The other day I booked a flight. Among other things I need to do in preparation, I got to thinking about jet lag. Continue reading
Words, of course, are the most powerful drug used by mankind.
- Rudyard Kipling
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Seriously. No Foreigners Allowed.
Before an evening party with the others, my colleague and friend (a JET who was my guide and interpreter during my first exchange trip in 1998) points to a sign in the window of a shop.
“Look at this this,” he says. The sign reads: No foreigners allowed.
Photo credit to blogs-imgs-76.fc2.com
Updated: Who is Japanese?
Every nation and culture has its noble and its ignoble aspects. In Canada we have racism, the problems of multiculturalism and numerous heinous blights on our historical record. However, Canadians accept that our citizens come in a hodgepodge of races and ethnic communities without disputing that they are Canadian. Continue reading
Posted in Japan, Travel & Culture, This & That
Tagged Ariana Miyamoto, Japanese citizenship, Racism in Japan
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Yushin Brewing Company on JIBTV Business Edge
Please note: The content of this post is the sole property of JIBTV. It may not be reproduced in any way without consent and is posted here with permission of JIBTV. To view Yushin Brewing Company’s success story on Business Edge #2, click here.
Takashi Tokuyama (President of Yushin Brewing Company established in 1854 in the town of Ayagawa, Kagawa) took over the firm from his father in the 1970s. In 1974 the sake business was at its peak but faced stiff competition from other beverages which were growing in popularity. At that time Japan’s sake industry went into a long, slow decline from which it has not recovered. Continue reading
Book Review: Japan and the Culture of the Four Seasons by Haruo Shirane
After reading Japan and the Culture of the Four Seasons: Nature, Literature and the Arts by Columbia University professor Haruo Shirane, anyone interested in Japanese culture will learn how the four seasons are foundational to what it is to be Japanese. This cultural underpinning is a construct because there are actually five climatic seasons in Japan, but the rainy/monsoon season (like other disagreeable facts) is conveniently overlooked in the service of art. Continue reading
Memorial 11.3.2015
Photo Credit to Free Images at pixabay.com
We cry out for what we have lost, and we remember you again.
~ Leonard Cohen ~
A Review of KAIZEN: Joining Hands, Changing Lives
I will continue to share reviews of programs commissioned by Japan International Broadcasting (JIBTV) from time to time. Please note: The content of this post is the sole property of JIBTV and may not be reproduced in any way without consent. This content is posted with permission of JIBTV.
JIBTV’s KAIZEN: Joining Hands, Changing Lives follows the work of Nobuo Kanai and Hideo Sonoda as they help locals to implement the Kaizen system in various factories throughout Ethiopia. Continue reading
Posted in Japan, Travel & Culture, Reviews
Tagged Changing Lives, Joining Hands, KAIZEN, Program Review
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More on Japanese Toilets
I will continue to share reviews of programs commissioned by Japan International Broadcasting (JIBTV) from time to time. Please note: The content of this post is the sole property of JIBTV and may not be reproduced in any way without consent. This content is posted with permission of JIBTV.
There’s an ongoing fascination with Japanese washrooms and toilets—both the traditional squat in back catcher position ones and the Western styled options which I wrote about earlier. I thought I’d written pretty much all I had to say on the subject, but episode 21 of MoshiMoshi Nippon proved me wrong. Continue reading
In memoriam: Lux perpetua luceat ei
Lloyd Henry Dykk [Oct 15, 1945 – Feb. 7, 2012] entered my life on words. His postage-stamp photo beside his Vancouver Sun byline. His mug with my coffee, most mornings for many years. Continue reading
This is Japanese Seafood: a Review
Since October 2014 I have reviewed television programs for Japan International Broadcasting (JIBTV). The content of this post is the sole property of JIBTV and may not be reproduced in any way without consent. Posted with permission of JIBTV.
I grew up with a mother who disliked most meat but fish especially. Seafood was not something found on the dinner table. However, my grandfather was an avid fisherman and enjoyed taking his grandchildren fishing. Continue reading