Author Archives: Michael Gakuran

Gakuranman Youtube Channel Has Moved!

By Michael Gakuran | Published November 29, 2010
Hey all. Really short update today just to point you in the direction of my new Youtube channel.
Posted in Journal | 3 Comments

The Royal House Haikyo

By Michael Gakuran | Published November 18, 2010
Occasionally we come across haikyo that are shocking not due to an unsettling atmosphere or dilapidated state of grandeur, but because of the historical significance of objects left behind. Pieces that might better belong in a museum that have long been forgotten and stolen glimpses into the lives of past inhabitants that should have gone […]
Posted in Haikyo / Ruins | 71 Comments

Fifteen Fantastic Froggie Fotos

By Michael Gakuran | Published November 9, 2010
A collection of frog pictures I took in various places in Japan over the last few months with my new macro lens on the Olympus E-P1. Gotta love these gorgeous amphibians!
Posted in Photography | 13 Comments

A Return to the Sepulchral Doctor’s Shack

By Michael Gakuran | 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

By Michael Gakuran | 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！

By Michael Gakuran | 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

By Michael Gakuran | 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

By Michael Gakuran | 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