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Ah, another Monday. The
Ah, another Monday. The sleeping men will be out again at lunchtime. Since the weather turned nippy a few weeks ago, I’ve observed an odd custom at lunchtime. Working men with vehicles–delivery drivers, plumbers, construction workers, salesmen–park their cars and trucks on my street and take a nap. Sometimes there are two or there men…
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Soy can be transmuted
Soy can be transmuted into dozens of edibles. You’re probably familiar with soy sauce, soymilk, tofu and beansprouts. Maybe you’ve eaten miso soup; miso is fermented soy bean paste. But there are some stranger items. Have you ever seen frozen-then-dried tofu? It looks like pumice and reconstitutes into a spongy block. How about tofu skins?…
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Yesterday, Matsuzakaya, one of
Yesterday, Matsuzakaya, one of Tokyo’s venerable department stores, delivered a Winter Gift catalog to our house. In the packet were enticements to us–a free ticket to Matsuzakaya’s next art show and a washcloth. But the catalog itself was the showpiece with 16 pages of boxed gifts. 550 variations on a theme, really. Let me explain.…
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Some families discuss politics
Some families discuss politics or sports or movies. We talk about talking, reading and writing. I don’t think we can have dinner without discussing Japanese grammar. Last night, Tod read aloud from Anthony Burgess’ “Language Maid Plane” about the structure of Asian languages while I brought our meal to the table. The night before that,…
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Being on the other
Being on the other side of the world, yesterday’s U.S. presidential election coverage was conveniently timed. I checked the results on CNN.com and Reuters at lunchtime and then throughout the afternoon. As I watched Florida fall to Gore, then Bush, then neither, I wondered why polling isn’t computerised. I do my banking, investing and shopping…
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I’ve lost my voice.
I’ve lost my voice. When a writer says that, it could mean a nasty bout with writer’s block. But that’s not what I mean. I’ve lost my ability to speak. Everything I say comes out sounding like a 14 year old boy trying to make a good impression. When it comes out at all. I’ve…
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Last night as I
Last night as I shivered under a blanket waiting for the bed to warm up, I leafed through a department store “white sale” catalog. And I discovered more than one way to stay warm indoors. How about a hot carpet? It’s like an electric blanket for the floor. If you prefer the look of bare…
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At the Inokashira zoo,
At the Inokashira zoo, we saw an old elephant and some squirrels. The elephant was born in Thailand in 1947 and came to the zoo when she was 2 and a half. Japan’s school children named her Hanako. At the advanced age of 53, she has no teeth (I guess elephant dentures are out of…
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Chrysanthemums are the flowers
Chrysanthemums are the flowers of autumn. They are also the symbol of the Imperial family and every autumn for hundreds of years, chrysanthemums, called kiku in Japanese, have been highlighted at festivals. Kiku are trained into plants I’d never guess were chrysanthemums: tiny bonsai with roots growing over rocks; massive two meter wide bushes with…
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Central heating is something
Central heating is something you don’t think about too much unless you’re an American living in Japan. I will grant that winters don’t get bitterly cold in Tokyo. Temperatures dip below freezing on the coldest nights but during the day, they hover around 40. But living in a house whose ambient temperature matches the outdoors…
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