Category Archives: Life in Japan

Invited to wedding? Don’t panic!

I just went to a friend’s wedding. Since he is American and the bride is Japanese it wasn’t completely standard Japanese wedding ceremony. However it had most of elements of it. Here is the list of things you need to … Continue reading

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Tax thieves

There is an expression in Japanese  税金泥棒 (Zeikin Dorobou) which literally means Tax Thief. Or there is more polite expression 税金無駄使い (Zeikin Mudatzukai) which means One Who Wastes Taxes. Each time I go hiking to Okutama I remember this expression … Continue reading

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Getting smaller?

One of all-time favs: 1. The sport of choice for unemployed or incarcerated people is: Basketball. 2. The sport of choice for maintenance level employees is: Bowling. 3. The sport of choice for front line workers is: Football. 4. The … Continue reading

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Merrill’s 1996 Bonenkai in Rock-n-Roll Diner

I stumbled into this album while cleaning my old harddisk. It’s only of marginal interest for those who didn’t work for Merrill’s Tokyo at that time. Bonenkai means Forget-the-year party in Japanese as oppose to Shinnenkai which is New Year … Continue reading

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Shoji-san

Every day I am passing through the Tokyo Imperial Palace on bicycle. From Kasumigaseki I enter outer Palace Area through Sakuradamon 桜田門 gates, which are located at the southernmost part of the palace. The gates built by the old moat … Continue reading

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Skiing in Nozawa Onsen

I finally got around and published photo album of our trip to Nozawa Onsen. It was snowing heavy both Saturday and Sunday and visibility on slopes was bad. That’s why most of photos are not about skiing rather about soaking … Continue reading

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