Postcard from...Nagoya, Japan

Hi there blog readers!

I went to Nagoya to meet English teachers, school owners, an ex-student and a couple of really cool old friends I've not seen for a while. It was good to reconnect, talk about absent friends a bit, and to get new ideas for my classes and the year ahead.

My side hustle was making an excuse to finally photograph Nagoya Castle. I think I've been there before, but so long ago my photos will be faded as much as my memory. 

Honmaru Palace (foreground)

The first thing to know, is that it is a long walk from the station - so don't bother - get the subway! And understand this is a reconstructed, concrete job, with an awful elevator stuck on the side but ironically, no access to the main tower at the moment. Restoration to the walls is ongoing - somewhat slowly by the looks of it - and the grounds are sparse. The Honmaru Palace has been beautifully restored. A walk around the outer (now mostly dry) moat gives you a good idea of the scale (modest, I'd say). And don't be surprised when you see deer in the moat bed!

I got the impression that this castle was a bit of a peacock - look at my green roofing & golden kinshachi (fish) on the roof - but rather soulless and disconnected from the town (compared to Himeji, for example, which dominates the city...or Matsumoto, where there's ALWAYS something going on and the backdrop is stunning anyway).

Editing my photos, I realised black & white gave the structure more character. What do you think? The full set I took are here on Flickr

I was disappointed with this experience as there was not a lot of information to read, not much signage, and not a whole lot of story to attach to it....not a lot to explore or learn, nor clever angles to tease more out of the photography.

 

An away day - Cambridge in Nagoya

I don't recommend insisting on a formal dress code in Aichi/Gifu/Chubu region in the middle of summer - quite likely to have people passing out on parade, even with the air-con turned up...step outside you you melt like a cheap ice cream!

The Chubu SE team with Hyogo assist

Nevertheless, great to see speaking examiner team that has been together for quite some time now, tackling ALL levels between them from Young Learners to C2:Proficiency. Obviously, YLE is close to my heart as we at Luna offered these exams for 20+ years to our students in Matsumoto & around the country to numerous schools & venues; a whole generation of learners across Japan. Sadly no nore.

OK from the boss!

Our team 2025 also briefed on how to potentially deliver & assess exams remotely, in case of emergencies or unavailable local staff. Not easy to achieve, for technical & logistical reasons, but another 'can do' we have made sure we can provide if necessary.

As you can see, Jim's boss at JP026 is pretty happy with things - so let's hope Jim gets asked back to Nagoya next year?! Good news too - looks like candidature will be rebounding 2026, so I hope we will also be recruiting new talent to join the team. Get in touch if you are interested in examining for Cambridge.

"It's examining, but not as we know it, Jim"

Speaking Examiners at arm's length

Cooperating SEs

A couple of months ago, we were able to run a Cambridge Speaking Examiner certification session in Chikusa, Aichi, with participants very aware of the need to be safe - wearing masks throughout, being socially distanced and not sharing materials, as well as sanitising hands etc.

With recent spikes in Nagoya and Tokyo, we've unfortunately had to cancel a couple of these workshops - sensible, if inconvenient, and reassuring to all that safety is at the top of our considerations.

We are hoping that we'll be able to provide all our examiners with the professional support they'll need to safely deliver speaking tests in the next couple of months, as we try our best to run the exam sessions we are commited to. 

For JP004/Luna's YLE open sessions in Tokyo, Nagoya & Matsumoto >> 

https://luna-jp004.jp/cambridge/exam

For JP004/Luna's A2:Key & B1:Preliminary sessions in Nagano >> 

https://luna-jp004.jp/cambridge/exam

For JP004/Luna's B2:First sessions in Tokyo & Nagoya >>

https://luna-jp004.jp/cambridge/exam

Nagoya Castle

The most traditional building in my hometown is Nagoya Castle. It is in the centre of Nagoya-city.

On top of Nagoya Castle there are two gold statues of fish. Usually, the statues are called the "kin-no shachihoko" by most people.

If you go up to the "tenshukaku" of Nagoya castle, you can see all of Nagoya city, and airplanes departing form Nagoya airport.

If you go into Nagoya Castle, you have to pay JPY500.