Author Archives: Eryk Salvaggio

On TV in Japan, Part 1

Posted on October 25, 2010 by Eryk Salvaggio

The TV show started out as some sort of dog melodrama. There’s a really adorable grandmother scooping up a new, tiny dog with gigantic eyes and hugging it with a face so filled with love that the cameraman shows it … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture Shock, Weird | 3 Comments

On Teaching English as an Out of Body Experience | 英語は儚いです.

Posted on October 18, 2010 by Eryk Salvaggio

Language exists inside of our skulls and escapes through the tongue: What Nabokov called “A fat sleek seal flopping so happily among the familiar rocks.” It’s a chunk of flesh that helps us push ideas out from our squishy insides … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture Shock, Teaching, Thinking, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Video/Audio: Nakasu Festival, Taiko Calligraphy

Posted on October 10, 2010 by Eryk Salvaggio

In which I watch 50 women carry a heavy object and two guys proving how calligraphy is totally manly. Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Fukuoka, Video | 1 Comment

On Having Sushi Delivered by a Conveyor Belt in Japan | 回転寿司

Posted on October 1, 2010 by Eryk Salvaggio

Japan put a halt to the crazy sushi bullshit just after the California roll. Continue reading →

Posted in Food, Weird | 7 Comments

Audio: Dazaifu Jinko-Shiki Ceremony

Posted on September 28, 2010 by Eryk Salvaggio

A downloadable/streaming audio recording from Tenmangu Shrine in Dazaifu, Japan. Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Shrines, Temples and Ruins, Zen | 1 Comment

On Japan’s Accidental Pot Culture | 日本乃過失は楓葉

Posted on September 24, 2010 by Eryk Salvaggio

Every so often I come across a 9-year-old kid in a “Ganja” T-shirt covered in pot leaves. Continue reading →

Posted in Weird | 2 Comments