(remaining 5 of the) Top Ten reasons why I heart Japan

Here is the other half of the Ten reasons. Vote for your favorite!


Cute dogs with owls on their heads. Japan is full of cute little dogs and on this pet shop sign in Tokyo it appears one can also buy owls to go with the little dogs. Maybe a bad idea since an owl could eat some of the dogs.


Kakigori (shaved ice with flavoring and milk…and in this case, sweet beans too). Kakigori is like a snow cone, but better! Found mostly in the summer, kakigori has become one of my favorite ways to stay cool in the heat. Don’t knock the use of milk with the ice.


Isabel and RISK. This particular moment in RISK marked one of the most aggressive—and perhaps most insane—military maneuvers ever recorded in RISK history. Isabel’s yellow army forces (yellow as in the pieces were yellow, not that her soldiers were Asian) swept out on all sides and captured territories seemingly at random. The end result was a shaken world and Isabel gazing out across it as a proud empress.


Black curry. Almost every week I make a trip to Coco Curry and enjoy a large plate of Japanese style curry. The selection is vast and this plate is one of their summer specials. The dark color is from the ink of a squid and I was careful to include a spoon in the photo so you would realize it’s food.


Mist covered mountains. I drive this road all the time and I’ve seen this particular mountain in all sorts of moods. On this rainy day the clouds gathered all around and made me think of Samurai Jack on his journey to destroy the shape-shifting master of evil, Aku. Then the farmer behind me honked his horn so I’d keep driving.

(5 of the) Top Ten reasons why I heart Japan

It’s time for a photo montage! Why? Cause I like them! Here are the first five reasons why I love Japan:


Ikura (fish eggs). These bright orange balls of salty goodness are one of my favorite dishes at kaiten (conveyer belt) sushi. Some other folks think them rancid. Fools!


Soft cream! My love for this omnipresent dessert has required me to institute a rule that I can only eat soft cream in the presence of others (mainly Lisa, my fellow soft cream fan). This particular soft cream sadly has polio and must be supported by a cone brace.


Karaoke. This photo was taken a while ago, but I’ve always loved the emotion it captured. Notice how Natalie in the background is in enthralled by the music while Ben pours his heart out into the microphone. The song he was singing: “A Whole New World” from Aladdin.


Enchanted bridges. This photo was taken at Usa Shrine and shows the special covered bridge that is only opened once every ten years. A representative from the Imperial family came down earlier this year and opened the bridge for just three days—an event most of us were oblivious of. Thus, the covered bridge remains something we can only look at through locked doors.


Enchanted forests. Living out in the countryside gives me plenty of opportunities to search for mythic creatures such as tengu and pokemon out in the mountain forests.

Ka’Plah! (that’s Klingon for “success”)

Cost of toll roads to and from the Oita-ken Driver’s License Center – 4,600 yen

Driving test and course fees – 9,000 yen

Driving lessons early on a Saturday morning – 23,000 yen

Total cost – 36,000 yen (about $350)

Passing the insane Japanese driver’s test on the second try – freakin’ priceless, baby.


It was a long and annoying road…but thanks to the support and guidance of friends and family I was able to pass the various tests and get my Japanese driver’s license on par with the Oita-ken ALT record (2 times, set by Jessica Browning). Now I can zoom around my Japanese inaka home with reckless abandon. AND I got some way cool decals to show everyone that I’m a “new driver”. Whatever.

Tokyo welcomes you

Tokyo is one of the coolest places on earth and I seriously walk around going, “oh wow” and “cool” and “neeeeeat” when I’m there. I just returned from a short trip to the neon light land where I was welcoming, orienting, and inspiring the new JETs who have just arrived in Japan. My 5 days there were busy ones, but overall I really enjoyed myself. All the different kinds of people from all over the world mixing and meeting is great fun and a welcome change to the small town life I usually lead these days.

Below is a series of pictures taken with my sweet cell phone cam (so for all those non-readers, this post is especially for you).


The city by day. This is the view out my room window at the Keio Plaza Hotel.


Karaoke! I think there are about 3 karaoke places for every 5 people in Tokyo (just a random unqualified statistic).


This is Ollie, my co-presenter for our workshop on Japanese Pop Culture.


This is proof that Olli and I did indeed give a presentation on Japanese Pop Culture (look carefully for our names).


(some of) The new JETs for Oita-ken! Pretty cool group.

Beginnings and Endings

The cyclical nature of life, its beginnings and endings, is a familiar aspect of the human experience and we are familiar with this concept from the first time we hear a bedtime story that beings with “once upon a time” and ends with “and they live happily ever after.” Our lives are balanced by birth and death and throughout life we go through a series of new beginnings and final farewells. Here in Japan, I’m going through one of those moments right now and I decided that writing about it would be a good way to process my thoughts.

Last week I celebrated my one year anniversary of being in Japan and while this date brought me a sense of accomplishment and stability, it also made me feel a bit sad and nervously uncertain (oh the dichotomy). You see, me starting my second year in Japan means that there are those who are finishing their time here and thus I must say good bye to folks who are bound for their home countries around the globe. My story goes on in Japan, but others must pick up and set out on the next part of their own personal epics. Beginnings and endings…

Two of my best friends who are departing these shores are U.K. citizens Ben and Steph. Over the past year we’ve (plus Isabel too) spent a lot of time together from wild nights out to quiet evenings in. We’ve drunk together, discussed literature and society, shot each other in the head, enjoyed various TV shows and films, eaten fabulous meals, sat naked together in onsens, and even sent armies against one another in attempts to rule the world. Together with dear Isabel, Ben and Steph made Japan familiar and comforting…bringing invaluable friendship to me.

To them, and others who have ended their time here in Japan, I wish you well. You will be missed and always remembered…and know that while our stories mixed here, you had a profound impact on me.

To those who remain in Japan, and those who have just arrived here, know that we have an epic waiting to unfold…and I am eager for the adventure.

And to those awaiting my return back home, be comforted that I’ll be home soon…for a year goes by in a flash.

Love to all.


(Steph and Ben at Usa Shrine…walking off into the sunset)