I first read the Tale of Genji when I was studying in Japan around 2002. It is Japan’s most famous work and was written a millennia ago. I find that one can gain a much deeper understanding of a culture by reading these famous works written long ago. Within them are ancient pieces of DNA…… Continue reading The Tale of Genji – Genjimonogatari
Category: Japan – 日本
Posts from or about Japan. I lived in Saitama and Tokyo from 2001 – 2003.
East-Bourne (イーストボーン) Mejiro Gone
Everything changes, nothing remains without change. – Buddah Reasonable price and comfortable place. – East-Bourne Bar In the normal course of life change happens at a very slow pace. We do not pay much attention to the small, incremental changes that occur from day to day and it is only when we look at old…… Continue reading East-Bourne (イーストボーン) Mejiro Gone
Memoirs of a Geisha
I just finished the book and I have to agree with the reviews; it was hard to put down and refused to stay shut. I’d like to first mention a bit of controversy surrounding the novel. It was written by a westerner named Arthur Golden. I wanted to know if this book was worth reading…… Continue reading Memoirs of a Geisha
2019 – On the plane to Tokyo
8.1.19 It is 3:54 PM San Francisco time and 7:54 AM in Tokyo. I’m somewhere over the Pacific ocean on my way to Japan. My bachelorhood of 2019 comes to an end tomorrow, but I’ll get to that in a minute. It all started out slow enough but then it seemed I was in a…… Continue reading 2019 – On the plane to Tokyo
この世界の片隅に
この世界の片隅にIn This Corner of the WorldWikipedia- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_This_Corner_of_the_World_(film) This is a very powerful movie. It is the story of a simple countryside girl who goes through life in wartime Japan. Usually when we hear of war stories there is a good side and a bad side, reasons are justified and perhaps some heroes are thrown in. …… Continue reading この世界の片隅に
Totoro – Countryside summer nights
I spend a few weeks at my in-laws every summer in Japan. They live in the countryside but not in quite as a remote place as in the movie Totoro. https://imgur.com/a/DqYP0ar This GIF captures my dream of a perfect summer night in Japan. I’m among my books studying Japanese, in a very remote countryside seeped…… Continue reading Totoro – Countryside summer nights
Tokyo Trip 2018 – Second Post
It is 4:07 PM on Monday, August 13th. I’m sitting at the Hub in Ikebukuro and the end of the Japan trip draws close. I wasn’t able to write as much as I wanted in my journal this trip due to a problem with the power cord. I had forgotten that Japan only uses a…… Continue reading Tokyo Trip 2018 – Second Post
Tokyo Trip 2018
I’m at SFO airport awaiting the boarding to Japan. Getting ready to travel, especially internationally and for a long trip is always such a pain UNTIL I get to the airport. It is then I am excited. The pain part is packing, getting the house in order, locked, making sure the plants are watered and…… Continue reading Tokyo Trip 2018