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Japanese Culture

How Will American Fast Food Affect Japanese Culture?

October 19, 2012
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FastFoodJapanThumb

Mmm, mmm, mmm! I will be the first one to tell you that a McDonald’s chicken sandwich with a large order of crispy, lightly salted, golden fries followed by the sweet frothiness of Triple Thick Strawberry Milkshake* can be pure taste bud bliss! The effect is intensified when I’m stoically focused on training and eating right. I’m in training mode as I’m typing this…man I hope this post doesn’t knock me the freak of the “eat right” wagon. *I don’t think they have Triple thick milkshakes in Japan.* Here in Japan, I’ve seen a number of American fast food chains chillin’ all over the place: Mc Donald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s (they’re making a comeback...

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Ten Days of Japanese School Lunch 給食

October 11, 2012
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Ten Days of Japanese School Lunch 給食

Though I may not be teaching elementary school anymore, while I was there I found that there were some interesting differences between a Japanese, public elementary school and an American one. One of the major differences was public school lunch (I’m sure that’s no surprise). In the US, I knew of kids who brought lunches from home (more often than not, I was one of those kids) and those who at the school-made lunches. When I was teaching public school, I never saw anyone carrying a lunch from home. Everybody eats the school-made lunches. Having eaten both, I have to admit that I think Japanese public school lunches (給食, kyushoku) beat the pants off...

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Tokyo Gundam Project 2012 Video Post

July 1, 2012
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Tokyo Gundam Project 2012 Video Post

You know, all this time I thought the giant Gundam in Odaiba was just that…a statue. Did you know it was battle-ready??? NO JOKE!! I was standing there taking pictures when this music came on and the Gundam machine started moving its head. The Gundam’s eyes lit up, and some steamed from the robot. I peed myself a little bit, because it was unexpected. Granted, the Gundam didn’t do a whole lot, but seeing something that size even moving it’s head around can really catch your attention. Did I want a display of the RX-78’s (Gundam model number) missile & cannon arsenal? Of course! But I guess, running the battle demonstration program and shooting...

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Some Kids Just Need An A** Whoopin’

June 22, 2012
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Some Kids Just Need An A** Whoopin’

I was checking email the other day when I saw this story (that you probably have seen by now) trending about a bus monitor named Karen Klein who was bullied by very children she was trying monitor. Despite there being no fighting, this video is downright disturbing; to say this video pissed me off would be a SEVERE understatement. After watching the video I just looked at comments on some of the different sites where the video was going viral. One thing seemed very clear, people were angry, disgusted, and appalled with these children’s behavior. I read one comment that said we should pray for these kids. Umm…no, I say screw that! These kids...

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A Japan Guy 15 Kanji Quiz

May 13, 2012
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A Japan Guy 15 Kanji Quiz

I remember eating out with my friend Abasa in the early part of my Japan stay and was so impressed by this guy. I knew so little Japanese, but he was speaking fluently, effortlessly. We talked about life in Japan and how he didn’t follow the normal teaching route. Abasa went the business route, instead. He’d lived in Japan for quite some time, and life seemed so good for him. Running into people like him who were so positive about being here, really had a big influence on me. I wanted to be able to experience Japan the way Abasa was. I wanted to be able to converse easily with the people around me....

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How to Play Kendama (けん玉), Part 2

May 1, 2012
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HowToPlayKendamaP2

This is just is follow-up to How to Play Kendama, Part 1.” I guess I needed to prove that I’m not all talk . You’ll see from the video that I’m not an expert at this game, just a mere beginner actually. But this will show you the basics in action. Enjoy! Thanks for watching! Donald

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How To Play Kendama (けん玉), Part 1

April 29, 2012
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How To Play Kendama (けん玉), Part 1

Japanese bilboquet or Kendama (けん玉) is a game that’s been around for ages…in some way, shape or form, all over the world. Some people call it bilboquet, or the Bilbo Catcher, the cup and ball game, or the ring and pin game**. Since the origins of the game are unclear, I figured it’s a good time to make up a Japan Guy story as to how kendama began, so here it goes: **I’ve heard this called bilboquet and the cup and ball game, but not the ring and pin or Bilbo Catcher. Thanks Waterloo University =============================================================================== In the beginning, the earth was a place of harmony, and land of blue seas and green trees....

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Ichinensei Ni Nattara, A Catchy Elementary School Song

April 28, 2012
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Ichinensei Ni Nattara, A Catchy Elementary School Song

Yes, school is in session! Being at a Japanese shogakko means a new year of being  kanchoed (the finger enema game), meeting some awesome kids, and experiencing more of the Japanese culture. Songs are a big part of a country’s culture, and a can think of few places that sing more than a Japanese elementary school. Well I guess if you’re in a church choir, or if you’re a recording artist, or you’re in a band…OKAY, OKAY! There are better examples of places where people sing songs. However, they do sing quite a bit at my elementary school. For example, they sing their school song every morning at the school. Did my elementary school...

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Mt. Tsukuba Plum Blossom Viewing, Umemi

April 9, 2012
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I'm not exactly sure what the pink plum blossoms are called in Japanse, but they sure look nice.

It’s always makes me happy to know that spring is coming. Spring is one of my favorite seasons. I recently had a chance to go outside without having to wear a heavy coat, and I was ecstatic. It means that the cold winter chill is starting to break. It means running at night, it means no more cold toes, it means I can turn off that blasted heater and save myself a small fortune in energy costs. Yes folks, spring is on the way! You know, I feel like I haven’t done a picture post in a long time, and I can’t hold it anymore! Today, I have to make a picture post! It’s...

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Do You Remember Your Elementary School Graduation Song?

April 3, 2012
By
tomorrow

You know, one interesting similarity about American and Japanese elementary school graduations is that there is a song that the students have to sing. I must be getting old or something because I can’t remember what my 7th grade, elementary school graduation song was**. I want to say it was Michael Jackson’s “Heal The World,” but I really don’t remember. My Dad was also a teacher at one point and I do remember what his elementary school kids were singing at his school for one of his graduations. I remember because I want to say my Dad practicing the piece on his saxophone at home (remember when saxophones were cool?). That song was Tevin...

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