Anyone who has taught English in Japan will be familiar with the routine departure of teachers and students that occurs in March, the end of the school year.
However, if you’re teaching at a school as part of the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme and chose not to renew your contract back in January, then you’ve likely already started saying your farewells. After you make that decision, it might feel like every moment here is now a “last”: Your last chance to see cherry blossoms, your last shot at climbing Mount Fuji, a last night out in Tokyo.
Gogo Salaswat opted to stay. The 27-year-old from Tucson, Arizona, says her first year was a challenge but, in the end, enthusiastically signed up for another year in Joetsu, Niigata Prefecture.