Monthly Archives: October 2010

A Return to the Sepulchral Doctor’s Shack

Published October 30, 2010
Just shy of a year ago I came across an age-old medical shack hidden in the heart of the Japanese countryside. Brimming with mystery and intrigue, I thought I had seen everything the place had to hide, but a repeat visit with a fellow urbexer unearthed an abundance of creepy new discoveries. Just in time […]
Posted in Haikyo / Ruins | 37 Comments

Skritter for Writing Japanese: Review

Published October 28, 2010
Skritter is an interesting site I came across a while ago which specialises in one particular thing: writing Japanese and Chinese characters. Here’s my thoughts on the website and how it can help you learn Japanese.
Posted in Other | 5 Comments

There’s Always a Way! – しょうがある！

Published October 15, 2010
What’s しょうがある？ The opposite of しょうがない, of course! That oft-muttered phrase that reeks of apathy and giving up. I’ve always hated it myself, and recently a reader contacted me to link me to Man-san, a Swedish man rapping in Japanese, who shares the same sentiment. Only he does it in style!
Posted in Other | 6 Comments

Kawatana Human Torpedo Training School

Published October 2, 2010
We reached the end of a long, winding road that snaked through a tiny Japanese village in Kawatana, infamous for being the site of a kaiten (回天) training school. Kaiten are the manned suicide torpedoes used by the Japanese Navy during WWII to take out enemy vessels.
Posted in Haikyo / Ruins | 19 Comments

The 7 Stages of Gaijinhood Revisited

Published October 1, 2010
After a stunningly shrewd post by Our Man in Japan, a wily Durf left a snarky comment in reply linking to this blog. It’s left me scrambling around doing a bit a soul-searching, so I figured I would tap it out on the computer like my old Livejournal days.
Posted in Japan | 42 Comments