4th post

What are the top trends in Japan today? What kinds of people are into these fads? Why are they so popular? Do you think they will last?

Customs

The most unusual custom I've seen is body implants - it's not common among any particular ethnic culture that I know, but some subcultures seem to like it. I once saw a guy with horns on his head at a bar in Hawaii. To risk hurting your body just to be different seems pretty odd to me. I guess you could say that tattooing is the same, but it doesn't seem as extreme to me nor as dangerous. Everything is relative though. For many people in Japan, any tattooing is shocking or seen negatively. I guess we have to realize that different people have different ideas about how to decorate their bodies. Horns anyone?

If I could add one custom to Japanese culture, I think it would be hugging among friends and family. Human touch is important for health and happiness, and it seems like most Japanese who have experience with a touch culture seem to get used to hugging pretty quickly. Hug your friend today!

3rd post

What is the most unusual cultural custom you have experienced or seen? Do you think any Japanese customs are strange? If you could pick one custom from another culture that would become part of Japanese culture, what would it be?

New technology

Right now one of the most useful technologies that I use is an online calendar. I can enter events and appointments from anywhere with Internet access (home, office, etc.) and it sends me reminders one week and 3 days before the date. Recently, I've been so busy that it really helps me coordinate my schedule and avoid missed appointments. More importantly though, I can easily take a look at what's coming up and try to balance what I have to do with what I really want to be doing. The next step is getting access to my calendar on my smart phone (my favorite technology that I don't have yet!).

2nd post

What technology is most important in your life right now? Why? What would you do if you had to live without it?

My Summer

I had a fantastic summer break! Since my family and I just moved to Nishinomiya this year, we decided to stay close to our new home, explore the area, and enjoy catching up with old friends. My daughers, Erika (on the right) and Alina (on the left) had a great time playing inside and out, making lots of new friends at their kindergarten and in our neighborhood. Their favorite activity seems to be role playing, with Erika as "mama" and Alina as "babu-chan" or sometimes "Ojii-san".
Pretty funny to see.

We had a bunch of barbecues over the summer, and I tried to improve my grilling technique. The highlights included spicy pork ribs, sirloin steaks, and chicken shish kebabs. I learned that the key is preparing the meat and using the right amount of heat for what you are cooking. A nice cold beer helps, too.

We did get away for a couple of short trips, including a great weekend camping in Shiga at Lake Biwako. The kids played outside all day and then the adults got to spend some quality time drinking and talking after the kids were in bed.

(the person taking this picture was in a tree :)



The next day my friend and I made our way to the top of the climbing wall. It was great fun!













The best part of my summer, though, had to be swimming at the waterfall near my house. Whenever I had a chance, I hiked there with some friends and we took a dip in the clear, cool water. I was so happy to find such a beautiful, peaceful place right here in Nishinomiya.

Fall Semester: 1st post

Welcome back!

I hope everyone had a great summer. I spent most of mine exploring my new hometown and catching up with old friends. Nishinomiya is really fantastic - lots of good nature spots plus plenty of cool bars and restaurants to keep you busy. I'll post some pictures this week.

How about your summer? Some of you posted over the summer, but most took a blog break. Give us an overview or pick one particular person or place from your summer to tell us about.

This semester we'll be continuing our blogging activity, so try to post at least 10-12 sentences each week. More is even better!

I'm looking forward to seeing your posts.