楽

08May13

A set of shots from a night out with friends at one of my favorite local izakaya, 楽.  楽 (raku) means ‘enjoyment’ in Japanese, and is part of two of my favorite kanji compounds: 音楽 (ongaku) and 楽ちん (rakuchin).  音楽 means ‘music,’ but since it’s made up of the kanji for ‘sound’ and ‘enjoyment’ I […]

Filed under: culture, daily life, design, drinking, eating, Japan, Kansai, music, Osaka, personal, restaurant, scraps and bones, sweet story of Trout Monroe   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: enjoyment, 音楽, 言葉, handmade audio equipment, izakaya, Kondo Audio Note, language, music, ongaku, Ongaku Amplifier, raku, rakuchin, words, 居酒屋, 楽, 楽ちん

the final stretch: Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine

19Jun11

Distance traveled: 671 miles (1,080 kilometers) Route: From Bradford, north on Highway 219, then east on Interstate 86 until Binghamton, then switch to I-88 and transfer to 90, eastbound, at Schenectady.    Over on Interstate 90 until it crosses I-495, then north on I-495 until I-95, then north on I-95 until Portland, Maine. At Portland, take […]

Filed under: culture, drinking, eating, history, music, personal, restaurant, society, sweet story of Trout Monroe, travel, Uncategorized   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: bad drivers, Bogulta, cross-country drive, cross-country trip, Maine, Masshole, Moody's Diner, Moxie

nagoya triplet (3): Yama-chan, the chicken man

07Mar10

Every city in Japan has its own specialty foods, and Nagoya is no exception.  The list of regional specialties includes miso-katsu (pork cutlets with miso sauce), tenmusu (rice balls with tempura inside), and ogura toast (anko — red bean paste — on toast).  I think my favorite of all must be hitsumabushi — grilled eel […]

Filed under: daily life, drinking, eating, Japan, personal, restaurant, travel   |  2 Comments
Tags: やまちゃん, cannibal mascot, chicken wings, food, grilled eel, hitsumabushi, local food, mabaroshino tebasaki, mascot, Nagoya, regional specialties, spicy chicken wings, Yamachan, 名古屋, 幻の手羽先, 手羽先

the tanuki zone

13Dec09

The tanuki (狸) is an indigenous Japanese mammal that is sometimes referred to in English as a “badger” or a “raccoon dog.”  Since the tanuki doesn’t actually resemble either closely, I think it’s best to stick to the local nomenclature.  Tanuki have been a part of Japanese folklore since ancient times and are one of […]

Filed under: culture, drinking, eating, Japan, nature, restaurant   |  12 Comments
Tags: allegory, balls, booze, 狸, desire, drinking, eight traits, eight virtues, erotics, 金玉, 金袋, folk tale, kin-bukuro, kin-tama, legend, myth, raccoon dog, sake, sake flask, sexuality, Shagaraki-yaki, shapeshifting, Shigaraki ware, symbolism, tanuki, tanuki encounters, tanuki shapeshifting stories, testicles, transformation, trickster, 信楽焼

Tenjin Matsuri, 2007

02Oct07

This year’s Tenjin Matsuri was really a lovely time. I left the boat behind and my friend Marié “The Fantastic” Abe and I decided to walk around, eat street-food delights, people watch, and check out the hanabi (fireworks). (Please note: The photo at the top of the page was taken at the very end of […]

Filed under: culture, eating, festival, Japan, Kansai, matsuri, music, Osaka, performance, photography, religion, restaurant, society   |  2 Comments
Tags: 2007, armor, かき氷, たこ焼き, boats, candy, candy maker, candy man, choco-banana, costume, 神輿, drumming, 花火, festival, fire barges, fireworks, food, food stalls, handmade candy, kakigoori, kakigori, kakigouri, mikoshi, Osaka, Osaka Tenmangu, sacred boats, sacred objects, samurai, shaved ice, Shinto, shrine, takoyaki, teddy bear lottery, Tenjin Festival, Tenjin Matsuri, yatai, 大阪天満宮, 天神祭り, 太鼓, 屋台

Setsubun — springtime and demons

24Feb07

The Setsubun festival, which is linked with risshun, the traditional start of spring according to the Japanese lunar calendar, is celebrated on the 3rd and 4th of February every year by the throwing of beans and the driving out of the demons. Setsubun is closely associated with the lunar New Year and, like so many […]

Filed under: culture, eating, festival, history, Japan, Kansai, museum, music, Osaka, personal, philosophy, religion, restaurant, society   |  7 Comments
Tags: チャント, リルラ リルハ, bad habits, Chanto, 立春, 節分, demons, Dotombori, Dotonbori, driving out the demons, 道頓堀, 鬼, 豆撒き, karaoke, Kimura Kaela, mamemaki, oni, restaurant, risshun, Setsubun, spring, throwing beans, 木村カエラ

Snow at Tosen Goshobo

21Feb07

After sojourning in Kyoto, and then spending a fun-filled evening in Osaka, The Crew and I headed to Arima so we could enjoy the highly civilized pursuit of bathing in hot springs. According to Margaret Price’s Classic Japanese Inns and Country Getaways, a book that has been very kind to me not a few times, […]

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Tags: Arima, ゆかた, bar, breakfast, 陶泉　御所坊, 雪, ginsen, hot springs, kaiseki-ryori, kinsen, Kobe Beef, onsen, pure relaxation, ryokan, snow, Tosen Goshobo, traditional Japanese inn, yukata, 懐石料理, 旅館, 有馬温泉, 温泉