Tag Archives: Japan
Gaijin Space
Gaijin space, if you don’t know, is the space left on the sides of foreigners on the train seats. I’ve experienced it plenty. Often people will stand rather than sit next to me. One time a fellow, even though there … Continue reading
July McAtee, Global R&D Disaster
Sigh. In several places on that form I was complaining about a few blog posts ago, I entered my title as 惨事 (“disaster”) rather than 参事 (“councilor”). I’ve only been studying Chinese characters for thirty years. In the online review … Continue reading
The U.S. South Is Japan in Disguise
Okay, well, some things about the South and Japan remind me of each other, such as people not always saying what they mean or meaning what they say. But here’s further proof: My nephew, an upstanding young Southern gentleman, just … Continue reading
Escher’s Dream
Like a hundred thousand pieces of a living jigsaw puzzle, we walk in silent columns, men in black suits and white shirts going to the Company, speckled with a few women in colors. In the other direction come the elementary … Continue reading
Osaka Breakdown
Last Wednesday, I found my people. Actually, my friend Kelly found them and took me to them. They gather for Osaka Bluegrass Night at Live House: Another Dream (www.an-dream.com, a basement bar near Namba station) on the second Tuesday or … Continue reading
A Tip for Working Your Stupid, Crazy Gaijin Image
My friend Kelly from China who’s lived in Japan for many years gave me a trick for when I want to seem like a really stupid foreigner, to get rid of unwanted attention. Instead of saying “Nihongo wakarimasen 日本語分かりません…I don’t … Continue reading
Where We Live
Where we live, the streets are almost empty of people. There are signs of people everywhere–clothes hanging on the balcony, children’s bicycles in the bike parking area, cars that appear in and disappear from the parking lot, the sounds of … Continue reading
Did Degas Paint the Sky Today?
Not all colors in Osaka are pastel. The leaves and grass are a deep, rich green, and tonight the still almost full moon was a deep burnt orange as it hung low over the monorail station. But the light feels … Continue reading
Hagaki, Hagaki, Hagaki
To pay for anything, you have to fill out a hagaki. Hagaki means “postcard,” but we are not talking about a pretty scene of palm trees and an aquamarine ocean with a short sentence on the back dashing off “Wish … Continue reading
Good-Bye, Okusan Days
Before I started work on September 1, I had ten days of setting up house. For ten days, I was “Okusan” (“the Mrs.”), or called so by movers with towels around their necks, electricity and gas guys in helmets and … Continue reading
