Category Archives: Japan

“Brother Fries”

Posted on May 14, 2012 by

Interesting Kotaku piece on a “good Samaritan” foreigner in China who bought an old homeless woman some food and another who broke up a robbery.  Then, a Brit got caught sexually assaulting multiple Chinese women. Hilarity did not ensue: “The … Continue reading →

Posted in China, ESL, Japan, Korea, Kultur | Leave a comment

“Fat men in nappies”

Posted on May 3, 2012 by

Charlie Brooker goes to Tokyo for a sumo tournament: “The problem is this: to a Westerner, sumo looks inherently silly. Fat men in nappies: that’s our gut reaction. Skim a languid eye over it and it scarcely resembles a sport … Continue reading →

Posted in Japan, Sports | 4 Comments

Fried Chicken Is The Best Chicken

Posted on March 15, 2012 by

L.A. Weekly has an awesome “fried chicken flow chart” for deciding whether you want American, Korean, or Japanese-style greasy goodness: It’s nice to know that when I go back to the States I can find Korean-style chicken.  It’s usually crisper … Continue reading →

Posted in America, Food, Japan, Korea | Leave a comment

Fire Peter Angelos

Posted on September 2, 2011 by

Arguably, I moved to Korea for the baseball.  While my hometown team is soon to enter its third decade of mediocrity, my adopted hometown team (Samsung Lions, thank you) is in first place. Korean teams are allowed to carry two … Continue reading →

Posted in America, Japan, Korea, Sports | Leave a comment

“Carnivore Girls”

Posted on July 6, 2011 by

CNN piece on Japanese “carnivore girls” and “herbivore boys” — a younger generation coming of age after two decades of economic doldrums.  The idea is that women have learned to be aggressive and demanding, while the young men have withered … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, Japan, Korea, Kultur | Leave a comment

More Sad News

Posted on March 23, 2011 by

There’s plenty of horrific things still going on in Japan, but it hits home to hear that a 24 year-old English teacher from America was killed.

Posted in America, Japan, Teaching | Leave a comment

Gangster Love

Posted on March 23, 2011 by

A fascinating piece on how the yakuza, or Japanese mafia, are helping out disaster victims — sometimes more effectively than the Japanese government itself. Having just watched an amazing documentary about the rise and fall of Pablo Escobar in Colombia, … Continue reading →

Posted in Japan, Kultur | Leave a comment

In A Time of Crisis

Posted on March 16, 2011 by

Gin and Tacos on the differences between Japan and the United States when it comes to disasters: “Japan is among the many non-American nations that recognize that government is not inherently useless and evil. If government takes its responsibilities seriously … Continue reading →

Posted in America, Japan, Politics | Leave a comment

How To Help

Posted on March 14, 2011 by

Salon has compiled a list of charities involved in the rescue and recovery efforts in Japan.

Posted in Japan | Leave a comment

Mission Accomplished

Posted on March 3, 2011 by

Busan Harbor, Korea Somewhere between Korea and Japan. I was pretty angry at the fact that the Korean embassy in Hanoi was unable to give me my new work visa, despite the fact that all of the requisite paperwork had … Continue reading →

Posted in Japan, Korea, Teaching | Leave a comment