tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287703982024-10-05T12:52:55.129+09:00Quirky Japanese thoughts and things.Kappa no Hehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909580462578058631noreply@blogger.comBlogger278125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28770398.post-39705257310385116252013-04-06T08:50:00.001+09:002013-04-06T08:50:10.670+09:00

My short story is in the current issue of MANOA Literary Journal. The theme is "ON FREEDOM Spirit, Art, and State". There are some really amazing authors in there. I'm delighted and humbled to have been asked to join their likes. My piece ("Sasa in the Rain") is a fairy tale-like story involving a man and woman from different worlds searching to be free of their lives...oh, and there are a few

Kappa no Hehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909580462578058631noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28770398.post-44679617970616664432012-12-30T20:07:00.002+09:002012-12-30T20:07:24.849+09:00

My cousin asked a great question today: What is mochi? I was going to answer and then realized I couldn't get the gist of it in a short FaceBook reply. So here's the longer response. Mochi. For special occasions -- but especially during the New Year's holidays -- people in Japan eat mochi. It's glutinous rice that is cooked and then while still piping hot pounded into a sticky (and I mean

Kappa no Hehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909580462578058631noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28770398.post-67971440530460665962012-11-19T17:56:00.000+09:002012-11-19T17:56:06.005+09:00

I went to Kyoto this past weekend for a writers' conference. A lot of neat stuff happened. But first I must tell you about this. I woke up early to walk around the city. I found this tray outside an apartment building. And because trays are hot property, it was chained to that pipe.  While I can grasp someone not wanting their perfectly lovely tray stolen, I can't figure out why

Kappa no Hehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909580462578058631noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28770398.post-37758171429102208692012-05-27T20:35:00.000+09:002012-05-27T20:35:24.432+09:00

Twelve years ago when we first moved into this house my mother-in-law gave me a sprig of sage. Keep in mind I kill just about everything she gives me -- not on purpose mind you. I just do. But this little sprig grew and thrived and took over half my garden. And it was delicious. For twelve years I cooked with my fresh and dried sage. I added it to meats and gravies and soups. The plant grew lush

Kappa no Hehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909580462578058631noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28770398.post-45837632885048425792012-05-20T19:50:00.002+09:002012-05-20T19:50:32.909+09:00

At work my husband and his team are developing a smart phone for the elderly. It has been getting pretty good press, called Raku Raku Smart Phone. So the thing is he came home the other day and said he was elected to bring in a photo to use on the phone as an example of something or other. It will be a default on all the phones. So we picked several photos for the Big Bosses to choose from,

Kappa no Hehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909580462578058631noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28770398.post-84437263518847924362012-04-29T19:21:00.000+09:002012-04-29T20:24:35.887+09:00

I've had a long standing feud with Mother's Day, ever since we moved into this new house, in this new neighborhood. That is, every year for twelve years Mother's Day coincides with our town's River Sludge Cleaning Day. Happy Mother's Day! Now wake up early,  pull on those thigh-high rubber boots, and get out there and dredge some slime. Okay, by river I mean this... A

Kappa no Hehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909580462578058631noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28770398.post-64697319966658844112012-04-15T12:30:00.016+09:002012-04-15T14:22:24.821+09:00

While spacing out in line at the supermarket the other day, I ran across this little gem in the impulse item section. Zeus!How freaking cool is that? There isn't a clue as to what it is. The only words on the entire package are Zeus, Lotte (the company's name), and if you turn it on its side...Thunder Spark!So I bought it, took it home, and opened it. It was GUM! Zeus gum. And it tasted like a

Kappa no Hehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909580462578058631noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28770398.post-56122035282745239282012-04-08T12:30:00.018+09:002012-04-08T18:20:33.098+09:00

Hana yori dango ("I'd rather have dumplings than flowers.") is a famous Japanese proverb. It means preferring practical things over aesthetically beautiful things. That said, you often hear it mumbled in the spring while people are spreading their plastic mats under the cherry trees and unpacking all the food and beer they've brought for the day-long picnic. I'm fairly sure their interpretation

Kappa no Hehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909580462578058631noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28770398.post-40315720200543624172012-01-01T11:39:00.014+09:002012-01-01T13:50:04.150+09:00

I can't believe it's already the end of 2011 and I haven't even broken 20 posts here. Definitely going to fix that in 2012. I wanted to wish all my blog friends a fantastic New Year. Again I'm going to aim for being more organized and productive this year. That way I can post here and stop by and see everyone at least once a week. We spent New Year's Eve at the local temple. Voila'. I still love

