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I'm going to talk about kanji because I just started learning them in November and I kind of love them. I've always been afraid of kanji, because a long time ago I read a post online about how hard it is to study Japanese. This post said that kanji were "3 million embodiment of your worst nightmare." Which I think is ridiculous. Kanji are, in fact, the key to the kingdom of Japanese comprehension. The way I learned most of my vocabulary in English was reading. I learned how to let English talk to me using its own words. I'm trying to do that now with Japanese: letting Japanese grammar talk to me in Japanese. Japanese writing is divided into three sets of writing: hiragana (ひらがな), katakana (カタカナ), and kanji. Katakana are generally used for phonetic spelling and words that are imported from other languages. Example: コーヒー is "ko-hee" or "coffee." A カフィラテ, or "kah-fee-rah-tay" is "cafe latte." Hiragana is used to write...

To summarize my day, "Yay pictures! Ow, feet/calves/knee." It's just as well I go home tomorrow because I don't have it in me to do another day of sightseeing in Kyoto. My calves were screaming yesterday . Today I visited Inari mountain, and then I walked all the way up  the mountain. Coming back down was an exercise in near futility, it hurt so much. I was not made to climb stairs. I can walk great distances in straight lines, but God help me if I try to climb stairs. However, I did manage to get my long-sought pictures of the Inari Shrine torii gates, which cover a 4km hike up the side of Inari mountain. Between these pics and those of the bamboo forest on Friday, I've now photographed two of the things I've always wanted to photograph. (Incredible pics of sakura blossoms is still on the list, since last March/May I'd just arrived and was too busy figuring out How To Japan to go anywhere neat for great pics.) At the ...

The reason I'm in Kyoto for Christmas is this guy: This is Kenshin Himura, the title character of one of my favorite anime series, Rurouni Kenshin (るろうに剣心 ) Although the show starts out in Tokyo, its biggest arc takes place in Kyoto. It's symbolic, in that Tokyo is the new capital of Japan, and represents the present as well as the future. Kyoto, however, is the place where memories of the past reside, both good and bad, and in travelling to Kyoto, Kenshin and his friends battle a foe who emerges from the ashes of the old revolution. It's because of Rurouni Kenshin that I wanted to visit Japan. It's also because of Rurouni Kenshin that I longed to see Kyoto. So, with careful planning and meticulous saving, I made my trip to Kyoto just in time for Christmas. Nowadays, Kyoto is still historical. It's choc full of  temples, shrines, and famous old landmarks. One of the most famous is Kiyomizu-dera (Kiyomizu Temple). I'm staying in a hostel just around th...

Tonight it's hitting the low 40s (F) here in Hitachinaka. During the day it reaches the high 50s, which, for an Ohioan, isn't that cold. Heck, Ohioans pray for the temperatures to hit the 40s and 50s in winter. That's warm . Consider this, though. Imagine your place of employment did not believe in the concept of "indoor heating." Imagine that, some mornings, you could walk along the halls and see your breath. Imagine that your place of employment left several windows all over the building open a crack (or all the way) while it was in the mid-50s outside. Then imagine that amidst all that, there is rarely a source of heat outside of a hot cup of tea, the heated toilet seats in a few of the bathrooms, the teacher's room (where you do not spend most of your time), and whatever warm clothes you've piled on. Imagine you're already cold, and when you go to class to teach, the kids yank open the windows because they've been running around outside for ...

I've started listening to this podcast called I Should Be Writing. It's hosted by Mur Lafferty, who has written several books, including one called "The Shambling Guide to New York City," which I've previewed and would like to read. Mur's podcast is really great. She talks about her own struggles as a writer, answers questions sent in by listeners, and discusses facts and myths about the actual profession of "writer," such as working with agents, editors, publishers, and how a book goes from manuscript to final product. Mur also interviews fellow writers, such as Charlaine Harris (whose book series is the basis for the TV show True Blood) and, wonderfully, author Jim Hines, who besides being a great author is also a fantastic person. Besides being an author, Jim is also known for occasionally choosing book covers featuring women who've been contorted for the sake of sex appeal, and then replicating those covers using himself. It's a hilario...

I had a breakthrough in August: I spent almost my entire paycheck in Tokyo, literally down to my last 20,000 yen ($200) to get me through the final week and a half until I was paid again. I had savings that I could have dipped into and then replenished the next month, but that was besides the point. I'm a compulsive saver. Spending big amounts of money on things that aren't necessities or long-term investments freaks me out. I always expect to end up thinking later, "If only I hadn't spent that money frivolously!" In August, I vacationed in Tokyo. Twice. Once with my friend Amanda, and once after the English Camp I worked in Nagano. The first time, I had reservations at a hotel. The second time, I crashed on a friend's couch the first night and migrated between beds in Sakura Hostel in Asakusa the next few nights. On the vacation with Amanda, there was something of an agenda. On the second run through Tokyo, I had no plans whatsoever. I worry a lot about ...