Blogs from Kagawa, Japan, Asia - page 2

I am in trouble again - I keep on losing my umbrella which acts as a sun barrier - sorry to mention it but it is cracking the flags here and has been since we arrived in Japan. Anyway, this time I left it on a bench - but true to form when we got back it is there ready and waiting for me to pick it up again. England we could take a leaf out of the Japanese way of life. Everyone is polite, cannot do enough for you and appears to be totally honest. Well I think Mr F is getting into the spirit of being retired - yesterday we were walking along and he stopped suddenly - whats wrong I say "in a loud voice he says where's my hat, and again anxiously ... read more

And now for something completely different says the information pack,the modern art island of Naoshima. Indeed different it is! Naoshima is the home to the Benesse Art site which offers visitors the opportunity to see contemporary art in stunning natural settings. It is small inland sea island and is now one of the biggest tourist attractions in the area. There are several galleries on the island and numerous pieces of outdoor art and scattered around the island, most notably the pumpkin sculpture (kusama Yayoi) that has become the island symbol. Despite the searing heat (well into the mid 30s) I decided to check out the galleries and the coast line. I firstly visited the Chichu art museum which is situated largely underground as the building designer refused to have an exterior design rising from the ground, ... read more

As an American living in Japan, I often have to respond to my Japanese colleagues concerns about personal safety in America. After all, didn’t you know that EVERY SINGLE AMERICAN MAN, WOMAN AND CHILD OWNS (AND USES) A GUN? Teachers feel it is their duty to relay the story of the Japanese teenager who went trick-or-treating in the States. He did not knock on the door before entering, and since he didn’t understand the word ‘freeze’, was shot to death. The message from the teacher: either learn the meaning of ‘freeze’, or you will die if you go to America. With each concerned question comes a nice opportunity to dispel certain myths about the United States. Yet, there has always been one follow up question in my mind that I have never had the courage to ... read more

With adrenaline pumping through my veins, I waved “so long” to Takamatsu as the 1am ferry pulled out from the dock. I had begun my long journey back to the States, figuratively and literally: the door-to-door trip from my apartment in Takamatsu to my parents’ house in Lexington took thirty hours and thirty minutes. In the greater sense, it took 16 months to come back home. In order to preemptively combat the onset of jet lag, I stayed awake through the four-hour ferry ride to Kobe, the hour-long bus from Kobe to Kansai International Airport near Osaka, and the short flight up to Tokyo. I was aided by pure excitement and more than one vending machine can, yes can, of coffee. From there, just a short thirteen-hour flight to New York, and a hop over to ... read more

Hey! We love you guys! Have a great Thanksgiving without us! - J and A... read more