Japanese Snow Monkeys
Onsen (pronounced OWN-sen) are the volcanically heated baths that are so popular in Japan, and some hot springs like Arima ...
Tag: onsen
The Price of Volcanic Hot Springs
As you probably know, I love Japan's culture of onsen, bathing in volcanic hot springs. But nothing good in life ...
iPhone Diet Update
My "iPhone diet" is going surprisingly well, and I've managed to lose 12 kg (25 lbs) so far. On this ...
Today is Good Bath Day
I have the most interesting car: when I start it in the morning, it greets me with ohayo gozaimasu (good ...
Hot Springs and the Onsen Mark
Like many people in Japan, I am a furo-bito, or a person who likes taking baths in natural hot springs. ...
Barber Shops and Baths
I love getting a haircut in Japan. The barber shop I use rents space inside a lobby of a large ...
Hot Springs vs. the Beatles
Living in Japan, it's always interesting to observe the various "when worlds collide" moments that come along every once in ...
Ryoma Sakamoto, the Che Guevara of Japan
Over the weekend I took my son up to the mountains for some quality onsen (volcanic hot springs) bathing, one ...
On Traditional “Sento” (Public Baths) and Street Fighter II
If you ever come to Japan, you really should be sure to sample the bathing culture here. Although onsen (natural ...
Foreigners’ relationship with Japanese slippers, International Pocky Day, and reading my wife’s English homework from 20 years ago
I'm often asked how I can come with so many observations about Japan, to which I usually respond that it's ...
Funny moments in Japan, Tokyo’s famous Asakusa district, and limitations of Japanese “humility”
(It looks like we were experiencing some problems with the site due to heavy server load, although it's fixed now. ...
On psychology and jealousy of gaijin living in Japan, thinking about Japanese grammar while in the bath, and using the Far Side in English class
I've written before about the psychology of ex-pats living in Japan, such as the the Three Stages of Eye Aversion ...
Japanese High school baseball update, things I’ve learned from teaching ESL, and the next “boom” to hit Japan — Vinegar Beer?
You never know where the next interesting "boom" will come from in Japan. Maybe it'll be a strange new fashion ...
More on the language of men and women, the Jerusalem of Otakuism, and all about sex and nudity in Japan (cool!)
There are subtle nuances in how we use language, and the speech we choose to use says something about all ...
More fun at Star Wars Celebration IV, all about Japanese bathing, and some interesting ways you can study Japanese (or anything)
The Star Wars Celebration IV convention continues, and we're having lots of fun. Highlights have included Carrie Fisher coming by ...
Japan and its interesting top-down society, a trip to the park, and all about Japan and conveyor-belt sushi
One of the more interesting aspects of Japan is the top-down nature of its society, how it's ostensibly structured in ...
Buying a new car in Japan, roundup of new 2006 features, and an anime fan’s first trip to Tokyo
We've been in "buy a car" mode for the past few weeks, driving around to various dealers to see their ...
Our love of Japanese hot springs, thoughts on government and the private sector, and the most beautiful Pocky box ever
As part of my son's homework, he keeps a diary about the past day's events, alternating entries between Japanese and ...
Funny English in Japan, teaching about America through Easter Eggs, and confusing Japanese company names explained
Japan can be such a funny place. You could be going along, minding your own business when suddenly, bam, the ...
How to sub-divide Japanese groups into “zoku” (tribes), all about Japanese rice, and what’s that blue spot on Taro’s butt?
Words always reflect the people that use them, and vice-versa. In American English our notions about individualism and not going ...
Going to ge a haircut and learning about Japanese culture instead, when Japanese people must become bold, and using songs to master Japanese
People talk about convergence all the time, of things coming together in a more convenient form. Living in Japan, one ...
Thoughts on raising bilingual kids, comparing of names between Japan and the West, and what Carl Sagan has taught me
It's hard raising bilingual children in a country where English isn't used on a daily basis, except on signs that ...
Thoughts on my father and Buddhism, the Mac-PC connection with being bilingual, and our cute American, Japanese daughter
Sunday was my father's meinichi, the anniversary of the day he died nine years ago (although Japanese are always puzzled ...
