5th post

What's your type?

Since I'm too old to be in touch with what is considered "fashionable" or "cool", I'm going to comment on a trend closer to my heart and the lives of other guys like me - beer. When I arrived in Japan after graduating from college, I was happy to find that beer was easily available - at the convenience store, supermarket, even in vending machines (these are unique to Japan and some parts of Europe). One thing I noticed though, was that nearly all the beer was one type - lager. Good lagers, even better than most mass-produced American lagers like Budweiser or Coors. But only lagers. Super Dry was lager. Malts was lager. Lager was lager. I missed the heartier ales and stouts that I could get so easily at bars and liquor stores back home.


While traveling around Japan I found that there were small groups of beer enthusiasts who appreciated different types of beer and were brewing them in the countryside at microbreweries. Unfortunately, Japanese laws prevented these from being sold on a large scale.


As the years passed, I began finding Irish pubs, commonly called "Gaijin bars," in the cities that often had import beers such as Guinness, a dark stout beer, and occasionally creamy British ales. Unfortunately, these bars were only in urban centers, so I could only get my beer fix every few months when I ventured into the city.

However, recently I see a new trend in Japan. More and more bars are offering not only Guinness, but also other types of beer. Moreover, there are lots of microbreweries and bars that specialize in these tasty brews. Home brewing is even catching on as a hobby.


Friday night I had a locally-brewed Rokko pilsner (the first type of beer ever made) at a bar in my home town of Nishinomiya and I bottled my own honey ale at home.


As a fan of craft beers, I hope this trend continues!

4th post

What are the top trends in Japan today? What kinds of people are into these fads? Why are they so popular? Do you think they will last?

The most unusual custom I've seen is body implants - it's not common among any particular ethnic culture that I know, but some subcultures seem to like it. I once saw a guy with horns on his head at a bar in Hawaii. To risk hurting your body just to be different seems pretty odd to me. I guess you could say that tattooing is the same, but it doesn't seem as extreme to me nor as dangerous. Everything is relative though. For many people in Japan, any tattooing is shocking or seen negatively. I guess we have to realize that different people have different ideas about how to decorate their bodies. Horns anyone?


If I could add one custom to Japanese culture, I think it would be hugging among friends and family. Human touch is important for health and happiness, and it seems like most Japanese who have experience with a touch culture seem to get used to hugging pretty quickly. Hug your friend today!

3rd post

What is the most unusual cultural custom you have experienced or seen? Do you think any Japanese customs are strange? If you could pick one custom from another culture that would become part of Japanese culture, what would it be?

New technology

Right now one of the most useful technologies that I use is an online calendar. I can enter events and appointments from anywhere with Internet access (home, office, etc.) and it sends me reminders one week and 3 days before the date. Recently, I've been so busy that it really helps me coordinate my schedule and avoid missed appointments. More importantly though, I can easily take a look at what's coming up and try to balance what I have to do with what I really want to be doing. The next step is getting access to my calendar on my smart phone (my favorite technology that I don't have yet!).

2nd post

What technology is most important in your life right now? Why? What would you do if you had to live without it?

My Summer

I had a fantastic summer break! Since my family and I just moved to Nishinomiya this year, we decided to stay close to our new home, explore the area, and enjoy catching up with old friends. My daughers, Erika (on the right) and Alina (on the left) had a great time playing inside and out, making lots of new friends at their kindergarten and in our neighborhood. Their favorite activity seems to be role playing, with Erika as "mama" and Alina as "babu-chan" or sometimes "Ojii-san".
Pretty funny to see.

We had a bunch of barbecues over the summer, and I tried to improve my grilling technique. The highlights included spicy pork ribs, sirloin steaks, and chicken shish kebabs. I learned that the key is preparing the meat and using the right amount of heat for what you are cooking. A nice cold beer helps, too.

We did get away for a couple of short trips, including a great weekend camping in Shiga at Lake Biwako. The kids played outside all day and then the adults got to spend some quality time drinking and talking after the kids were in bed.

(the person taking this picture was in a tree :)



The next day my friend and I made our way to the top of the climbing wall. It was great fun!













The best part of my summer, though, had to be swimming at the waterfall near my house. Whenever I had a chance, I hiked there with some friends and we took a dip in the clear, cool water. I was so happy to find such a beautiful, peaceful place right here in Nishinomiya.