Amy Chavez - The Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Jan 31, 2004

For those of you rolling your eyes at the prospect of reading my annual column whining about the lack of central heating in Japan, wait. This one, I promise, will be different. Because things are changing in Japan.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Jan 24, 2004

Hogwarts School on Shiraishi Island

I don't know about you, but for me, last year was rife with bad luck and evil. Then, eureka! I realized why. I had simply not taken the proper precautions. There are plenty of Japanese remedies for keeping away bad luck and evil that I had failed to implement. After last year, I have suddenly become...

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Jan 17, 2004

Restaurant's food still alive and kicking

Recently, I went to Manabe Island, in Okayama Prefecture, two islands away from mine. The island has a population of 400 and only one restaurant. But the restaurant, called Ryouka, is so famous, you need reservations to get in for lunch on weekends. Meals are 5,000 yen per person, and the favored transportation...

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Jan 10, 2004

The local garbage police dig in the dirt

On my island, we have garbage police: community members who stand guard over the garbage heap to make sure everyone puts out their garbage properly. These normally laid-back people can get very testy when they are put in a position of such authority. They have a very high garbage IQ.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Jan 3, 2004

A long walk home with an 'o-baa-chan'

"O-baa-chans" in Japan never fail to surprise me. They are treasure houses of information. The other day, I saw 83-year-old Harada-san on the ferry as we were both coming home to the island. Harada-san and I are distant neighbors the way people are distant cousins. We don't see each other often, but...

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Dec 27, 2003

2004 is the year for monkeying around

The year 2004 is the year of the monkey. If you're someone who doesn't believe that all the people born in the same year have the same personalities, destiny and propensity for success, then phooey on you! You'll have no fun in Asia, where much of life is believed to be ruled by factors that are, quite...

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Dec 20, 2003

All I want for Christmas is Mori Living

How's your life space these days? Do you have the correct balance of relax space, social space and, say, foot space? In Japan, space is a topic of constant discussion. Hair salons are called "hair space" and companies tout products for "your enjoy living space."

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Dec 13, 2003

Gifts for the 'gaijin' who has everything

The holidays are here and it's time to find that perfect gift for the "gaijin" who has everything. Here are a few suggestions:

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Dec 6, 2003

Drive! Hokkaido! -- turn left at the cow

I decided to "Drive! Hokkaido!" as the brochures say. When I left the Sapporo airport in my rental car, I was amazed at the surrounding scenery. Wow -- trees! I was so excited, I started barking (a trick I learned from years of driving with a dog in the car back home).

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Nov 29, 2003

East lies down with West in hotel room

Western-style hotels in Japan are a curious mix of East and West, leaving people feeling like their body has been pulled all the way to the East and back to the West several times.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Nov 22, 2003

Don't let Cat from Hell out of the bag!

My veterinarian is known in town as the Vet from Hell but I still take my cat there because, you see, while he very well may be the Vet from Hell, I have the Cat from Hell. Whenever I take my cat to the vet, I wonder if it's really fair to expose him to the beast. She's almost as bad as a virus.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Nov 15, 2003

Definitely don't go to this restaurant!

What would the Japanese do without all those magazines telling them what to do and where to go? There are fashion magazines with detailed instructions on how to apply eye makeup, recreational magazines that suggest "date courses" in which you take your date on a pre-planned route that includes a trendy...

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Nov 8, 2003

Lazy Invertebrate Consumption Medal

I just finished polishing off a plate of "iwashi" and "tsukudani," and frankly, I think I deserve a medal. Why? It took me over a decade to accomplish this feat! Iwashi is sardines. Tsukudani is, well, no one really knows. It's black, it kinda glistens, and has a dark but sweet taste. Even my dictionary,...

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Nov 1, 2003

Human slingshot flings herself overseas

Today I'll tell you my own experience with The Beckham Phenomenon, when Japanese women turn themselves into human slingshots and launch themselves at a man to get his attention. When a young Japanese woman wants a particular guy, get out of her way. Especially if that guy is a foreigner.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Oct 25, 2003

I am Eiimi: a beautiful, excellent twig!

As promised, today I will translate names of foreigners into Japanese to reveal their true meanings. Since I did male names last time, I'll do female names this week. However, I decided to highlight famous women in order that we might find out a little more about them than we would ordinarily be allowed...

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Oct 18, 2003

Your fortune through name translation

Look at any list of foreign names written in "katakana" and you'll see that people's true names -- their identities -- are hidden behind unrecognizable clods of katakana. The name "Tim," for example, becomes "chee-moo." But by looking at the possible combined meanings of katakana spellings in Japanese...

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Oct 11, 2003

Dogs in Japan bow-wow before masters

Stray cats can be seen all over Japan: under parked cars, in alleyways, or in the parks being fed rice by "o-baa-chans." But you never see stray dogs. Why not? Is it the fault of Viagra? Cats are getting it but not dogs?

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Oct 4, 2003

'Good old Japan days' gone -- whew!

It used to be said that you know it's time to leave Japan when you start bowing on the phone. Have you been in Japan too long? Maybe. But to prevent you from becoming one of those old Japan-hands relenting the present and waxing lyrical about the past and the "good old Japan days," first tell me if you...

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Sep 27, 2003

Public baths: naked amusement parks

Want some culture? Go the "sento," or public bath. Not one of those fancy, remodeled ones, but an old, downtrodden one. The best sentos are found in old neighborhoods. Look at the people going in and out. No one should be under the age of 80. These people have been going to the sento their whole lives...

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Sep 20, 2003

Summer insect tourism slows to a crawl

Good morning, thanks for joining "Good Morning Insects!" for today's top news. My name is Goki Buri.

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