I’m writing this on the plane back to Tokyo. I have always been interested in the way that announcements on many flights, especially in Asia and Europe are given in multiple languages. Some of them, such as the pilot’s post-take-off babbling speech, has to be interpreted on the fly by the flight attendants. The imperfections [...]
I’m writing this on my way to Chiang Kai-shek International Airport in Taipei. I’m heading back to Tokyo today after a wonderful two weeks which included hiking in Taroko National Park (Tailuge) and on the northern coast at Yeliu. I had a bit of a fight with a taxi driver on the way to catch [...]
My friend Derek left a comment in which he said he feels like the lines between patriotism and nationalism are blurring for him. I have discussed this issue often with friends and it tends to bring out strong emotions, partly because I tend to offend many people’s intuitions when I explain my own position on [...]
Most nations of the world go out of their way to celebrate things they have, or believe they have, contributed to the world. They often latch onto the creations or achievements of a person or a whole community of a period when there was nothing similar in form to the modern nation. Sometimes the “achievements” [...]
My trip to Stavanger, Norway and for a few days, New York, was wonderful. I got back to Tokyo on Wednesday and stuck around just long enough to kick some jet-lag. I’m heading to Taipei this evening and will be back in Japan on the 22nd. I’ll be spending most of the time over the [...]
On April 9, 1940, Norway’s neutrality came to an end when German naval forces launched their attack. In less than 24 hours, Narvik, Egersund, Arendal, Trondheim, Bergen, and my hometown of Stavanger had all been occupied. Oslo and the rest of the country were quickly taken. The king and the rest of the government retreated [...]
My last day in Stavanger this time around, it started raining in the morning. I biked into town from my uncle’s office and was getting soaked along the way. I remember the many times my Japanese friends have asked me, “Why don’t you use an umbrella?” and I have either explained that I really don’t [...]
I found myself really annoyed by some TSA officials (run, I believe by the Department of Homeland Defense) at JFK airport in New York today on my way back to Stavanger. I wrote a letter of complaint as I waited to board my flight and I will be sending it off to the TSA as [...]
I just spent a few days in New York attending the Third International Conference and Workshops on Technology and Chinese Language Teaching at Columbia University. I presented a short paper in which I argued that flashcard study in language education is one area where there is great potential for the separation of form and content [...]
I have written an article for Chanpon, a wonderful website dedicated to mixed up cultures, identities, and a multicultural Japan. In the article I talk about the use of foreigners, especially those who have a deep appreciation for Japan’s traditional arts, in advertisement campaigns attempting to instill a sense of “lost culture.” I talk about [...]