Long Time Expat In Japan
Cherry blossoms peak like Olympic gymnasts, young and fast. It's over before you know the best of it was last weekend. This week the petals are falling like snow, replaced with a new green that's almost yellow. And I stop wondering why the aesthetic of Japanese poetry is sad and ephemeral.
I haven't been away from the brushes, to be honest. I just haven't posted about it. I still go every Saturday (except Xmas and New Years was damned busy at work). All the kanji I write seems to contain a lot of wisdom, so I figured I'd share. Below is my kanji for December. It … Continue reading Back to the Brushes
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 … Continue reading Shodan
The best part of the level up test is when you can write free hand. Normally, I have to copy as perfectly as possible. That can be fun but a little boring. Of course, Sensei always helps with composition, but I really do have a free hand. This time, the assignment was the following waka … Continue reading Kana Level-up Test
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 … Continue reading 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, … Continue reading Japan is Awesome: Cheese Sand
I did some new Japanese Calligraphy in March. The work we write in March gets submitted around week two of the following month. This is a little late to post about, but I like what I did so I'm sharing it now. Kana is my best area. It flows and connects from one word to … Continue reading March Shodo
Hey, it's been forever since I've been able to show some progress, but in the March issue of Shodo Geijutsu, the magazine for my Shodo group, you can read that I made it to yukyu. This is up from 1 kyu. Check out the cover of the mag: My name has a big old circle … Continue reading Level Up – Kana
I found myself with some free time early Sunday evening. The kids were out with their mother, and I had a new camera to try out. My Panasonic GH4 is a lot of fun. The ISO on the camera reaches 25,600, which I shouldn't complain about. Even 3-4 years ago, that was the state of … Continue reading Rainbow Bridge Time Lapse
It's a tradition to go to the local shrine. We went to the Sengen Jinja nearby. I used to think ours was THE Sengen Jinja, but apparently they are everywhere. The one in Shizuoka is near Mt. Fuji. and is probably the most famous. When we were there, we got a couple of charms (mamori) … Continue reading アケオメコトヨロ- or – Happy New Year!
B.S. Donovan 