Women and men

I think most men and most women experience life very differently. Generally, woman use emotion and consider personal relationships more when making decisions or interpreting what's going on around them. This is why women often go to the restroom together (how many really need to go?) On the other hand, men tend to use logic and rely on outside measures, like achievement or reward when deciding how to act or what to do. If you want a man (or a dog) to do something, offer him something he wants and then say "good boy!"


These differences become a problem when a man and woman are trying to make a decision together or when they are thinking about choices the other has made. Of course it's not true all the time or in every case, but I think these differences certainly affect a lot of people and relationships. What do you think?

7th post

What do you think is the greatest misunderstanding or misperception between men and women?

Fall

I love Fall. I grew up in New England, which has really beautiful fall foliage (autumn leaves), and now that I'm living in Japan, I can see the changing colors as well. Fall foods rock as well - Asian pears, persimmons, sweet potatoes. But, what is really special this season in Japan is the festivals. Universities have their festivals, which are loads of fun, and towns and neighborhoods also have their own traditional "matsuri". Fall festivals might seems ordinary to you, but for someone from outside of Japan, they are truly unique. I recommend you get some pictures of local festivals to show people when you travel or study abroad.

6th post

Fall is finally here. What do you think of this season? How does it compare to other seasons?

My type

I guess you could say my wife is my type (hopefully!). I'm not sure exactly what that type is, but I can you why I fell in love her: I took her to a park with a romantic view one evening. I thought it was nice to create a good mood... and she tried to Judo flip me into the fountain. She doesn't remember this but I do. When she tried that (and failed miserably) I realized that she was the woman for me. I guess that means I like people who are strong (in spirit), courageous (not afraid to try something even if they will fail), and funny (I assume she was joking). It didn't hurt that I thought she was pretty cute, too :)

5th post

What's your type?

Trends

Since I'm too old to be in touch with what is considered "fashionable" or "cool", I'm going to comment on a trend closer to my heart and the lives of other guys like me - beer. When I arrived in Japan after graduating from college, I was happy to find that beer was easily available - at the convenience store, supermarket, even in vending machines (these are unique to Japan and some parts of Europe). One thing I noticed though, was that nearly all the beer was one type - lager. Good lagers, even better than most mass-produced American lagers like Budweiser or Coors. But only lagers. Super Dry was lager. Malts was lager. Lager was lager. I missed the heartier ales and stouts that I could get so easily at bars and liquor stores back home.


While traveling around Japan I found that there were small groups of beer enthusiasts who appreciated different types of beer and were brewing them in the countryside at microbreweries. Unfortunately, Japanese laws prevented these from being sold on a large scale.


As the years passed, I began finding Irish pubs, commonly called "Gaijin bars," in the cities that often had import beers such as Guinness, a dark stout beer, and occasionally creamy British ales. Unfortunately, these bars were only in urban centers, so I could only get my beer fix every few months when I ventured into the city.

However, recently I see a new trend in Japan. More and more bars are offering not only Guinness, but also other types of beer. Moreover, there are lots of microbreweries and bars that specialize in these tasty brews. Home brewing is even catching on as a hobby.


Friday night I had a locally-brewed Rokko pilsner (the first type of beer ever made) at a bar in my home town of Nishinomiya and I bottled my own honey ale at home.


As a fan of craft beers, I hope this trend continues!