Mercury is RETROGRADE.

Some people ignore the astrological phenomenon when the messenger planet of communication, travel, and electricity seems to move backward. Some laugh it off, some dread it as a time of disruption. Me? I welcome it. When Mercury goes retro, I embrace activities with the prefix “re-“ like rethink, revise, remember, and— REFLECT It’s the one-year … Read more

Don’t do this in Japan!

“The nail that sticks out gets hammered down.”  — a Japanese proverb Japanese society is full of rules. Rules explicitly stated, and rules that are just in the air. When I moved to Japan, I unknowingly broke every rule. At first, people cut me some slack — I was a foreigner, fresh off the plane. … Read more

The Gift of Cherry Blossom

Days are getting longer, clocks have sprung ahead, and soon it’ll be cherry blossom season in Japan. The blossoms are weeks early this year. They’re scheduled to begin blooming around March 21 in Tokyo. Which means it’s— HANAMI TIME! Across the country, people will grab blue vinyl tarps to stake out their turf under the … Read more

Happy New Year of the Pig!

I hope you’re having a wonderful 2019. I welcomed the new year with a traditional soul food meal of black-eyed peas, greens, and chitlins. (I usually don’t eat pork— much—but it’s the year of the pig…) My husband, from Kyoto, ordered Japanese osechi—a Godzilla-sized New Year’s bento box with black beans, dried fish, seaweed. It’s … Read more