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Category Archives: language
On Getting Rid of Japanese in Japan
Kanji is hard. The hieroglyphic written script (just one of three) used in Japanese has a weird history, borrowed and bastardized from the Chinese. And it takes years, even for the Japanese, to learn. For foreigners used to Roman scripts, … Continue reading
On Getting by in Japan (Without Speaking Japanese)
Weird things happen when you half-ass a language in its native culture.
On Having No Comment in Japan
In July of 1945 the United States prepared to test the first atomic bomb in a dusty corner of New Mexico.
Posted in language, Thinking
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On Autumn in Japan
Here, Autumn starts in August, rather than the September Equinox. It’s September now, but the temperatures still hover in the 80s, thunderstorms still threaten my daily sushi pickup, and cicadas still squawk through the trees like tortured squirrels.
On Writing About Rain in Japan
It’s tsuyu, rainy season, a designation determined by a group of experts without regard to actual rainfall. It rained once on the day after they had declared the end of rainy season, and that rain was designated non-rainy season rain. … Continue reading
On Sneezing in Japan
In Japan, no one can hear you sneeze.
This Japanese Life. 