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Credits: TheTalkingDad.com & FeedWind.comRecent Posts: M Thomas Apple
An ex-Domer Forever: What on Earthside was I thinking?
It’s the end of the spring term (finally) at my university in Kyoto, which means I’ll be getting ready for my yearlong sabbatical in Montreal soon. From September I’ll be back at a North American university for the first time since 1997. Ah, Notre Dame. Mixed lapsed Catholic-cum-agnostic memories.
It’s Hot Enough to (Insert Offensive Ethnic Slur or Sexual Reference Here)
I was going to say “it’s so hot you can fry an egg” but it turns out that the temperature needs to be at least 130F for that to happen. But still…it’s hot here in Kyoto. It’s freakin’ hot. And not that “dry heat” blah blah. The kind of heat that makes me use up […]
Farewell, Harlan, y’old so and so
I remember the only time I met Harlan Ellison. Well, “met” is perhaps too strong a word. Talked with. Listened to. Got a signature and shook his hand. I was nervous as all hell.
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Category Archives: Japan
First Year Wall (Part 2) – The (not-so voluntary) parent-teacher conference
In mid-April, I went to a parent-teacher conference. Actually, it was more like an enforced PTA committee, which one parent per kid had to attend. As a group. We sat at our kids’ desks (tiny!) and introduced ourselves. This was … Continue reading
Posted in education, Japan, Japanese, Japanese culture, Japanese law, Japanese society, parenting, school
Tagged education, elementary school, Japan, micromanaging, names, parents, PTA
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The First Year Wall (Part 1) – Gakudo and the Kid
Three weeks ago, our youngest daughter went to nursery school for the last time. The following Monday, she started gakudo (学童, short for 学童教育 gakudokyouiku, which is usually translated as “after school program”). Since both my wife and I work … Continue reading
Posted in child safety, coming of age, education, Japan, Japanese, Japanese society, parenting, school
Tagged children, education, family, handmade, Japan, Japanese customs, life, parents, schooling
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End of an Era: Goodbye, Nursery School
And so it begins. The end of the start of the rest of my children’s childhood. By which I mean our youngest daughter graduated from nursery school / kindergarten. Thinking back, we’ve been coming to our local nursery school every … Continue reading
Posted in coming of age, day care, education, festivals, Japan, Japanese, Japanese society, nursery school, parenting, school, separation anxiety
Tagged child care, child education, child-raising, children, customs, Japan, Japanese, Japanese kids, kindergarten, nursery school, parenting, reflections
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Death of a Cherry Tree
This past Monday, city workers came to cut down a cherry tree near our house. It had been there for years. We found out later that a neighbor had complained that leaves falling in her backyard were a nuisance to … Continue reading
Posted in death, Japan, Japanese culture, nature, spring
Tagged children, family, inspiration, Japan, life, trees
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Farewell, Nursery. Hello, Kindergarten
After turning five in January, our youngest daughter finally made to the end of nursery school (“nen-cho,” 年長). Or so we thought. We had heard rumors in previous years that the system might change. It turns out that in this … Continue reading
Posted in day care, education, Japan, Japanese, Japanese culture, Japanese society, nursery school, school
Tagged education, hoikuen, Japan, kindergarten, kodomoen, MEXT
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Who was that Masked Flu Avenger?
Looking back now, I can laugh. The first week of February was rough. My wife had to work both weekend days, at the end of an already exhausting end-of-semester work week. I had also had little sleep. The previous month, my … Continue reading
Posted in festivals, health care, Japan, Japanese, Japanese culture, Japanese society, parenting, school, sickness
Tagged children, customs, family, health, Japan, medicine, parents
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