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Target: Sumoto
A colleague just related something that he saw on a documentary last night: During WWII, Sumoto was number 173 on a list of 180 Japanese targets to be carpet bombed by the US. Apparently, they got down to number 66 on the list (probably somewhere in Fukui prefecture) before bombing with conventional munitions was made unnecessary by Fat Man and Little Boy. It took me a while to figure out what could possibly be of military significance on this island (Awajishima) until I remembered that there was a railroad back then (the Nankai “Shima Densha”) which might seem useless since there were no bridges to the mainland yet, but when…
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Bus Otoko
I nominate Napoleon Dynamite as the worst retitled-for-Japan movie of the year. I understand why they didn’t release it in theaters here – I mean, the majority of the humor wouldn’t carry over to Japanese – but “Bus Man” is the most uninspiring name of any film I can think of.
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Sambo Revisited
A few months ago, I wrote a post about the republishing of Little Black Sambo by a Japanese publisher, and my mom left this in the comments: You used to like the pancakes at Sambo’s Restaurant, remember? All that melted “tiger-butter…it used to make me uneasy to look up at the Little Black Sambo sign and wonder how blacks felt… Ingrate that I am, I actually didn’t remember a Sambo’s Restaurant at all, and I forgot to ask my mom about it. Today I happened across a link that explains it: McDonalds, Taco Bell, and the first fast food restaurants There’s one thing though: Is it just me, or is…
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Dream Soup
Sunday, in the early morning hours, I had a dream so very real that I woke up in a cold sweat. I was riding on the Shinkansen from Los Angeles to Mexico (the first sign that this was a dream, which I realized even as I was having it) with my family. The other people on the train were mostly migrant workers, returning to their homes from a hard day in the fields. A few of them played cards on the floor, taking swigs from warm cans of Tecate and a dirty bottle of mezcal. They were kind of loud and obnoxious as drunken card-playing migrant workers on trains tend…
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In search of the perfect tax haven
My homeboy T is blogging it up during his month-long visit to Uzbekistan. Is Tashkent the ultimate escape destination after a painful life decision? FIND OUT HERE: JOMON NEWS
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Marriage in Japan for Foreign Couples
This is a public service announcement to all gaijin couples thinking of getting married in Japan. If you indeed choose to make this wonderful commitment in the Land of the Rising Sun, be forewarned that you will be asked to write your name on the wedding registration paper more times and in more ways than you can possibly imagine. This is mainly due to corrections made necessary by the confusion caused when two non-Japanese want to perform some official action normally only performed with at least one Japanese counterpart. Man, we ruffled the system up so badly they wouldn’t even let us get married the day we went in, they…
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Mr. Roc Minivan
There is a group of cars on Awaji island who all sport the same decals- a couple of these boxy cars, a vintage Nissan, a camaro, and a large van just to name a few.
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Tokushima Awa Odori 2005
Come check out what I’ve been up to the past week: Tokushima Awa Odori 2005 Photos Alternatively, view them as a slideshow.
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Knot, tied.
A couple hours ago, I sat here a happy man. I sit here again now even happier! We are married! There is much rejoicing in the streets of Sumoto! Next, the Wedding. Tentatively planned for next February. We’re thinking of a beach wedding in Thailand, and I, for once, am willing to deal with the yuppie resorts I usually detest… Somehow “wedding” and “private beach” just sound nice together. And now, we are off to a nice dinner together. Just like we have a thousand times before, but tonight is special. Thanks for all your blessings.
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An announcement
Hey all, I have ten days off work and am spending most of them soaking up rays on the beach. We went to the Awa Odori in Tokushima last night and I took over a gigabyte of photos with my new D50 – I hope to be posting a series of these over the next few days. It was truly an awesome experience, the largest festival I have ever seen in Japan. I have a bigger announcement, though. Nam and I finally got all the paperwork in order, and will be getting married at the city office within the next few days! I’ll post updates to let you all know,…
