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Tadaima!
Stay tuned for poetic justice.
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Trip of Trials
Hit on the head, ice in a shoe, what more can go wrong?
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Irritating patriotism
Is it safe to read news yet? I stopped a few days before “the anniversary of the tragic event” and I do not relish seeing any nationalist, patriotic aftermath. Would someone check to see if all the flag-waving, teary-eyed reportage is over? Love, Your Cynical Friend
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US Immigration
I am not sure what to think about America’s changing immigration policies. Beginning next month, aliens entering from “high risk” countries are to be fingerprinted at their port of entry. If they remain in the US longer than 30 days, they must register at an INS office and check in annually. Here in Japan, all…
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Zoupi in Belgium
Zoupi is still enjoying his vacation in Belgium. He’s travelled all over and amassed an extensive photo album. Here he is in Brussels with Manneken Pis, the famous fountain that inspired the funny Suntory Dakara commercials. (Click on the videotape, then navigate the menu to choose MPG or animated gifs–you don’t really need to understand…
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Son’t say oriental
Washington state in the northwest US has passed a law banning the use of the word Oriental. “There is a need to make clear that the term ‘Asian’ is preferred terminology, and that this more modern and nonpejorative term must be used to replace outdated terminology,” the law says. Yes, ‘oriental’ is outdated when referring…
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Get me out of here
I’m itching to get out of Tokyo for a daytrip. In the first two years we lived here, we often went for hikes or short trips on the weekends. We travelled all over Japan on these little jaunts. But the last two years have been more settled–on the weekends we have social engagements, work commitments,…
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Stupid tourists
OK, these folks are just reinforcing the stereotype of clueless Japanese tourists. In a report from the BBC, we discover: “Two tourists engrossed in their guidebooks and heading for the birthplace of Jesus Christ unwittingly wandered into the centre of a war zone on Tuesday. “The Japanese couple were amazed to find that Bethlehem’s Church…
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Comparisons
Getting away from Tokyo gives me a chance to make comparisons when I return. For example,Tokyo has much better subways and trains. London’s Tube is small, dirty, and subject to lots of delays as old switching equipment fails regularly. The Tokyo subway system is efficient, clean and relatively inexpensive. But London’s trains aren’t as crowded…
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Home again, home again.
Home again, home again. London has really great sandwiches; British women all wear cosmetics; the Tube is ridiculously expensive; salaries are not commensurate with the cost of living in London; the ham in Buckingham (and Hampstead, Nottingham, West Ham) is from the Old English word for home; the growl of a Lancaster bomber flying over…
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