Kobe Jazz Review: SONE
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Kobe Jazz Review: SONE

Sone is the oldest Jazz club/restaurant in Kobe. It’s a family business. It’s also one of the largest clubs in Kobe. It’s in every guidebook that mentions Kobe’s Jazz scene, English or Japanese, and is at the top of the list, or near the top, every single time. Their food is, while expensive, very good, and their bartenders make a wide selection of proper cocktails, which are rated in the menu by alcohol content. If I were just judging the food and drink, I’d put it in the guidebooks myself…

Daruma is My Homeboy
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Daruma is My Homeboy

“七転び八起き” ななころびやおき” The expression roughly translates to: 7 times fall down, 8th time get back up, and it is a famous saying in Japan associated with the father of Zen Buddhism; called Daruma, the first monk from India to have brought the sect to China and Japan is otherwise known as Dharma. Daruma is my…

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Callin’ All Politicos: Death Penalty

Living in Japan brings a whole new perspective of the country that living outside Japan does not usually afford. Yes, Japanese do drive cars; yes, there are Japanese who do not eat fish; and yes, there is crime in Japan. While still comparatively low, the feeling amongst most Japanese seems to be that the crime rate has been on the rise in recent years. Many foreigners are surprised to learn that Japan does have and enforce capital punishment…