tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23959866029475213392024-02-20T16:17:47.091-08:00Through the LensKevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14296571100828085008noreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395986602947521339.post-73662949009801179192014-12-08T10:42:00.000-08:002014-12-08T10:42:45.137-08:00膳部揃うて箸を取れ
Some people compulsively shop for stationary and pens. Other people peruse, as they pass, shoe departments or bag displays.
And others make it a point to find obscure, little chopstick stores and touch all of the pairs of artisan hashi (箸, はし) on display: hand-crafted of sacred woods from the deepest, oldest forests in Fukui, by artisans who have been spiral-filing by feel in Kyoto for more Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14296571100828085008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395986602947521339.post-34050851396961141892014-09-18T09:07:00.000-07:002014-09-18T07:13:45.241-07:00The Magical Insect-Catching Pig
Clouds roil in the
Distance; Perhaps o'er there they
Reign for now not here.
If you ask any Japanese person to imagine themselves in a casually conceived summer landscape, you would find yourself with a fairly long list of staples, from glass 風鈴 (ふうりん, wind chimes) to sparkly 花火 (はなび, hanabi), and snowy かき氷 (かきごおり, shaved ice) to, apparently, curry. Especially if it's done while wearing a 浴衣 Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14296571100828085008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395986602947521339.post-77091266937700082842014-05-27T06:41:00.000-07:002014-05-27T06:41:42.637-07:00何の日の名残り (What Remains of the Day)A few weeks ago I was back in town visiting the family. Over my two-day stay I made it a point to do them the favor of going through some of the baker's-dozen large boxes1To be fair, Home Depot claims that the boxes are mostly “Medium” in size.1 of stored goods I had packed away into a number of closets as a part of my preparation to move to Japan three years ago.
The process was simple: open aKevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14296571100828085008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395986602947521339.post-65725287775991706382014-03-24T08:13:00.000-07:002014-03-24T08:13:00.437-07:00Type CastingAt least four different people over the last four weeks have asked me to climb Mount Fuji with them before the end of the summer.
To them I quote a wise Japanese teacher I once knew: "Mount Fuji is for contemplating, not for climbing."
Sure, some people would call me lazy. To those people, I say: yes. Yes, I am.
Chances are, if we don't begin with samurai, ninjas, geisha or otaku, if I were Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14296571100828085008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395986602947521339.post-48387832693080627232014-03-17T09:36:00.000-07:002014-03-17T16:18:52.598-07:00Urban PlanningThe whole affair spread out over the table like a thieves’ ransom; plates of reds, greens, browns and golds stippled the table with color, enshrouding the room in a rich, enticing fragrance. And while the meal was hardy and bountiful, it did not leave us feeling heavy or overindulgent.
The central feature was finely fried tonkatsu (トンカツ) over a soft bed of pearlescent rice, nestled against a Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14296571100828085008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395986602947521339.post-6087639198354768842014-02-17T09:43:00.000-08:002014-02-17T22:48:55.044-08:00Show Me the LogoA while ago, way back when I was living in Boston, a friend of mine introduced me to the blog of a trainer (applied kinesiology and biomechanics) named Eric Cressey. Of all of the things his research has shown, I have found the things he has written about coaching theory to not only be helpful in exercise, but in my teaching methodology as well1Perhaps, over the years, the only thing I've found Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14296571100828085008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395986602947521339.post-44325484330806664582014-01-16T17:36:00.000-08:002014-01-19T03:18:07.317-08:00The Way This Wheel Keeps WorkingYo, Nick!
Before we begin, Kashew says that John Mayer is going to perform at 武道館 relatively soon. Tickets shouldn't be too expensive. I figure that if tickets to see Fleet Foxes at AgeHa ran ¥$70, slapping down one or two Fukuzawas for a couple of tickets to bask in the radiant countenance of #MayerFace wouldn't be unreasonable.
So, let's do this.
Every year since 1995, the Japanese Kanji Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14296571100828085008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395986602947521339.post-38307240670381397092013-12-02T18:37:00.004-08:002013-12-02T18:45:09.578-08:00My Favorite Sport (SJ: 12/02)三年生 - Elective
My favorite sport is swimming.
Come summer, I swim in the pool every day.
But I don't watch a swimming races on TV. I am not interested that much.
But I like to play in the water. When I swim, I feel that the flow of the water feels good and I can forget about my daily life because, in the water, I don't hear the noisiness around me. It heals me.
