The Japanese braille system is based on the original braille script and is known as “tenji” (literally, “dot characters”) in Japanese. As with most other braille languages, it was developed together with the education for the blind during the late Read more…
Teaching in Japan is always a challenge. In the 9 years since I first came to call this country my home, I have taught in a variety of private and public schools. It’s fair to say I’ve taught in some Read more…
Notes from the Obstacle Course Dr. Michael Peckitt There is a scene in Bernardo Bertolucci’s film ‘The Last Emperor’ that has always resonated with me and even more so since moving to Japan. The Emperor, P’u Yi, now in Fushun Read more…
Born without the ability to hear, 36-year old Shinya Kawabata is the first person in Japan to complete his master’s degree thesis in sign language instead of English or Japanese. As the Japanese language and Japanese sign language differ greatly Read more…
On October 3, the Hankyu department store in Osaka hosted an event promoting the awareness of service dogs. One of the attendees, a hearing-impaired woman came with her service dog and, after the event was over, decided to grab a Read more…
A book, featuring handsome young men working at nursing care facilities, was published in September this year. The book, titled “Kaigo-danshi Studies” (“Male nursing care worker studies”) is an effort to change the public’s opinion and stereotypes about the nursing Read more…