Apr 6, 2002 | Commentary, Culture, Fukuma
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...
Mar 25, 2002 | Commentary, Culture, Fukuma
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...
Mar 15, 2002 | Commentary, Culture, Fukuma, Photography
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...
Feb 26, 2002 | Commentary, Culture, Experiences, Fukuma, Photography, Raves
Now I don’t want to suggest that all Japanese are alcoholics, but…. oh wait, yes I do!! So this weekend was the Town Office group trip to Nagasaki. We showed up at 8:40am. The bus started moving at 9am sharp. The first beer was cracked at 9am 40 seconds....
Feb 13, 2002 | Culture, Fukuma, Photography, Raves
Last weekend I packed my bags and headed out to Saga prefecture for a weekend out with the rest of the 2nd year teachers (as in 2nd grade of middle school, not their 2nd year on the job). It looks like it’s a yearly occurrence with school staff in Japan to have...
Jan 10, 2002 | Commentary, Culture, Fukuma, Photography
New Year’s In Japan, the “Big” holiday is New Year’s Day. It’s a lot more solemn then it is in the States and there’s lots of reflecting, visiting family graves, prodigal sons returning home, et al. I grabbed my camera, hopped on my...
