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November 22, 2024
 

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Amy Chavez

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Amy Chavez
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Oct 15, 2011
When favors throw you into a vicious circle
The Japanese countryside is a place where the people are so nice, it's well, ridiculous. Actions that wouldn't even register in my mind as "thankable" are commonly thanked for here.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Oct 8, 2011
He waits and measures
My husband went to the local hardware store the other day. What's so exciting about that? You've obviously never been to a hardware store in Japan.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Oct 1, 2011
Not just cats — will dogs also get nine lives?
They say cats have nine lives, but dogs? With the help of the Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support, dogs may soon get nine lives too.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Sep 24, 2011
Amore mio, Aomori
With reconstruction underway and tourism returning to northern Japan, Aomori Prefecture is once again a viable tourist destination. You can ride the Hayabusa (not the space probe, but the bullet train) and probe northern Japan. As the new bullet train pierces the northernmost reaches of Honshu, to me,...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Sep 17, 2011
Why you shouldn't worry about receiving a pension
Worried about all those years you have, or haven't, contributed to the Japanese pension system? Worry no more! The good news is that you won't need a pension from the Japanese government anyway. In honor of Respect for the Aged Day, I'll explain why.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Sep 10, 2011
The power of spiders in rural Japan
Although I have lived in Japan's countryside for well over a decade, I have only recently come to understand the power of spiders.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Sep 3, 2011
When people ask, 'Do you remember me?'
Believe it or not, many Japanese people go to the beach just once a year, go skiing for one day a year and have a BBQ . . . once a year! It's no wonder Western holidays such as Valentine's Day and Christmas have become so popular in Japan — they happen just one time a year! And it's no wonder that...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Aug 27, 2011
Do you know the origins of sea salt?
The Japanese summer is officially over. But the heat lingers.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Aug 20, 2011
World's best shoppers at my beach shop
Having run a beach shop for eight years now, I've been able to observe the shopping practices of the Japanese firsthand.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Aug 13, 2011
Returning the seaweed to the sea
Imagine yourself out on the Seto Inland Sea in a boat. You're by yourself, floating along happily. You open a beer and kick back for a while letting the boat drift in tranquility. You can see the shore, but it's a bit far to swim to. Ahhhhhh. But wait — the boat is sinking!
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Aug 6, 2011
Uncovering your hidden ninja
If you're wondering where all the ninja are these days, I can tell you. They're hiding within the bodies of people you'd never suspect, such as your next door neighbor.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jul 30, 2011
The creeping crud on my hands
Recently, I have had this creeping crud on my hands. I get it every year.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jul 23, 2011
Will supply meet mosquitoes' demand?
"Are there always this many mosquitoes?" says a tourist, slapping his bare legs with his hands as he comes down the stone staircase from the Shinto shrine behind my house. This ancient staircase that goes up the mountain and into the forest is a magnet for tourists. It's so mysterious, you just have...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jul 16, 2011
What a waste! A human waste
Meet Ususama Myo-ou. He purifies the unclean. He hangs out in bathrooms. He's the guardian deity of the toilet. I'm thinking of inviting him to do a residency. Here's why.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jul 9, 2011
On rock worship and the Shinto gods
On my morning jogs on Shiraishi Island, I pass many things: some scary (spiders and snakes), some interesting (what's been washed up on the beach overnight) and some spiritual. The other day I had to take a detour to avoid a Shinto priest and a procession of men climbing the stairs to Myoken Shrine for...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jul 2, 2011
Long and short of pet grooming
"Wow, what's that?" I asked Mrs. Amano. In her arms she was holding a furry thing with whiskers. I couldn't quite recognize the animal as it had tufts of hair sticking out all over it — like a hexagram with a cat face in the middle.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jun 25, 2011
Kannon: the goddess of mercy and pets
Today I'd like to introduce you to someone so important, she may change your life. She has been a highly revered VIP for years, and is a household name in Japan, China and India. Although she is relatively unknown to the Western world, her accolades abound. She is Kannon, the goddess of mercy. I'd like...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jun 18, 2011
Becoming one with spiders and snakes
If you stay on a small island in the middle of the Seto Inland Sea long enough, you will become one with nature. Mainly because there is nothing else to become one with, except for maybe alcohol. Being one with nature isn't just convening with the flowers and plants. You must also be willing to be one...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jun 11, 2011
How I saved ¥40,000 doing it myself
The day I leave Japan, the country will be worse off for it. The Japanese will have lost a cartoon character in their comic strip of life. Once I am gone, who will they laugh at?
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jun 4, 2011
Navigating your way around Japan
Ever since I moved to Japan I've heard the Japanese say, "Nihon wa chiisai kuni desu" (Japan is a small country), with the underlying meaning that this fact is responsible for many of Japan's weaknesses. Foreigners are quick to point out that England is also a small country, yet has historically been...
Ishiba delays meeting with Trump, citing legal restrictions
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba waves upon arrival for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, in Callao, Peru, on Friday.
Two of America’s biggest debt holders are dumping Treasurys
The U.S. Treasury building in Washington. Investors in Japan and China sold a pile of U.S. debt in the last quarter, just before the U.S. presidential election.
Rising sex tourism exposes loopholes in Japan's anti-prostitution law
While financial misfortunes during the COVID-19 pandemic may have driven some women to work the streets, others simply want more money to spend — or want to pay off their debts — at host clubs.
Japan ranks last in romance satisfaction for second straight year
In a survey of 31 countries, Japan ranked last in terms of those who felt loved, with just 51% of respondents saying so.
Ruling coalition and DPP strike last-minute deal over economic policy
DPP policy chief Makoto Mahaguchi speaks at the party's policy gathering in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Japan, U.K. and Italy discuss inviting more countries to joint fighter project
A new concept model of a next-generation fighter jet to be jointly developed by Japan, Britain and Italy is on display in Farnborough, Hampshire, in July.
Haruki Murakami's 'The City and Its Uncertain Walls' gives deep deja vu
For “The City and Its Uncertain Walls,” translated into English by Philip Gabriel, Haruki Murakami confronts the ghosts who won't leave him alone.
Japanese expats in Asia find community through rugby
The Taiwan Fivewoods celebrate their victory at the 2023 Asian Japanese Rugby Cup in December of last year.
In Fukushima, a weekend of prose, poetry and translation
Aomori-based writer JJ Carter presented on tabletop gaming as creative inspiration for building characters and narratives.
For Dr. Nakamats, aging is just experience in action
Though he didn't win the recent gubernatorial election in Tokyo, the 96-year-old Dr. Nakamats' run was seen as inspirational in Japan's aging society.

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