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Category Archives: Japan, Travel & Culture
My Love Affair with the Christmas Tree
I must have inherited my love of Christmas trees from my paternal grandmother who kept hers up until Orthodox Christmas in January. After everyone else had taken theirs down and boxed all the baubles and tinsel, the magic continued at … Continue reading
Posted in Japan, Travel & Culture, This & That
Tagged Christmas tree, Christmas trees in Tokyo
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Tokyo Is Safe–And It Isn’t
Depending on which source you consult, Tokyo, a city of 14 million, boasts distinction as the safest city in the world.
Cultural Habits From Japan: Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down
After traveling extensively through Japan and living in Tokyo for several months at a time, I’ve integrated a number of habits acquired there with my life in Canada. However, some things done in Japan simply do not fly with me. … Continue reading
Lessons in Waste Disposal Japanese Style
Recent news stories have covered nations refusing and returning contaminated materials intended for recycling to their countries of origin. In addition, multiple municipalities have begun to ban single-use plastic bags.
Tadaima! I’m Home.
A long hallway with blond wood floors and white walls leads from the entrance to a doorway which opens to the studio section of my furnished Tokyo home.
The Way Home
A few days ago a note from a friend (who has also moved recently and like me is settling into her new locale) spoke of feeling a little unsettled now that the feverish busyness has passed. She put her finger … Continue reading
Posted in Japan, Travel & Culture, This & That
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Choosing Chinese Characters for My Flower Name
In addition to choosing Rindou (Gentian) as a personal flower name after completing my Sogetsu Ikebana Level 4 Certificate, I was informed that I would need to select Chinese characters with which to write the name—one for each syllable rin … Continue reading
A New Point of View
4.17 Arrangement with Plants on a Wall In her New York Times best-selling book Stress Less, Accomplish More, Emily Fletcher (founder of Ziva Meditation the world’s first online meditation training program) believes that attempts to judge any creative endeavor and … Continue reading
A New Name
A few months ago, my friend Azusa and I sat with our smart phones in a crowded Omotesando yakitori bar. Between delicious skewers of chicken, various delectable side dishes, wine and Japanese highball (a whisky-based soda drink the Japanese have … Continue reading
Posted in Ikebana, Japan, Travel & Culture, This & That
Tagged Choosing my Sogetsu flower name
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Out of This World
When astronauts return from time spent in space, how do they react to their return to earth? The Human Research Program at NASA notes that astronauts experience various disturbances to human physiology as a result of sleep disruptions, confined environments … Continue reading
Posted in Japan, Travel & Culture, This & That
Tagged Out of this world experience in Tokyo
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