He who climbs Mount Fuji is a wise man; he who climbs twice is a fool. -Japanese proverb Like all self-respecting expats living in Japan, Mark and I decided shortly after our arrival two years ago to climb Mount Fuji at some point. This year an excellent opportunity presented itself: the chance to climb with friends who have done …
Continue reading Preparing for Wisdom: Tomorrow We Climb Mount Fuji
Today I stopped by my favorite grocery store Hiruma right before lunch. I had sandwich fixins' waiting at home, and I decided that my sandwich needed a chips chaser. I noticed this bag of looks-like-Cheetos and decided to give them a go. My crack Japanese reading skills told me that these are made from corn, …
Today I visited a friend with a rarity, a guest parking spot at her house. She warned me in advance that it's pretty tight, but I was confident that I could park our Nissan Cube Benji the Orenji pretty much anywhere. So here's a photo of Benji parked in said spot. See that black railing …
Continue reading You Mean You Wanted to Get *Out* of The Car? Or, Adventures in Parking
Tessa the percussion student needs a little refresher on her piano skills. Which means piano lessons. Which means a piano with 88 keys. Since we already have a piano in our Washington house, I decided to search for a digital piano in a second-hand or recycle shop. And that means visiting Book Off, the 800 …
Continue reading Let’s Go Shopping: Recycled Goods at Hard Off
Every year in Yokohama, Pokemon fever culminates in a frenzy of activities called Pikachu Outbreak [open in Google Chrome for automatic translation from Japanese]. Pikachus on parade, Pikachus marching in shopping malls, Pikachus chasing random passersby...it's quite the spectacle. The kids and I headed out to see the madness for ourselves. Last week we set out …
We're back in Japan! The kids and I visited family and friends in Texas and Washington DC for about a month, and Mark stayed for roughly three weeks. After Mark returned to Japan he ran into Tom, a member of the local expat rock band called Honmoku Blues Express. Tom knows that I'm a drummer …
Continue reading Sure I Know How to Play Bongos; Or, Drum Shopping in Shibuya
This past weekend the boy and I hit road (rails?) for a weekend visit to Osaka. When planning out our stops I leaned toward a visit to Osaka Castle, since we would already, you know, be in Osaka. Also it's regularly cited as a top castle in Japan. Then I started asking friends for ideas …
Continue reading Himeji Castle: A Really Cool Castle, Plus Augmented Reality Done Right
After arriving in Osaka and leaving our bags at our hotel room, Cy and I headed out to see the lights of Dotombori, the famous stretch of riverside neon--and tourists. The guide book promised tourists, and they weren't kidding. The crowds immediately reminded me of the tacky splendor of Times Square in New York. But alas, …
A few weeks ago the family planned to go camping this weekend, and Mark and I decided to check the weather forecast around Wednesday before committing. Since we're in the thick of the rainy season, the odds of a rainy weekend were pretty high. Not surprisingly, Sunday's forecast calls for heavy rain and thunderstorms. Having …
According to the venerable Japan Times, the rainy season has officially started in Western, Central, and Eastern Japan (I guess the North is still dry, for now). For six weeks starting around mid-June, monsoon-like conditions can lead to puddles, mold, and general despair. Followed by nasty, humid, disgusting heat, of course. Welcome to Japanese summer! …
Continue reading The Rainy Season Has Officially Begun and I Love My Japanese Rain Boots
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