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BSE again
Just when I was starting to think it might be safe again, another Hokkaido cow tested positive for BSE. It’s been five or six months since the last known mad cow. Good thing I’m not overly fond of beef. But I was looking forward to some yummy yakiniku on our grill this summer. Oh well,…
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Cat in peril
5 am. A cat is crying outside. Its wails echo through the neighborhood. My dark, sleepy mind conjures a sad scenario–a young cat, abandoned by its owners, stuck in the gully where the Marunouchi line runs, unable to climb out. The trains haven’t begun for the day. I imagine phoning 119 to report this. Then…
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While Snow
In a tiny alley bordering Kausuga 2-20, is the White Snow restaurant. The noren was out as we walked past at lunchtime yesterday, so we slid open the wooden door, ducked under the curtain and tried our luck. What a delight. It’s a classic place that could be 50 years old, or five. An L-shaped…
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Stepped Down
Today I breathe a sigh of relief. Last night, I stepped down co-leader of DigitalEve Japan. I’m so proud of what the group has apccomplished during the last fifteen months. We’ve grown hugely from 90 members to almost 450. We hold events at least twice a month, publish a newsletter, manage a library of technical…
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Custom birthday gift
<kuri> devin, my mother would like a hint about what to get you for your BD. <devin> oh, ok… um… <lyd> elephant beer steins <Nemix> elephants would be good as a beer stein. <lyd> filled with Stein’s elephant beer <devin> hmmm <devin> a pair of shorts <devin> or a book <lyd> or a short pair…
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Latte Disguised
You know Latte, Sony’s cute white Aibo pet. Meet LonLon–Latte dressed as a panda to promote Suntory’s oolong tea. Suntory’s gone all out with its LonLon campaign website devoted to silly Flash games, clips from the TV commercials, a contest to win a keitai strap and some very kawaii LonLon wallpaper.
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Translating interview
Translation is slow and painstaking work. Not my favorite, but I’m faced with an e-mail full of Japanese answers to my English interview questions. It’s easy enough to get the general meaning of text by reading for the nouns and verbs. but the nuances are in all of the joining phrases and particles. Using ga…
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Japan Gensuikyo
Japan Gensuikyo is a national anti-atom bomb, anti-nuclear organization that was founded in 1944. They do grassroots awareness and fundraising for vicitms of nuclear war, nuclear testing, and disasters like Chernobyl. They call these people hibakusha. Yesterday, they began their annual march from Tokyo to Hiroshima. They take a rather long route–curving around the country…
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Japan’s international affairs
Japan’s international political affairs seem quite parochial. North Korea, South Korea and China get into snits about various slights in ways they would never fuss with othercountries. As some examples, everyone complains when Koizumi visits Yasukuni Shrine, where the war dead are entombed. Diplomatic letters fly across the sea from the neighbors and complaints are…
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Advance summer
Today the weather is forecast to reach 28 degrees (82 F). It seems like a good day to break open the box of summer clothes. Although it’s too early in the season for shorts, there are a few favorites that I’m looking forward to unearthing. But it’s also time to shop for there are two…
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