Category Archives: Tradition

On Letting Go of a Tree Branch in Japan

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

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

In Japan, no one can hear you sneeze.

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

On Getting Lucky in Japan

No, not like that.

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The Winter Haiku Forecast

“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

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