http://www.japanwindow.com/blog/ Japan Words is a blog about life in Japan and my ongoing attempt to figure out what is going on here. en-us 2006-09-12T00:02:27+09:00 http://www.japanwindow.com/archives/about_this_blog/2006/japanwindowcom_where_its_at.html If you want to keep following my blog, go to www.japanwindow.com and bookmark that page (or get the RSS feed). I've decided to consolidate the blog using the new format that you'll see using the link above. Right now I'm... About this Blog jw 2006-09-12T00:02:27+09:00 http://www.japanwindow.com/archives/news_and_views/2005/suggestion_for_the_japanese_communist_party.html There's an election coming up on Sunday. My wife just came in to ask me... W - "Who should I vote for? Should I vote for the Communist?" Me - No (extra-perplexed expression) you can't vote for the Communist. W... News and Views jw 2005-06-29T15:58:43+09:00 http://www.japanwindow.com/archives/my_life_here/2005/remembering.html The other day I had some time to take pictures. I was in Takadanobaba. I took out my camera and started to walk around the back alleys, took a turn onto a wide street, and then crossed back in front... My Life Here jw 2005-06-17T15:40:42+09:00 http://www.japanwindow.com/archives/my_life_here/2005/taking_better_photos_in_japan.html Recently I decided to start taking my photography more seriously. I haven't said much about why. Or why now. One reason is that I stumbled into Dan Heller's amazing website. I didn't recognize him by name, but I saw... My Life Here jw 2005-06-07T19:54:13+09:00 http://www.japanwindow.com/archives/japanese_culture/2005/homeless_japanese_in_japan_people_you_should_see.html I sometimes wonder how well a foreigner, such as I, can really SEE and photograph the people of Japan. As this example shows, sometimes the foreigner sees what others don't notice or choose to ignore. Please see www.icpress.com/Gallery/Kama/ I'm in... Japanese Culture jw 2005-06-05T23:40:51+09:00 http://www.japanwindow.com/archives/japanese_culture/2005/the_family_in_japan.html Average number of children in a Japanese family: 1.2 Average number of hours father's work per day: 11 Japan has a huge problem with it's declining birth rate, but like most people with self destructive tendencies they don't or can't... Japanese Culture jw 2005-06-05T11:01:34+09:00 http://www.japanwindow.com/archives/japanese_culture/2005/unseen_in_japan.html I was talking with a friend the other day and found out that at his job it's his responsibility to pay off the yakuza. Yakuza are Japanese organized crime syndicates. He meets regularly with one of the yakuza gang... Japanese Culture jw 2005-05-31T19:55:32+09:00 http://www.japanwindow.com/archives/news_and_views/2005/the_rise_of_the_lesser_panda_in_japan.html Japan is experiencing a Lesser Panda boom. In case you didn't know, Lesser Pandas are also known as Bear Cats or Red Pandas. You've probably seen them before. Anyway, it's been in the news and all over the television. The... News and Views jw 2005-05-28T10:20:16+09:00 http://www.japanwindow.com/archives/about_this_blog/2005/warning_to_change_rss_feeders.html I have started the new photoblog at www.japanwindow.com (please check it out). This would be a good time to bookmark that page or get set up to see it via RSS. From now on I will post TEXT here and... About this Blog jw 2005-05-26T00:42:44+09:00 http://www.japanwindow.com/archives/about_this_blog/2005/this_blog_is_changing.html In the next few days this blog will change (note the date of this post in case you're reading this after the fact). I'll start posting photos to a more pure photo blog at this URL and keeping a separate... About this Blog jw 2005-05-23T22:55:38+09:00 http://www.japanwindow.com/archives/japanese_culture/2005/designfesta_2005_seeing_the_tokyo_art_scene.html I had a great time this past weekend at Design Festa, a semi-annual gathering of artists, illustrators and, well, anyone who can get a group of friends to rent a space and "do" something suggestive of "art." That amounts... Japanese Culture jw 2005-05-18T18:26:09+09:00 http://www.japanwindow.com/archives/events_and_places/2005/karuizawa_chapels_noodles_trees.html We went to Karuizawa last month, and I finally have a chance to write about it. Karuizawa is a little town in Nagano that is just close enough for the people of Tokyo to escape there for a day.... Events and Places jw 2005-05-13T13:30:12+09:00 http://www.japanwindow.com/archives/japanese_culture/2005/japan_china_apology_textbooks_simple_right.html China and Japan are in conflict. Not again, and not just recently. It's more like an Asian version of the cold war. Japan and China have been rivals in Asia since the modern era dawned in this part of... Japanese Culture jw 2005-04-25T23:25:45+09:00 http://www.japanwindow.com/archives/my_life_here/2005/mortality_life_and_falling_cherry_blossoms.html I hope you'll click these two pictures. I really liked how they each turned out. A wind came up at the park and the Cherry blossoms fell. We said goodbye to my parents yesterday and explained to the kids... My Life Here jw 2005-04-21T21:02:51+09:00 http://www.japanwindow.com/archives/my_life_here/2005/spring_in_the_air_heading_for_nagano_with_family.html Spring is here! The blossoms in Tokyo have mostly fallen from the trees, but I have this feeling that Winter has passed and things are changing. I was so busy in March and the first half of this month...... My Life Here jw 2005-04-13T23:37:37+09:00