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Category Archives: Culture Shock
On Answering Stupid Questions in Japan
Imagine small, square dishes spread out on the black lacquer table, their white porcelain framing the slimy greens and reds of the usual Japanese delicacies. You’ve folded your legs, seiza-style, on cushions of gold-and-blue flowers. Your co-workers grab chopsticks and, … Continue reading
On Being Alone in a Room in Japan
I once saw a man staring at a handheld television set on a train, eyes swelling with tears, looking at what might have been video footage of a woman gazing back at him, her eyes wet with empathy and openness. … Continue reading
On Always Having an Empty Train Seat Beside You in Japan
On a recent trip to the near-abandoned coal mining town of Tagawa, I took the wrong train three times, taking me into the true inaka – Japan’s rural backwater.
On Going and Coming Back in Japan
I carry my Japaneseness in my shoulders.
On Drinking Too Much in Japan
When someone assures me, with profound sincerity, that they don’t have a drinking problem, I assume they have a sincerely profound drinking problem.
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 anxiety, cherry blossoms, haiku, japan, sakura, zen
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This Japanese Life. 