An important thing, though, Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14296571100828085008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395986602947521339.post-89758908368168461502013-11-27T21:13:00.000-08:002013-11-27T21:19:04.058-08:00The Other's OtherA few months ago, after the gold medal match of the World Cup of Softball between USA and Japan, ESPN commentator, Michelle Smith, was heavily chastised for a stereotypical "rice and sushi" joke about a Japanese fan in the stands dressed in a happi coat, which, to be fair, is the standard uniform for men in traditional 和風 related fields, today most commonly found in Japanese dining.
While I Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14296571100828085008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395986602947521339.post-22560480733436849292013-11-19T17:01:00.000-08:002013-11-19T17:07:30.461-08:00Land of OpportunityI always intend to go to bed as early as possible. Sleeping may just be one of my favorite things in the world, followed closely only by things like "eating" and "pooping."
But the best-laid schemes o' mice an' men, as they say, gang aft agley. And with the likes of Maru, Stack-cat and Nya-Suke on YouTube, I really have no chance of getting to bed before midnight.
Things never go quite as Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14296571100828085008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395986602947521339.post-52627440222626050942013-11-04T21:39:00.001-08:002013-12-02T18:39:07.573-08:00Advice to 2A (SJ: 10/29)三年生 - A(1)
Hello 2A,
I heard you are going to Torrance soon. I am [Takuya] in 3A. I want to share some advice.
At first, be careful with your baggage and valuables in travel because I lost my hotel key at Griffith. So you should always care for your baggage and valuables.
Second, [Akira], you are a playboy so you shouldn't pick up a girl. You must defend this rule. If you break this rule Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14296571100828085008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395986602947521339.post-53906929762467113862013-10-09T18:20:00.000-07:002013-10-10T00:46:03.119-07:00The Content of CharacterIt was the first time in five years that I had seen her. I wanted to say, "I missed you so much, mom"; "I am so happy to see you again," but the sentences wouldn't come out of my mouth. They felt trapped, like a ball of cotton sticking in my teeth, making it hard to breathe.Hey Nick, long time no e-.
That little snippet above is our entry from this year's free-speech contest. It's the Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14296571100828085008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395986602947521339.post-50014231251296565412013-09-27T07:33:00.000-07:002013-10-09T01:01:23.283-07:00The Path of 10,000 StonesWhen I got to Boston, I found myself enrolled in EN844: Medieval Mystics.
Now, this was hardly my first Medieval Literature course. In fact, I have had a long, tantric love affair with Medieval Literature that included a self-hating course1Me, not the course. 1 in Beowulf, in its original Old English.
And so in reading the texts of the Medieval Christian Mystics, that these people would Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14296571100828085008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395986602947521339.post-46715076030764320462013-09-16T10:31:00.000-07:002013-10-09T02:08:54.814-07:00For What It's WorthA couple weeks ago Kashew and I realized that we had an extended weekend coming up. In September, we have a couple of Mondays and Tuesdays off, but these are no ordinary holidays. Rather, they are mid-week CTO for Saturday in-service for Junior High Open House and Bunkasai, which meant that, if we felt so inclined, we could prepare a trip almost anywhere in Japan and expect tourist crowds to beKevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14296571100828085008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395986602947521339.post-81849929186808863172013-09-09T10:29:00.000-07:002013-10-09T02:53:01.869-07:00Summer Break 2013Hey Nick,
Short post today. I’ve been tossing some ideas around for a while but none of them seem to stick to the walls. So I made an arbitrary deadline to post something by the end of Labor Day (even though it’s getting hard to remember, exactly, which day is Labor Day). But the blog’s been a little too quiet of late. I promise a more robust article on something (*anything) soon.
Perhaps Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14296571100828085008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395986602947521339.post-15954697018142634102013-08-06T09:34:00.000-07:002013-08-07T06:33:14.088-07:00Teganuma Hanabi TaikaiHey Nick,
I noticed that you finally evolved your Hino Kagutsuchi in Puzzle & Dragons1That's one Puzzle, multiple Dragons. Also available for Android devices.1. Wayne and I were wondering if you just didn't know about Ultimate Evolutions or had just not yet collected all of the pieces.
Anyway, just wanted to say that P&D is old-hat. All the cool kids are now playing Wind Runner. It's a Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14296571100828085008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395986602947521339.post-17256588529112384122013-06-25T21:25:00.000-07:002013-10-09T01:03:00.498-07:00Cultural Exchange"So, American students," Kuwabara-先生 called out into the crowded hall, "how many of you agree with the article? How many of you like what Yu Darvish had said?"
