Japan Journal

Sewing Machine Karaoke

Spring is a busy time in Japan, new school year, new college grads starting new jobs, moving, etc. There are all kinds of specials too for new school year clothes, […]

Japan Journal

Tricky time of year

The cherry blossoms in Tokyo are peaking today and while they are always enjoyable, the right weather rarely coincides for taking good pictures. The pink color only pops when there […]

Japan Journal

The Japan Gap

One of the fascinating things I find in Japan life is the delightfully unexpected mismatch of people and things that they do. I was introduced to this Japanese cultural phenomenon […]

Japan Now

The Yesbutt

There’s a long running Japanese gag that goes like this: any discussion with a westerner is an endless loop of a Japanese person explaining something with the westerner cutting in […]

Cool Japan - Culture Wars - Japan Now

2021 Wrap

2021 wasn’t the best of years, certainly not a good one for transit as ridership everywhere continues to be severely impacted by COVID. Yet travel in Japan felt normal, more […]