My father had a unique approach to business. He wasn’t a salesman, at least not in the traditional sense of the word; he certainly made a lot of money in his time. Not that he was even particularly interested in being rich– he was just interested in people, even if he didn’t especially like them…
 Fall is in full swing in Japan. Finally we have been released from the insufferable temperatures and now can enjoy the beautiful colours of the changing leaves and innumerable varieties of sweet potato and pumpkin flavored foods. However, as October turns to November, and November to December, we are faced with another climate…
The temperature has started dropping and the autumn season is fast approaching. This means swapping out clothes, pulling out the kotatsu, dusting off that nabe pot, and getting ready for what is considered the season with the best food in Japan! Be sure to eat your fair share of mikan, persimmons, and of…
Perhaps Miyagi’s most well-known denizen is the daimyo that founded Sendai, Date Masamune. His likeness can be observed in many areas near the prefecture’s capital. Several years following his death in 1636, the pine tree-clad islands of the aptly named Matsushima were recorded as one of the Three Views of Japan. It’s easy to…
A Different Point of View The human is imbecilic. The human is dangerous. The human is beyond our help. Oh Margravine, your strength is waning and I cannot stop your demise. That is the way you have chosen to go, but you promised we would be spared. You said we could save the world you…
The annual Shikoku rafting trip has, over the past few years, become a permanent fixture in the Hyogo AJET calendar, and with good reason. Each year, between 20 and 25 JETs from Hyogo head out into the remote wilderness of a place called Happy Raft in Kochi prefecture to enjoy a wet and wild…
With the (recent?) closure of Osaka’s Sailor Moon themed cafe, Cafe Talisman, I’ve needed to look elsewhere to get my nerdy food fix. Sadly, there is a relative dearth of these in Kansai (the ones I have found are not geared toward my interests). Tokyo houses many, a large portion of which are only temporary,…
“I Like Basketball and Tomatoes. See You!†I was an ALT in Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture, Japan (Lansing’s sister city) through the JET Program from 2006 – 2009. I taught in public junior high and elementary schools. JET It’s hard to pinpoint a favorite memory. I have many. I’ll begin with a…
 Recently, when I was visiting my godson, he was amazed by my daring, revolutionary and transgressive method of writing in block capitals. He was agog, he was aghast– a saving light had come at last! See, he explained to me that “capitals are much easier to do” and so, much like Uncle Rory, he…