Where Globe-Trotting meets Beach-Combing
The sun set early on a rainy late October day in ancient Nara. Water rushed, dripped and fell all around as the light faded slowly to a gray mist in Japan’s Kasuga-Taisha Shrine, which the information booth guy said is Japan’s highest-ranked Shinto shrine. We found it folded into the Kasagayama Primeval Forest as a…
Warning: If you’re looking for actual info on natural childbirth, look elsewhere immediately. Warning II: This post contains—at my mom’s request and against my vanity—some of those awful first puffy-faced ‘meet the baby’ pictures. Sorry. I woke up feeling crappy at 2am October 2. Around 5am I woke Chris and my mom; we ate breakfast,…
Chris and I silently sipped coffee in the tatami room while the baby took a morning nap. Two weeks ago we walked six miles with my mom to Hikichidai Park and back with no signs of labor. My, how two weeks will change your life. Chris straightened up suddenly. “Today is the Yamato Shrine Sale!”…
Unacceptable baby passport photos are the number one reason baby passport applications are rejected, says Yokosuka Naval Hospital. Fret not—following these easy steps will get you as close as you can come to a passably acceptable photo. Step one: Acquire a baby and dress him/her in the appropriate travel outfit of your choice. We recommend:…
Introducing Isaac August Krueger, born in Japan on October 3, 2011, and weighing in at 8 lbs. 15 oz.!
It’s taken three years, but ta-da! The name of the shrine near our house is: Tanaka-Hachimangu. Last year I walked the three minutes over here both Saturday and Sunday to watch the fan dancing, kabuki, magic show, etc. I felt a little self-conscious being there by myself most of the time and thought, “Ooo, maybe…
I scampered around the river checking the water level at 4:30pm Wednesday, about an hour before Typhoon Roke’s strongest point hit us. The flood warning lights were flashing, the stairwells were partially submerged, and what’s normally a peaceful waterfall gushed torrents of water. But what most impressed me was the noise. We live less than…
