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Teaching the Gaijin
From the Japan Times yesterday: “The 98-page policy package said the government will consider making it mandatory for foreign residents to take courses on Japanese language and societal systems when applying for or renewing visas.” Educating new residents is a good idea, but what makes sense to teach? These four topics seem to come up
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Fireworks over the Sea
Last night I had an unexpected and very funny conversation with my Oyama Senmaida friends about death – in the middle of a party celebrating the new year. It makes me realise, yet again, that I have fallen into the right group of people Six of us were sitting around my dining room table while
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Never Fully Enculturated
In a conversation with an older friend recently, I realised that no matter how long you live in Japan, an international resident can never be fully enculturated. You can speak fluently. You can have Japanese family. You can easily manage your daily life. You can even navigate natural disasters with grace. But if you grew
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New Year Snow
Although it’s not much accumulation, enough snow fell in overnight to cap all of the trees on the mountain. It looks like a wonderland out there right now. I can even see it through my loft window. Last night, a red lunar halo indicated snow and I was delighted when it started fluffing down big
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Happy 2026
Wishing you and yours a bright and energetic Year of the Horse!
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Mountain to sea
The weather today was beautiful so Tod & I decided to go for a little hike. He always has his eye on local mountains to walk up and today it was Ondara-yama in Minamiboso. What an absolute delight. It’s a ten minute walk on a moderately steep, well maintained trail from the parking lot to
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Weaving in public
This year’s theme word was “weave” and I made good use of it. Metaphorically I wove myself more tightly into my community (unfortunately, I feel like a loose end much of the time). And though it took me most of the year to get around to actual weaving on a loom, I did it. When
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My Will Be Done
This year I learned a lot about Japan’s death procedures when I wrote The International Resident’s Ending Note and its Family Guide. One thing that really stuck with me is that I am not aligned with the law when it comes to inheritance. Inheritance laws in Japan mandate the division of property: 50% to a
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Depicting Women’s Empowerment
I was deep in a design job over the weekend making an infographic for a corporate client. One section depicts corporate community activities. Along with nature preservation, youth programs, and disaster recovery, I needed to find an icon for “women’s empowerment.” It was more challenging than I expected. What kind of empowerment? Economic? Education? Work-life
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Oyama Fudoson recognised
Oyama-ji, my favorite local temple, has been officially designated an Important Cultural Property by the Japanese government. It’s been a long time coming! I am very glad it has a federal designation now. This should help with its preservation and upkeep. 1301 years ago, in 724, a traveling monk (possibly Roben) asked one of the
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