Author Archives: superhappyawesome

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Living in Japan!

Japan, the Media, and You

On Saturday, there was a question about the Foreign Media’s response to the recent events in Japan. Many have cited the fear-mongering whipping their families and loved ones at home into a panicked frenzy as one of the

Posted in Japan | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

がんばって、日本! Ganbatte, Japan!

Here’s an interesting cultural difference: In Japan, when faced with a difficult situation or obstacle, people don’t say “Good luck!” They say “Ganbatte!” which vaguely translates to “Do your best!” I think it’s interesting, because it

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I support Japan, and I’m not going anywhere.

Yesterday I was having a conversation with a coworker, and it eventually came around to the inevitable. “No, I’m not going back to America. I don’t want to go.” “Really!?” My coworker said with

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Japan is (still) Beautiful!

Hey guys–just a little reminder that despite everything, Japan is (still) beautiful, and there’s no place we’d rather be. It’s been a difficult week, and the current stress is watching so many of our friends leaving, but we honestly have … Continue reading

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Blackout Confusion

As I mentioned previously, we’ve been having scheduled Rolling Blackouts as part of the post-Earthquake situation. Reducing energy is important in these difficult times, and if it’s one more thing to help the relief efforts, then we’re all for it. … Continue reading

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Tokyo International Anime Fair Canceled & Hashtags, Explained

As I mentioned on Twitter earlier, in a tweet that got retweeted like nobody’s business (even William Gibson retweeted it!), it was announced today that the Tokyo International Anime Fair, or TAF has been canceled. This comes a surprise to

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Strange Days and Stressful Times

It’s strange days and stressful times here in Japan. While the devastation in the affected areas is gut-wrenching, most of the country is trying to get back to some semblance of normalcy. Despite everyone’s concern (and multiple early morning phone … Continue reading

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Day 3: Getting back to “normal”, and White Day During Hard Times

In Japan, many cell phones are equipped with earthquake alarms that are activated 5 to 10 seconds ahead of tremors. The sound of 30-40 all going off at once in the teacher’s room this afternoon was possibly one of the … Continue reading

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Day 2: Even the Tokyo Tower is bent…

No pictures of major destruction, just this sad little reminder that Japan isn’t feeling well right now. Even the Tokyo Tower is bent, just a little bit. We’re still doing alright here in Japan. We’re ok on food and supplies, … Continue reading

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Day 1: Earthquake, the day after

Hey all–we’re still doing fine here in Japan. It’s been a pretty crazy day/night, and we’re a little bit exhausted. The aftershocks seem to have calmed down Literally, as I finished typing this the alarm on the TV went off. … Continue reading

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