Welcome to NaturalJapan.net

With a black ratsnake I caught on the way to work

Introduction

My name is Nigel Stott and I come from the United Kingdom. I have lived in Japan since 1994 and, after quitting my job as an associate professor at Fukuoka Women’s University in April 2009, I now run my own English school and overseas study agency: eigocenter.com.

The place I live is a rural area called Munakata, which is in Fukuoka Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, in the southwestern part of Japan. Here’s a map:

Our house is within a modern housing development that is surrounded by fields and forests, with a 500-meter mountain above us. The area is ideal for nature walks, which I love. Also, it takes just ten minutes to drive to the sea and there are some excellent beaches with good places for snorkeling.

I’ve always been interested in nature and I studied entomology (insects) at Newcastle University, then worked for five years as a biology teacher in the UK, before coming out to Japan in 1994. I set up this blog to enable me to show photographs of the wildlife (mainly insects!) that share our beautiful environment here. I hope that you enjoy looking at the pictures and that you will feel free to make comments or ask questions. Also, if you have a similar wildlife blog, I’d be happy to link my site with yours.

Here are a few pictures of Munakata:

Last edited: 1 December, 2007