Tsukuba Monogatari: Sixteenth post The Japanese have a saying, “Hear one, understand ten,” which I got to see embodied when I asked Koizumi-san about the route to Narita by car. He replied, “I could take you on Friday, but I don’t know about Sunday (when I return).” “For goodness sake, Koizumi-san,” I said, “I’m not […]
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Category: Japan stories
Another myth down the tubes
Tsukuba Monogatari: Fifteenth post I have always sworn religiously by Japan’s public transportation system. You can set your watch by it; you can ride it safely at any time of the day or night; but most importantly, you can get wherever you want to go by using it. This past week, however, the myth was […]
Night life in Tsukuba
Tsukuba Monogatari: Fourteenth post I know you’re all dying to know about the night life in Tsukuba. So am I. If anyone hears of any, let me know. Seriously, nights, I hang out at John & Carole’s. It’s the neighborhood coin laundry, open 24 hours. I like to do my laundry at night; it’s not […]
Culinary wonders, part 2
Tsukuba Monogatari: Thirteenth post For many years natto (gooey fermented soybeans) has reigned supreme as the Japanese food item most likely to arise in a conversation which begins with the question, “Can you eat Japanese food?” or “What is the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten?” However, I believe natto has finally relinquished its throne to […]
The honeymoon is over
Tsukuba Monogatari: Twelfth post Now that I’ve settled into my apartment, seen all my ex-trainees, gotten my Company badge, cash card and e-mail account; now that I’ve gotten used to driving on the left side of the road and learned how to park and unpark in Japanese parking lots without the aid of a shoehorn […]
Culinary wonders
Tsukuba Monogatari: Eleventh post I dashed into a Hot Spar (Tsukuba’s answer to 7-11) the other day to grab something for lunch on my way back from the bank. I grabbed what appeared to be a tonkatsu (breaded, fried pork cutlet) sandwich, feeling the need to sink my teeth into some meat. When I got […]
Missed the Big One
Tsukuba Monogatari: Tenth post Around 9:30 am on Wednesday (Oct. 18) Hori-san (the HR manager) came over to our cubicle and said there had just been a big earthquake, and a bridge had collapsed. “Where?” I asked. “California,” he said. He didn’t say which city. David asked (hopefully, I thought – but this may have […]
Conformity
Tsukuba Monogatari: Ninth post As I was leaving work today, I stopped at the entrance to search the umbrella rack for my umbrella (it was pouring rain). As my eyes roamed over a hundred identical black umbrellas, I thought, “The Japanese really carry this conformity thing too far.” I was thankful that my umbrella was […]
Pasta-san
Tsukuba Monogatari: Eighth post When Koizumi-san was in California for training, my co-trainer Dan and I did a semi-social “Survival Cooking” session at Dan’s house to ensure that the trainees (all men), away from their families for 3+ months, would not starve. It was basically an excuse for some informal social time, but, forgetting that […]
Canine cultural differences
Tsukuba Monogatari: Seventh post As mentioned previously, four dogs attended the barbecue (two Miyagawas, a Kato, and an Ogata). At the end of the day, the only leftover food was inappropriately large and essentially inedible chicken legs (brought by yours truly), which got left behind on the grill as the Japanese (and the Americans, the […]