… a small part of you dies each time you’re confronted with squat toilets in a public bathroom.
Month: January 2009
Buon Giorno
Two weeks ago, I went to the bakery outside my Friday school for my usual chocolate croissant and ordered my pastry in Japanese. On that particular day, however, the girl at the counter ignored the fact that I’d already told her what I wanted and asked me in English, “What would you like?” I repeated […]
In My Two Cups
Note: Today, I ventured to Nara prefecture to do some research for a “Day Trips” feature I’m writing for a travel magazine. So as not to scoop myself, I will only reveal that this involved being served some complimentary sake. I wrote this on the train coming back to Osaka. It is, obviously, part of […]
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You Might Be a Foreigner in Japan If …
… you think dogs should be dog-sized, not rat-sized.
Brush-a Brush-a Brush-a
My new toothpaste. It’s peppermint-flavored, made from natural ingredients. And, of course, extra cute.
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You Might Be a Foreigner in Japan If ….
… you have to be reminded about your country’s national holidays but feel slightly strange about being stuck at work instead of eating nikkuman in Kobe for Chinese New Year.
Not Milk
… so today, in my class of 2 year-olds, Masa was captivated by my purple nail polish, 1 and a half year-old Minna led me by the hand to the classroom, and Mia kicked off everyone’s new favorite game: “Stand Behind Liv.” Somehow, though, the January 23, 2009 moment I will remember most vividly is […]
Goodnight, O honorable Sir Moon
Still in the afterglow of President Obama’s Inauguration, I spent the afternoon window shopping in Osaka yesterday. Walking through Kinokuniya – one of Japan’s largest bookstore chains – I paused by the DVD section to enjoy the clips of Obama’s Inauguration Day speech that was playing on loop. Beautiful, baby; beautiful. Did I feel the […]
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Are You Looking at Me? Are You … Looking at Me?
A lot of visitors to Japan notice that some Japanese people like to stare at foreigners. Yes, yes, we get it; our features are different, they just don’t get people who look like us around these parts very often, we look like Hollywood actors come to life, and me – Liv – I’m the most […]