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“Can you read the
“Can you read the kanji written on the big stone?” read the metal plaque in the playpark near our house. “It says ‘Ootsugi’.” The big stone, taller than I am, is a chunk of rock whittled into a rustic monument. Three kanji characters are carved into its face. The metal plaque near the stone is…
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Ever been inside a
Ever been inside a baseball stadium full of trade show exhibitors? From the entrance at the top of the stadium, I saw a sea of black heads moving like water, currents eddying around islands of booths. The huge space, from home plate to outfield, was arranged to exhibit tableware. The Tableware Festival had it all:…
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There’s nothing like personal
There’s nothing like personal mail to brighten a day. I received two letters on the same day. One arrived in my mailbox from Chicago. It is written in glowing orange ink on drawing paper pulled from a sketchbook. A “hello” from a friend who took a few minutes to think of me. I had just…
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The Yokohama Curry Museum
The Yokohama Curry Museum is quite a concept. Indian curry and Thai curry are popular here, but most popular is Japanese curry, an odd melange of spices that blends flavors from all world curries into one dish. So a trip to the Yokohama Curry Museum with some friends yesterday promised to be a treat. Maybe…
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Stupid Japanese puns. A
Stupid Japanese puns. A hanglider is planning to fly off a cliff. What time should he leave? Ichi ji han gurai da. (Say the above quickly. Translation: About 1:30.) With a rice cracker (senbei) in hand: Ichi mai, demo senbei desu. “Ichi mai” means “one thing,” “sen” is “1,000.” Translation: One thing, but it’s a…
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10:30 pm. Three small,
10:30 pm. Three small, unmarked utility vans pull up outside our house. They are crammed with construction equipment. The doors burst open and five young men dressed in work clothes and yellow safety vests pile out. Orange traffic cones, lights and equipment carts fly from the back of one of the vans while two of…
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Well, it’s been Spring
Well, it’s been Spring in Japan for two days and I don’t see any difference from winter yet. The last day of winter was February 3, Setsubun. To celebrate the end of the season, you go to your local temple, and throw a handful of dried soy beans while chanting “In with the good luck,…
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There are 31 Burger
There are 31 Burger Kings in Tokyo. Japan Tobacco owns 25 of them. But they want to get out of the hamburger business (which bled off several billion yen in the last five years) and plan to sell the outlets to Lotteria, another fast food chain, who will convert them to Lotterias. Soon, Americans who…
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Dan Quayle, former vice
Dan Quayle, former vice president and malaprop master, could be the next US Ambassador to Japan. According to a newspaper article published yesterday the Republican party wants to give Quayle an “important post” such as a key diplomatic position. This is, apparently, to help soothe Quayle’s ego since the party didn’t support his bid for…
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Most accidents at home
Most accidents at home occur in the bathroom. Not true in my case, as most of my accidents involve kitchen knives or boiling water. But last night, I scored one for the bathroom. Upon getting out of the bath, I fainted and fell back in. What a surprise to come to all askew in the…
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