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      • Across the Wires
        02/26/08
        One of my childhood neighbors died recently, giving me occasion to go shopping for a sympathy card. I stood at the very small greeting card display in our local stationery store for a good while before I concluded that they had no sympathy cards. Not that they had run out, but that they simply did

      • Neologism
        02/24/08
        It's always amusing to see English and made-up "English" words in Japanese brand names and advertising. They mean well, but often miss the connotations of the English they choose.

        For example, there is a line of car accessories called "Blang". My reaction? &q

      • Free Parking
        02/22/08
        Parking in Japan (well, in Kitakami anyway) is an interesting thing. There are lots and garages, of course, but these seem to be mostly used for daily parking or at shopping centers. There aren't meters anywhere, which sort of makes sense if you consider that streets here are quite narrow wh

      • Kamakura in Yokote
        02/20/08
        Winter festivals are quite popular in Tohoku, especially in places like Hokkaido and Akita, where a lot of snow falls. On Saturday, we went to the festival of Kamakura in Yokote, Akita Prefecture.

        Kamakura are huts made out of piles of hollowed-out snow. Inside the large ones, there are

      • Yakudoshi
        02/18/08
        I turn 33 this June. According to the Japanese age system, I'm already there and therefore in need of protection. For women, 33 is a major yakudoshi, or "age of calamity," as one reading of the number 33, san-zan, means "horrible" or "difficult." (For men, the a

      • Guard Dog
        02/17/08



        A giant snow dog stands as a guardian against thieves from the spirit world. By chance, it seems the camera even captured a ghostly thief in the foreground.

      • Yuzawa Manhole Cover
        02/15/08
        Here's another manhole cover, this time from Yuzawa. You can see Inukko Matsuri represented by the dog and shrine in the lower right corner.


      • Valentine's Day
        02/13/08
        What could possibly say "Happy Valentine's Day" better than two cans of beer?

        How about two cans of beer decorated with a ribbon and a rhinestone heart?


      • Yuzawa Lanterns
        02/12/08
        These lanterns dotted the hillside in a park overlooking Inukko Matsuri, in Yuzawa City, Akita.

      • Yaki = Grilled = Food... Right?
        02/11/08
        At Inukko Matsuri, we decided to enjoy some of the festival food for dinner. But what to have? Pretty much every food item available was something yaki - grilled or fried. There was takoyaki (octopus in fried balls of batter), yakiniku (grilled beef skewers), okonomiyaki (fried pancake with toppi

      • The Little Dog Festival
        02/11/08
        This weekend was Inukko Matsuri in Yuzawa City, Akita Prefecture. Inukko Matsuri, the "Little Dog Festival," dates back to the Edo Period (about 400 years). It is said that the festival originated after the feudal lord of what is now Yuzawa City defeated a clan of thieves. To protect th

      • What the World Sees
        02/08/08
        "Who do you like: Clinton or Obama?"

        Over the last couple of weeks, this question has come up a few times. Especially this week, after Super Tuesday, when more people have asked us our views. People in Kitakami are clearly watching the American presidential race this year.
      • Love at the Tofu-ya
        02/05/08
        "Who can take a bean curd, shape it in a square,
        Fry a flattened piece until it's gold and light as air?
        The Tofu Man, the Tofu Man can."

        Many apologies to Mr. Davis Jr. for appropriating his song, but really, I feel like our local tofu shop is magic. You know th

      • Setsubun
        02/03/08
        Yesterday was Setsubun, the day before the beginning of the "spring season" in Japan. Setsubun is a day akin to New Year's, when people engage in rituals to chase evil away from their homes and bring good fortune in during the year. The most famous ritual is mamemaki, or "bean

      • Celebrity
        02/01/08
        Ah, the life of the expatriate in the small city teach a little, learn a little, get a little press. After our neighbors brought over the newspaper article about the shinnenkai, including the photo of our musical interlude, some of our students told us that the prefectural newspaper had put us in

    • January
  • 2007