Category Archives: Homesickness

On Letting Go of a Tree Branch in Japan

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Eryk Salvaggio

There’s about 4,000 kids outside my apartment screaming about cherry blossoms. 

Posted in Culture Shock, Homesickness, Thinking, Tradition, Zen | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

On Sneezing in Japan

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Eryk Salvaggio

In Japan, no one can hear you sneeze.

Posted in Culture Shock, Homesickness, language, Tradition, Uncategorized | Tagged | 15 Comments

On Being a Teenage Punk in Japan

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Eryk Salvaggio

I never really had a normal idea of what punk was. Neither does Japan.

Posted in Fun, Homesickness, Music, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 19 Comments

On Like Totally Living in the Now in Japan, You Know?

Posted on August 31, 2011 by Eryk Salvaggio

Japan probably has more temples, shrines and gardens per capita than garbage cans or benches.

Posted in Homesickness, Shrines, Thinking, Uncategorized, Zen | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

On Roller Skating in Japan: Notes on One Year of Culture Shock

Posted on August 17, 2011 by Eryk Salvaggio

This month marked my first year in Japan: My Japanniversary. My first year as an expatriate felt a lot like a bad prom date. I was incompetent, needy, never quite sure where to put my hands.

Posted in Culture Shock, Fun, Homesickness | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

On Listening to The Strokes in Japan

Posted on September 22, 2010 by Eryk Salvaggio

In which a band of Manhattan hipsters serve as a metaphor for negotiating cultural assimilation. Continue reading →

Posted in Culture Shock, Homesickness, Thinking | 9 Comments