Monthly Archives: June 2010

Kimono Day and Nijo Castle

Posted on June 25, 2010 by

Another busy day today. The CLS crowd spent the first three hours of the day taking our midterm exam. After quickly scarfing down some lunch, we piled into taxis to Kyogokoro to be dressed in kimono. We were greeted by … Continue reading →

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East Timor president suggests Japan eat fruit, not whales

Posted on June 24, 2010 by

Simpsons Food Chain by =SpacePlatypus on deviantART I came across this article and couldn’t resist sharing it as a follow up to my previous post on the Japanese and the whaling issue. According to Kyodo News, East Timorese President Jose … Continue reading →

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The Japanese and the Whale

Posted on June 23, 2010 by

As some of you may be aware, for the last two days, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) has been meeting in Morocco to try to reach a compromise between pro- and anti-whaling countries. Commercial whaling has been banned since 1986, … Continue reading →

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Midterms, already?

Posted on June 22, 2010 by

That’s right, folks. Our four-hour long mid-term exam is this Friday, and after that, we will have finished exactly half of our six-week program at the Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies. Crazy, isn’t it? Fortunately, when you spend every day … Continue reading →

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Interesting tidbits from the U.S. Consulate in Osaka

Posted on June 20, 2010 by

Don’t worry, I haven’t managed to get myself into any trouble (yet). Our group of language students had a scheduled “security briefing” at the U.S. Consulate General in Osaka this past Friday. The contents of this meeting were mysterious to … Continue reading →

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Things I like about Japan #3: Fans

Posted on June 19, 2010 by

As I think I’ve mentioned repeatedly, summers in Japan are hot and humid (蒸し暑い, or mushiatsui, is a phrase you’ll hear countless times). There are a few things that make this bearable, however. One is the ability for both women … Continue reading →

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Things I like about Japan #2: Shaved Ice

Posted on June 14, 2010 by

Summers in Japan can be brutally hot and humid, but one thing I always look forward to is shaved ice, or kakigōri. Kakigōri (かき氷) is basically a snow cone, but it’s so much better! Instead of the hard chunks of … Continue reading →

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Unintentional Hilarity #2

Posted on June 14, 2010 by

I promise that this isn’t going to become an Engrish blog, but I’m short of time and am trying really hard to keep up the practice of posting regularly, so I thought I would share this snap. It’s of a … Continue reading →

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Unintentional Hilarity #1

Posted on June 13, 2010 by

It’s Sunday here in Japan, and I’m getting my first chance to relax since leaving Berkeley on May 31st. The last week has been crazy busy with orientations, classes, tons of homework, and sightseeing, so it’s nice to be able … Continue reading →

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Koudou: The Japanese tradition you’ve never heard of

Posted on June 11, 2010 by

Image courtesy of 薬師寺日記 As I mentioned before, I’m doing a homestay here in Kyoto. I have a fairly insane class/homework schedule, but I usually talk to my host parents every morning at breakfast (8 am) and every evening at … Continue reading →

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