Kappa no Hehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909580462578058631noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28770398.post-60599275140385166422011-09-24T19:13:00.007+09:002011-09-24T19:38:07.650+09:00

Sometimes translation is hard. English to Japanese. Japanese to English. A lot of the time phrases just turn nonsensical, sometimes they turn hilarious, and sometimes they turn fabulous.Every Friday I park at this parking garage and it makes me happy. Why? Because there's a fire extinguisher on each level, clearly marked.Yeah, baby, yeah!Rwarrr!

Kappa no Hehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909580462578058631noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28770398.post-72014417583058855352011-09-06T11:33:00.009+09:002011-09-07T19:46:37.552+09:00

I'll start off by saying my husband and son are really pretty darned good about not leaving dirty laundry laying around the house. Usually. Every once in awhile, I don't know if it's the position of the moon in the sky or a shift in atmospheric pressure, but they'll forget to walk the twenty or so paces to the laundry room to toss their clothes and instead leave them on the floor.Which wouldn't

Kappa no Hehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909580462578058631noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28770398.post-40855394882843511512011-08-30T17:27:00.002+09:002011-08-31T19:01:56.269+09:00

You'll get a giggle out of this. Today was J's first day back to high school after summer vacation and he almost got himself suspended. Yeah. That's what I said. Now, let's see if you can figure out what the big offense was. Here's a photo. No, he didn't bring the dog to school. And no, he didn't wear his ipod to class (if you noticed the dangling earphone cord). It's his hair. During

Kappa no Hehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909580462578058631noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28770398.post-31906432815461567502011-08-06T16:30:00.018+09:002011-08-06T18:58:49.662+09:00

I've been visiting a bunch of local temples recently. Part of it is research for the book (I !must! finish by the end of the year!) and part it is a longtime hobby of mine. Buddhism, Buddhist history, temple architecture, gorgeous gardens, and ancient stone statues -- I love it all.Today I climbed two mountains, visited two temples and saw hundreds of Buddhist statues. The last temple, of course,

Kappa no Hehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909580462578058631noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28770398.post-35526005565180840252011-07-06T15:34:00.022+09:002011-07-07T14:44:56.089+09:00

Last year I planted a butt-load of daikon radishes. I planted tomatoes, eggplants, and green peppers too. And then I spent my days working up menus with all the fresh veggies I was going to harvest. Boy, I couldn't wait to eat them. And as it turned out the bugs couldn't either. My entire crop was devoured before I even had time to Google how to non-toxic-ly beat the pests.*sigh*This year I

Kappa no Hehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909580462578058631noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28770398.post-41694438713894514322011-05-06T08:33:00.019+09:002011-05-09T07:14:00.912+09:00

I first heard the Hagoromo myth (A Robe of Feathers) soon after coming to Japan. I was an exchange student in Shizuoka and the story was said to have taken place on a beach not too far from where I lived at the time. I learned there are several versions (and even an old and popular Noh Play based on the tale) and while they all differ slightly, they are more or less the same.A fisherman comes

Kappa no Hehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909580462578058631noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28770398.post-38087041048785038562011-05-01T07:37:00.013+09:002011-05-01T10:12:50.562+09:00

My father asked me to do this a long time ago, and I've had a handful of requests since. And then again another just recently, so I've decided to give it a go.That is: once a month I'll spend a blog post or two on one of the stories from A Robe of Feathers and Other Stories, shedding a little light on the mythology/superstition/folklore or why on earth that story came to be. A kind of "end notes"

Kappa no Hehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909580462578058631noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28770398.post-34313346725485292182011-04-20T16:02:00.009+09:002011-04-20T17:36:07.538+09:00

Anyone who reads this blog knows about my mother-in-law. And I guess it's no fault of her own that she must uphold the mother-in-law creed and keep her cheeky, addle-headed daughter-in-law in line. Yes, we've butted heads.But she is also pretty cool too.This little known fact came to my attention the other day.My son came in from school with two pieces of cloth that needed to be hand sewn onto

Kappa no Hehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909580462578058631noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28770398.post-8542448216915219342011-04-12T20:31:00.006+09:002011-04-12T21:02:03.902+09:00

