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Why Japan and JAXA are definitely NOT the future of space exploration
There is a reason why Japan’s newest “micro” satellite spectacularly failed to do, well, anything. The Japan version of NASA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, called “JAXA” for some reason rather than “JAEA” — maybe the founder was a fan of X-Japan?) is riddled with incompetency and sycophancy. Much like the rest of Japan’s government, one […]
Volcanos, Venus, and Earth 🌋 Hellscape unveiled
A new study shows that massive volcanic eruptions over an extended period of time may be responsible for changing the planet into what it is today. If there was simple life on ancient Venus, volcanism was its doom. The study also shows how powerful volcanic activity has played a role in shaping Earth’s habitability and […]
Goodbye, Musk, and good riddance.
If you’ve been reading this blog, you probably noticed the “has over 1,200 followers” tag suddenly dropped to just over 200. That’s because I deactivated my Twitter account. I debated for a couple of weeks. And then saw how its Chief Twit (seriously, this is how this psychopath called himself) treated his workers. 100+ hour […]
Top Posts & Pages
- “Japan should rethink gender roles”? Yeah, no kidding
- Ten Years of Taking Leave
- First Year Wall (Part 2) - The (not-so voluntary) parent-teacher conference
- The First Year Wall (Part 1) - Gakudo and the Kid
- End of an Era: Goodbye, Nursery School
- Death of a Cherry Tree
- How Do You Talk to Your Kids About Dying?
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Category Archives: school
Ten Years of Taking Leave
Looking back, it’s amazing to me now that I dared to even apply for a year of paternity leave while living in a foreign country. But I’ve never regretted the decision. As I told an audience of university students and … Continue reading
Posted in book, day care, education, gender roles, Japan, Japanese, Japanese culture, Japanese society, parenting, Paternity leave, school
Tagged bilingualism, blogging, child care, child-raising, children, education, family, family leave, fatherhood, gender roles, haafu, Japan, Japanese, Japanese kids, parental leave, parents
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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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