So I went out this afternoon to buy a Christmas Cake. My boy comes home from Hong Kong at midnight and I thought it would be fun for the two of us to celebrate a traditional Japanese Christmas (aka. a romantic date followed by a gift exchange). When his gifts were all wrapped up in checkered blue paper (the one christmasy thing they don't have here ( Read more... )

So Christmas is a bigger thing here in Tokyo than anything I remember in the States, except that very few Japanese celebrate it as a religious holiday. This is a time of year from friends and lovers, consumerism and the excessive eating of confections, parties and drinking. I will be embracing the Japanese version of Christmas, and this will be the ( Read more... )

Kanji is still kicking my butt up and down the block! The adopted chinese system of writing into the Japanese language (aka Kanji) is the one thing I've ALWAYS had difficulties with this language. And I'm thinking of starting a petition of just removing it all together from language - I think even a few of my Japanese friends would be on my side!

So, again my lack of intelligence gets the better of me, and my dreams of an idealistic world clash horribly with reality. I thought since my new boy was so kind and considerate and patient and understanding of our cultural differences, that we could enjoy the more or less smooth sailing of the honeymoon period that most functional relationships ( Read more... )

This week in Tokyo has not brought about many answers, but rather illuminated many things that I still do not understand about myself. I have added to my endless list of questions: To what extent should I embrace my black ethnicity? Because I often try to pass as white, does that make me the oppressor, even against my mother’s race? What does it ( Read more... )

A Japanese man opened a door for me today, not just held it open as he passed through, but ushered me through the doorway ahead of himself. And that was the first time, I realized, that a strange man has extended such a courtesy to me in all my time in Japan. After two months of strange stares, and not so kind comments pointed in my direction, it ( Read more... )

I am an American college student that has quite suddenly found herself living and studying in Tokyo, Japan at Waseda University. I say suddenly, because the 4 months I had to prepare myself to leave my friends, my family, my language, and my culture behind was hardly enough time at all. Now, two months into my exchange program, living day to day, ( Read more... )