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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sometime in the last five to ten years, the popularity of Japan and its cultural exports has exploded in the West. I tried to explain this phenomenon to one of my Japanese coworkers: how matcha, manga/anime, and Japanese selvedge denim… Continue reading

Last week I decided to investigate yet another beach. I’ve been to the one right near my apartment, as well as a nicer one near City Hall called Goshikihama, but now I’ve been invited to check out Bashinji Beach, north… Continue reading

It was just like any other day. I came home to my family’s hovel, where all four of my grandparents sleep in the same bed, sailor style, because we live in such abject poverty. I had saved up my shillings… Continue reading