2:46: Aftershocks: Stories from the Japan Earthquake#quakebookThis is the product description of 2:46: Aftershocks:Stories from the Japan Earthquake"In just over a week, a group of unpaid professional and citizen journalists who met on Twitter created a book to raise money for Japanese Red Cross earthquake and tsunami relief efforts. In addition to essays, artwork and photographs submitted by

Kappa no Hehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909580462578058631noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28770398.post-89761892955673521632011-04-09T13:00:00.002+09:002011-04-10T06:25:15.339+09:00

We're back in Japan after our week long, super-chillaxing vacay in Hawaii. Sometimes just stepping away for a few days really does help. That is until your back home and your mother-in-law knits her brows and tells your son it's going to rain his first day of school and since he has a 30-minute bike ride there and back he must dress head to toe in a rain coat, hat, and gloves as well. Why?

Kappa no Hehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909580462578058631noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28770398.post-22960253915044594492011-03-26T19:31:00.003+09:002011-03-26T19:47:04.683+09:00

In Hawaii we're staying at the Hale Koa, a military hotel. I was raised an Air Force brat so being back in this kind of environment is extremely nostalgic to me. Even more than being back in the States it feels like being home. A visit to the PX and that special PX smell brought back memories, made me feel like a kid. I was just waiting for an MP to step around the corner and ask me what I was

Kappa no Hehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909580462578058631noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28770398.post-84439702866482529802011-03-20T20:17:00.007+09:002011-03-24T17:48:06.123+09:00

I've been utterly overwhelmed and humbled by the number of people who have gotten in touch with me (or my parents) since the earthquake. Relatives, old friends, even people who read this blog but have never commented. Thank you!We're okay. My story is amazingly lame but here goes...First, we're in Shizuoka (Yaizu), something like 400 kilometers south of the epicenter. So unlike the temblor we

Kappa no Hehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909580462578058631noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28770398.post-57187229429914716512011-02-13T16:51:00.003+09:002011-02-13T17:01:22.882+09:00

Today we'll have a quiz.What color are shrimp eggs?　　　　 η゛ Red?　 ∧ ∧(≡)　(´∀`) /⊂　　 ノ　(つ ノ　(ノ　　　　 η゛Brown?　 ∧ ∧(≡)　(´∀`) /⊂　　 ノ　(つ ノ　(ノ　　　　 η゛Yellow?　 ∧ ∧(≡)　(´∀`) /⊂　　 ノ　(つ ノ　(ノ　　　　 η゛White?　 ∧ ∧(≡)　(´∀`) /⊂　　 ノ　(つ ノ　(ノ　　　　 η゛Black?　 ∧ ∧(≡)　(´∀`) /⊂　　 ノ　(つ ノ　(ノ　　　　 η゛Pink?　 ∧ ∧(≡)　(´∀`) /⊂　　 ノ　(つ ノ　(ノNope.Blue!(Finger courtesy of my buddy P)

Kappa no Hehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909580462578058631noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28770398.post-4267091790403353072011-02-06T13:03:00.010+09:002011-02-06T18:11:41.232+09:00

I've been fighting this post for over a year. Here's the non-emotional, stunningly short version -- more of a set up -- so I can talk about snacks and erasers.You don't just go to high school in Japan. You must test into high school. Very, very good students go into very, very high-leveled schools (with very, very difficult entrance exams). This works all the way down to the "special" schools

Kappa no Hehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909580462578058631noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28770398.post-46431442597210599012011-01-25T19:03:00.020+09:002011-01-26T20:06:48.324+09:00

So what does a 70-dollar per person meal look like? I took pictures.To celebrate my in-law's 50th wedding anniversary we took them to a nice Japanese restaurant on the side of a mountain, a 70-bucks per person -- drinks not included -- lunch. The restaurant is called Shofukaku. The price-wise is about mid range.First we were shown to a nice tatami-matted room with views of the mountains and the

Kappa no Hehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909580462578058631noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28770398.post-39517954012262222402011-01-16T09:11:00.011+09:002011-01-17T19:23:01.012+09:00

Not mine.From what I gather Japanese people aren't real keen on wedding anniversaries. That is, they don't make a big deal about them in front of others and most times you never even know when a friend's or relative's wedding anniversary is. Unless you ask.Luckily my brother-in-law asked his parents when theirs was and when they said this week he asked what year did it happen to be. That's how we

Kappa no Hehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00909580462578058631noreply@blogger.com12