More Things Japanese is a blog on Japanese culture, news, and food from the author of Samurai Awakening, Benjamin Martin. He has been studying Japan for many years, and has spent the last 4+ years living on small islands in Okinawa prefecture. He still lives in Okinawa, teaching English with the Japanese Exchange and Teaching Programme. You can find out more about him on Facebook, his author profile, or by commenting on any post.
More Things Japanese is based on the book Things Japanese written by Basil Hall Chamberlain in the 1900′s. It was a collection of articles on varying aspects of Japanese life and culture. More Things Japanese hopes to follow along in his footsteps, but for today’s world.
Interested in Japan? Have a question you’d like answered? Post a comment or email me. I’d love to hear from you.
**The schedule for posts has changed a few times over the last year as I’ve tried to find the right balance for my many writing projects. From October 2012 on we’ll be going to one regular post a week. Thank you for reading and as always feel free to let me know if you’d like to see more (or less) of anything.**
Japanese Culture posts
Hopefully my posts on Japanese Culture will be helpful to anyone interested in the subject. I take my information from several courses at the University of Arizona, my own browsing of Japanese history and literature, as well as the day-to-day observations of Japanese society while I live here. I write about whatever happens to inspire me, but if you have questions about Japanese Society or Culture, feel free to write me and I will attempt to post an answer to the best of my ability. You’ll note my posts are generally not annotated or cited. They are mostly my own ideas on the subject, but I will link if I use a resource.
Food Posts
I enjoy food. Who doesn’t? Living on a small islands I cook a lot for myself and for my friends. I’ve decided I should share the wealth, so when I make something especially delicious, I’ll share the secret with you. Be sure to check out my youtube account for how-to videos on many of the recipes I post.
News Posts
World events affect us all. I read the Wall Street Journal daily to stay connected. I may comment on articles or news be it about Japan or not from time to time.
Photos
Since coming to Japan I’ve fallen in love with photography. I started out taking pictures to show my family back home, but it developed into much more. Before long I became the semi-official photographer for my school and Board of Education. Now I take pictures for my own memory and to share with you. Previously my pictures were posted to flickr, but now are solely here. If you would like to use a picture please email me.
One of my photos won third place in a contest for a JTA’s in-flight magazine “Coralway” this year. I can’t wait to take more pictures of Japan and share them with you.
Most of my pictures are taken with a Canon Kiss x3 (equivalent to a Rebel in the States), or my iphone4s camera. Photos from Mid-march on are likely taken with a Canon 7D. I’ll also post occasional videos on youtube.
School Lunch Posts
Remember your school lunch back in elementary school or junior high? Ever wonder what students eat in Japan? As a teacher on a small Island, I get to eat what the kids eat, and I’ll be posting weekly pictures of my school lunches, along with ratings and the occasional recipe. There are sure to be some interesting insights into Japanese culture along the way.
My ratings will be based on how “Japanese” the food is. This of course is speculative, but I’ll also include my reasoning. One is not Japanese, five is the ubiquitous white rice of Japan.
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Sorry for the lawyer speak -_-