Here’s a couple books used by some of the other grad students in the Calligraphy Department:
Doesn’t it eventually reach a point where it becomes easier to just flag the pages you aren’t interested in?
Category Archives: JAPAN
Weird Rabbit/Toilet Paper Mascot
This mascot makes no sense, unless it’s for a company that either:
- Makes toilet paper for rabbits, or
- Makes toilet paper from rabbits
In any event, good call on the pink bowtie, anonymous Japanese character designer!
Source: A random cardboard box, seen at school
Quick Plug for JetWit.com
I’m not sure how many current participants / alumni of the JET Program regularly read my site, but if you’re out there…
I was asked by JET alum and all-around nice guy Steven Horowitz to plug his new website JetWit.com, a blog “for the JET alumni freelance and professional community”. It looks pretty good, so if you’re a freelancer / professional JET alum (or a freelancer / pro who’s interested in Japan), check it out:
A Hatchback fit for a Princess
It was my understanding that the legal driving age in Japan was eighteen, but seeing as how the following car is clearly owned by a nine year old girl, now I don’t know what to think.
Car spotted in parking lot at Shikoku University, Japan.
Still Clueless (2/2)
Pssssssst… (I like you.)
In last week’s blog entry, I wrote about the first of two cultural surprises I encountered during my current stay in Japan to study calligraphy at Shikoku University. The subject of this entry is the second surprise, which involved…
Attitudes towards Dating
A while back I was talking with a friend/classmate, and during the course of our conversation he offhandedly mentioned that two people in our class that were dating. He saw I was surprised to hear this, and inquired “Well at least you know that So-and-so & So-and-so have hooked up, right?” This piece of what was apparently common knowledge was also news to me.
I wasn’t so much surprised that I was out of the loop; my Japanese comprehension isn’t exactly perfect so I miss a lot, and my classmates have several other classes together that I’m not in. What really surprised me is that I can’t remember ever seeing the respective boyfriends & girlfriends so much as even talk to each other. Like, ever. Continue reading Still Clueless (2/2)
Still Clueless (1/2)
Prior to coming to Tokushima to study calligraphy earlier this year, I had lived in Japan on four separate occasions. With more than three years of experience under my belt, I figured my grasp of Japanese culture was pretty solid, and didn’t expect any real surprises this time around. Having been here for just four months now, I’ve already seen this assumption get proven wrong twice (and counting).
It was pure arrogance to assume that my knowledge of Japanese culture was somehow comprehensive (or even could be), but especially considering the narrow scope of my previous experience. I was unable to communicate beyond caveman grunts for most of it, and my contact with Japanese people my own age was all but nonexistent. Working as an assistant English teacher, most of the people I met were either students or teachers, so everyone was either ten years old, or in their fifties.
This time around I’m in a university setting, so I’m surrounded by people my own age (actually most of them are five or ten years younger than me, but as I’m a cartoonist & blogger, it’s probably safe to assume we’re at about the same maturity level). And my Japanese is just starting to approach the level where I can actually make friends with people who don’t know any English. So I’m getting a glimpse of Japan I didn’t have access to before, leading to the two before-mentioned instances of mini-culture shock.
The first one being… Continue reading Still Clueless (1/2)