Author: Seiji Motoyama 本山清治
04 7月 Statue of Liberty, Statue of Freedom 「解放の」自由の女神 世界を照らす自由
From her shimmering 24-karat gold torch, down to her Romanesque robes, the Statue of Liberty is possibly the most iconic symbol of the American experiment. Although I imagine a large percentage of New Yorkers have never made the trip to Liberty Island, I have been...
16 5月 Eurovision conquers Asia 「ユーロビジョン・ソング・コンテスト」がアジア圏をねらう
Eurovision Song Contest, the singing competition based in Europe, has announced that it will introduce an Asian version of the contest, Eurovision Song Contest Asia, in November. The participating countries will include Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, the Philippines, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam.What’s...
13 4月 Afrika Bambaataa is Looking for the Perfect Beat
I normally don’t write about the deaths of celebrities, but when I learned of the passing of Afrika Bambaataa today, it really hit me in a tender spot, awakening long dormant memories.Afrika Bambaataa has never gotten the acclaim he deserves, but when he is mentioned,...
13 3月 Food substitution, or food discovery? 食品の代替か、それとも食品の発見か?
While browsing the aisles of my local convenience store today, I noticed a new product, a “chocolate alternative” bar made from sunflower seeds. I decided to give it a try. Taste-wise, I would give it a rating of 5 out of 10. If you concentrate...
01 1月 Happy New Year 2026
As usual, a restful calm has descended upon Tokyo for the new year. Hoping for a year of happy surprises.January 1, 2026例年通り 新年を迎えた東京は 穏やかな静けさに包まれていますうれしいサプライズに満ちた 一年になりますように2026年01月01日 元旦...
24 11月 Tag, you’re it! タグ、君の番だよ！
Walking around a certain (artsy?) area of Tokyo the other day, I noticed an abundance of graffiti tags on various surfaces, and it inspired (?) me to draw my own tag (on paper, of course, see above) for the first time since elementary school.I don’t...
05 10月 All the mod cons 最先端設備！
People living in Japan will probably find it hard to believe, but due to space limitations, there are a lot of apartments in Manhattan that have a bathtub in the kitchen. Originally, I viewed that fact as just another quirk of the dystopia that is...
02 9月 Hats off to the new guard 新世代に脱帽だ
Posted at 00:27h
in ecology, fashion, health, Japanese Culture, movies, music, rethinking tradition, television
During the recent heat wave in Tokyo, as a measure of sun-protection, I decided to wear a dark hat to complement the dark suit I was wearing. Apparently, my sartorial choices were peculiar enough to attract the attention of my traveling companion, who mentioned that...
04 8月 Short, tall, grande, venti, bucket!? ショート、トール、グランデ、ベンティ、バケツ！？
At a time when the entire world is worried about coffee prices, certain coffee shops in the US have started the worrisome trend of serving coffee in a “bucket” size, which is approximately 34 ounces. Coffee bean prices have nearly tripled since 2019, and I’m...