Occupation:
Teacher / Web Taskmaster
Time in Japan:
9 1/2 years
Where are you from?
I' from the Emerald Isle. I was born in London and grew up in Dublin.
What brought you to Japan?
A boat - well, a ship. I took the Trans-Siberian Railway from Moscow to Nadhodka and then
a ship to Yokohama at the end of 1989. I was probably one of the last Westerners to arrive
here from the Soviet Union. Actually, I had planned to take the train to China, but events
in Tiananmen Square that summer made it less than a good idea.
What do you do here?
I teach at a private high school and work the rest of my waking hours at eigoMedia.
What is eigoMedia?
It's a company set up in 1993 by a group of teachers and programmers to develop quality
language learning software, training and support. We sell software through retail outlets
and to schools and colleges directly. And we provide software and support for
computer-assisted language labs, such as at the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of
Technology. We also produced the official CD-ROM and magazine for last year's Festival UK
'98. Last October, we started the ELT News website which has rapidly become the
place on the Internet for English teachers in Japan. I could blab on about how good it is
but I'll let the site speak for itself!
How did you get it started?
Actually, I first worked for the company as a freelance illustrator about a year after it
started. Then I became full-time, invested in the company and became a director.
What other things do you do?
When I get time off work for good behavior, it's time to unwind and head for that oasis of
sanity - Gecko Lounge in Asagaya.
What do you like about Japan most?
Apart from the usual stuff I think it's the sheer experience of being in a country which
will never accept you as one of its own and yet in many ways treats you better than its
own. As one recently returned friend said about life in Japan, "It's all good!"
What's your favorite area of Tokyo?
Shinjuku Gyoen is probably the most relaxing place in town - well worth the admission fee.
Where I live, Nishi Ogikubo, is actually a cool little place. There are lots of nice bars,
restaurants and shops in the area.
If you could change one thing about Tokyo, what would it be?
I'd outlaw smoking completely. When I came here, it didn't bother me really, but now I'm
rapidly becoming a total tobacco-Nazi. I wish more places would follow Starbucks' example.
What's the weirdest thing you've ever seen or experienced in Japan?
My first night of Japanese TV. A group of Japan's top scholars were sitting in armchairs
seriously discussing the country's bubble economy, each with a totally naked girl sitting
astride his shoulders, staring vacuously into space - no doubt fretting over whether to
buy into high-tech stocks.
If you could take one thing back from Japan to your native country, what would it
be?
The Earth Celebration held on Sado Island by the Kodo drumming group every year. Kodo are
by far the best thing that I've seen in Japan in terms of home-grown entertainment. I
can't understand why they're still almost unknown to most Japanese.
What's your recipe for a happy and successful life in Japan?
Learn the language - it's not as hard as some people would have you believe. Then again,
the more you understand, the more things can get to you if you let them. So don't let
them.
You can confine one person to eternity on the Chuo line and give one bottomless
credit account at Seibu. Who would they be?
I would stick Dave Spector on the Chuo line, except I live on it myself! The credit
account would have to go to my mother. I'm sure she would redefine the word
"bottomless."
Occupation:
LIFE IN JAPAN: