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- Shinjuku Golden Gai + Okonomiyaki
- December 20th, 2012Category: Arts & Entertainment, Culture, Food & Dining
- Golden Gai is an infamous network of intertwining narrow alleys, which host several hole-in-the-wall (literally!) bars and clubs. Most of those bars can probably only sit six people or so, and the alleys are wide enough for one person to squeeze through. The buildings a ... » Continue Reading
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- What a Wonderful World
- December 19th, 2012Category: Arts & Entertainment, Culture
- I was fortunate enough to have my very first Spaworld experience this past Tuesday evening when, on a briskly cold school night my friend and I ventured out into the depth of downtown Imamiya to indulge ourselves in a bath. The area itself if dodgy as. In all m ... » Continue Reading
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- Christmas Trees Around the City
- December 14th, 2012Category: Arts & Entertainment, Culture, Play, Travel
- Have you ever wondered how the Christmas tree came about? We see Christmas trees everywhere especially when the holiday seasons are approaching. But very few of us know how this tradition was formed. According to history, the first tree was put up in the Strasbourg C ... » Continue Reading
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- Osaka, Japan: Kukuru Restaurant
- December 14th, 2012Category: Arts & Entertainment, Culture, Food & Dining, Travel
- Kukuru's banner inside the restaurant Takoyaki is a famous snack in Japan and almost everyone (who's not allergic to seafood or batter) knows how it tastes and how it's made. But before digging in to have a piece of this tasty treat, here's a little info: Takoyaki w ... » Continue Reading
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- The Backwaters of Tokyo
- December 13th, 2012Category: Arts & Entertainment, Culture, Food & Dining, Travel
- Tokyo is a quintessential stop on the trail of any traveler, both for foreign tourists on holiday and expats looking for a weekend away. But the popularity of the destination doesn’t mean that it must be a common trip. Having tapped out the tourist circuit the last ... » Continue Reading
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- Kabuki With Kids In Kuromori
- December 12th, 2012Category: Arts & Entertainment, Culture, Events
- Last year when our class was told that we would be seeing a kabuki performance outside Sakata, Yamagata Prefecture, I was not sure what to expect. I have seen traditional kabuki in Yamaguchi-ken three years ago and a more modern adaptation of kabuki at the Korakukan ... » Continue Reading
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- Zen Feng Shui & Yin Yangs
- December 11th, 2012Category: Culture
- You walk into a house, above the door is a Ba-Qua mirror. There is a Zen sand garden in one of the corners, a bamboo plant in another, and a painted yin yang hangs on the wall. Paper lanterns hang down from the ceiling. A fat Buddha, becomes you into the room, and i ... » Continue Reading
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- Preparing for Winter
- December 4th, 2012Category: Culture
- I wrote two different guides about surviving winter in Japan in my blog, as in Part I and Part II. After three winters in Japan and preparing for a fourth one (am I becoming a lifer?!), I think I covered the basics and can give adequate advice- after all, I'm Can ... » Continue Reading
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- Harvest 2012: Thoughts on Nature and Agriculture in Japan
- December 4th, 2012Category: Culture
- I had lunch with a friend of mine this afternoon and she mentioned how she would be completely fine living separate from her husband. She says he loves fishing so much that he wants to move the family closer to the ocean so he can go fishing everyday. She, would rather ... » Continue Reading
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- A Gaijin’s Guide to Traveling Solo
- November 30th, 2012Category: Arts & Entertainment, Culture, Play, Travel
- Fresh from an amazing weekend in Kyoto, I have just realized that it was my first time travelling solo in Japan. And I’m still alive! Here’s my gaijin guide for traveling alone: DO stare bewilderedly at maps and your guidebook and generally stick out like a forei ... » Continue Reading
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- Cats, Numbers and Other Japanese Superstitions
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