Due to various circumstances, I don’t live particularly close to any of the schools where I work. Some of my coworkers are mere stations away, or even within walking distance, but I generally have at least forty-five minutes to an hour, door to door. It’s not all bad, though. Continue reading
There’s a joke that says you know you’ve lived in Japan too long when you see a vending machine in the middle of a rice field and it doesn’t faze you. This illustrates the ubiquity of vending machines in Japan; they’re arguably more of a part of life here than back in America. Because of that, you can find all sorts of things for sale in them. (No, I haven’t found one that sells women’s panties yet, but I haven’t looked, either.) In this case, it’s better to show than tell, so here are some pictures. I’ll add new ones as I find them. Continue reading
McDonald’s is arguably the most popular fast food restaurant in the world. At this point, it’s not even really an American restaurant, since every country has its own custom menu (with the usual common items). Japan loves McDonald’s, and there’s one near most every major train station. Continue reading
Before I moved to Japan, I was fortunate enough to have Japanese friends I’d met online who generously sent me Japanese snacks like Umaibou (a puffed-corn cylinder that comes in many different flavors). Once I visited, I was able to buy and bring back things like Pocky, Pretz, Caplico, and others. I rationed them out to myself and savored every bite. They were rare and special.
Then I moved here. Continue reading
*Some conditions apply. Continue reading
Outside a handful of countries in Africa and the Middle East, the US is one of the few world nations without national health insurance. The Affordable Care Act helped cut the number of uninsured, but even that’s a recent development, relatively speaking. Japan, meanwhile, has national health insurance for all, and while it’s not free, it’s certainly better than nothing. Continue reading
Oinalian.
Toward the end of 2022, a small walk-in restaurant opened on a street near my house. It was called Oinalian, and sold a very narrow menu of Okinawan food: inarimeshi, garlic fried chicken, “pop chicken” (popcorn chicken), and “vinegar drinks” (sour fruit juices). It was the only restaurant of its kind in Tokyo, I believe, so its novelty factor was very high. For a while, anyway. Continue reading
Japanese is a high-context language, meaning you don’t have to be too explicit and people can still understand you. Japan also has omotenashi, which is a high level of customer service. In the wrong mix, they sometimes produce something I’ve come to dislike: Bad Mind Readers. Continue reading
When I lived back in America, I had a car. Since my apartment was on the back side of a residential hill, I drove everywhere: work, the grocery store, the gas station. Then I moved to Tokyo, and I suddenly didn’t need a car any more. Continue reading
Food trucks are one of my favorite things about big cities. Any time I went to Otakon in Baltimore and DC, I was always interested in the food trucks I saw (in particular the hot dog carts). A couple years ago, Keikyū demolished a damaged arcade and karaoke place and turned it into a lot for food trucks called COCOON. Everything was great for the first several months. Continue reading
One Man in Japan 