Long Time Expat In Japan
I recently read The Reason I Jump, by Naoki Higashida, translated into English by David Mitchell and KA Yoshida. This is not typical reading for me, but there are more than just a few reasons for me to pick this up. I don't read many Japanese books, even translated in English. Surprising, considering I live … Continue reading A Boy’s Voice from the Silence of Autism
Last week I was out in Odawara for work, and I came across a little Shodo shop. It was tiny, and a bit messy, but the two old ladies running the place were really nice. I bought a new hanko there. They had a little stand with hanko, engraved seals. In calligraphy you sign your … Continue reading My New Hanko
The film I mentioned earlier was reviewed by Variety. It was well-received. Some quotes from the review "rapturous response at the Berlinale" "Although she employs blunt metaphors involving tea ceremonies and geishas... Doerrie [the director] doesn’t presume to understand or verbalize what the living victims of such cataclysmic misfortune feel. Instead, her penchant for drawing awkward misfits allows … Continue reading Berlin Film Review: ‘Fukushima, mon amour’
This is how I felt when I showed Star Wars to my kids. That is to say, when I tried to show it to my kids. I was so excited. They were finally old enough to watch it with me. Maybe a little early still for the little one. The wife was out with … Continue reading Showing Star Wars
Ok, so not Gangnam Style, but even better, Tei Dosho style! Tei Dosho, as they say in Japan, was a Chinese official during the Northern Wei Dynasty. In Chinese, his name is pronounced Zheng Daozhao, and he was Wei awesome. When was the Northern Wei Dynasty? Like 386-534 AD. He is way cooler than Park … Continue reading Tei Dosho style
The folks that run the Shodo ranking are pretty smart, I figure. I wrote about the ranking system before, kind of like belts in karate, yellow, purple, green, brown, black. There are twenty or so ranks. Getting to the first dan (like a black belt) is a long process, but achievable, with tiny incremental steps. … Continue reading December Shodo Level Up
Last year, I went to Fukushima to make a film. My part in it was small, not acting, drone camerawork. It was a lot more devastating than I thought it would be. Devastating because the place was devastated, but also the impact it had on me. There were whole towns, communities, counties that have become … Continue reading Grüße aus Fukushima (Greetings from Fukushima)
I haven't been to church in decades, so I mean this in the secular, new year, commercial, presents, warm and fuzzy, Rudolf and Clarice (from the stop animation circa 1964) kind of way. So please eat too much ham, turkey, roast beef, goose, or Chinese turkey (love that movie - hope you catch the reference). … Continue reading Merry Christmas !
I've been writing about how Japan is weird, and how I have come to think of it as not so weird anymore. What I haven't written about is just how beautiful the place is. I don't get out enough. I spend a lot of time - like the rest of us - with my head … Continue reading Japan is Beautiful
The first installment of my "Japan is weird, sort of" posts. As a reminder, these are things I used to find weird, but actually really like, now that I've lived here for 17 years. Bathrooms Twenty five years ago, I saw my first squat toilet. It was a big deal, even a traumatic experience. But … Continue reading Japan is Awesome – the bathroom
B.S. Donovan 