Today I was doing a bit of research of a topic dear to my heart when I came across a 13-page English paper written by two Japanese scholars that peaked my interest. At first I was going to comment on this paper and use some of the quotes within my own post but I … Continue reading Quotes from “Made in Japan From an Anthropological and Psychoanalytic Perspective”
Chris Kincaid runs a respectable blog...one that actually sites the sources he used As a librarian I suppose that's par for the course, but in the blog world it's rare. I want to be more like Chris! Besides his through research I apprecaiate the range of topics he explores. There are anime reviews for the … Continue reading Fav. Blog of the Month: Japan Powered
My phone rarely rings. My family is small and not very chatty. Friends tend to message me. Just as I was about to turn in for the night my phone buzzed. I'd forgotten to take it off silent again. I was lucky to have even noticed. "Call from Tokyo Japan" flashed on the screen. "Oh … Continue reading When Your Ex Japanese Inlaws Call
I was born and raised in nowhere special. A rural Michigander-- a real bumpkin whose feet were always black and leathery in the summer. Culture to me was living on a washboard dirt road and playing in the woods. That is, until a mysterious flyer about an exchange program appeared in our rural route mailbox. … Continue reading Mesmerised by Culture
"A freckle past a hair." My grandma would say when I asked. Perhaps it didn't matter. Or maybe it was she taking pride, in our sun-spotted complexions visibly tied. We count our minutes by sixty. Our days as though they matter. Limited and precious we perceive, to accomplish this … Continue reading My Sundial
Komoriuta “The Lullaby” is a wonderful example of the understated, subdued effect of Japanese prose. Please read and support this new blogger who I’m sure will touch your heart!
An unusually quiet morning … no bustling city noises, only a hushed stillness. I opened the curtain. No wonder I didn’t hear any sounds this morning. The white snow covered every corner of our backyard. No cars, no public buses or any people in the street. Our winter break had just begun two days ago, and I was grateful that I didn’t have to go to school today.
Our house was bitterly cold without sekiyu stoubu (kerosene stove). When we went into our futons for the night, we never used the kerosene stove to avoid causing a fire. I hated the caustic smell of the stove, but we had no choice. We only had one kerosene stove and a kotatsu (table with electric heating element underneath) to keep our house warm. Every morning in the winter season, my mom had to ignite the stove first. Until our little house got…
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Grandma always placed a handwritten note in her cards which arrived on every occasion to everyone. And although not Japanese by any means, she always began with a commentary on the weather as they do. For having just an eighth grade education her penmanship and prose was impeccably clean. Gone seven years now I think, … Continue reading Grandma Carroll
The muted me appeared. Attached to my feet, longer than usual, against a backdrop of pure snow. The less-ness me, without face, color, or detail... changing height (and width) as I turned. Still in control. I see her from time to time when the light is right, and I chose to pay attention. But on … Continue reading Muted Me
