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Parks and Tours
Where to go? What to see?
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Sun-dried laundry
Sun and wind dry clothes more quickly than the dryer.
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Cha-chan, a cat
Cat-mediated interactions with a lonely old woman.
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Abductions
Prime Minister Koizumi is in North Korea today, attending a summit with tetchy neighbors. The hot topic at the summit–abductions. Japan claims that North Korea abducted a dozen or so Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 80s. NK has sometimes completely denied this; at other times they have launched “missing person” searches in cooperation with…
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It’s a long holiday
It’s a long holiday weekend here. Yesterday, I stayed away from the computer for most of the day. Tod & I went to Ikebukuro to check out the Gyoza Stadium, a pot-sticker theme park operated by game giant Namco. For 3,500 yen you get all-day, all-you-can eat gyoza in a dozen different styles from around…
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Bloodlust for mosquitos
Bloodlust for mosquitos. I’m not the sort to kill insects but mosquitos are an exception. I despise them. The damp weather has caused a boom in the population and they are finding their way inside. That’s not too hard since we have no window or door screens in this building. When I see one, I…
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Hiccough cure
How do you cure hiccups in Japanese? By answering a simple question: What is tofu made of? Daizu. This evening at dinner, it worked better than holding my breath, drinking out of the wrong side of the glass or being frightened. Soy beans have magical powers…
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Printing digital photos
These are digital camera print kiosks. For 50 yen a print, you get your images printed directly from your camera’s storage media–Compact Flash, Smart Media, Memory Stick, PC Card, even floppy. These are at a big electronics store, but our local Family Mart convenience store has one, too. Ah, technology. Personally, I like to work…
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A sleepy commuter
This sleepy commuter was completely crashed out on the Mita line last night. When I snapped his photo, the flash went off but he only stirred a bit then settled back into his snooze. I wonder if he got off at his station?
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Struggling with kanji
Oyama sensei is on holiday in Canada this week. We’ll have a substitute teacher tonight. But instead of a regular lesson, Oyama sensei left us a page-long composistion to translate. We’ll discuss it in class tonight. I’ve finished deciphering the first three sentences. This makes me realise how few kanji I actually know–there’s a lot…
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