For over a decade I have dreamt of possessing a snowblower. In years past, as heaps upon heaps of heavy powder enveloped central Sapporo, I was forced into backbreaking shoveling sessions of epic proportions. Whole mornings, evenings, blocks of time spent in pure drudgery. Often several days in a row, praying for an early spring. […]
Comfort foods is one of those topics that breaks down cultural barriers. I’ve used it in ESL lessons. It is perfect for language learners because it connect ingredients, culture, family, location, and a host of other elements of life that are essential to a well rounded conversation. I really should use it more often as […]
Many cafes and coffee shops in Japan, although nice, try too hard in curating an aesthetic. Like pre-ripped jeans you pay a premium for, their interiors are filled with intentional randomness that seems a bit off. My wife and I sometimes go to a coffee shop down the road that features chairs from Denmark, Finland, […]
Birds have consumed my daytime hours as the slush flows down the mountains and no footwear matches. Snow spikes, crampons, snowshoes, studded strap-ons, duck boots… all are ineffectual in this climate. Sure you can walk around town just fine these days. The snow is almost completely melted on the city streets. But get into any […]
Five hours out from first ball of the 2024 County Championship, nerveless yet anticipatory, more a state of mind than anything fanatical. My Philly teams make my stomach churn and I still follow them as obsessively as ever. But that is “jump of the bridge” fandom. This evening (Japan Standard Time), as Yorkshire CCC takes […]
There’s a Danish / Norwegian concept called hygge that runs strong in my tiny Sapporo apartment, especially throughout the winter. It essentially means “cozyness”, which can be evoked through a variety of aesthetic means. So, as the snow made it first real solid downfall the other night, and snowshoeing season officially began (for me anyway), […]
Juniata College (my alma mater) in Huntingdon, PA has a unique environmental art installation called the Peace Chapel. Maya Lin is famous for designing the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, but this piece, far off the beaten path, is fairly low key. A college alumni-philanthropist commissioned the work and had it placed in the Baker-Henry […]
I’ve been in a rut. Maybe you have been too. All ruts are different and occur in different times in our lives. Mine is employment related. Or lack of employment. It’s a pressure that builds. A fear of missing out in the job search realm. Take my eyes away from Indeed or LinkedIn job searches […]
There is a major faux pas in Japan about leaving your chopsticks stabbed upright in a bowl of rice. If you’ve read any guidebook on local etiquette, you’ll know that this is a pretty serious offense. Basically, it relates to the visual similarity this chopstick posture has to incense sticks commonly seen during Buddhist funeral […]
Several times this past week I ventured outside my normal Sapporo city birding hot-spots and headed south by southeast to one of the better Ramsar wetlands maintained by the Wild Bird Society of Japan. For my fellow non-car possessing Hokkaido-ites, here’s a walk through of my trip(s) to the Lake Utonai Sanctuary: After a 5:00 […]