this habit and tried creating boundaries (only post this or that not this or that) and soon I became overwhelmed trying to determine what fit those boundaries, and the voice that says "take a picture so people can see you're doing ______" never went away
Eventually, I realised how crazy it is. I found myself thinking (subconsciously) "if no one saw this thing, how will people know I'm enjoying my life here. That I have friends and beautiful things and eat nice food and travel etc" and if I posted something, even if I was excited about it, if no one liked it, i would second guess it! MENTAL (note: my life in my country was never this interesting. I couldn't afford to travel or buy nice things and didn't have many friends)
So, I deactivated Instagram, and I know I can't return to my old ways, I dont want to. I dont want to be a spectacle, but I find myself thinking "if I'm not posting those things, what is the point of Instagram?". I dont want to observe others life without my own contributions because then i'd feel bad about myself because no one is SEEING i too do interesting things
So, how do you use instagram in a healthy way? (if that is even possible). I appreciate all advice and critique.
I'm soon to be 35 and single. I'm an expat in Hokkaido, Japan, and dating is tough to say the least. I'm also black and childfree, so dating truly is turned up to max difficulty for me.
Dating aside, I have a great social life and many (maybe too many) hobbies. I exercise, eat well, and I live somewhere I enjoy (for the most part. Winter is rough), and I'm working towards improving my career.
My life is, for the most part, where I want it, but I would still like a partner. We are social creatures, and while there are other types of connections, they all fill a different role. So I often feel that when people tell me "build the life you want and you won't need a man", it's disregarding that.
What are our thoughts about this?