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Last week at the farmers' market, I asked for six eggs. The woman stared at me as if nothing were sinking in, but because she remained silent, I couldn't really clarify. She then disappeare...

There's something about Old Japan that draws me in again and again. I don't know what it is. When I see old wooden buildings and the earthy ways in which people went about their lives, I fe...

I've learned a new word:

忌み言葉 (いみことば: (1) taboo word; (2) euphemism used in place of a taboo word)
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Last week, I went to three major social events in five days. That's highly unusual for a hermit who spends all day thinking about nothing but kanji and who generally likes it that way!

B...

Let's start with a quiz! What do you think the following word could mean?

血迷う (ちまよう)     blood + to lose

I've written several times about a man from Osaka who sends me emails in a rarefied Japanese far beyond my comprehension. Here's a recent sample, which he wrote when Japan was still ablaze...

I had heard of The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brain by Nick Carr, as it received quite a bit of attention when it came out last year...