E-12 - FOR FUKUI’S SAKE: TWO YEARS IN RURAL JAPAN by Sam Baldwin (2011, Baka Books)

Sam Baldwin chats about his life-changing two years as an English teacher on the JET Programme in the Japanese town of Ono, Fukui Prefecture. Snow-loving Sam made the most of his time in this backwoods location, especially during the winters, one of which was a record-breaker.  For Fukui’s Sake is a standout among the books written by JET participants, which is why John asked Sam to contribute to an anthology, Inaka: Portraits of Life in Rural Japan. This Bookish Asia episode also touches on Sam’s latest book, Dormice & Moonshine: Falling for Slovenia, a beautiful account of his travels around the former Yugoslav republic and his adventures buying a 300-year-old sausage-curing cabin in the Slovenia mountains.