Amy Chavez - The Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Dec 1, 2012

If you want to learn Japanese the fastest way possible, read on. Notice I did not say the easiest way possible. If you think learning Japanese is easy, well, you can stop reading now. Presuming you want to learn Japanese, I offer the following best-ever tips:

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Nov 24, 2012

Yaeyama stray cats steal the show on the beaches of Taketomi

After eight days on Miyakojima in which again our departure was delayed by bad weather, we finally set sail for Ishigaki Island, part of the Yaeyama Island chain and the end of our sailing trip through Japan.

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Nov 17, 2012

Miyakojima — dolphins to the port side!

After four days of sightseeing on Okinawa Island, we set sail for Miyakojima, the next major island to the south in the Okinawan chain. Having just visited Okinawa's Churaumi Aquarium, I was more aware of the beautiful sea life underneath our sailboat such as manta rays, sea turtles and maybe even dugong....

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Nov 10, 2012

Okinawa — a different world with its own time zone

After waiting 10 days on Amami Oshima for Typhoon No. 21, it finally blew in. All week long, locals had dropped by our boat to inform us that it was not safe tied up where it was — at the guest berth at the sea station. But when we inquired where we could move it to, no one knew. We couldn't leave...

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Nov 3, 2012

Time stands still on Amami Oshima

We had already been on Amami Oshima for a week waiting for Typhoon No. 21 to pass. But the typhoon was meandering around the Pacific like a drunken sailor, zigzagging a path north-west, once making a U-turn then righting itself, and another time its path taking a complete pirouette.

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Oct 27, 2012

Yakushima to Amami Oshima: Pursued by Typhoon No. 21

Seasick and dehydrated, I was looking forward to our arrival on Yakushima, an island that is 90 percent forest, has 46 peaks at over 1,000 meters, and boasts more than 3,000 types of insects. I certainly needed a break after three days of looking at only sea from a 45 ft yacht pitching in 2.5-meter waves....

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Oct 20, 2012

Shiraishi to Yakushima: Nearly abducted by aliens

I don't remember whose idea it was to sail from Okayama in the Seto Inland Sea to Okinawa, Japan's southernmost islands, but here we are — seven friends in a 45 ft (13.7 meter) yacht named Sea Fox, sailing in 20-knot winds down the coast of Kyushu in the Pacific Ocean. All hands on deck!

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Oct 13, 2012

Hospitality gone wild — don't let yourself be hijacked!

If you are planning on walking the Shikoku Pilgrimage in honor of the patron saint Kobo Daishi — be warned. Don't let yourself get hijacked.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Oct 6, 2012

Teaching compassion for all living things

As the distinguished gaijin on the island (ie: the only foreigner here), the Shiraishi Island Elementary school asked me to come and give a speech to third- and fourth-year students. All four of them.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Sep 29, 2012

Pro tips on how to act like a native Japanese

This column is for Kim Bostwick, who is moving to Japan this week. I've made a list of pertinent things to know for her smooth transition into Japanese culture. Do these things, and people will mistake you for a native Japanese:

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Sep 22, 2012

Japanese as a second body language

Continuing a lifetime study of how the Japanese can be so darn polite, today we look at body language.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Sep 15, 2012

Bone up on your tax audit ninjutsu to fight back

Our island of 602 people has a PA system that is used to make important public announcements. While these announcements usually concern typhoon warnings, ferry cancellations and funeral announcements, the PA system is not limited to these. Temple ceremonies are announced too, such as Buddha's birthday...

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Sep 8, 2012

Do you overestimate your dental IQ?

I really feel sorry for dentists because they have to deal with difficult patients, especially those who have inflated ideas about their own dental IQ.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Sep 1, 2012

You can swim even after O-bon — the truth about jellyfish

Despite the temperature being hot as blazes, mid-August is still considered the end of the swimming season in Japan. In our area of the Seto Inland Sea, it used to be said that after O-bon (around Aug. 15) the enko (sea nymphs) come out and can grab your legs and pull you down under the water to drown...

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Aug 25, 2012

Veterinary clinics for the rich and famous pets

I walked into the veterinarian's office with my disgruntled cat. I'd been worried about my cat for a week already. Her health was steadily declining and I knew something was seriously wrong when the 4 a.m. Kitty Alarm stopped going off — that feline screeching that takes place outside the door to our...

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Aug 18, 2012

Japan's career fairies — they're ready to help you

One job that exists in Japan that doesn't in my country is that of the career fairy. These are people, usually women, who work at places like the central post office or the bank and are on hand to help customers as they walk in the door. And as a customer, of course you need help.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Aug 11, 2012

Who can afford a day on the beach?

"We went to the beach on the mainland," said a foreign friend, "and it wasn't very nice."

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Aug 4, 2012

Cataclysmic circumstances lead to neko strike

Fed up with long working hours, minimal job security and paltry remuneration in Japan's depressed economy, maneki neko cats all over Japan are going on strike.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Jul 28, 2012

Conversation with the long-haired shamisen cat

When my cat turned 13 recently, I knew it was time for the dreaded "cat discussion." You know, the one where you tell them about the happy hunting ground in the sky. Since cats usually die before their owners do, it's tough for me to be the one to suggest that she be optimistic. I told her about cat...

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Jul 21, 2012

Raw beef liver not alone in Japan's big menu of extreme foods

The ban on serving raw beef liver at restaurants in Japan is a small victory for the bovine community. The question now is, will this cause a black market to fill the gap? Could mere cow tipping turn into liver-stealing? Will we have little yatai restaurants inside pastures with cows on display the way...

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