Category Archives: Uncategorized

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 Awkwardly Consoling Japanese Schoolgirls

Posted on November 9, 2011 by

There are only so many things I know how to say in Japanese. I’ve learned that none of them can stop a 15-year-old Japanese girl from crying.

Posted in Culture Shock, language, Teaching, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 9 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

On Seasons, or: On Poets Taking Over the Japanese Meteorological Service

Posted on October 19, 2011 by

“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” – The Great Gatsby There’s a central body in Japan that declares the coming and going of rain. That means that there is a weather bureaucracy, and someone stamps … Continue reading →

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

Ongakuyōbi: Guitar Wolf

Posted on October 15, 2011 by

This video is terrible sound quality, but it really doesn’t matter with Guitar Wolf. 

Posted in Music, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

On Japanese Probability

Posted on October 12, 2011 by

“I think the students might be busy after school, so perhaps they won’t come to our meeting. I’m not sure. But if that’s the case, we’ll have to cancel the meeting for today.” In English, this sentence means nobody really … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture Shock, language, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 19 Comments