Big in Japan
Desperate to learn the language, Japanese schools, businesses, and government agencies offer small fortunes to just about anyone who can help teach English.
2000 / Robin Hilton / Soundprint, USA
Desperate to learn the language, Japanese schools, businesses, and government agencies offer small fortunes to just about anyone who can help teach English.
Every year thousands of Americans pack their bags and move to Japan, with the hope of cashing in on this lucrative industry. Here's a look into the subculture of these teaching communities, and an exploration into the surreal world that surrounds them in Japan.
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Robin Hilton is a producer for the popular NPR Music show All Songs Considered and host of NPR Music's Second Stage, a daily online feature and podcast presenting unsigned artists and bands. Hilton joined All Songs Considered as its producer after co-founding Small Good Thing Productions, a non-profit production company for independent film, radio and music in Athens, GA. Before that, he lived and worked in Japan as a translator for the government, and taught English as a second language to junior high school students.