Anti-Bullying: Wear Star Wars, Share Star Wars 2011

[Myself with my plush Wampa Ice Creature at Nagoya Castle on 2011.12.16] Last year I heard news of a young girl – Katie Goldman – who got teased at school because she liked Star Wars, which was only for boys.  Young Katie tried to conform by instead liking pink things so that no one would tease her.  (You can read an article about it here.)  Star Wars fans decided to hold a Wear Star Wars, Share Star Wars day for Katie and other kids like her, to show the world that anyone can love Star Wars. But it’s much deeper than that; it’s showing the world, boys and girls, men and women, that it’s OK to be your own person, …Read the Rest

Japan: Nagoya: Cesari Pizzeria

November 14, 2011
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Japan: Nagoya: Cesari Pizzeria

Typically when overseas, I try to eat mainly the local food.  Not only are imported foods and foreign restaurants incredibly expensive, but it usually pales in comparison to what I know.  And I’m enough of a food snob that it …Read the Rest

Japan: Nagoya: My Neighborhood (Looking Up)

Usually when I head out, I take a residential back street to my local subway station.  It’s about 15 or 20 minutes by foot, 8 to 10 minutes by Japanese businessperson pace.  Really, the locals zoom right by at an …Read the Rest

Japan: Takayama: Jinya

November 12, 2011
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Japan: Takayama: Jinya

[Myself, in front of the Takayama Jinya] The Takayama Jinya was a delightful surprise that we found during our visit.  I had assumed it was a temple – which is always interesting – but this was much better.  An immaculately-preserved government …Read the Rest

Japan: Takayama

October 16, 2011
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Japan: Takayama

As Nagoya seeming to be the starting point for any trip to Takayama, my friend and I decided to make the trip out while living in Nagoya.  By chance, we picked a major festival weekend to visit; if you want …Read the Rest

Japan: Takayama: Autumn Festival Floats

I just so happened that I visited Takayama on the weekend of the local Autumn Festival.  One of the big things for this festival is a parade through town with a bunch of, for a lack of a more sophisticated …Read the Rest

Japan: Takayama: Hida Folk Village

On a recent weekend trip to Takayama, my friend and I made a trip to the Hida no Sato, or Hida Folk Village, which is about a 30-minute walk from downtown Takayama.  It had received strong recommendations from multiple people, …Read the Rest

Japan: Vending Machines

October 10, 2011
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Japan: Vending Machines

I’d never seen one of those vending machines that pours your drink in a paper cup before, but I knew of them from all the anime I watched in my college years.  And, specifically, I mistrust them because of the …Read the Rest

Japan: Nagoya: School Lunch

October 9, 2011
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Japan: Nagoya: School Lunch

One of the best improvements on life when I come to East Asia is the quality of food available for school lunches.  Cafeteria food is quite dismal in the US; whether it’s simply unappealing college dorm food, or the elementary …Read the Rest

Japan: Nagoya: Sundays in Sakae

[People going for a stroll on a main thoroughfare in downtown Nagoya] One of the strangest experiences I’ve had lately (and I think that’s saying something…) was walking out onto a main thoroughfare in downtown Nagoya on a Sunday afternoon …Read the Rest

Japan: Nagoya: Pizzeria Marino

On Sunday, Eriko, Sae, Jenny and I had a Girls’ Day Out in Sakae for Sunday lunch.  We went to a place called Pizzeria Marino, which, randomly, does take reservations for any time before 12:00pm (so we made one for …Read the Rest

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