If you were to name yourself after an animal, which one would you pick? In first grade, enamored of alliteration, I went around calling myself Evie Elephant, which later made me wonder about deep-r...
Do you burn with passion for all things Japanese or perhaps for just one thing Japanese? Would your life be incomplete if you couldn't go to Japan to pursue a goal and fulfill a dream? Do you c...
When I watch movies made in a foreign language that I know somewhat well, I like to test myself with the subtitles, doing a reverse translation. Because subtitles tend to flash on the screen before...
Have you heard of the poet Misuzu Kaneko (1903–1930)? I hadn't until I read the new book...
I hear so much about sugar intake as the culprit behind various problems that I often forget that sugar can serve a healthy purpose. That is, sugarcoating makes bitter pills easier to swallow. That...
You likely know the word 歴史 (れきし: history). And perhaps you know 刻む (きざむ), which can mean "to carve" or "to engrave," among other things. What, then, do you think this phrase co...
Did you know that 青眼, which breaks down as blue + eyes, is the standard Asian eye color? And do you know what it means for someone to look at you with white eyes?...
In last weekend's newsletter I mentioned that our own...
People universally associate throats with choking. How can you not, when the throat is so vital yet so vulnerable to a life-threatening blockage? One of my earliest memories is of my sister...
A few weeks ago, I posted something on Facebook about Soseki's novel「草枕 (くさまくら: Kusamakura)」, and a Japanese fri...
With Joy o' Kanji, I'm creating something like an encyclopedia, so I learn about all the topics associated with a particular kanji. I love that....
Ten years ago today, someone called me at 3:30 a.m. to say that my closest friend had gone into labor and that I should rush to the hospital so I wouldn't miss the kid's arrival. It was imm...
Let's do a quiz! Match each Japanese expression to one meaning:
1. 目鼻 (めはな) eyes + nose...
Today I'm feeling ineffectual, having failed to break through to someone I adore about a crucial matter. It was an intervention of sorts, and people urged me to give it a go, so I did, but I si...
Life is full of surprises. People are full of surprises. I usually think I like surprises until I come up against one that's a bit too surprising to handle!
I'm a big fan of s...
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