Category Archives: Japan

When an Elderly Marine Cries

The Old Marine walked in upright and loose under his WWII cap. “Good morning, sir, how may I help you?” “I need a notebook computer.” He paid for a 13-inch aluminum model. Good eyes for an older guy. He wears … Continue reading

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All of a sudden pronouns appear in your head

Language immersion really works. Even simulated immersion in front of a computer screen. It works more slowly for one of us, than the other. But it works. Here’s what happens. You are looking at photos—listening and repeating. You stop, go … Continue reading

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Learning Japanese—Going with the New

You never know what happens next with Rosetta Stone Totale, an online program for learning foreign languages. You look, listen, repeat and go with new things as they happen. Everything takes place in the language you are learning. While our … Continue reading

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Learning Japanese and Na’vi by Immersion

Many people learn to swim by falling in or being pushed. Splash! You drown, someone rescues you, or—as with most people—you swim. The will to do better is amazing. This is learning by immersion. Immersion is the method Rosetta Stone … Continue reading

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Learning Japanese

As an English speaker visiting Japan you can get along okay at the Narita International Airport and in Tokyo using your native language. While not everyone speaks your tongue, many Japanese know some English. Also, as a practical courtesy, all … Continue reading

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Pickpockets in Ho Chi Minh City and Tokyo?

We were warned by friends and advisors—in print, online and in person—about pickpocketing all across Ho Chi Minh City and on the crowded trains of Tokyo. While annoying if it happens, petty thievery normally consumes very little of our limited … Continue reading

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Walking Japan Blind

A yellow stripe runs down the middle of many sidewalks in Japan. Slightly elevated from the surrounding surfaces, the line of tactile tiles marks a safe path for blind and visually impaired pedestrians walking the streets. Straight bars in the … Continue reading

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“Kumquat!” used to be an insult

When we were kids we’d sometimes yell, “Kumquat!” as a name-calling insult. This changed forever in Wakayama, Japan, when a Japanese couple stretched out picked some kumquats off a tree and handed them to us foreigners—part of the Japanese character.

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Arnold Invites You to California

Found in Tokyo Station in Tokyo, Japan

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Some 1945-Era Facts Verified

Buss Kerstetter visited Wakayama in September 1945 as a fire control third class petty officer from the Cleveland Class Cruiser USS Montpelier, CL-57. The war was over. Although he had been fighting the Japanese for more than three years, he … Continue reading

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