tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-239069332008-05-15T16:01:39.497+09:00Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372867185647178937noreply@blogger.comBlogger398125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23906933.post-90452396166070631432008-05-15T15:26:00.001+09:002008-05-15T16:01:39.528+09:00

May 30th - My heavier luggage will be picked up by Yamato Transport. If you're moving boxes or luggage within Japan, takkyubin (宅急便) is a useful, cheap method of shipping available at most convenience stores. Nippon Express offers pretty good deals on international shipping (by boat, takes two months). - Close Kagoshima Bank (鹿児島銀行) account - My OCN/NTT joint internet fiberoptic account

Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372867185647178937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23906933.post-44290780477632575852008-05-15T10:55:00.001+09:002008-05-15T10:55:00.826+09:00

Loyal readers, I go in for my final x-ray tomorrow. Right now, I'm fluctuating between 95-100% range of motion - sometimes I can almost do normal pushups... but I'm usually restricted to fisted ones. I can work out normally with the exception of those pushups, have no sense of numbness whatsoever, and present with very little pain. I'm still getting my distance back, however; it's been

Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372867185647178937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23906933.post-31620160710759477192008-05-15T09:34:00.000+09:002008-05-15T09:35:49.691+09:00

Best example of media manipulation I've ever seen: Direct link

Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372867185647178937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23906933.post-69498576487290578612008-05-15T09:31:00.000+09:002008-05-15T09:31:38.883+09:00

Although it's from last year, the blog Japan Running News offers a pretty comprehensive list of major running events in Japan. Check it out.

Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372867185647178937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23906933.post-27634658763898034362008-05-13T14:53:00.000+09:002008-05-13T14:54:16.354+09:00

1. Sports Authority www.sportsauthority.co.jp/ Probably the largest supplier of athletic supplies in Japan, including weight training equipment, camping gear, and a full selection of shoes. Usually, Sports Authority stores are located in the biggest shopping centers: AEON in south Kagoshima, Canal City in Fukuoka, Diamond City in Hiroshima. 2. Chuo Sports (中央スポーツ) http://www.sports-nakama.com

Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372867185647178937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23906933.post-32245393418259058752008-05-11T16:30:00.002+09:002008-05-11T16:32:15.352+09:00

A few pictures of my trip to the southern island of Amami Oshima are now up. I'm still editing them, but I visited the Saigo Takamori (or, as he is known on the island, Saigo Nanshu) house, the Ohama Kaihin Koen, and the Mangrove Park on the eastern coast. Enjoy.

Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372867185647178937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23906933.post-82985818161377904782008-05-10T16:37:00.002+09:002008-05-10T16:38:59.099+09:00

A habu snake and a mongoose fighting in what is nothing less than a cage match. Shot on May 5th... Children's Day, of course.

Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372867185647178937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23906933.post-44146929335044733752008-05-09T17:00:00.001+09:002008-05-09T17:36:30.890+09:00

Number of children continues to decline Monday, May 5, 2008 Kyodo News The number of children aged 14 or younger in Japan was estimated at 17.25 million as of April 1, marking a record low for the 27th straight year, the government said Sunday. Children made up 13.5 percent of the total population, giving Japan the lowest percentage of children among the world's major countries. Their

Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372867185647178937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23906933.post-44740977328317092992008-05-02T13:56:00.003+09:002008-05-02T14:16:44.461+09:00

Headed to a relaxing Golden Week vacation on Amami Oshima (奄美大島), studying Saigo Takamori, soaking in the sun, and avoiding internet at all costs. Rather than lugging my out-of-shape self out to the airport, however, I'll be taking the ferry via the Tokara islands to Naze, and returning on the A-line next week.

Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372867185647178937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23906933.post-54171549195211267592008-04-30T20:26:00.001+09:002008-04-30T20:07:55.416+09:00

抜即斬 nukisokukan "Instant decapitation" When you're in the right state of mind, any part of life can be an adventure. Just ask Nakagawa-san, recent acquaintance of mine who happens to spend his time teaching others how to people's heads off. The cherry blossom trees were spreading their wings and raining a flurry of pink and white atop the suspecting heads of hanami party goers. The smell of

Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372867185647178937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23906933.post-311150072623790882008-04-30T09:52:00.003+09:002008-04-30T10:45:24.679+09:00

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your eyes. My lack of blogging to date has been due to my pending recovery (almost able to do normal pushups) and other financial issues. In any case, it's fair to tell you: I will be leaving Japan in June 2008. Where am I going? Thai Muang in Thailand, just north of the city of Phuket. What am I going to do? I'll be teaching English for two months (

Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372867185647178937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23906933.post-3714253591748420292008-04-18T20:29:00.002+09:002008-04-18T21:01:19.180+09:00

Craigslist Japan has expanded to include Fukuoka, Sapporo, Hiroshima, and Nagoya.

Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372867185647178937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23906933.post-67488639166133303192008-04-18T17:48:00.001+09:002008-04-18T17:24:46.041+09:00

Courtesy of http://www.rhnaturaltherapies.com/ Acupuncture A Chinese medical practice or procedure that treats illness or provides local anesthesia by the insertion of needles at specified sites of the body. Moxibustion The burning of moxa or other substances on the skin to treat diseases or to produce analgesia. Acupuncture, or hari (針) as it is known in Japan, is probably more common in

Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372867185647178937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23906933.post-84590817939324131192008-04-18T15:05:00.005+09:002008-04-18T17:34:55.784+09:00

Those wandering the earth in search of meaning or a greater purpose in life are not limited to the world of reality or practicality. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I present to you... some of the more unconventional vagabonds of our day. 1. Vampires "...Where are you from?" "Around. Everywhere." "I never been anywhere myself. Always wanted to see the world, but..." "I could show

Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372867185647178937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23906933.post-64449894282508353332008-04-17T13:43:00.004+09:002008-04-21T17:02:41.442+09:00

From Fukuoka Now Some of these are pretty observant, others I don't quite agree with... Ways to fake Japanese fluency 10. Upon hearing "ne", respond with "sou desu ne" 9. When asked a question, cock your head to the side and pull air through your teeth 8. Always carry a newspaper on the subway. Make a big production as you turn pages 7. If you want something repeated, rather than saying

Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372867185647178937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23906933.post-26228102743723528372008-04-09T11:05:00.004+09:002008-04-09T11:30:01.764+09:00

For the record, the reason I haven't been updating so often as of late is due to increasing demands on rehabilitation and family visiting. Sports injury followers, here's where I stand - Comminuted distal radius fracture 12/18/2007, reduced with closed reduction - Non-union observed in the following weeks - Reduced with a titanium plate and open reduction on 1/25/2008 - Began physical therapy

Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372867185647178937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23906933.post-49712269874252674642008-04-07T14:54:00.001+09:002008-04-07T14:55:30.569+09:00

32 runners stung by honey bees during marathon in Saga SAGA — Thirty-two runners were stung by honey bees while taking part in a marathon event in Saga on Sunday, local fire department officials said. The runners were treated at a hospital, but their injuries are not serious, the officials said. The 32 runners participating in the half-marathon race were attacked by a swarm of honey bees at

Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372867185647178937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23906933.post-22070546506800825012008-04-01T14:12:00.000+09:002008-04-01T14:14:09.176+09:00

From NPR, no less... http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89164759

Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372867185647178937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23906933.post-73214654049288496282008-03-28T13:27:00.002+09:002008-03-28T15:01:57.618+09:00

An article I submitted a few weeks ago to the website Brave New Traveler regarding my injury has now been published: How To Handle Medical Emergencies On The Road Feel free to add comments. Sorry about the constant lack of substantial updates. This is probably the busiest and most interesting time of the year in Japan: the elusive cherry blossoms, the end of the school year, salarymen

Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372867185647178937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23906933.post-41669263123976047842008-03-27T18:01:00.000+09:002008-03-27T17:51:27.996+09:00

Updated by the Japan Meteorological Agency on 3/27 at 3:30 PM Prime Dates for Cherry Blossoms Tokyo (東京) - 3/28 Nagoya (名古屋) - 3/28 Osaka (大阪) - 3/30 Hiroshima (広島) - 3/29 Takamatsu (高松) - 3/30 Matsuyama (松山) - 3/28 Fukuoka (福岡) - 3/26 Naha (那覇) - 1/19 (missed it) Kagoshima (鹿児島) - Oh com'n, the largest city in southern Kyushu and the agency can't hazard a guess? Source: http://

Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372867185647178937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23906933.post-61930661859654919022008-03-24T01:58:00.000+09:002008-03-24T00:51:17.653+09:00

For foreign residents of Japan, things seem simpler. We know. We can handle ordering food with kanji menus. We can speak to the locals. We describe our destinations to a cabbie or train attendant. Even when minor inconveniences occur for which we are unprepared, we cope and learn for the future. Take that knowledge of residency away. You don't understand Japan. You know nothing about

Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372867185647178937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23906933.post-15719530821867063072008-03-24T00:03:00.002+09:002008-03-23T23:42:50.561+09:00

All civilization was just an effort to impress the opposite sex... This is what I get for reading too much while my physical prowess is slowly being restored: a head full of cross-cultural ideas and a blog on which to vent them. Many people have posed theories as to why paleness was and still is an admirable trait among women in Japan. For that answer, I'd suggest looking to David M. Buss,

Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372867185647178937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23906933.post-72905562747207448742008-03-22T17:12:00.000+09:002008-03-23T17:15:53.268+09:00

Even in Japan, Wriststrong remains alive and well. Not quite up to full strength...

Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372867185647178937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23906933.post-57001050798593343992008-03-21T23:41:00.003+09:002008-03-21T23:45:08.499+09:00

A fan of KPIJ passed this link along to me - a list of some of the best Zen gardens in the world. Most are in the temples of Kyoto, naturally, but I was surprised to find one in Portland, Oregon. Top 20 Zen Gardens From Around The World

Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372867185647178937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23906933.post-36339633648763427542008-03-19T23:54:00.002+09:002008-03-19T23:56:09.084+09:00

Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10372867185647178937noreply@blogger.com