Originally from Brisbane, Australia, Linda Joyce, 45, swapped a long career in preschool English education for a role as a bilingual hotel concierge in 2024. She now works at Iizukatei, a historic property in the town of Nakagawa in rural Tochigi Prefecture.
1. What was your initial connection to Japan? My high school offered Japanese and had a sister school in Shimane Prefecture. I visited with my school choir at 14, traveled a bit and fell in love with Japan.
2. As a former presenter for English videos for day care centers, you were something of a celebrity for the preschool set, right? Yes, I was mobbed in the halls, they told me endless (sometimes startling) stories and I got love letters and millions of hugs! I loved teaching, and I don’t regret spending half my life doing it.
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