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Author Archives: owwls
J-Cin Sundays: “Air Doll.”
Title: Air Doll Director: Hirokazu Koreeda Year: 2009 Notes: Based on the comic “Kuuki Ningyo,” by Yoshiie Gōda. TLDR: Amelie, if Amelie was an inflatable sex doll that magically came to life, and if Amelie made you really, really sad. About these ads
Posted in Movies, Uncategorized
1 Comment
On Being Homeless in Japan
I mistook her for a hump of discarded flannel until I saw her face, the unmistakable color of braised meat. She’s sleeping, sprawled across a cardboard box in front of a taxi stand. Her head rests on a plastic shopping … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
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How to Bow in Japan
On the first day in the office I met an intern I had mistaken for a teacher. I had taken a default position of addressing everyone with safe formalities and bowing at an angle just short of tying my shoes. The … Continue reading
Posted in Culture Shock, Tradition, Uncategorized
7 Comments
Golden Week Vacation
Taking Golden Week off to entertain a friend from home and celebrate my birthday. But, I post my toy-camera and iPhone photos from Japan at least once a day over at The Birdwatcher’s Report. You can also check out some … Continue reading
J-Cin Sundays: Battle Royale and Japanese Nationalism
Title: Battle Royale Director: Kinji Fukasaku Year: 2000 Notes: A 3D version of this film is being re-edited for American release in 2011. This article refers to a subtitled Japanese edition of the original, 2000 theatrical release. TLDR: High school kids are inexplicably drafted … Continue reading
Posted in Movies, Tradition
7 Comments
On Japanese Convenience Stores | コンビニ
There’s some irony that the English “convenience store” is such a misnomer. There aren’t real conveniences, just bathrooms and cigarettes, packaged food and buckets of shaved ice smothered in anti-freeze colored syrup. Japan has adopted the concept – and word … Continue reading
Posted in Culture Shock, Food
28 Comments