The question was simple. So simple it was a tad mundane. And for the most part, the North High students considered the question so mundane that it hardly warranted a fully raised hand, merely a lazily lofted arm: two-dozen or so palms Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14296571100828085008noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395986602947521339.post-33526611828354644032013-06-06T21:11:00.001-07:002013-06-06T21:11:21.267-07:00Your Best Friend (SJ: 6/05)三年生 - Elective
My friend's name is [Mariko]. She is popular with the class. She looks cute and has beautiful hair. She never loses her temper. She is never late for school. She promises she won't cause you any trouble. She would be the last person to tell a lie. She is in the same class as me. She is a good flute player. She has a sound digestive system.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14296571100828085008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395986602947521339.post-47286547843523967452013-05-21T17:02:00.000-07:002013-05-21T17:02:22.629-07:00Your Manga - 2 (SJ: 5/17)三年生 - A(2)
He visited a castle and had to poop. He said, "I have to go to the bathroom!!"
Why does he want to go to the bathroom? Because his castle was broken by a mystery man, so the bathroom was broken. He did not get to go to the bathroom. So he was suffering from poop.
When he finally goes to the bathroom, there is no toilet paper.
He said, "I'm done," and the castle had a big Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14296571100828085008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395986602947521339.post-59613973613487536832013-05-20T21:03:00.001-07:002013-05-21T16:34:03.789-07:00Your Manga (SJ: 5/17)三年生 - A(2)
This manga takes place in Shanghai in China.
It took place during spring vacation.
The main character is [Daisuke].
[Daisuke] met [Yuka] for the first time in a long time in town.
[Yuka] said, “Who are you?”
“I’m [Daisuke] Long time no see,” [Daisuke] said.
“Oh you look so different,” [Yuka] said, “you were fat and always stayed at home before.”
[Daisuke] said, “I became a student in Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14296571100828085008noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395986602947521339.post-36984193762844736902013-04-29T10:14:00.000-07:002013-04-29T10:14:00.711-07:00備えあれば...備えあれば憂いなし: if you are well prepared, it is said, you need not worry.
I know I've mentioned professional development in passing before, Nick, but it really is one the major platforms of my tenure here in the Teaching Exchange Program.
It has been a key issue ever since I first interviewed for the position, where I received a slightly less-than-inspiring response to the question of Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14296571100828085008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395986602947521339.post-12983637678131629352013-04-15T09:30:00.000-07:002013-04-16T06:30:24.458-07:00Benzaiten by the BayAt approximately 2.5 miles in circumference11Yahoo!Answers assures me that it should take no longer than 40 minutes to circumnavigate. Don’t you tempt me, Yahoo!Answers!, Enoshima (江ノ島) is a small island off the Kanagawa (神奈川) coast only a few stops from the 大仏 in Hase (長谷) along the historic, beach-gliding Enoden Train Line (江ノ島電鉄).
Dedicated to Benzaiten, the Buddhist goddess of 'everythingKevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14296571100828085008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395986602947521339.post-43703069274046863742013-04-08T07:34:00.000-07:002013-04-08T07:34:00.483-07:00Tour GroundsI’m sorry it’s been such a long time since I last posted. I know that no excuse of busyness is weighty enough to disabuse one’s blog-reading faithful, that perhaps only death is reason enough to miss a post or two. But let me tell you that gastroenteritis feels a lot like what I imagine death would feel like.
So, Nick, the Torrance Delegation has come and Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14296571100828085008noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395986602947521339.post-37358461533012662152013-02-27T09:32:00.000-08:002013-02-27T16:14:45.107-08:0040x40On February 20, 2013, Kashiwa, Chiba and Torrance, California will have celebrated the 40th anniversary of their sister-city relationship. And while the Teaching Exchange Program between the two international-relations organizations has not yet quite hit 40 years itself, with the hiring of Matthew Medlock1That's カシュー to you and me.1, Kashiwa Municipal High School (Ichikashi) has seen 40 Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14296571100828085008noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2395986602947521339.post-82451056470149720152013-01-17T14:09:00.000-08:002013-01-17T14:09:31.518-08:00Contrasting Rhetorics"Sometimes when I watch Japanese politicians speak on TV, I am a little embarrassed." A small consensus was building among the adults in the 英会話, the English conversation club. "Compared to American politicians--even their wives--Japanese people sound foolish when they make speeches."
We were just finishing up a conversation on rhetoric in the public sphere. I had introduced the topic with a Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14296571100828085008noreply@blogger.com0