Year: 2020
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Kyushu’s economic contribution to Japan
Kyushu is one of the 5 major regions of Japan consisting of 7 prefectures making up about 10% of the Japanese population. It is known as being a much more relaxed place than Tokyo, with great weather and more space. This attracts people who are looking for more worklife balance. Natives of Kyushu that go…
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Keychron K2
I bought my first computer in the spring of 2002. I had come late to personal computers. It was a Fujitsu laptop that I bought from a big box electronics store near Enmachi in Kyoto. It took a few months before it was even connected to the internet! A couple of years later, I made…
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Sakyōbana, crumbling pillar of Heaven
In my last post I explained about the “Pillars of Heaven”, the eight objects sent down by the gods to prevent Iki island from floating around the Sea of Japan at its own free will. Other than Saruiwa the Monkey Rock, most have crumbled into the sea. Of the remaining pillars, my favourite is Sakyōbana,…
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Monkey Rock, a pillar of heaven
On the eastern side of Iki, jutting 45 meters out of the ocean is a giant rock formation, somewhat covered in moss-like greenery. From a certain angle the rocks look uncannily like a massive gorilla, solemnly looking out over a nearby cliff. This is the treasure of Ikijima: Saruiwa 猿岩 or “Monkey Rock.” The Kojiki,…
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Convenient Countryside Karaoke
Hey peeps in Japan, does your FamiMa include a Karaoke room? I mean, convenience stores here have everything but I have never seen karaoke in one before! The only big name convenience store on Ikijima is FamilyMart — there are no Lawsons or 7-11s. FamiMa has two locations and both of them have attached karaoke…
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What is the most exciting thing in publishing today?
This weekend I was thinking about the recent history of publishing content: What are the innovations and trends of the past? What is in the near future? Let me give you a few examples of the kinds of things I am thinking about: blogs microblogs vs tumblr vs twitter social interest-based blog networks like Medium…
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A better process for reading, writing, and thinking: zettelkasten
I read a lot. Maybe too much… I am not a particularly fast reader, and I only do about 48 books a year (about 70% of those books in audio). So why do I say that I read “too much”? It is because I can barely remember anything I have read in the past. To…
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The Bridges of Nagasaki
In northwest Kyushu, on a peninsula of a peninsula of a peninsula, like a fractal made from prehistoric solidified lava, lies the vibrant city of Nagasaki. Nestled amongst rugged volcanic hills, Nagasaki is one of the most important ports in all of Japanese history. The narrow bay quickly gives way to steep mountains, carpeted with…
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First month at Japanese Elementary school
My feet are soooo sunburnt. It looks like I am wearing crabs for slippers. It has been one month of Japanese elementary school. My kids have done surprisingly well considering that Japanese is not really their mother tongue. There have been a couple of rough days, but overall they are maintaining a very high level…
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What are Japan’s Remote Islands (ritō)?
Exploring the difference between the Japanese “mainland” and its many, many islands.