JACET Summer Seminar in Kusatsu

I just came back from Kusatsu Onsen, a famous spa resort in Gunma Prefecture. There, I attended Japan Association of College English Teachers (JACET) Summer Seminar as one of the invited speakers along with Alister Cumming and Razika Sanaoui.

I had a great time at the four-day event. It was great to see some familiar faces--people who have been involved in the field of L2 writing for quite a while--and some people I had not previously met. Many of them said they were also coming to the Symposium on Second Language Writing in September. I was really excited to see that L2 writing has become a viable topic in Japan.

At the end of each day, we enjoyed various activities, including a concert, barbecue, outdoor foot baths and, of course, onsen. Some of us also stayed up late, enjoying ourselves in the lobby until 3 a.m.

More pictures are available at: http://picasaweb.google.co.jp/pmatsuda/Kusatsu

All in all, it was a great event--well organized and executed. I highly recommend it!