(or, Home is Where the Mat Is)
This summer I came to the multi-culti realization that, for me, home is where the mat is.
After living in Oita City the same number of years (past the decade mark) as New York City (where I resided before Japan), I realize that home is no longer a country or a town.
I found that a 60 cm X 180 cm space that I can roll up and carry with me does the trick to let me find my center, and to be at home wherever …

Who remembers the ditty,
Ice Cream
You Scream
We all scream
for….
Ice Cream
I wonder what an equivalent rhyme is in Japan for the universal yell for keeping cool with Ice Cream.
I find wrappers dotting the streets where I live, in bright colors and cool shades, great designs screaming out to be noticed, and great flavors that I look for when I need to scream for some of Japan’s great treats.
All wrappers 100% found in Japan.
Have you seen any new flavors where you are?
Keep cool, Happy Summer.
Found in Japan
happy finding to all and to …

This season you can find sushi, beer, curry, green tea, shochu, and baseball in their chocolate incarnations.

A variety of Japan’s tastes and trends are made into “cho-co” versions for the Valentines Day boom.

How does a symbol become a universal symbol?

Like the peace sign and the smiley face. How would one read a peace sign before having the knowledge that it is a peace sign.

If you don’t know Japanese what would this sign mean to you?

In the earliest legends surrounding the origins of Japan, the Goddess called Amaterasu was known as the Sun Goddess.  Amaterasu is also said to be linked in lineage to the Imperial Household of Japan and the Emperor.
In one of the legends she shut herself in a cave when angered by her brother and for a period there was no light until she was lured out.  She is also associated with water and is said to have resided around the area of Takachiho in Miyazaki Prefecture.
At this time last year, we …

This year, one kakasenai (can’t do without) fashion item is sure to warm your ears and catch the eyes of fashion conscious passers-by.

Along with simple earmuffs in glorious plush winter whites and browns, you can find fashiony puffs in heart, smile and even hamburger shapes.

There are also ear warmers, attached to woven bands that fit snuggly like a headband to keep out the winter chill.
Keep warm this winter from ear to ear.
Only next winter will tell if the trend lives on from year to year.

JGY
Aikawarazu Life in …

In this time of news about swine flu and ozone layer depletion, what can we do to lesson images of masks and injection needles and increase images of natural remedies from the earth that will help us tap into our energy and find ways to boost our immunities?

There are two signs of fall where changing colors let you know you are entering into the colder seasons in Japan. One  is  Ko–yo (pronounced ko-u yo-u,紅葉), the glorious changing colors of the fall leaves; and the other is the changing of  the colors on the  Ji-do-han-bai-ki （自動販売機）, the ubiquitous vending machines which are now announcing the addition of hot drinks.
The former can be seen subtly as the famous leaf-peeping areas from Hokkaido to Kyushuu are anywhere from zero to 100 percent at their peak.  The latter are not tracked …

Beware Batman, Masked Marvels, and Spider Woman.
This year I am going to be
an Umbrella.
With the haunting and bewitching full moon shining down upon us this Halloween night, what are you going to be?
JGY
Found in Japan

Depending on where we are from, zen can be found in different ways.  If you are from the mountains, you may need to travel to the Himalayas.  If you grew up by a lake, it may be necessary for you to find a shimmering reflective body of water and take a solitary row.  But if you are from the suburbs, an on-sen in a shopping mall might just do the trick.
In Japan, there are on-sen complexes which are the the bathing equivalent of a multi-plex theater, where you can choose …