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July 16, 2024
 

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JAPAN LITE

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jan 29, 2005
To do or not to do -- that is the decision
Westerners often find it takes Japanese a long time to make decisions. I believe the training for decision-making starts at an early age, when Japanese children are conditioned to be shy.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jan 22, 2005
Taming the wild beet root in Australia
I have just come back from Australia and I'm covered with blood. But before I tell you about that, you're probably wondering why I chose Australia to spend the holidays. Well, Australia has a lot to offer. Inhabited by 11 of the most poisonous animals in the world, why wouldn't someone want to visit...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jan 15, 2005
For better or worse: the 400th column
Welcome to the 400th Japan Lite column! If you have been reading this column since 1997, then congratulations on our 400th anniversary. Four hundred weekend dates is longer than most unmarried couples make it. How does it feel to be 400?
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jan 8, 2005
Fine-feathered flock of phrases flavors Year of the Chicken
Which came first, the chicken or the egg? This year, the chicken came first since 2005 is the year of the chicken, not the year of the egg. After the disastrous year of the monkey, I think we're all hoping for a few golden eggs this year. So, out with the monkey bananas and in with the chicken feed....
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jan 1, 2005
Bless your house, TV for the new year!
A male voice called out. I ran downstairs and there was a Buddhist priest, dressed in full robes, standing in my genkan. At first I panicked, "Am I dead?" No, that's what Catholic priests do, not Buddhist priests. He smiled and looked at me expectantly. I smiled back, wondering why in the world a Buddist...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Dec 25, 2004
Last-minute gifts for discerning foreigners
Merry Christmas! If you are one of those people who waits till the last nano-second to do your Christmas shopping, don't worry. You've still got till midnight tonight to get a Christmas present for that special gaijin you forgot about.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Dec 18, 2004
Checklist before leaving for the holidays
Many foreigners will be leaving Japan for the holidays, and I am no exception. It's always a scary thing to leave my house for more than a few minutes: Japanese houses are so -- delicate. Almost anything could obliterate a Japanese house during your absence, which is probably the real reason Japanese...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Dec 11, 2004
Slipper prophecy: My life, my toilet!
It all started last summer in a yakitori shop in Kyushu. I went into the bathroom and the toilet slippers greeted me with a chirpy English phrase written on them: "My life, my toilet!" This humored me greatly at the time. However, I have learned my lesson. I will not laugh next time.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Dec 4, 2004
Roller Derby Queen swishes to hospital
When I walked into the hospital, I thought I had by mistake walked into a skating rink. The first thing I saw was the skate check. Women stood behind a long counter taking people's shoes and exchanging them for plastic slippers with large numbers painted on them. Rental slippers? Not exactly. The people...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Nov 27, 2004
Free poinsettias! Torn between cultures
If the United States is my mother country, Japan must be my father country. And as it often is between kids and parents, I sometimes find myself in the middle, wondering which one is right, which one to listen to.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Nov 20, 2004
Shiraishi, island of mists and trances
Shiraishi is an island of trances, a place where one is lured into long contemplative pauses. I can sit on top of the mountain and look out over the sea for hours, awed by the beauty of the Inland Sea. Like getting lost in your favorite song, or an entire CD, these are the moments when our mind is so...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Nov 13, 2004
Ants go marching one by one, hurrah!
For years entomologists have been trying to figure out why ants work in the ways they do. Through years of my own research, and as an experienced "antomologist," I've discovered the answer: Ants have been copying the Japanese. It's ant "wa." The wa system has been in place by the Japanese since the beginning...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Nov 6, 2004
Lunch menu -- the pillage of the day
When you come to Japan as a "gaijin," it seems there is always a Japanese person who adopts you. This person makes sure you have all the things you need, informs you of important events and perhaps even takes you sightseeing. I've had several people take on this role during my time in Japan, and I'm...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Oct 30, 2004
Fancy funerals for fish are all the rage
