Words, of course, are the most powerful drug used by mankind.
- Rudyard Kipling
-
Recent Posts
What interests you?
Category Archives: This & That
A Lady at a Bridge in Uji
My state of mind mirrors the river. Like the Tale of Genji’s Uji Chapters–gloomy narratives, bridge chapters, dark mood states, and characters weary of this world–it’s one of those days where much goes wrong on the journey. Continue reading
Posted in This & That, Travel in Japan
Tagged Japan travel, Murasaki Shikibu, Tale of Genji, Uji
2 Comments
Special thanks
Getting to know passionate and top-quality people through contract work has been an unanticipated bonus in my writing life. Continue reading
I find no love for the kotatsu
I admit that I do not understand and cannot share the Japanese love-affair with the kotatsu. Continue reading
Posted in This & That, Travel in Japan
Tagged Japanese heating, Kotatsu, Travel in Japan
Leave a comment
Toronama Donuts
We eat all day. I start with a big breakfast as I know we’ll be driving about, and I travel better on full stomach. After visits to various people, suddenly it’s time for lunch–a large bowl of noodles and vegetables … Continue reading
A Visit to Tokujyo with the Tanaka family
Opulent draperies, colourful banners and golden bells glow in the natural light streaming through the surrounding clerestory windows, a startling contrast to the dark and deeply shadowed Japanese temples and shrines I have seen before. Continue reading
Posted in This & That, Travel in Japan
Leave a comment
Language Exchange
Walking toward Thunderbird Square outside City Hall the other evening, a few meters ahead I notice a man examining the sole of his shoe. Dog doo? I wonder. A woman waits beside him on a bicycle. As I come alongside them … Continue reading
Posted in This & That
Leave a comment
High Summer Still
Today a brisk wind all day until mid-afternoon. Steady at 30 kilometers per hour with gusts to 40. Very fresh air before what they say will be another heat wave. I’m glad. Bring it on.
Posted in This & That
Leave a comment
It Has Been a While
How much can happen in almost two months between posts? Lots. A post-leak & restoration project in my condo segued into eye surgery for cataracts and a complete reversal of life as I have known it since Grade 2. Myopic … Continue reading
Posted in This & That
Leave a comment
Korankei Momiji Matsuri
The Harada family (who were my host family some years ago) and I clamber into the van of their friend and chauffeur for the day, Kanago-san. With the GPS chattering and auto-TV going simultaneously, we head out of Toyohashi toward the … Continue reading
Omiyage: Ritual Gift Giving in Japan
A special kind of agony in travelling to Japan—especially if one has numerous friends—is ritual gift-giving. The need to bring a souvenir omiyage is problematic for non-Japanese (NJ) on several levels.
Posted in This & That, Travel in Japan
Tagged Gift giving in Japan, Japanese Gift Giving Culture, Omiyage
Leave a comment