Hanshin Tigers Victory Parade in Osaka (11/23/23); photos by Gern Blanston
As I, along with my fellow faculty, staff and students, were required to work on the Labor Thanksgiving national holiday, I was fortunate that my good friend, Gern…
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Saw this driving to work today (on the outskirts of Hirakata-shi, Osaka)
What is this? When my wife saw it, she called it a zombie bus. With a little checking I found out she wasn’t far from the truth. A…
Food Terrorism and Japanese Baseball: A Hanshin Tigers Case Study@SWCAS 11/4/23
Presenting at SouthWest Conference on Asian Studies. Virtual Panel 4.2 Understanding East Asia: Language Differences, Japanese Baseball, and Beyond Saturday, November 11, 2023, 7:30 – 8:45 AM A…
Happy Halloween 2023! In memory of Professor Mark Hollstein and all of his monsters…
Since my own office door is occupied as we celebrate the Hanshin Tigers taking on the Orix Buffaloes in the Japan Series, I have annexed Mark’s door for…
「門真市地域伝統文化まつり」 Kadoma City Neighborhood Traditional Culture Festival
It is autumn so it is time to dust off the danjiri and celebrate fall festivals in many neighborhoods in Kadoma City, including my own, Shirogaki-cho. These local…
“There is Power in a Union”
Listen! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwbzxemJZIc There is Power in a Union (Billy Bragg) “Talking with the Taxman About Poetry” (1986) Lyrics: There is power in a factory, power in the land…
Workers of the World Unite (against the homebreakers)!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nmwDTf9k34 Listen! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-G83Awrw8k Homebreakers (Mick Talbot, Paul Weller) The Style Council “Our Favorite Shop” (1985) Lyrics Good…
Hanshin Tigers 2023 Central League Champs!
Oh so happy… https://hanshintigers.jp/
“That is not a place to sit on the bus…”
I usually do not take photos on the bus or train. But I could not help myself this morning. As the fall semester started this week, the buses…
Kenney sensei…
Kenney sensei and two of her students 1998 Elizabeth Kenney was my teacher, colleague and dear friend. She supported me in so many ways since I met her…
Resource: The Earthquake Children Image Archive
Description (from the web site): Welcome to the Earthquake Children Image Archive. This website, containing over 500 images, serves as a companion to my book Earthquake Children: Building…
Shirogaki-cho Summer Festival (July, 2023)
WARNING! RAW VIDEO DATA:
VAoJ S2023RT Arc: Returning Home on the “Izakaya Shinkansen” (6/30/23)
This research trip has been in part driven by Japanese television media productions such as shows about izakaya/tachinomiya and meshi tero dramas. The influence that guided my last…
VAoJ S2023RT Arc: There’s more to Shitamachi than Izakaya and Tachinomiya (really…) – putting Monzen Nakacho into a greater context (6/27/30 – 6/30/23)
Set I: Jalan Jalan in Monzen Nakacho… Absolutely no political endorsement here; my interest is the reference to supporting shitamachi. Set II: Fukagawa Fudodo Temple …
VAoJ S2023RT Arc: Why are all these people standing in line at 3:50 in the afternoon? Public Tavern「Uosan」(6/29/23)
So why were these people standing in line a few minutes before 4:00 PM, especially on such a hot day? Waiting to get into the Public Tavern「Uosan」! I…
VAoJ S2023RT Arc: Izakaya「Daruma」- The Second Night (6/28/23)
I got there a little late that night because of my filedwork at Uosada. But they had saved my seat for me! It was another lively night! BONUS…
VAoJ S2023RT Arc: Izakaya「Kōshū Kaidō: Uosada」as seen on the Meshi Tero Drama, “Wakako Zake” (6/28/23)
Wakako Zake (ワカコ酒, or “Wakako’s Sake,” BS-TV Tokyo) is one of the longest running (now in its 7th season) and my favorite meshi tero (loosely translated “food terrorism”…
VAoJ S2023RT Arc: Arrival in Tokyo / Return to Monzen Nakacho and Izakaya「Daruma」(6/27/23)
I bid my farewell and thanks to Yokohama and took a train to Monzen Nakacho in Tokyo. I walked past Daruma on my way to the hotel, and…
VAoJ S2023RT Arc: Yokohama Chinatown at Night: Selected Shots (6/26/23)
BONUS VIDEO! (a shop in Yokohama in Japan plays a melody of western Christmas carols…) SEE ALSO! “Yokohama Chinatown: Selected Shots” on VAoJ, 9/1/19: https://visu…