The Ugly Duckling in Japan

Posted on January 10, 2016 by MThomas

 Tomorrow is “Coming of Age Day” in Japan, when 20 year olds celebrate officially becoming “adults” in Japanese society.

Today, my family went to a performance by a local civic group of The Ugly Duckling, billed as “a moving story of love.” I wonder.

The folk story of the gosling who is raised with ducklings, ridiculed for being different, and then ultimately discovering his true identity, is a classic, famous tale beloved by those who think themselves outcast, rejected, isolated from society for being who they are.

The musical we went to see was very Japanese in the sense that it started with an announcer asking the audience to repeat the “three words of love”:

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Posted in entertainment, family outings, Japan, Japanese, Japanese culture, kids shows, parenting | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

O-shougatsu

Posted on January 3, 2016 by MThomas

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New Year’s lasts one night of drinks and one day of college football in the US, but in Japan the holidays lasts for three days. Actually, for many the New Year’s holidays start on December 29th, giving the typical worker a six-day holiday. In fact, for many this is the only extended holiday of any kind.

For my family, the holiday meant starting with a year-end “o-souji” 大掃除 — basically a “spring cleaning,” but in the coldest time of year. Seems odd from an American perspective, but in a way it makes sense. Especially in central Japan, where the high humidity and lack of central heating leads to mold everywhere (particularly concentrated in rooms on the north side of the house), ending the year with a good scrub is essential for surviving the rest of the winter with catching a major illness. Also, since traditionally no cleaning or cooking is done during the New Year’s Three Days, there’s a lot of food preparation to do on the 30th and 31st of December.

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Posted in eating, entertainment, family outings, festivals, food, hobbies, Japan, Japanese, Japanese culture, parenting | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Taking Leave: 2015 in review

Posted on December 30, 2015 by MThomas

Hello, readers!

It’s almost 2016, so I thought I’d take a look back at this year on my blog about childcare leave, parents and children, and related social issues.

I haven’t blogged this past year as much as previous years, with most of my attention in the early part of the year centered on Amazon Japan’s persistent refusal to remove blatant child abuse images and materials from their sales. We may have to try for a follow-up in a couple of months, to see if things have improved (sneak preview: not likely).

In February and March I was focused on publishing and promoting my first novel, Approaching Twi-Night (see my blog at http://mthomasapple.com for more details!). And from April through the summer I was working…

…and finishing off the long-awaited book version of Taking Leave, which finally debuted this past November.

Anyways, I took advantage of a nifty feature of WordPress that prepared a 2015 annual report for this blog. Check it out below if you’d like.

Thanks for reading in 2015, and see you in the New Year!

Here’s an excerpt from the stats report for 2015:

A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 4,500 times in 2015. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 4 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

Posted in book, book signing, child abuse, child safety, Japan, Japanese, Japanese society, parenting, Paternity leave, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment