Author Archives: MThomas

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About MThomas

Long ago, I gave up my high school dreams of becoming the next Carl Sagan and instead wound up working (in order) at McDonald's, a '60s-themed restaurant, a video rental store, a used bookstore, a computer seller, Kinko's, a Jewish newspaper company, and an HR firm. I eventually became a teacher of intercultural communication in Kyoto, where I vainly attempt to apply quantum mechanics to language teaching, practice martial arts and Zen Buddhism, and always keep one eye on the sky. And yes, I know my profile photo's backward. I just think it looks better this way.

More updates on Amazon Japan’s child porn and abuse images

Posted on March 20, 2015 by MThomas

I previously posted in October about the child abuse images and pornographic materials being openly sold on Amazon (also on Rakuten and Tsutaya). An online protest was started shortly thereafter, and Amazon Japan responded by (partly) removing the most offensive items. … Continue reading →

Posted in child abuse, child safety, international hub, Japan, Japanese, Japanese law, Japanese society | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

“International” kindergarten open day

Posted on March 7, 2015 by MThomas

Today we went to “open day” at a nearby “international kindergarten,” where our oldest daughter has gone for two years to Saturday classes. The previous week, our youngest daughter joined the four-hour class for the first time, but we were … Continue reading →

Posted in Japan, parenting, school | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Joy of Reading

Posted on February 25, 2015 by MThomas

We were eager to have books readily available for our kids…and not just available, but in a location where the kids could choose the books they wanted, when they wanted. So we arranged for the cubbyhole built into the staircase in the living room, and we had two small bookcases put into the kids’ play room.

It was up to us to provide the materials… Continue reading →

Posted in education, Japan, Japanese, reading | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment