Kanji this month was tough. I had a trouble looking up the following on the internet. 妍因俗易 I could be way off, but my best guess of a direct translation is: beauty changes with custom or, in more modern terms beauty is in the eye of the beholder (maybe?) Kana is another waka. あしはやに、くる春ならむ、雲竜の、やなぎ一度に、ふくれきにけり ashi … More Beauty in the Eye
About a year and a half ago, I discovered a weird free magazine that inspired a “Japan is Awesome” post about mascots. The magazine wasn’t about mascots, but the cover kind of looked like it had one on it. Who knows how the mind works. The magazine is like a public service. I’m sure that … More Japan is Awesome – Creativity
In psychology, they say there are four stages of competence. They rise like this: 1) Unconscious Incompetence, when you suck so bad you don’t even know how bad you suck, 2) Conscious Incompetence, when you know you suck and just exactly how badly, 3) Conscious Competence, when you are good but you really gotta concentrate … More Conscious Incompetence- Shodan Style
I started Shodo four years ago as a way to help my youngest on her kanji tests in school, never with the intention of pursuing it seriously. Something about how my Sensei teaches, and the regularity of studying together every week changed my attitude. Below is my official certificate that I reached shodan, first dan … More Shodan
Some smart person in marketing must have figured out the low carb craze. Then they married zero carbs with Chu-hi, which is made of Shochu, a Korean cheap alcohol. Then they made it twice as strong as beer. Unsatisfied with just one flavor they started in on lychee and yes, mango. The result? A quick … More Japan is Awesome- Chu-hi
I feel like I’ve been in Japan too long. Or maybe it’s just peaks and valleys. I used to see oddities everywhere, bits and pieces of culture that tilt your head like a puppy trying to get human speech. Then, twenty or so years pass, and everything seems normal. Or maybe my filters are broken, … More Japan is Awesome: Cheese Sand
I feel a little better about my kanji this month. I took a break for about a month for summer vacation and also work. But I came back with a fresh perspective. And the characters kind of reflect that. The following say (basically) precise pen, spare ink, where spare means not too much. If you … More August Shodo
