Long Time Expat In Japan
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
No confefe, it was a conference, last weekend. Same as last year, I had two days to think about, talk about, and dream of writing. I wish I could have been more involved this year but RL is what it is. I missed the mornings on both days; I blame the fickle Japan Consumer for … Continue reading Japan Writers Conference
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 don't usually write with a cursive style with kanji. In my shodo society, they want you to know the basics first. Makes sense. Sensei does an annual art show at the local bank. This year, I'm contributing the following. Since it's not the regular submission, I can do whatever I want. And I wanted … Continue reading Cursive
Most of the kanji we practice in my shodo society comes from Chinese poetry. Sometimes it's obscure and indecipherable, others it's pretty straightforward. Most of the time, I just write it and try hard to make it pretty. Hey, that's the idea, right? But this month, I looked into the origins. This month is from … Continue reading Reflections of an Early Spring Journey in ChangAn
Japan loves mascots. I suspect that it might be Disney where the phenomenon started, but I have nothing to back that up. The only places that I see mascots where I'm from, Boston, Mass., is for sports teams and Disney. You take pictures with the mascot because you want to remember your association with the … Continue reading Japan is Awesome – Mascots
Book Review - Claws of the Cat By Susan Spann About six months back, I joined the Japan Writers Conference, an annual event that attracts a lot of academics, intellectuals, and amazingly creative people. They also let anyone join, and it's free, so that explains why they let me in. There, I had the pleasure … Continue reading Book Review – Claws of the Cat
The pressure is on. Now that I'm 1kyu, I'm worried I can keep the same level of quality. The below ain't bad but is it 1kyu ? Same here for 3kyu in kanji.
I'm starting to think that I should have taken these leveling tests a long time ago. The monthly grind is good, but progress is gradual. Then I take this test and Bam! 2 levels, or 3. Kana has been my strong suit all along, much to my surprise, and this time is no exception. I … Continue reading Results
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
B.S. Donovan 