Every year on December 12th, the chief priest of Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Kyoto reveals a kanji that was chosen to be the most representative of that year in Japan. The kanji is selected by popular vote, and is finalized by the Japan Kanji Aptitude Foundation. This year's kanji is the rather depressing 災, meaning "disaster."... Continue Reading →
When you think of the yakuza, you probably think of hardened criminals that made up the deadly and sinister Japanese mafia. Or maybe you think of the dirty political deals, gambling empires, smuggling, and violence. Or you could just think of the hit video game series highlighting the aforementioned criminal activities. But was this always... Continue Reading →
Fall has come to the mountains, and we've been swept up in beautiful color and an astonishing amount of agriculture. Daikon, sweet potatoes, kaki (Japanese persimmon), and chestnuts are the foods of the season. Of course when you live in a town that's main export is vegetables, you don't really buy your veg at the... Continue Reading →
This is not a food blog, but I do like to make food. So I will not tell go into a food blogger story about the weather or farmer's markets or my family, but I will give you a tasty recipe. Boom. Ingredients: Soba noodles (buy in a pack dry like spaghetti noodles) These are... Continue Reading →
So, I am lucky enough to teach at two rural elementary schools. And I'm vegetarian. So the natural conclusion that the staff at both schools was that "our new ALT needs ALL the veggies that are grown around the school, my garden, my neighbor's garden, etc." I have received a truly surprising amount of produce... Continue Reading →
It's late September and it's already starting to get a little chilly up here in the mountains, so it's high time for rice to be harvested. The town I live in has two main crops: konnyaku and rice. In many larger areas in Japan, rice is harvested by using machines or large teams of workers.... Continue Reading →
Where I am As I've been living and working in Japan for about a month now, I think it`s time to post an update. First, an explanation of where I am. I live in a small, mountainous town called Higashiagatsuma-machi in Gunma Prefecture. I say small, but the area the town covers... Continue Reading →
https://www.youtube.com/embed/i-8FlNOfEfw?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent The video is an homage to the beautiful old Japanese city and a reflection of their love for Japanese culture and aesthetics. Clean Bandit is a British electronica pop group known for their unique style that combines classical instruments with dance pop. Perhaps they’re most famous for their 2016 hit “Rockabye”, performed in collaboration with…... Continue Reading →
So I was driving with my fiancé the other day and imparted this fun fact upon him: Japanese traffic lights are not green. They're blue. Of course this was said literally as we were driving under a traffic light, so he looked up and pointed out that it was pretty obviously green light. Nah man.... Continue Reading →
