Tag Archives: Westernization

Life In Japan: Time Machine

Posted on April 14, 2023 by johnrachel

Over the course of our courtship and marriage, we’ve been all over Japan, from Hokkaido in the north — a stone’s throw from Russia — all the way down to Hateruma, the southernmost island in Okinawa — a stone’s throw from Taiwan. Even so, there was one place 13 hours west of us by car, we yet had to visit. NAGASAKI! We finally made it. Continue reading →

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Life In Japan: Taylor Swift in Tokyo

Posted on January 10, 2019 by johnrachel

In November 2018, my wife Masumi, her daughter Izumi, and yours truly, ambled like sheep with close to 50,000 other folks into the Tokyo Dome for an evening of pop entertainment featuring Charli XCX and Taylor Swift. The arena concert was a technological marvel and my whole life passed before me. Continue reading →

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Life In Japan: Western Food

Posted on May 5, 2018 by johnrachel

Though my taste buds were born, raised, and trained in America, I love Japanese food! I really do. I now regularly eat many things I would have considered very special treats for very special occasions — sushi, tempura, edamame, teriyaki — and eat some things I never would have attempted before — octopus, squid, rice daily. Continue reading →

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Life In Japan: Western Arts – Pt 2

Posted on April 9, 2018 by johnrachel

I find it a fascinating question why Japan is so enamored with Western art forms, not that I’ve made any progress coming up with a definitive answer. My very Japanese wife serves as an example. She sings opera, plays classical piano, and teaches Western-style music to elementary students as part of the official school curriculum. But there are other things which remain intractably Japanese. Why Western music? Continue reading →

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