Secret underground passageway

In order to pay the rent in Chibaraki, I work in Tokyo. The artery which pumps me and thousands of commuters into Japan’s economic heart is the Joban Line which starts far to the north in Iwate Prefecture, passes through Ibaraki and Chiba and ends at Ueno Station.
The Joban has two tracks, really. The [...]

End of the LDP era

Revolutionary? Bold? Courageous? These are not adjectives Japan watchers would use to describe beaurocracy politics here in Japan.
But this week, there is a whole new regime after a landslide victory in this week’s national election. The Democratic Party of Japan beat the long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party, putting party leader Hatoyama in the PM’s office. The DPJ campaigned on a [...]

Dinner time earthquake

This evening while having dinner in Kashiwa with friends, a 7.1 earthquake rocked us for what felt like a whole minute. A search of the ‘Net with our mobile phones and my iPhone turned up the US Geological Survey world report of recent earthquakes and the Japan Meteorological Agency’s weather, climate and earthquake infomation. JMA reported [...]

Nagareyama Music

Earlier this month, a banjo playing duo performed western standards and interpretations of Japanese tunes at Nagareyama Ootaka no Mori Station on the Tobu Noda Line.
This evening, it’s girl rocker
Misato with Misty. The concert is free and will be held in the food court on the north side of the station.
August 8th, a [...]

Chibaraki blog’s first year

Looking back through the blog statistics, I realized this month marks one year of the Chibaraki blog.  Lots of local gaijin and Japanese people have contributed with linkage, photos, insights, and good company in my wanderings around Chiba, Saitama and Ibaraki Prefectures. Thanks!

クルクルクリーンかしわ Cycle Clean Kashiwa

Three years ago, Kashiwa City council started a commission into waste disposal, which also initiated a newsletter titled クルクルク ーンかしわ Cycle Clean Kashiwa. This February’s issue provides three useful bits of advice for the environmentally concious consumer. That’s my chopsticks case holding the latest issue down on the counter at a local noodle place.
First, when [...]

The Asama Volcano

Did you feel the long, rolling earthquake on Sunday morning, February 1st? That was a warning shot from 浅間山 Mount Asama, the volcano that straddles the Gunma-Nagano prefectural border. This video shows the volcano erupting early in the morning on February 2nd.
Although we only experienced shakes and no ash in Chiba Prefecture, some news reports showed  cars [...]

安全第一 Safety First in Kashiwa

Everywhere you go in Japan, you see signs that say 安全第一, anzen daiichi, or Safety First. This slogan originated with US Steel corporation. In the interests of safety, the Kashiwa International Relations Association, or KIRA, has organized yet another disaster preparation event for foreign residents. On Saturday, November 18th, the group will take you by [...]

A Dark Knight in Nagareyama

The skies here are beautiful in Kanto, but it’s hot and sticky most days. Perfect weather for sitting in a dark, airconditioned movie theater. 
Last night, we got out to see The Dark Knight 流山おおたかの森S.C. Nagareyama Ootaka no Mori shopping center. This is the tongue-twisting station name you hear on the Tobu Noda Line two stops north of [...]

Sunday in Kashiwa

I’ve been telling my Kashiwa resident friends about my neighbourhood these past few months, and finally, this Sunday, we managed to all meet up and take a walk on the east side of Kashiwa Station.
In preparation for the trip, I gleaned some information from the ‘Net on places around Kashiwa. To my surprise, Kashiwa Ginza Shopping Street 柏銀座商店街 has [...]