In October I’ll be going on my annual trip to Japan. My partner will be joining me, now that his work life is in the rearview mirror. I’m planning to introduce him to many adventures I’ve figured out over the past few years. Doubtless, we’ll also find new adventures. At the beginning of our trip,… Continue reading The Heart Sutra with Tooltips
Category: Asia
Ramen During a Storm
The video screen showed stunning rainfall on the island of Kyushu, southern Japan, a place I love, while I quietly slurped ramen.
Blue Tarps in a Park
Posted Blue Tarps in a Park.
Blue Tarps in a Park
The homeless at [Tokyo’s] Ueno Park were up early Monday, with hundreds of the park dwellers quietly disassembling their tents and packing their belongings onto carts soon after dawn. Pushing carts laden with their possessions, they plodded toward a small empty plot hidden by bushes and trees. Around 9:40 a.m., about two hours after completing… Continue reading Blue Tarps in a Park
Poverty and Homelessness in Japan
This afternoon I was a couch potato devouring a new novel, in translation: “Tokyo Ueno Station.” It depicts poverty and homelessness in Japan and deepened my understanding of scenes I’ve glimpsed in Japan. As I expected, the ending was not happy.
A Crosswalk in Nagano
Posted A Crosswalk in Nagano.
A Crosswalk in Nagano
One Monday afternoon in April 2016 I got to see something which, once seen, has been impossible to un-see. I’m standing at a crosswalk in Nagano, Japan, reading a ditty on the back of a man’s shirt: Indian Boys, Indian Boys, Oh how I love those Indian Boys The image of an American Indian dreamcatcher… Continue reading A Crosswalk in Nagano
Japanese Candy
Hovered at the Japanese candy display at United Noodles, an Asian supermarket: one less reason to visit Japan. The KitKats are matcha-flavored, and are rather fine.
A Corner of Japan
Paused preparations for our upcoming home move to seek comfort (food) at our local Japanese restaurant, Zen Box Izakaya: tonkotsu ramen. NHK (Japanese television) was showing a segment about cleaning airport toilets. “It’s good to think of others,” declared one of the cleaners.
Don’t Touch the Concrete
Last week my partner and I walked along a Chicago residential street to Wrightwood 659, a brand new exhibition space designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando. The Antithesis The previous day, a wonderful volunteer docent, an elderly woman, went silent when I said that Ando walks on water. Maybe I had offended her religious sensibilities,… Continue reading Don’t Touch the Concrete