-
- Mount Koya: A New Lease on Life…from the Grave
- August 8th, 2012Category: Travel
- At 5:30 in the morning, I woke up to get ready for a trip outside of the city... to yet another World Heritage Site. I met my friend at the train station and we started to look for our group- yes, we were tagging along on a tour, and yes, it was only going to be in Ja ... » Continue Reading
-
- 1,376
-
- Fifty Shades of Embarrassment for the English Language
- August 7th, 2012Category: Uncategorized
- Fifty Shades of Grey by E L James Living in Japan often means that I’m last to hear of anything new. Movies don’t come out till months after their U.S release dates here, that’s if they even make it at all. So when I recently heard about an up and coming book in t ... » Continue Reading
-
- 1,588
- 1
- Shuuten: Part 1 Southern Kanto
- August 6th, 2012Category: Uncategorized
- I decided to make a world class collection of photographs that captured the life at Kanto's final stations, or "Shuuten". The task was large, difficult and expensive. But the rewards were great. "A Tree in the Sky" Copyright Escape from Your Brain Photography Day ... » Continue Reading
-
- Mount Rokko Pastures
- August 3rd, 2012Category: Uncategorized
- If you are living in the crowded Kansai area and want to escape the hustle and bustle of the cities,or a tourist in need of a break from the well worn traditional sights then Mt. Rokko Pastures maybe just the place to relax and unwind. Mt. Rokko Pastures is s ... » Continue Reading
-
- How to Make Power Stone Earrings
- August 3rd, 2012Category: Uncategorized
- SUMMER IS HERE!! It gets so hot here because of the high-humidity and all, but for the ladies out there, I want to note that wearing accessories kinda help us look all fresh and kool even during hot summer days.. and here is a little tip on how to make a pair of earrin ... » Continue Reading
-
- 3,724
- 1
- Culture Shock: Where is Japan’s Culture and is it Disappearing?
- August 3rd, 2012Category: Uncategorized
- I was not sure what to expect when I entered the office of anime, models, dolls, tanks, and starships that belonged to Professor Darren Ashmore of Akita International University. But as I was to find out: never a judge a book by its cover. With his nearly two decades ... » Continue Reading
-
- 17,936
- 2
- Facts and Myths About Japanese Swords
- August 2nd, 2012Category: Uncategorized
- A legendary weapon indeed, samurai swords have been part of Japanese history and have been a great influence on the arts, entertainment and literature. Nowadays, when we think of samurai, we imagine invincible warriors wielding sharp swords, slicing through ninjas, ca ... » Continue Reading
-
- 4,975
- 4
- Finding Imported Food in Japan: The Nightmare is Over
- August 1st, 2012Category: Uncategorized
- Several nights a week I enjoy a hot bowl of miso soup along with a wide variety of Japanese food. And while I love my Japanese food as much as the next gaikokujin I inevitably end up craving, no, desperately craving, food and other products from home. Years ago my Su ... » Continue Reading
-
- Matcha Green Tea
- August 1st, 2012Category: Uncategorized
- Matcha is a type of Japanese green tea, which is produced by steaming young green tea leaves, which are then ground into a fine powder. Matcha is very healthy because the whole leaf is consumed. This method delivers a huge dose of polyphenol catechin compounds ... » Continue Reading
-
- 2,694
- 2
- Disney vs. Ghibli, A Cartoon Studio Comparison
- August 1st, 2012Category: Play
- Disney vs Ghibli Way back in 1928, audiences were enthralled as the black-and-white, animated short, Steamboat Willie, made its theatrical debut. The rest as they say is Disney history. Perhaps you may know of the main character in that first film. He goes by the ... » Continue Reading
-
- My First Onsen Experience
- July 31st, 2012Category: Uncategorized
- After working for months to clean out my husband’s apartment, it was now time to graduate from our respective universities and make the move to Japan. It was a gruelling task but time was going so quickly that we were soon looking at our last day in Oregon. I ha ... » Continue Reading
-
- Momotaro Story
- July 31st, 2012Category: Uncategorized
- Momotaro statue in Okayama On a recent road trip to Okayama, my Japanese friend decided to kill time by telling me the legendary story of Momotaro. Having never heard this famous Okayama-born story before, I was naturally intrigued. My friend jumped at my curiosity ... » Continue Reading