Long Time Expat In Japan
Kanji hasn't really improved since last year, but my rankings among the 3 kyu skews a little to the top. I'm going to try to test up in February. Until then, I plod along with the following, which means think a thousand (times), ponder ten thousand. Which is kind of saying the same thing twice, … Continue reading December Shodo
I feel like I'm starting to get the basics. The below is still pretty pedestrian, but the balance was good, and I feel like I started to "get it" a bit more than usual. This month's kana is a waka (和歌), a 5-7-5-7-7 syllable poem. When I was writing it I didn’t really understand the … Continue reading November Shodo
Shodo has a weirdly important place in my heart. I go with my daughter on Saturdays. My Sensei is a peach. I struggle and progress slowly, yet I look forward to it. I enjoy it because I get time together with the little one, but I also learn, and it is art. I have a … Continue reading Shodo – October
Book Review Dave Barry Does Japan By Dave Barry Dave Barry, for those of you who are not in the know, is a Pulitzer Prize winning author. While his more well-regarded books include I'll Mature When I'm Dead and Homes And Other Black Holes, the most representative is Boogers Are My Beat. I was first … Continue reading Book Review – Dave Barry Does Japan
I haven't written about how Japan is weird for a while. My experience last week was one of the better ones. I'd just finished doing my taxes, an ordeal that no human should be subjected to in any country in any language. I'd expected to be done around mid-morning. But the line-- which curved and … Continue reading Japan is Awesome – Honesty
I was away on a business trip for two weeks in November. OK, I was away for one week on business. The other week was all about gaming with friends. Nearly 16 hours of board gaming, everyday, for 5 days, only interrupted by breakfast at I-HoP or the local diner. Compound that with an early … Continue reading November Shodo
Kana seems like my strong suit, 4th kyu. But I'm stagnating these days, not seeing any progress. I'm sure I know what it is. I just practice once a week. And I only do kana one of the weeks in the month. Time to make a decision, double down or maybe more. Not just this … Continue reading September Shodo
So what does summertime fun have to do with floating melons and submerged plums, you might be wondering. Well, I'm glad you asked. Another four character idiom for shodo this month. See the bit of kanji below (yes, my brush was a little too soaked with ink, but it was the best of the bunch): … Continue reading End of Summer Fun
Went away last weekend to Nagano with the fam. I asked them where they'd like to go if they had a weekend and this is what they picked. They picked it because of a TV show, Taiga Drama. It is a period drama, usually with lots of swords, horses, armor, and the like. This one … Continue reading Nagano
Fuji. Never climbed the mountain, only looked at it from afar. Feels wrong, having spent 20 years or so in the country. But I do get nearby for work. So I took a detour on the way back home last time. Took a couple of pics from a lake in Yamanashi. It wasn't the perfect … Continue reading Mount Fuji
B.S. Donovan 