Category Archives: Tradition

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 , , , | 2 Comments

How to Bow in Japan

Posted on May 10, 2011 by Eryk Salvaggio

On the first day in the office I met an intern I had mistaken for a teacher. I had taken a default position of addressing everyone with safe formalities and bowing at an angle just short of tying my shoes. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture Shock, Tradition, Uncategorized | 7 Comments

J-Cin Sundays: Battle Royale and Japanese Nationalism

Posted on May 1, 2011 by Eryk Salvaggio

Title: Battle Royale Director: Kinji Fukasaku Year: 2000 Notes: A 3D version of this film is being re-edited for American release in 2011. This article refers to a subtitled Japanese edition of the original, 2000 theatrical release.  TLDR: High school kids are inexplicably drafted … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies, Tradition | 8 Comments

On Getting Drunk with your Boss in Japan

Posted on April 20, 2011 by Eryk Salvaggio

If you live in Japan, you don’t drink at work. You work at your drinking.

Posted in Food, Fun, Tradition | 13 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 , , | 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 , , , , , , | 9 Comments