Rambling Ramsbothams

Last week, Zeb planned a wedding anniversary trip that was a surprise for Annie! They were already planning to head down to watch the F1 Race at Suzuka Circuit (that's in Part 2!) but Zeb had an even better idea on the way down. What made the hotel on Lake Biwa so unique? Listen to this week's episode to find out! Plus, we talk about conveyor belt sushi, a kaiseki dinner that was Annie&a...

The route was steep, questionable in places, and exceedingly beautiful - How many miles was the bike route? How many wild pigs did we see? Is winter really the best time to visit Shirakawa-go?  We'll answer these questions and more! We also received our first email, and will be answering questions about the JET Programme application (deadlines are November 18th for USA applicants!) and what t...

Have you heard? Japan is finally opening! Starting October 11th tourists are free to come to Japan without all the border restrictions previously in place! We'll talk about what that means & also the internal tourism subsidies rolling out for travel within Japan.  We also talk about what we did this past week, including a "welcome party" that our neighbors hosted! We got to enjo...

This past weekend we took a bike trip around the Noto Peninsula here in Ishikawa Prefecture! We started in Uchinada and cycled the perimeter counter-clockwise in three days, stopping in Wakura, Notojima, and Wajima. It was 250 miles of scenic coastal views! We'll talk about the onsen towns we stopped in, Annie's new favorite town mascot, highlights of the route, what we packed, what we a...

Today's episode might sound a little different, because we're recording from the park near Kanazawa Castle! We're in the city for Zeb's orientation with the other Ishikawa Prefecture ALTs in the JET Programme, and found a spot to record how this past week went. We'll talk about Zeb's second teaching school (Kanazawa Chuo Senior High), how to mail packages from Japan,...

This week was the start of the school year for Zeb at Uchinada High School! Hear about his week of classes, first impressions, and how his introduction went at the school assembly. But the high school-ers weren't the only students this week... Annie and Zeb started taking Japanese lessons at the town's Cultural Hall in Uchinada! We'll talk more about those classes, a beach cleanup,...

We finally have a couch and a kitchen table again! This past week our Nitori furniture got delivered, and so did our gravel bikes from home! We've already been able to go on a few longer rides around the beach, in the mountains, and to Kanazawa.  How's the riding around Uchinada? Where can you get coffee in Kanazawa? What is Omurice? Is it better to bike or take the train into the city?...

It's the 2nd half of our episode about celebrating  Obon in Kyoto! This one is all about our  hike  up Mt. Hiei, visiting the Enryakuji temple, and seeing the Daimonji fires for Obon (the Daimonji Gozan no Okuribi). Don't forget to listen to the end for our Japanese word-of-the-week!  Interested in hiking Mt. Hiei (Hieizan ) yourself? https://www.hieizan.gr.jp/en/hieizan/ If you haven&ap...

Get ready for another 2 part-er! There was so much going on last weekend in Kyoto that we couldn't fit it all in one episode. In this one, we'll talk about what the holiday of Obon is, seeing the 1001 Buddhas in the Sanjyusangendo Temple, and visiting Kiyomizu Dera Temple. We also get to enjoy an Obanzai dinner in Kyoto!  Stay tuned for later in the week to hear about our hike up Mt. Hie...

Ever wondered what living in Japan is like for foreigners?  We're Annie & Zeb Ramsbotham, hosts of "Rambling Ramsbothams".  While our journey in Japan might be rambling, we hope this podcast isn't! Join us as we move from the United States to Ishikawa Prefecture, work in the JET Programme, explore Japan by bike, and navigate our new home. This podcast is for anyone curious...

What have we been up to during our first week living in Uchinada? Join us as we talk about our new apartment, shopping for furniture (and curtains!) at Nitori, and visiting the Sea of Japan for the first time. We also get to buy (and register!?) our new mamachari bikes.  There's a Dino Park, a forest promenade trail, and a bakery just outside our apartment - what more could you want?  Also, f...

Part 2! It's our first weekend in together in Japan! In this episode, Annie talks about final packing, the process of entering Japan after the flight from the United States, and what she and Zeb have been up to so far.  Hear about ramen, Yamato luggage shipping, cicadas, art installations, and vintage markets. There's a lot to do in Shinjuku for the Tokyo weekend before heading up to the...

We're finally both in Japan! This is the first part of a two-part episode, where we talk about our arrival to Japan, Zeb's orientation in Tokyo, seeing Uchinada for the first time, and finally meeting up with Annie a week later.  How was the 13 hour flight? What was the JET Orientation like in Tokyo? How did Zeb get his Japanese residence card? What was the first day of work in Uchinada...

It's finally time to go! This is a special "road trip" episode where Annie takes Zeb to Nashville for his final day in the USA. They make a few pit stops along the way: picking up their International Driver's Permit, getting their passports (with visas!) from the Japanese consulate, and of course, lots of road trip snacks! How do they spend the final day in America before Zeb c...

We're counting down the days until Zeb's flight to Japan! In this episode we'll talk about how we're taking all of our stuff to Japan. Should be check or ship our bikes? We're also planning our first days in the country and talk about our preferred methods of travel. Should we fly or take the bullet train between Uchinada and Tokyo? And last but not least we'll cover...

What's your Cookout tray order? What kind of phone plan should you get in Japan? When does "culture shock" set in?  Zeb leaves for JET Orientation in 2 weeks and we're getting final details set before moving over, rambling about food, and reading the JET Programme General Information Handbook.  First we'll visit Annie's favorite regional fast food joint (Cookout!) for...

We chose an apartment in Japan! In this episode we'll talk about the rental contract process, the final paperwork that has to be completed before moving, and finally read a journal entry that a previous JET Programme ALT left us. What was their first experience in Uchinada, Ishikawa Prefecture like? Where will we be living? All that and more in this week's episode.  Listen to the end of...

Unlike the classic film from 1997, this signal came from our planet. Zeb's JET ALT predecessor reached out to him with a nice and informative email! In this episode we'll dive into that email and discuss some of the implications of this not so extraterrestrial contact.  We've also decided we're enjoying podcasting and we're doing our best to improve the quality. We hope th...

Today's episode is an exciting one, we learned about where Zeb will be working. He's off to Uchinada Senior High School right on the Sea of Japan coast, in Ishikawa Prefecture. In this episode we dive into where Uchinada is and talk a little about what there is to do there. There's also a little bit of rambling about what we're taking with us. Overall we're really excited...

This first episode is all about us beginning the process for our upcoming move to Japan with the JET Program. Zeb got accepted as an assistant english language teacher (an ALT), and we just found out the prefecture we'll be moving to! Our journey might be rambling, but we hope this podcast isn't!  How are we able to do this? Why did we want to? And where are we going? All of those questi...