Words, of course, are the most powerful drug used by mankind.
- Rudyard Kipling
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Category Archives: This & That
One Hundred Hours In
Day four is always the worst for jetlag. This is my brain at day’s end. Continue reading
On the Ground in Tokyo
Day one (and two counting the International Dateline) the Air Canada Flight 003 pilots got us into Narita on air like glass. No one sat in the two seats next to me; therefore, I spent 5 of the 10 hours … Continue reading
Posted in Japan, Travel & Culture, This & That
Tagged Back in Tokyo, No toilet paper in Tokyo
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Up and Away: Thoughts Before Flight
No day comes with a guarantee that anyone anywhere will live through it. That alone is enough to make the mundane miraculous. Continue reading
Posted in Japan, Travel & Culture, This & That
Tagged Dreams take flight, Off to Tokyo
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Living My Dream: Tokyo 2020
The other day, after waiting in a short checkout line at Canadian Tire, I put my purchases on the counter and greet the woman across from me. Good afternoon. How are you today? Living my dream, is her deadpan reply. … Continue reading
Where–How–Why–to Begin?
In Joke Show on Netflix, comedian Michelle Wolf said that a blog is conversation that no one wants to have with you.
Christmas Lights Butchart Gardens
The closest thing Victoria has to rival the Christmas lights of Japan is the show on view at Butchart Gardens. Keen to view the displays as close to Christmas as possible, I ventured out yesterday around 4 o’clock thinking I … Continue reading
My Love Affair with the Christmas Tree
I must have inherited my love of Christmas trees from my paternal grandmother who kept hers up until Orthodox Christmas in January. After everyone else had taken theirs down and boxed all the baubles and tinsel, the magic continued at … Continue reading
Posted in Japan, Travel & Culture, This & That
Tagged Christmas tree, Christmas trees in Tokyo
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4.20 You in Ikebana: Experiments in Personal Expression
In November 2018, I completed Level 4 of the Sogetsu School’s course in ikebana studies in Tokyo. That achieved, I was asked to choose a flower name and granted certification. Afterwards I returned to Canada, bought and moved into my … Continue reading
Tokyo Is Safe–And It Isn’t
Depending on which source you consult, Tokyo, a city of 14 million, boasts distinction as the safest city in the world.
Cultural Habits From Japan: Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down
After traveling extensively through Japan and living in Tokyo for several months at a time, I’ve integrated a number of habits acquired there with my life in Canada. However, some things done in Japan simply do not fly with me. … Continue reading