Q: When (how long) and where were you in Japan? A: I was in Japan between 2002 and 2004 and lived in the city of Nobeoka, a small town in the north of Miyazaki Prefecture. Q: How was your time in Japan? A : My sojourn in Japan was exciting, exhilarating, rewarding, challenging, frustrating and life-impacting all in one! (smile). It was like no other experience I’d ever had, even though I had lived in other foreign countries before. The fact that the Japanese culture is so vastly different from Western and Jamaican culture is what made it so exciting and intriguing to live there. There was so much to learn, experience and absorb, and I enjoyed the many opportunities to immerse myself in Japanese culture - learning the language, ikebana and taiko drumming among other things. I found Japanese people to be warm, hospitable and friendly, going out of their way to share various aspects of their culture with me and to make me feel welcome in their country. That interaction greatly enriched