Recently Overheard in Fukuma: "I'm getting heartburn. Rory, do something terrible!" -Ben So how many months have I been here now and I still haven't shown y'all around my place o' work, Fukuma Higashi Junior High School. It's a pretty jazzy little Jr. High on the top...
Only in Japan Blistering Social Commentary by Fukuma Fletch Soba Noodles The other day my girlfriend Mihoko invited my friend Gareth and me to join her and her friend for an excursion to a local soba (noodle) restaurant. I thought it sounded like a good idea. It was...
So, what's going on around here lately? I've been doing some work type stuff, you know, organizing ideas for the new semester. Uhhhh, I've gone out to yakiniku with Fletch and Rory and Ben a few times. Managed to get a bit of Japanese study in here and there. What...
So as I mentioned, the weather last week licked. Suffice it to say, my trip to Tokyo was less than the stellar fun-fest I had planned. I could probably have even handled the rain by itself, I'm from Portland for God's sake, but the problem was that it was...
Before we continue, can anyone tell me what this is all about? No, on second thought never mind. I don't want to know. Ever. I mean it...ever!! Poll Results I think we can glean two important conclusions from last weeks poll asking whether or not my school's...
The boundless enthusiasm that is apparently engendered by reading Hair Flap, has apparently infected my friend, co-worker and fellow Portlandian, Fletcher.He's still far too lazy to start his own site, so instead he'll be making regular contributions to this one...
I have recently become aware of yet another fascinating aspect of Japanese culture. In this case, by "fascinating" I mean "downright annoying." It seems that every year there is a routine shifting of personnel within most government institutions. Each person doesn't...
This is gonna be a sparse one folks. I'm taking off to Tokyo in a few hours and I didn't get the chance to write up the update yesterday like I planned because I caught some pesky 24-hour bug that made me feel like general poo-poo, hence expending energy on writing...
The school year works a little different in Japan. The main difference seems to be in how the breaks are. In the U.S. we get a few really big breaks (Christmas, summer, spring), while in Japan, they get an absolute ton of little breaks. Every time I turn around it's...