Category Archives: Shinto

On Demonic Umbrellas and Japanese Banking

Posted on October 26, 2011 by

In Japan, many ATMs work from 9 to 5 and get weekends and holidays off. That’s better than most humans get. And the reason, I suspect, has more to do with ghosts than any bank is willing to admit.

Posted in Culture Shock, Shinto, Shrines, Thinking, Tradition, Weird | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

On Nature in Japan, or: On Getting Killed By a Wild Goat in America

Posted on September 21, 2011 by

Signs were erected to warn hikers about aggressive mountain goats in Olympic National Park. Imagine, if you can, the mountain goats of the Pacific Northwest. They look like messed-up dogs or disappointing unicorns; they eat lichen in the wild and … Continue reading →

Posted in Shinto, Shrines, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

On Walking On Fire in Japan

Posted on June 1, 2011 by

The most difficult part of walking on burning coals during a typhoon was finding the right train.

Posted in Shinto, Shrines, Thinking, Tradition, Uncategorized, Video, Zen | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

On Japanese Funerals

Posted on March 28, 2011 by

My first conversation about the earthquake was a week and three days after it struck. In the office, we talked about the peripheries of disaster: Blood donations, fundraisers, TV coverage. We didn’t talk about victims. When the media focused on … Continue reading →

Posted in Earthquake, Photography, Shinto, Shrines, Temples and Ruins, Thinking, Tradition, Uncategorized, Zen | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

On the Ephemeral Nature of the Starbucks Sakura Latte

Posted on February 22, 2011 by

Maybe a Sakura Latte is not weird. It’s getting hard to tell. After months of figuring out Japanese culture, my go-to instinct is still bewilderment. Starbucks had primed me for the Sakura Latte since Feb. 10 with a small sign … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, Shinto, Thinking, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 17 Comments

On Sumo | すもう

Posted on December 13, 2010 by

You could say that Sumo is “Japanese Wrestling.” But this would only be right if wrestling involved a Catholic Mass and the pretext that the cage match was to entertain Jesus. The Sumo Ceremony Like much of Japanese life, Sumo … Continue reading →

Posted in Shinto, Tradition | 4 Comments