Amy Chavez - The Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Aug 13, 2005

Cheap old beaches become modern playgrounds for the rich

I hate to admit it, but our small island in the Seto Inland Sea is becoming a playground for the rich. Not long ago, the only people who came to Shiraishi Island were families looking for a cheap day out at the beach. And I mean cheap. They bring their own everything: food, drinks, beach chairs, parasols,...

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Aug 6, 2005

ESL job: Cows encouraged to apply

An ex-colleague recently contacted me about teaching an after-school English class for high school students going abroad. I doubted I would have the time to teach it, but agreed to talk to the school.

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Jul 30, 2005

The benevolent Uncle Yama

Monday morning I awoke at 7 a.m. to chanting flowing through the window from the mountain in the back of my house. But something was strange -- the voice was not quite right. It wasn't the familiar deep voice of the priest, nor the younger voice of the priest's son. It was scratchy. Perhaps the locusts...

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Jul 23, 2005

Cool Biz: Okinawan shirts and bikinis

Prime Minister Koizumi would be proud of me. I am completely embracing the Cool Biz campaign by going to work in a bikini top and shorts. And I think Mr. Koizumi would agree after seeing my workplace, which doesn't even have air conditioning. I would support the campaign even more if in addition to the...

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Jul 16, 2005

Six-legged pirates of the Seto Inland Sea

The "matsu-kui" (pine bark beetle) exterminators once again came to my door this morning. "We're going to be spraying for matsu-kui bugs," they said. Every year they come to my door and say this. And every year I try to tell them that this is not necessary. "The pine bark beetles are already gone," I...

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Jul 9, 2005

Umibiraki -- drunk fish, a certain charm

On the first Sunday of July for hundreds of years now, a priest has performed a Shinto ceremony called umibiraki on Shiraishi Island. At this "opening-of-the-sea" ceremony, the priest blesses the sea making it safe for swimming.

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Jul 2, 2005

Adrift at sea, intrepid columnist prepares to meet her Maker

This is the last part in a four-part series on a trans-Pacific crossing to Australia.

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Jun 25, 2005

Mayday in June -- rammed by rescuers

This is the third part in a four-part series on a sailing disaster while crossing the Pacific to Australia.

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Jun 18, 2005

From bad to worse -- drifting out to sea with no sail or signal

"She's rolled," said the skipper. "In a few seconds, she'll right herself." With the cabin now under water, it was dark but I could still see the skipper and Paul sitting on the ceiling. Ten seconds passed, and the boat slowly rolled back upright, heaving provisions -- cans of food, heads of cabbage,...

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Jun 11, 2005

June, a month of maritime disaster

June 7 welcomed the return of two Japanese sailors who circumnavigated the globe nonstop: Kenichi Horie and Minoru Saito. I have a special admiration for these men because June also marks the first anniversary of my rescue from the sea while attempting to cross the Pacific in a yacht to Australia.

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Jun 4, 2005

Spiritual journeys to the Inland Sea

I was sitting having a drink with an American girl in San-chan's Bar. I had just met her, a young doctor who had come directly from Osaka's Kansai airport to Shiraishi Island. She was staying five days on the island and when she left, she would go directly back to Kansai airport.

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May 28, 2005

Learn Japanese through the Conditioned Response Method

After the success of my first published book, "Guidebook to Japan: What the other guidebooks won't tell you," I am now ready to start my second book, "Learning Japanese: What the textbooks won't tell you." Allow me to share with you the Conditioned Response Method (CRM). With this method, you will be...

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May 21, 2005

Horton hears a Who in 'Dare-mura'

I am going to share something with you today that you must keep an absolute secret. You must not tell anyone what I am about to tell you, especially not the police.

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May 14, 2005

Japan's wildlife: domesticated and lazy

When I first came to Japan, I thought, "Where are all the animals?" Japan doesn't seem to have the small urban-adapted wildlife like we have in the United States, such as squirrels, raccoons, chipmunks or even very many birds. Other than the City Mouse, animals just don't seem to move to the cities here....

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May 7, 2005

A golden week of Jakarta traffic chaos

I admit, I fled. I wanted to go somewhere for Golden Week but I didn't want an organized, efficient, clean vacation like I'd have traveling around Japan. I wanted something more spontaneous, more edgy, with a little more risk. I longed for the chaos of a big South Asian city, and people with big natural...

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Apr 30, 2005

New: foreigner-friendly Japanese food

"Yokoso Japan!" is the slogan for the current Visit Japan campaign, which according to their Web site was designed "to promote foreign tourist traffic to Japan." I just hope the foreigners don't bring their cars.

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Apr 23, 2005

Put on your Nike shoes and 'just squat'

For years now, readers have been sending me their opinions on toilets. I can almost consider myself a toilet therapist. Every time I mention toilets in a column, I am sure to get opinions, especially regarding which is better -- the Western-style toilet or the Japanese-style toilet.

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Apr 16, 2005

Culture shock, or mere static cling?

Culture shock, similar to an electrical shock, is something one experiences when moving to a foreign country. One can also experience reverse culture shock when returning to their home country after having lived abroad for an extended period of time. The culture shock I experienced coming to Japan for...

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Apr 9, 2005

'Too friendly'? Hopelessly Midwestern

I am crossing America by Amtrak train and am now leaving the Wild West headed east through the Midwest. Much of the Midwest is prairie, farms and cows. Collectively these states are called the Plains States, probably because they are indeed very plain. Not a thing is growing at this time of year, but...

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Apr 2, 2005

Wild West: buffalo and private Sno-Cats

The great thing about Amtrak's North American Rail Pass is that for one price, you can get on and off the train whenever you want within a 30-day period. But I must warn you there is a danger that might make you never want to get back on the Amtrak train again. That danger is falling in love with the...

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