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Tag Archives: japan
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 Being a Total Creep in Japan
The creepiness of men in Japan (homegrown and imported) has become something of a standing joke. The male expats are creepy, and it’s a joke. Japanese men leer on the subway, and it’s a joke. Dance floors in Japan are … Continue reading
On Turning on the Japanese Air Conditioner
There’s nothing simple about turning on an air conditioner in Japan.
Posted in Shinto, Thinking, Tradition
Tagged air conditioning, cool biz, japan, shinto, summer
11 Comments
On Pretending to Know About Education in Japan, pt. 3: Paying for It
We’ve been imagining a future for Tetsuo, our imaginary middle-upper-class Japanese child. We’ve assumed a moderate degree of financial difficulty in getting Tetsuo-kun into university, but nothing too major: We’ve been blandly middle-class.
On Pretending to Know About Education in Japan, pt 2: On Getting Into High School (and University)
We last left our fictional Japanese son, Tetsuo, in his final year of junior high, preparing for high school entrance exams. You and I – his loving, middle-class parents, and you, my adorable wife, who is almost too infatuated with … Continue reading
On Pretending to Know About Education in Japan, pt 1: The System!
After spending two years in a Japanese High School and having multiple conversations with people who actually know how things work, I’m happy to return to my journalistic roots by pretending I’m an authority on something I’ve barely scratched the … Continue reading


