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Today is “Labour Thanksgiving
Today is “Labour Thanksgiving Day” in Japan, a national holiday. What are we celebrating? Are we supposed to be thankful for having jobs? Perhaps so. I’m (unthankfully) working today trying to juggle half a dozen deadlines with cleaning. So far, working has won. Nothing’s been cleaned. Maybe tomorrow.
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Shichimencho is the word
Shichimencho is the word for turkey in Japanese. Literally translated, it means 7-faced bird. Shichimencho is not a popular food in Japan; the meat is too dry for Japanese tastes. I think back to some of my own Thanksgiving meals and I have to agree.
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Fifty 16 year old
Fifty 16 year old girls are an intimidating audience. Until you get them to laugh. Yesterday, I went to a girls’ school in Kamakura to present “IT Careers for Women” on behalf of DigitalEve. Three classes combined to form a sea of sailor-suited uniforms. Although I heard horror stories from friends who teach about the…
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I hung my head
I hung my head out the window for 90 minutes last night and was rewarded with about 80 sightings of Leonid meteors. The best ones were jaw-dropping, luminous pink fireballs that streaked across the sky, leaving lime green smoke trails. I watched the smoke from one trail dissipate and I swore I could smell it.…
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Takarazuka 1000 Days Theater
Takarazuka 1000 Days Theater was the temporary home of the all-female musical theatre troupe, Takarazuka, while their permanent venue was being rebuilt. Their 1000 days are over, they’ve moved back to their original home, and the temporary building has a new use. It’s a superstore. Huge stores devoted to a single retail brand are not…
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I’ve been noticing the
I’ve been noticing the crazy personalization that women make to their stuff: keychains by the score hanging off knapsacks; shiny bells and doodads on bookbags; a Loius Vitton handbag with a Pooh hanging from the strap. But taking the cake today was the pink cell phone with an aftermarket antenna that blinks red when the…
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Shrimp can leap. The
Shrimp can leap. The local fishmonger always displays his freshest wares outside on the sidewalk and extorts passersby to look at the crabs waving their arms or moving their googly eyes. It’s a bit disconcerting and I usually avert my gaze as I wait at the intersection there. But when an 8 inch long shrimp…
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At lunchtime in Otemachi
At lunchtime in Otemachi yesterday, a war protest parade wound its way through the streets. About a hundred people, lead by a van equipped with loudspeakers, carried banners announcing their affiliations (local organizations and businesses, I think) and signs with slogans. The only reasons I knew it was a war protest was that one of…
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Sayaka found my website
Sayaka found my website about a year ago. A few months back, she invited me to help with a monthly magazine, Yanesen, that she’s part of. Yesterday we met for the first time. We were supposed to be working on articles for the magazine, but we finished in about 20 minutes then spend the better…
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First sighting of Xmas
First sighting of Xmas decorations in my neighborhood. Sprout Planning Co (a realty office) has a small wreath with blinking lights propped up on a bench outside thier front door. Takashimaya Times Square in Shinjuku lit their elaborate holiday sculptures last week, but I haven’t seen them yet. Apparently most of the big department stores…
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