About the Author
Hello, this blog is about my life as a father, Buddhist and Japanophile / Koreaphile. Any useful information I can pass along will hopefully make the Internets a better place. Thanks for reading!
Category Archives: Japan
“May Disease” strikes Japan yearly
Recently I was listening to a JapanesePod101.com episode1 and they talked about something called gogatsu-byō (五月病) which can be translated as “May Disease”. According to Wikipedia JP, April is an important time for both school and work because. New students … Continue reading
Off to Japan once again!
Hi everyone, Just a quick announcement that my wife, daughter and I will be taking another trip to Japan in the second-half of August. Normally we go at the end of the year so we can enjoy New Year’s and … Continue reading
Happy Mother’s Day 2012
Happy Mother’s Day, everyone! My daughter made this for my wife earlier this week. Mother’s Day is observed in Japan on the same day as haha no hi (母の日, “Mother’s Day”). Since we live in the US, my wife and … Continue reading
Posted in Family, Japan
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Happy Children’s Day 2012!
Hi folks! May 5th in Japan is a well-known holiday called kodomo no hi (こどもの日) or Children’s Day. Originally, it was Boy’s Day (to match Girl’s Day in March) but has expanded to include all children. However, a lot of … Continue reading
Posted in Family, Japan
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Family Restaurants in Japan
Most people when they think of “Japanese food”, they think of sushi, seaweed and such, but another side of Japanese cuisine is often ignored, unless you live there (or visit often like me): Family Restaurants. Family Restaurants, or famiresu (ファミレス), … Continue reading
Posted in Cooking, Japan, Travel
7 Comments
Being a Foreigner is a Pain, anywhere
Think of it as plastic memory, this force within you which trends you and your fellows toward tribal forms. This plastic memory seeks to return to its ancient shape, the tribal society. It is all around you—the feudatory, the diocese, … Continue reading
“Space Brothers” coming to the big screen!
I was very excited to hear from my wife a while back that one of my favorite Japanese manga, 宇宙兄弟 (uchū kyōdai) or “Space Brothers” is coming to the big screen in Japan. When I was first looking for Japanese … Continue reading
Posted in Astronomy, Japan, Japanese, JLPT, Language, Literature, Science
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Seaweed: Japanese and Korean style!
Unlike 20 years ago, it’s much easier to find seaweed food products in the West. I know, because when I was a teenager, sushi was new and hip and strange (remember the lunch scene from The Breakfast Club?), but now … Continue reading
Posted in Cooking, Health, Japan, Korea
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It’s That Time Again: Cherry Blossoms!
I don’t know why, but I love spring. But of course, one of the most memorable things about Spring are blossoms! In Japanese these are known as sakura (桜) and in Korean I think1 these are known as peotggot (벚꽃), … Continue reading
Recycling in Japan: A How-To Guide
So here’s something I learned the hard way. When I last visited Japan and stayed at my wife’s parents’ home1 and I wanted to help around the house since I eat all their food, and create a load of laundry … Continue reading
