Jun 27, 2007 Posted by thunderchikin

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Nuh.  Zzzzzzzzz. Snort. Zzzzzzz. Share read more

Jun 25, 2007 Posted by thunderchikin

Sayonara, Japanese for Here Comes the Jetlag

When it comes time to put a bow on an exchange, I try to think back on the significant moments of the trip.  There were many–Kyoto, the Peace Peak, the Umeda Station Crush at rush hour, getting nipped by the mynah bird at the pre-school, the lines of school children in uniforms and white floppy hats straight out of Pokeman and Sailor Moon, sushi on a conveyor belt, butt-nipping sacred... read more

Jun 22, 2007 Posted by thunderchikin

A Candle for Jim

James Tillman was born eighty-six years ago in Evanston, Indiana.  His mother was, as most women were in that day, a housewife. His father, David, was a milkman who made deliveries in a horse-drawn wagon.  Jim was a child of the depression, and although his family didn’t have much in the way of money, he grew up rich in friends and with the freedom to roam about that most of us can only... read more

Jun 18, 2007 Posted by thunderchikin

The Next to Last Samurai

The crew went to Himeji to visit the castle, which is the best preserved of the feudal castles. This is Himeji Castle, where Tom Cruise *wishes* he lived. One of the many gates to the castle keep. The ribbons are to remind you that feudal shogun were four feet tall, and you are not. Stairs of death.  Many people have received lobotomies from the wooden beams above the stairs. The small box shape... read more

Jun 17, 2007 Posted by thunderchikin

Tokyo–Japanese for Too Damn Many People

Seems like everybody wants to say they’ve been to Tokyo.  Sort of like everybody wants to see Rock City or get run over by a speeding bus.  It just so happens that Tokyo–which wants to be NYC so much, its become LA–is a mix of both.  The crew took the Shinkansen up the coast to the capital city and took a boat excursion up the Sumida River, where we saw some lovely bridge... read more