Category Archives: Tradition

On Letting Go of a Tree Branch in Japan

Posted on April 4, 2012 by

There’s about 4,000 kids outside my apartment screaming about cherry blossoms. 

Posted in Culture Shock, Homesickness, Thinking, Tradition, Zen | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

On Going to a Gay Bar in Japan

Posted on February 29, 2012 by

The night starts by asking a cab driver to take you to a school. It’s 11 p.m. and you have no business going to a school at 11 p.m. on a Saturday night, so the driver heads toward the school … Continue reading →

Posted in Fun, Shinto, Tradition, Uncategorized, Zen | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

On Sneezing in Japan

Posted on February 15, 2012 by

In Japan, no one can hear you sneeze.

Posted in Culture Shock, Homesickness, language, Tradition, Uncategorized | Tagged | 10 Comments

On Getting Lucky in Japan

Posted on January 18, 2012 by

No, not like that.

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

The Winter Haiku Forecast

Posted on January 11, 2012 by

“Writing shit about new snow for the rich is not art.” – Kobayashi Issa (trans. Robert Hass)

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

On Being Selfish in Japan

Posted on December 7, 2011 by

I remember my high school French club. The kids smoked too young, wore black turtlenecks and talked about Camus, or more precisely, “spoke of Camus.” The German club ate strudel, listened to unbearable polka and occasionally invaded the French club.

Posted in Culture Shock, Teaching, Tradition, Uncategorized | Tagged | 6 Comments