nihon reflections

from the ice sculptures of the Yuki-Matsuri in Hokkaido, and the Golden Temple of Kyoto

to the Gates of Hiroshima, and the beaches of Okinawa, this truly is a marvelous country!


it's been almost three years since i sat in a robata sharing a beer with the locals in my neighborhood, K. 

my recent trip to LA put me in touch with a wonderful man NC i'd met while living in Japan, and the memories came flooding back like warm water on a tropical beach.

anything is possible in this incredibly strange and fascinating, land of the rising sun. some of the weirdest, most wonderful, exciting things i've done in my life were things i'd done there. 

an open mind is essential though, and it's a wild ride if you're up for it. 

for a foreigner arriving for the first time though, it can appear to be backward, incomprehensible, and not entirely inclusive. that's probably one of the most important and difficult falsehoods to hurtle. this country is magic! 

it just takes a little effort to step away from one's ego, and perhaps a few history lessons to get the hang of what's going on. 

too many people get caught up in the poor misunderstood gaijin thing and allow it to sideline them. way more fun if you just sit back and "bring it on". 

my friend amf is planning a trip to Okinawa, her birthplace, this month and has such a cool attitude. she's going to travel throughout Honshu, down to Fukuoka, and further on to Okinawa. 

i can't wait to hear her stories. i keep bugging her to keep a diary. her everyday life is a riot. we've nicknamed her "the cooler" WHM which does make me a tad hesitant taking her to the airport, but it all works out in the end right... right?...

moot or hooey?

when the US nuked Hiroshima, they took out a Canadian POW camp