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Poor Service – At Last
It was somewhat of a relief to finally encounter poor service in Japan!
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The Deer Island God
An excursion from Hiroshima takes us to Miyajima, a holy island just off the coast.
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How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb
Hiroshima, a city that can’t escape its association with the past, but which doesn’t play the victim and is determined to use its history as a parable for the world.
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The White Heron – Plucked
The first day on our Christmas tour of Japan takes us down to Himeji, site of a famous castle.
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Best Laid Plans…
Getting ready to travel down south, while Asia is rocked by yet more natural disasters.
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Merry Christmas!
Christmas in Japan just doesn’t compare to the UK.
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Brand Identity
Japan takes the concepts of brands to an extreme, with Louis Vitton the unofficial uniform of the middle-class.
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The Geminids
Encouraged by a meteor shower and a period of relative calm, I am inspired to write a haiku.
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Not A Lot Like Sodom Or Gomorrah
Embarking into town to buy Christmas presents, I stumble upon a disturbing scene.
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Proficiency, Or Lack Thereof
In which I sit the Japanese National Language Proficiency Test Level 3, and make weak football related puns.
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Pferd, Farewell
A fond farewell and a new foodstuff.
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Ninja And Waterfalls
The purpose of a ninja is to flip out and kill people. The purpose of this day trip was to find them.
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The Old Capital
My first trip to Kyoto during which I visit some of the more spectacular ancient buildings.
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Festive Spirit
Preparations are in place for Christmas, and a day trip to Kyoto approaches.
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Japanese Smileys
Even Japanese smileys are different from western ones.
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Shichi Go San
A traditional day in Japan where children dress in traditional clothes and do traditional things like eating sweets.
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Bonsai Festival
A bonsai festival marks the arrival of spooky music in the park next door.
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Drama Queens
In which I get to attend a Kabuki performance for Free 99.
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Little World
A little excursion to a little world. Like a small version of Disney’s Epcot, Little World bills itself as an “Anthropological Museum of Man” and is quite fun.
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Bike Three
Another day, another bike.
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Many Happy Returns
Another happy occasion/cynical cash grabbing opportunity today, as both Hello Kitty and Godzilla reach important milestones.
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Saturday Night’s Alright For Frightening
The gaijin go out on a jolly, complete with costumes and karaoke.
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American Idiot
A friend decides to risk his future prosperity for the love of astronomy.
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Earth Shattering
The recent major earthquake off the coast didn’t do me any harm at all, thanks for asking!
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Falling Down
People keep falling over around me. It’s not my fault, I swear!
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Primate, Fear
A day trip to Nagashima Spa-Land, an amusement park with rickety rollercoasters.
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The Price Of Learning
Education is expensive enough at home, but in Japan it’s taken to extremes.
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Strike Two
Yet another bike related incident in Japan, involving a lost key, a screwdriver and a new lock.
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They All Look The Same
My time in Japan has given me approximately no advantage over anybody in recognising Japanese from Chinese from Korean.
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Dragons Win
My local team win the baseball, affecting me in unexpected ways.
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Pimps And Hoes
Apropos of nothing, we decide to dress up as Pimps and Hoes and hit the town. Nobody stares.
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Gone And Got Myself Connected
The Internet Arrives. Huzzah!
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The Gaijin Formerly Known As Jamie
In which my name is hilariously mangled by NTT and I have to ask someone over the phone what it is.
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Forces Of Nature
Japan seems to have annoyed Mother Nature and she is responding with prejudice.
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Show Me The Money
Paying for things is ridiculously hard. Japan has the reputation for being hyper efficient in manufacturing. If only they could apply the same expertise to finance.
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The End Of Summer
An explanation of why workmen are never working, and a close to Japanese summer.
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BBQ
A lovely day trip out to the mountains for a BBQ with my Japanese school.
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X-Valid
A simple plugin for WordPress that converts arbitrary HTML to valid XHTML.
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Holiday Allowance
I couldn’t live without holidays, but it seems that Japanese businesses can’t live with them.
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Obon
The Japanese Obon festival is dedicated to the spirits of the ancestors.
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Pachinko
Gambling is illegal in Japan, except where it isn’t. Which is everywhere you can find a Pachinko parlour. Which is everywhere.
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Fire Flowers
With my reading comprehension the way it is, there’s no wonder I didn’t realise that Hanabi literally meant Fireworks.
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Hanabi
The first fireworks festival I’ve seen in Japan puts most English ones to shame.
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Bunch Of Tea Leaves
Just as I was getting to grips with my bike, it’s been nicked. Curses.
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Gallery
Introduction of a hand-cranked gallery to display some pictures from my travels.
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Tentacle Porn
Not all cartoons are for kids. And not all cartoons that are not for kids are like The Simpsons.
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WordPress
The site transitions from Moveable Type to WordPress. You may all return from the edge of your seats.
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Early Bird
No blinds and an easterly view are making me rise earlier than expected.
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Canada Day
Canada Day gives us an (unneeded) excuse to drink by the river.
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Sushi And Studying
A day trip with Kaori including the library and sushi.
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Howdy!
Technology and travel stories from a global roaming, kangaroo loving, sake drinking gaijin pom.
Check out my projects and my resume, take a look at some code on Github and feel free to contact me.