Category Archives: Uncategorized

On Being Bullied in Japan

Posted on June 12, 2013 by Eryk Salvaggio

I have been overwhelmed by the sweetness of Japanese kids. One student, seeing me without an umbrella, ran backward through the rain to walk with me under hers. Another classroom, after a lesson on how Christmas was different in America, … Continue reading →

Posted in Teaching, Uncategorized | Tagged bullies, ijime, japan | 54 Comments

On Doing Mass Radio Calisthenics in Japan

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Eryk Salvaggio

Everyone in Japan knows how to do Radio Taiso.

Posted in Tradition, Uncategorized | Tagged japan, radio taiso | 5 Comments

On the Salesmen of Sri Lanka

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Eryk Salvaggio

The first guy approached me while I was standing outside of a train station in Colombo, staring at the wood-and-paint schedule board full of clock faces the attendants adjusted by hand.

Posted in Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged longreads, poverty, sri lanka, tourism | 11 Comments

On Hunting Whales in Japan

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Eryk Salvaggio

The whaling controversy ignites more bad press and international disagreement than almost any contemporary political issue in Japan. If it sometimes seems like Japan is staking far too much on an industry that no one wants for a food nobody … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged japan, whaling | 17 Comments

On Festivals in Japan

Posted on April 3, 2013 by Eryk Salvaggio

If you really want to express your feelings, it helps to carry a one-ton shrine around the city at 5 in the morning while having cold water poured on your back.