For a couple of weeks now, the smaller fishing boats in the port have been sporting special yellow "hikitsuri" flags. A casual inquiry to my fishing friend Rikimatsu-san as to the meaning of hikitsuri, literally "fishing by pulling," brought an invitation to go out with him and see for myself.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Oct 23, 2004
Do you qualify for O-baa-chan Club?
I do believe that I am the youngest member to enter the O-baa-chan Club, an inner circle of old ladies who keep Japan under their thumbs. I'm not exactly sure why or how I gained entry, but apparently the fact that I live in the countryside and have a vegetable garden was enough to convince everyone...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Oct 16, 2004
Island life: gangsters, fish and thieves
If I have led my readers to believe that my island is safe, then I have misled you. Although still safer than the city, island life has its own dangers, not all of which are the natural disasters. We have the human type too.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Oct 9, 2004
Gone fishin' and fishin' and fishin' . . .
I've never understood why people go fishing -- why would you go fishing if there is the possibility of not catching anything? Would you buy a ticket to the movies if they told you that you might not be able to watch the movie? Of course no one would buy a ticket, unless maybe it was to see a movie about...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Oct 2, 2004
Drive into the sea, then put up guardrail
On my planet, the United States, used car salesmen have a classic line for selling a car with low mileage: "This car was driven by a little old lady who only used it to drive to the grocery store." In Japan, if I ever get rid of my lightweight pickup truck, the salesman will say, "This truck was driven...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Sep 25, 2004
Look at the moon! Hiraite, chong, chong
My next-door neighbor Kazu-chan was standing in my "genkan." "Amy, I've signed you up to take part in the dance performance on Respect for the Aged Day." This national holiday was observed on Monday, but our island celebrated it on Thursday, the autumnal equinox.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Sep 18, 2004
The perfect touch for fall: Christmas
Every eight years, our neighborhood has "matsuri toban," or festival duty, which means we are in charge of all the island festivals for the year. One house within that neighborhood volunteers to set up decorations, receive guests at festival times and host the Shinto gods for the year.
Who needs AI when you have Hatsune Miku?
Over the first six months of 2024, a handful of songs using Vocaloid singer Hatsune Miku’s voice have enjoyed widespread attention, underlining a global interest in the character and the technology she represents.
Bloodied Trump survives assassination attempt at political rally
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is surrounded and evacuated by Secret Service agents at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. Trump was rushed off stage at the rally after shots rang out.
Shooter came within inches of killing Trump, but left few clues as to why
An aerial view shows the stage where Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump had been standing during an assassination attempt the day before, and the roof of a nearby building where a gunman was shot dead by law enforcement, in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Sunday.
Yen’s woes seem too big for even a BOJ hike this month to solve
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
How to beat Japan’s summer heat in ways better for the planet
Tenugui towels hang up to dry at a dyeing company in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, on May 8. The durable and versatile tenugui, which many people have in their homes, can be used in many ways to cool one’s body.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'
Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
How to beat Japan’s summer heat in ways better for the planet
Tenugui towels hang up to dry at a dyeing company in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, on May 8. The durable and versatile tenugui, which many people have in their homes, can be used in many ways to cool one’s body.
After Trump shooting, U.S. presidential race might take a violent turn
United States Secret Service Counter Snipers stand guard on a rooftop during a campaign rally for U.S. President Donald Trump in Avoca, Pennsylvania, in 2020.
No AC this summer? No problem (for me).
Think air conditioning is a requirement for a Tokyo summer? Think again.
She’s paying ¥1 million to help behind the scenes at the Paris Olympics
Mai Tarumi, who previously volunteered at the postponed Tokyo Olympics in 2021, has a travel budget of ¥1 million for her trip to volunteer at the Paris Games.

Podcast

You can often see generations of families enjoying performances together at Fuji Rock Festival.
Japan’s summer music festivals are feeling the heat in more ways than one

Longform

Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'
By Tomoko Otake

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