For quite some time, the subtitle of this blog has been "Bridging the gap between Asia and America," but lately I attempted to avoid that topic. If I make too many comparisons between the East and the West, it will seem like I'm grasping at straws...

I just read the word gruenization on a blog post today. I couldn't quite figure out the meaning of this word, and it wasn't in any of the dictionaries that I examined. Later, I did a simple Google search for the word gruen and the results turned up...

I took this picture with my camera phone will riding the subway. She's saying "Abunai!" In English, this means danger. I'm pretty sure it is a warning to not get your fingers stuck in the train doors.

The center of all life in the quiet Nagoya suburb of Nagakute, Japan is the Apita department store. For no apparent reason, the third floor hosts an alien (from the Aliens saga) guarded by defunct Coke and candy machines. If you've got a story as to...

The kabutomushi, also known as the Japanese rhinocerus beetle, is a popular pet in Japan. When wandering around downtown Nagoya a few months ago, I found a little shop that sold only beetles. Inside the store some of the beetles were larger than my...

Takayama, Japan, located in Gifu prefecture, is famous for the beauty of the Miyagawa River, its quaint narrow streets, and its exciting festivals. A niche industry that thrives in this four hundred year old community is Japan's plastic food market....