Category Archives: Fun

Singing Karaoke with Foucault

Posted on November 16, 2011 by

“In civilizations without boats, dreams dry up, espionage takes the place of adventure, and the police take the place of pirates.” – Michel Foucault, Of Other Spaces If there was a ship to escape Japanese culture in, the paint on … Continue reading →

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Posted in Fun, Thinking, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

On Being a Teenage Punk in Japan

Posted on November 2, 2011 by

I never really had a normal idea of what punk was. Neither does Japan.

Posted in Fun, Homesickness, Music, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 12 Comments

Elvis in Nakasu

Posted on October 9, 2011 by

So this year I went back to catch a night of the Nakasu Festival. The festival is held in Fukuoka’s red-light district, full of host and hostess clubs and worse. During the festival, women from the community get together and … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Fukuoka, Fun, Music, Uncategorized, Video, Weird | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

On Not Being Funny in Japan

Posted on September 14, 2011 by

The first rule of making a joke in Japan is to resist. It will never help you.

Posted in Culture Shock, Fun, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

On Being Funny in Japan

Posted on September 13, 2011 by

There’s actually no word for “sense of humor” in Japan.

Posted in Fun, Uncategorized, Video, Weird | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

On Onsen, or Bathing With Friends and Coworkers

Posted on August 24, 2011 by

I was naked except for a green smock, flashing some leg and God-knows-what-else to two older women with shovels as I stepped into a small dirt hole in the center of a Japanese bath house. Lying on my back with … Continue reading →

Posted in Fun, Tradition | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments