Back in 2007 I tried a hot sake with blowfish tale. With hindsight, I see that this might be called Fuguhire Zake. From what I remember, I did not find it delicious. I’ve never had it since. The restaurant that I had it at was a blowfish speciality store, so all of our dishes included…
Whisky Chocolate from Taketsuru
On Valentine’s Day in Japan the custom is that girls give chocolate to the guys that they like. They may also give chocolate to the guys that they feel they must based on their formal relationships… Like to a male coworker on their team at work or something. If you’re guy who is really liked…
Amanohashidate
In 2004 I took a trip to Amanohashidate (天橋立) with some friends. Amanohashidate is in Kyoto. It is considered one of the three most beautiful places in Japan. The big three “scenic spots” in Japan or, “Nihon Sankei”（日本三景) are, Matsushima (松島）in Sendai, Itsukushima or Miyajima (厳島） in Hiroshima, and here, Amanohashidate. I asked a Japanese friend if he really…
My First HeroForge Miniature for D&D Gaming
I started playing Dungeons and Dragons for the first time since high school this past summer. Our group has become fairly serious, and people started buying miniatures, so I jumped on the bandwagon during a Black Friday sale. HeroForge is the place (or a place?) to go for minis. Alternatively you can use HeroForge to…
An Interview with Shing02 about his memories of Nujabes (Seba Jun)
One of my all time favorite musicians talking about his memories of one of my all time favorite musicians. If ya know ya know… Shing02. Nujabes. Links:E22: Shing02’s works. Tons of free MP3s, and bilingual lyrics. Nujabes [Wikipedia] The story of Luv (sic) as written by Shing02 [Reddit]. Another interview where Shing02 introduces himself, and…
Japanese Lesson from Games: Nobody on the Right
Fire Emblem Three Houses is FILLED with advanced Japanese phrases and vocabulary. The game is entirely voiced, and you can replay any dialog you want as long as you don’t leave the dialog sequence. The Nintendo Switch is region free, and many (not all) games, including Fire Emblem, have the full Japanese text and audio…
Tokyo Friends Club
I was looking through my old blog archives and came across a post I wrote in 2002 about a Tokyo Friends party that I went to in Tokyo. I checked the hyperlink to see if it was still alive, and wow! They still exist! I have no idea what their events are like now, but…
Naoshima, Japan’s Art Island
If you’ve been to Japan a few times and are looking for a new destination, or if you’re just way into art and handmade items, I highly recommend Naoshima, sometimes referred to as Japan’s art island. I went to Naoshima in 2005. Looking back at my notes from that visit, I notice that I wrote…
Japanese Lesson from Games: Water in My Ear
Fire Emblem Three Houses is FILLED with advanced Japanese phrases and vocabulary. The game is entirely voiced, and you can replay any dialog you want as long as you don’t leave the dialog sequence. The Nintendo Switch is region free, and many (not all) games, including Fire Emblem, have the full Japanese text and audio…
ICHINEN
“Nothing is impossible. With single-minded resolve (ichinen), heaven and earth can be moved as one pleases. There is nothing that cannot be achieved.“ Quote from Hagakure 一念 (ichinen)