by Amarden | May 29, 2017 | Adventures of an Expat Writer in Japan
The maneki-neko, or beckoning cat, is common in Japan. It’s perched outside stores, waving paw literally beckoning passersby to come and spend money. I did not expect to see the beckoning cat at the Kamakura Beach Fest. Yet there it was, perfectly sculpted of...
by Amarden | May 25, 2017 | Adventures of an Expat Writer in Japan
I boarded the train returning from Tokyo, dragging my son and pleading, “Stop screaming, please. Trains are quiet places like libraries.” He flailed and whined. He wanted to hold the rings — the hanging handles for people to hold when the train is...
by Amarden | May 23, 2017 | Adventures of an Expat Writer in Japan
To watch a child play is to watch the wonder of discovery. Childhood is essentially a time of experimentation. How high can I climb? How far can I run? What happens if I pull this, press that? It’s joyous and scary and those who know about kid brains say...
by Amarden | May 18, 2017 | Adventures of an Expat Writer in Japan
My first trips venturing into the city I saw raised yellow pathways cutting down the streets. Imagine a foot-wide yellow track with the texture of giant corrugated cardboard. These paths went every which way at corners, even cutting diagonally across plazas and...
by Amarden | May 16, 2017 | Adventures of an Expat Writer in Japan
On my sixteenth birthday, I partook in the American experience of my generation: the driving test. The stakes were higher then, before the advent of graduated licensing: total failure or total freedom. I was nervous, but confident. With minimal sweating, I performed a...
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