Tag Archives: japan

On Being a Crow in Japan

This week, another guest post from former Japanese expat Alanna Schubach.  Shortly after moving to Japan I began having a dream that would recur for the duration of my time there. There were minor variations, but the story was always … Continue reading

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On Finding God in a Gourd in Naoshima (In Japan)

“Architecture appears for the first time when the sunlight hits a wall. The sunlight did not know what it was before it hit a wall.” ― Louis Kahn Freud claimed God was only the lingering memory of our parents, looming over us … Continue reading

Posted in Thinking, Travel | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

41 Things I Like About Japan

Sometimes I worry that all I’ve done is complain.

Posted in Fun, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 30 Comments

On Being Bullied in Japan

I have been overwhelmed by the sweetness of Japanese kids. One student, seeing me without an umbrella, ran backward through the rain to walk with me under hers. Another classroom, after a lesson on how Christmas was different in America, … Continue reading

Posted in Teaching, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 28 Comments

On Caring About Your Lonely Friends in Japan

Not everyone who moves to Japan is lonely when they arrive, but most are by the time they leave. One can’t reasonably complain about it, of course: We do it to ourselves. But we can try to understand how loneliness … Continue reading

Posted in Culture Shock, Homesickness, Thinking | Tagged , , | 31 Comments

On Losing Control in Japan

America, Japan has a question for you.

Posted in Culture Shock | Tagged , , | 19 Comments