One of the fascinating things about living in a foreign country is the apparent contradictions. For example, Japan is often seen as a high-tech country and in many aspects, it is. On one hand, the train system is amazing; fast, efficient and reliable. On the other hand, fax machines are still popular. I had a […]
Fantastic Voyage
FANTASTIC VOYAGE: How we care for an aging population
January 1, 2023 by Leave a Comment
We can calculate life expectancy in several ways, depending on the data we include. But one thing is consistent; any way you calculate it, Japan is always near the top. According to the CIA World Factbook, the life expectancy for females is 87.9 years in Japan and 82.79 years in the U.S. For males, the […]
FANTASTIC VOYAGE: The importance of looking to the past to shape the future
June 24, 2021 by Leave a Comment
Nothing makes my eyes glaze over more than the words: “When I was young…†I dislike going on trips of nostalgia through rose-tinted glasses, mostly because it sounds like an accusation heaved at my generation. And not only that, but it’s often unfounded. According to Steven Pinker’s “Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, […]
FANTASTIC VOYAGE: 20 thoughts of 2020
January 1, 2021 by Leave a Comment
Here are an assortment of my thoughts, some serious, some not, about the past year: • Skills I gained this year: I am better at teleconferencing, gardening and washing my hands. • If someone from 2019 told me those were the skills I would acquire, I would’ve been really confused. • I actually don’t think […]
FANTASTIC VOYAGE: Making my voice heard, even from Japan
November 5, 2020 by Leave a Comment
On Aug. 28, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced his retirement due to health reasons, and Sept. 16, less than three weeks later, his successor Yoshihide Suga had been named and installed as the new Japanese prime minister. The political system in Japan is such that the prime minister is not determined by popular vote. […]
FANTASTIC VOYAGE: The lesson I learned at a Black Lives Matter Peace March in Osaka
June 18, 2020 by Leave a Comment
On June 7, I participated in a Black Lives Matter Peace March in Osaka. The event was boosted by a retweet from tennis superstar Naomi Osaka, for which she took a lot of heat. But despite the polarizing nature of the event, I learned a lot, although the lesson I walked away with was not […]
FANTASTIC VOYAGE: Cross-culture parenting
January 1, 2020 by Leave a Comment
Parents face many tough questions when it comes to raising a child: what to do about bed-times, allowance, screen-time, punishments, afterschool activities, diet, religion, and more. You also have to be careful about the different parenting styles such as the tiger parents, the helicopter parents, the snowplow parents, etc. Adding to the problem are the […]
FANTASTIC VOYAGE: New Year’s cards (Nengajo)
January 1, 2019 by Leave a Comment
In Japan, sending New Year’s greetings cards (nengajo) is a big deal. It’s much like the American tradition of sending Christmas cards, except in Japan there is $820 million dollars in postage sent on the one day. History of New Year’s cards Giving New Year’s greetings cards has been a tradition in Japan since ancient […]
FANTASTIC VOYAGE: What is Obon for a Buddhist reverend in Japan?
June 21, 2018 by Leave a Comment
The word Obon in America, and the word in Japan, are two very different things. Many people in America link Obon to the street festivals and dancing that takes place in Japantowns and Buddhist temples. However, Obon in Japan is a big cultural holiday, much like Christmas without the commercialization. Many people take the day […]
FANTASTIC VOYAGE: Looking back, looking forward: Traditions on the decline
January 1, 2017 by Leave a Comment
I’ve been teaching English in Japan for a long time, and around New Year’s, I always ask students if they eat osechi ryori. Out of the 50 or so elementary school students that I asked this year, about half said “no.†Given that it’s a very small sample size in a remote part of Japan, […]
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