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W is for 不思議
is for fushigi, or the Japanese word for wonder. There are so many wondrous, marvelous places in Japan; too many to speak of them all in a post like this. Since coming to Japan, I have gone to so many...
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X is for X
is for batsu, or the Japanese word for wrong, typically written as ‘X’. As a teacher, I use “batsu” a lot. But I’m not going to use this post to talk about what was “wrong” with anything; rather, I’m...
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Y is for 雪祭り
is for yuki matsuri, or the Japanese word for snow festival. Of all the trips I’ve made to Japan, my seven-day-stint in Hokkaido has got to be the most memorable. I talked briefly about it in my F is...
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Z is for 材料
is for zairyou, or the Japanese word for ingredients. Life in Japan can be a wonderful experience, but not everyone who comes here loves it, or understands it. Beyond the obvious language and custom...
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Whimsical Automata
Tin, wood, paper, and plaster are scattered across the workshop of a small museum in Arimaonsen, a quaint hot spring town in Hyogo Prefecture, near Kobe. The projects on the tables are in various...
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Fickle Hydrangea
Hydrangea are known as the "fickle" flower in Japan, since over the years, the hue you planted is not always the hue that blooms. Because of this, many Japanese look at the hydrangea like a fickle...
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Gion Matsuri
There are three big festivals in Kyoto, and one of the most famous, Gion Matsuri, is happening this month. The festival takes place throughout the entire month. For about a week now, the streets have...
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Appeasing the Dead: The Blood Ceiling of Hosen-in
The paths one can take in Kyoto are long and meandering. As a city, Kyoto’s boundaries stretch about 830km², nearly seven San Franciscos in area. One of my favorite places to go is Ohara, a small...
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Lycoris, the Cluster Amaryllis
It’s the time of year in Kyoto when the rice starts hanging heavy in the fields, gradually browning. The grains brush against each other, the winds from the mountains cooling the city, harkening the...
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Adventures in Japanese Snacking
The Top 5 Strangest Snacks I've Eaten in Japan. Would you eat sugared squid? Pickled Plum? What about apple-flavored potato chips? Here are five of the most...
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It’s Fall… Time to Order Cake, Postcards, and O-sechi!
It is November 1st, and fall is officially upon us here in Kyoto. The markets are full of purple sweet potato and persimmons, the wind is picking up, and all around, the leaves are turning ruby and...
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Kyoto in Tilt
The last few days of fall are upon us. The changing colors came late this year. Soon, winter will be here, and with it, the last season I’ll spend in Japan. I’m still processing what that means to me,...
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Golden Dolphins in Nagoya
The golden dolphins of Nagoya Castle are interesting for several reasons, not the least of which that the golden scales on them are made from real melted gold bullion. Many years ago, while the...
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Tunnel of Light in Nabana
A bit behind reporting on this well after the holidays, but I couldn’t help myself from showing you all photos from the nationally-known illumination of Nabana-no-Sato, a small tourist-centric village...
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The Long Road
I’ve recently started looking into getting my B.C. driver’s license, and it got me nostalgic for the days I used to spend on the road with my family. The trips I took my partner on when we first...
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