Tag: Buddhism

Well, Lost has finally ended, and I have to say thanks to the producers and cast for one wild wide. ...

Ogenki desu ka? This is one of the first phrases a student of Japanese encounters, and it corresponds to the ...

After studying Japanese for four years at San Diego State University and living here for nearly twenty years, I'm about ...

I'm sure you've all had the experience of being called home on short notice to participate in a Shinto ceremony ...

I was recently asked to write about the news media in Japan, and I'm happy to oblige. Like other countries, ...

One way to make sense of Japan is by understanding the concepts of wabi and sabi, two words which sum ...

From the Jedi Knights to the Kobayashi Maru to William Gibson's inclusion of Black Black caffeine gum in his cyberpunk ...

As a general rule, the Japanese have a very laissez faire attitude when it comes religion, blending Shinto and Buddhism ...

This morning my wife walked into my office with a beautifully ornate wooden name plate, which she placed on top ...

The year 2010 marks the 1300th anniversary of the founding of Nara, the former capital of Japan and one of ...

We had a nice Japanese-style New Year's at home in San Diego. After cleaning the house from top-to-bottom (known as ...

Japanese homes are different from homes in the West. For example, there's a low area by the front door called ...

The combination of one of the lowest birthrates in the world coupled with the lack of an inflow of new ...

The Japanese election season is in full swing, with the two major parties -- the currently ruling Liberal Democratic Party ...

Japan is in the middle of Obon (pronounced "oh, bone!"), a four-day Buddhist holiday that's kind of like Thanksgiving in ...

Japan is an archipelago consisting of more than 6800 islands, which was created by the volcanic activity that gives the ...

Bad news for anyone in Japan who likes sleeping late in the mornings: election season will be starting at the ...

For some reason, it's easy to find yourself fascinated with the most mundane things in Japan. I have an odd ...

I wrote last time about how some words related to Buddhism customarily receive the honorific o in front, for example ...

The other day my wife asked an unexpected question: "What part of San Diego is your family grave located in?" ...

Living in Japan means getting used to a new paradigm, and it often feels like the country exists on another ...

Like many others, I'm a big fan of Lost. Unfortunately my wife has gotten into it, too, which means I ...

Google has revolutionized the world, adding ten points to the collective IQ of humanity by allowing us to summon up ...

There are many things that American houses have which their Japanese counterparts lack, and vice-versa. A Japanese home will generally ...