Lost in Transition
Once, they called me a reporter. Now, they call me... Gail-sensei.
"Lost in Transition"
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[非公開] Horsin' around in Kumamoto
Night view of Kumamoto Castle from our guesthouse on the hillside. (Photo by Joe)From Mt. Aso, we headed to Kumamoto, home to what is generally considered to be the finest castle in Japan after Himeji. Unlike Himeji, Kumamoto-jo is a reconstruction, since it burned in 1877 during a rebellion by samurai warriors. The castle did, however, withstand the attacks by the rebel army and "proved its wor..Lost in Transition|2010-02-27 06:43 pm推薦 -
[非公開] And now I have been up the Aso!
Soon after we first arrived in Japan, I remember buying a bottle of mineral water from a vending machine. The label featured a photo of a mountain and the slogan "Straight from the Aso." Joe and I got a good chuckle out of that... Mineral water. Straight from the Aso. HAR HAR HAR HAR!Turns out "the Aso" is a very famous mountain in Japan, or rather a volcano (just like Mt. Fuji). And not just an..Lost in Transition|2010-02-26 11:59 pm推薦 -
[非公開] The weirdest thing I have ever seen in..
Warning: Not Safe For Work.I've seen a lot of weird things in Japan. I mean, you don't have to look far to find the weird side of Japan — it's half of all the media reports on Japan anyway. The Naked Man Festival, the peeing boy truck, the tanuki statues, it's a long list.But this thing I saw in Beppu totally takes the cake. I mean, this was just so ... out there.While touring the jigoku in Be..Lost in Transition|2010-02-25 11:59 pm推薦 -
[非公開] Go to hell and back: Check!
The boiling waters of Beppu.Valentine's Day this year was red hot. Positively steaming.We headed south to Kyushu, Japan's southernmost main island, to the famous little town of Beppu. Beppu is famous for a couple things: 1) onsen, also known as hot spring public baths, and 2) its "burning hells."Beppu is built upon numerous geothermal hot springs, which make the town a pretty steamy place. There..Lost in Transition|2010-02-24 06:37 pm推薦 -
[非公開] Christmas in Tokyo
Statue of Liberty and the Rainbow BridgeI saw the Statue of Liberty for the first time over Christmas last month. And I didn't even go to New York.Nope, I was able to see a miniature replica of Lady Liberty on Tokyo Bay. Who needs the Big Apple when you can go to the Big Mikan? (Mikan is what they call clementine oranges here.)Joe and I spent three days in Tokyo over Christmas last month. We got..Lost in Transition|2010-01-31 11:59 pm推薦 -
[非公開] Winter in Hiroshima: A season of all s..
I've been wanting for a long time to snap some snowy pictures around my neighborhood. But it doesn't snow that much in Hiroshima, and when it does it doesn't often accumulate. This afternoon, though, I peeked out the window to see I'd finally gotten my wish, on the last day of the year.Winter's a bit funny in Hiroshima. It's not like the period of drab, gray gloom that overtakes Ohio. There are ..Lost in Transition|2009-12-31 06:18 pm推薦 -
[非公開] Where's the beef? Kobe!
After plenty of hemming and hawing for several weeks this fall, Joe and I finally accepted that we really didn't want to go anywhere this Christmas. School closes down for several days over the New Year holiday, but prices are a lot higher during that period and when it came down to it, the prospect of going abroad just left us both feeling exhausted. So we just planned a couple short trips in D..Lost in Transition|2009-12-30 09:18 pm推薦 -
[非公開] Fall foliage and friendly faces
The beautiful shrine across the street, end of November.Christmas is coming, and I haven't even written about autumn yet. In my defense, the fall colors weren't at their peak in my neck of the woods until the end of November.View of a mountain from the third floor of our apartment building in late November.I'd been looking forward to Thanksgiving time for months — probably more than a year, in..Lost in Transition|2009-12-22 08:40 pm推薦 -
[非公開] A Zzzzz for effort?
Snoozin' on the jobThe Japanese are very sleepy people. They are experts at being able to sleep anywhere, any time. At work, in meetings, sitting on the train, standing on the train — any time they can grab a few winks, they do. Vending machines are stacked with a huge variety of espresso drinks and other super-caffeinated elixors to help them battle the Sandman. When I first arrived in Japan,..Lost in Transition|2009-12-07 08:12 pm推薦 -
[非公開] Just another day in English class
Click the picture to see a larger version.At the beginning of the school year, I have all my kids make name cards to help me remember their names. Today, one girl passed hers back at the end of the lesson with these drawings all over her name. They caught my eye as I was putting the cards back in my file drawer, and um... yeah. I wasn't sure whether to laugh or worry. So I did a little of both.I..Lost in Transition|2009-11-17 09:26 pm推薦
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