Category Archives: Thinking

On Obon: Japan’s Homecoming Game, with Ghosts.

Posted on August 10, 2011 by Eryk Salvaggio

There’s an old Buddhist story about a monk named Mahamaudgalyayana – let’s call him Mokuren, for short – who was doing alright, as monks go, and had finally developed the skill of peering into the world of the dead.

Posted in Fun, Shrines, Thinking, Tradition, Uncategorized, Zen | Tagged ancestor worship, buddha, buddhism, holidays, hungry ghosts, japan, japanese holidays, obon, world holidays | 8 Comments

On the Death of Japan

Posted on July 6, 2011 by Eryk Salvaggio

Everywhere you look, people say Japan is dying. The Economist says Japan is dying. Curators say Japan is dying. The numbers say Japan is dying. There is no dispute that the Japanese get older as the children get scarcer: Ten … Continue reading →

Posted in Fukuoka, Thinking, Uncategorized | Tagged asexual, birth rate, dating, death, death rate, elderly, future, japan, nagasaki, population | 15 Comments

On Walking On Fire in Japan

Posted on June 1, 2011 by Eryk Salvaggio

The most difficult part of walking on burning coals during a typhoon was finding the right train.

Posted in Shinto, Shrines, Thinking, Tradition, Uncategorized, Video, Zen | Tagged dazaifu, fire walking, shinto, shrines | 2 Comments

On Ozu, Architecture and Japanese Lunch Boxes

Posted on April 13, 2011 by Eryk Salvaggio

Japan is really good at dividing wholes into smaller parts. Just look at the Bento box a mother makes for a 4-year-old or the masterpieces of the Japanese filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu. It’s in the architecture, where panels are carefully measured … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies, Thinking, Tradition | Tagged architecture, bento, ozu | 6 Comments

On Japanese Funerals

Posted on March 28, 2011 by Eryk Salvaggio

My first conversation about the earthquake was a week and three days after it struck. In the office, we talked about the peripheries of disaster: Blood donations, fundraisers, TV coverage. We didn’t talk about victims. When the media focused on … Continue reading →

Posted in Earthquake, Photography, Shinto, Shrines, Temples and Ruins, Thinking, Tradition, Uncategorized, Zen | Tagged buddhism, death, earthquake, funerals, japan, photos, shinto | 9 Comments

On the Ephemeral Nature of the Starbucks Sakura Latte

Posted on February 22, 2011 by Eryk Salvaggio

Maybe a Sakura Latte is not weird. It’s getting hard to tell. After months of figuring out Japanese culture, my go-to instinct is still bewilderment. Starbucks had primed me for the Sakura Latte since Feb. 10 with a small sign … Continue reading →