The Wayfarer Blog

I mentioned the other day that I had found pictures from last year that I never uploaded. That includes a bunch of China pictures! So in honor of my readers in China, here is a sample of what is to come.

I took this picture in the Forbidden City, in Beijing, China, on May 1, 2006. I can’t describe how incredible it was to retrace the steps of ancient Emperors and Empresses.

Stay tuned for more pictures. I have over 200 pictures ready to upload, but i want to run through them again and weed out a couple that didn’t turn out well. And I have to tag them and get the up on the site…but I should have them up by the end of the week.

I was walking to the station today from work, and I looked up and saw a big cherry tree with blossoms! I was surprised, because I hadn’t noticed any cherry blossoms yet, and usually, I see buds well in advance. Sure enough, several trees were in bloom! Why hadn’t I noticed before? Was I blind?

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A while back, I started featuring a photo of the day. Actually, I just checked: I’ve only posted a couple. (For some reason, I thought I had posted more.) I didn’t keep it up, but I am going to try again. Sometimes, I might feature a video or a “flashback,” which is more of a longer photo essay, instead. I have a lot of photos that I would like to share (and besides, I don’t always have time to write a long post!)

So here is today’s photo.

This was taken near Yotsuya Station (四ツ谷駅) in Tokyo, on April 3, 2006.

As always, you can click on the photo to go to my flickr page. You can also click on the sidebar, or on the navigation bar above. I’ve got you covered! Enjoy!

Cherry blossoms!

Yes, it is almost that time of year, when everyone heads out to enjoy the fleeting beauty of cherry blossoms. Cherry blossoms are called “sakura” (桜) in Japanese. I think most people are familiar with the song, “Sakura, sakura…”

I found some cherry blossoms pictures from about year ago on my hard drive, which I hadn’t uploaded yet. You can see them on my Flickr page, or just click on one of the pictures in this post. If you want to learn more about cherry blossom viewing in Japan, please read on…

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You can once again click on the “The Wayfarer Blog” text in the header and return to the home page, from anywhere on the site.

(BTW, this is an example of an “Aside.” I will be using this type of post for quick announcements, tips, or links that are off-topic or that don’t require a full post. Think of them as an “Oh, by the way…” kind of post.) Actually, the use of Asides has a long history, that can be traced back to Greek theater. You can learn more about it from this Wikipedia article on asides.

Notice that the Blue/White/Gray “date stamp” icon on the left of the post is smaller than a regular post.

Well, maybe not. But i have taken many videos on my Canon A95 digital camera. i certainly won’t win any Academy Awards for my videos, but they might be interesting for people who’ve never been to Asia. I’ve been meaning to post some of my videos, but I’ve never gotten around to it.

Ok, disclaimer time…As i said, I shot these with a basic digital camera, often under less than ideal conditions. The video quality, sound, and camera shake might deter some people from watching them. But if you are interested in catching a glimpse of some things i have seen, and if you are willing to risk motion sickness, I present the world premiere of Andrew’s Homemade Travel Videos!!! Read on…

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I made a lot of progress with this site today. I had a major headache to deal with (I’m not sure if it is a bug, or just something that I did wrong), but I think I have finally figured it out. More improvements are on the way. By the way, if you stop by and the site looks strange or something is missing, don’t be alarmed. That probably means I am probably just working on something…

On a personal note… (more…)

As you can see, I have changed the look of this site. But a lot of work remains to be done. Many more changes are on the way. I have a “sandbox,” or a duplicate test site, where I test changes to my main blog before you see them here. I have been working on different ideas for a while. This is what I have come up with so far. I have disabled the photo page for now, and the I made a basic header image. Please pardon the dust as this site undergoes construction…

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March 18, 2007. I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time. From now on, life in Japan will be a lot more convenient. And I have a penguin to thank! (more…)

…that drives you crazy while you are here, but makes you miss it when you leave?

The other day, my friend wrote about his recent return visit to Japan, where he worked for a couple years as a JET high school teacher:

So now what? I can’t even think about Taiwan right now. As for Seattle, well, I’m still set on heading back for a few years, but I’m feeling pretty strongly now that I’m going to be looking into a way of getting back to Japan as soon as I can (note: what I consider “soon” is often an eternity for most people. But when you’re as patient as I am, time is trivial.), or at least some way for me to consistently shuttle between Seattle and Japan.

Craziness. I couldn’t wait to leave Japan when I was living there, and after vowing never to return, I’ve gone back twice. I haven’t made it more than 10 months before returning for a visit. But then again, visiting a place and living there are not the same.

The thing is, I can totally identify with his feelings. I can’t begin to count the number of times I wanted to grab my passport and run…but then an hour later, I would find something new that made me glad I was here. The truth is, Japan is a wonderful place, when you’re not working. (Hmm…isn’t that true anywhere?) The problem is, in the US, you have more options for work. Here, your options are much more limited.

Still, this is the most important point. No matter how annoying the inconveniences of work and cultural differences might be, living abroad can be a truly satisfying and educational experience. Before I came to Japan, I volunteered and participated in many cultural activities, and I will continue to do so after I go home.

Reflecting on the lives that I have touched, and all the people I have met, I realize that you can always go home, but some part of you will always remain…