Latest Posts
-
Bugonia Review: A Gritty, Gory Thriller… With a Questionable Ending
I’m no expert on movies. Should I call them movies or films? Film is the more sophisticated of the two, but it feels pretentious. Sometimes I think I’m pretentious – my perception of it vacillates between the occasional shame and… Continue reading
-
Pizza’s Platonic Ideal
The humble slice of pizza has gone through many evolutions throughout the centuries. While the origin of the term “pizza” only goes back about a thousand years, the history of pizza-like foods extends much further into the dusty annals of… Continue reading
-
The Re-Ramble
Hoo-boy. This is a long one, so strap in for a blog post that’s longer than most final papers I produced in college. There’s a lot to cover. Back in August, as I readied myself for departure, my family promised… Continue reading
-
Herbie Takes Kansai
So I guess two blog posts in a row are going to be about my trips to see jazz concerts. That’s what I’ve been up to. This time, it was my GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) Herbie Hancock (refer to… Continue reading
-
A Brief History of Jazz Fusion & Takanaka in Hiroshima
Guys, remember how back in September I mentioned how jazz fusion legend Masayoshi Takanaka was one of the few Japanese musicians I was familiar with? No? That’s okay, it was a long time ago. Maybe you remembered how he played… Continue reading
-
The Kyushoku Khronicles
Every day at school, the bell rings at 12:30. Students don aprons, masks, and hairnets. I try not to get caught swimming upstream as they all file down the hall. Adolescents hustle up the stairs bearing piping hot metal containers… Continue reading
-
Tell Me You’re Kochi-sin,’ Fam!
As stipulated in my contract, I get 20 days off per year, with an additional three designated for the summertime. These expire at the end of October, so I notified my supervisor that I would be taking Monday the 27th… Continue reading
-
My First Mailbag
Hello folks. Welcome to my first mailbag. Inspired by the Bill Simmons Page 2 archives, which I have perused greatly during my desk warming time. I have embarked on a mailbag of my own. I can only aspire to be… Continue reading
-
Being Jewish in Japan: Navy Bagels Review
Folks who know me might think I’m a snob about some things. And they would be right. I don’t mind suffering fools (in many instances I am a fool), but there are some things I put my foot down about.… Continue reading
-
HirOktoberfest and Hanshin-mania
I bolted wide awake. After sinking into a lager-induced stupor, something disturbing had roused me. The opening notes of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” had activated my brain’s fight-or-flight response. While you might hear the 1981 smash hit at a baseball… Continue reading
Eat It 