9/10
It is 17th century Japan, a bad time and place to be a Christian. The feudal government is committed to eradicating Christianity through the torture and killing of believers, convinced that the religion is unfit for the Japanese people.
In the Portuguese colony of Macau, the Jesuits receive news that Father Cristóvão Ferreira (Liam Neeson), who is living in Nagasaki, Japan, renounced his faith after being tortured.
Category: Japan/Japanese
The Amazingly Different Remarkableness of Japanese and Americans
Japanese and American people are truly remarkable people, although they amaze in entirely different ways.
The Japanese excel in order and discipline.
My favorite example to illustrate this is the shugaku ryokou, which is like a field trip for an entire grade over a couple nights at some exotic location like the historical city of Kyoto or Tokyo
The Japanese excel in order and discipline.
My favorite example to illustrate this is the shugaku ryokou, which is like a field trip for an entire grade over a couple nights at some exotic location like the historical city of Kyoto or Tokyo
Let’s Have More of the Winter
There are so many things that make winter the best of the four seasons, and what would make it even better is more of everything.
When I lived in the United States, winter always began on Thanksgiving week, just when the temperature outside starts to get comfortably cold in the Northeast. Thanksgiving means a lot of
When I lived in the United States, winter always began on Thanksgiving week, just when the temperature outside starts to get comfortably cold in the Northeast. Thanksgiving means a lot of
There is So Much to Love About Autumn
For me, the fall will always mark the beginning of a new year. For nearly two decades, September is when I progressed one year in the educational ladder. Now that I'm working, fall is when I tack on another year in my experience as a working professional. I've always loved this season because it's when
Summer is the Memories of Discontents
There is only one good thing about the summer, and it's that it is followed by the most pleasant season of the year.
I was born in August, right in the smack of the summer, no doubt on a hot, humid and miserable day. My mom always wonders why I hate so much the season in
I was born in August, right in the smack of the summer, no doubt on a hot, humid and miserable day. My mom always wonders why I hate so much the season in
Why I Hate the Season Everyone Loves
Of the four seasons, I hate spring the most. I try to live by the words, "Never hate, sometimes dislike," so I have reserved a very special place in my heart for the season we are currently in.
There are many reasons to hate spring, but topping the list is the fact that it is a
There are many reasons to hate spring, but topping the list is the fact that it is a
In Memory of John Ezzard (1984-2012)
John was a couple years behind me at Boston College. I don't exactly recall how we initially met, but we quickly became close friends because I was Japanese and he was interested in Japan.
John had a great laugh. He and I come from a different political mold, he of the moderate left and I of
John had a great laugh. He and I come from a different political mold, he of the moderate left and I of
Reading Isn’t What It Used to Be, and That’s a Good Thing
For the longest time, I had no interest in reading.
I swear it started in high school, when novels like "The Grapes of Wrath," "Walden Pond" and "The Old Man and the Sea" sent me into temporary comas. I think my experience proves that just because a book is a "classic" doesn't mean kids in
I swear it started in high school, when novels like "The Grapes of Wrath," "Walden Pond" and "The Old Man and the Sea" sent me into temporary comas. I think my experience proves that just because a book is a "classic" doesn't mean kids in
How Coins Became the Bane of My Existence in Japan
I think I was in sixth grade when I first engaged in a debate. It was at my weekly Saturday Japanese school and for reasons unclear, the topic de jour was which is better: coins or bills. For reasons even more unclear, I took the side of vigorously defending the existence of coins while my
Great Food But Portions, Not So Much
The food is great in Tokyo. By that I mean the taste, not the portions.
Compared to America--where they feed you like a horse--the portions at Japanese restaurants are ridiculously small. It's pretty much assured that whatever dishes the restaurant trots out as a full-course meal is insufficient to satisfy your hunger. That's why I
Compared to America--where they feed you like a horse--the portions at Japanese restaurants are ridiculously small. It's pretty much assured that whatever dishes the restaurant trots out as a full-course meal is insufficient to satisfy your hunger. That's why I
The Train System in Tokyo is Great, Unless You Have to Transfer
The rail system in Tokyo is so reliable you wonder how New Yorkers ever function with the disaster that's the MTA. I've never had to wait more than 10 minutes for a subway, regardless of the time of day or day of the week. There's certainty because a display tells you when the next train
Let’s Stay in Touch
I am starting my new life in Tokyo, where new challenges await. I'm really excited, but the move still feels quite surreal. I don't think reality has quite sunk in.
Twenty-one years, 3 months and 10 days passed between my residency in Japan. That's a long time. I haven't felt nostalgic yet, but I've started to
Twenty-one years, 3 months and 10 days passed between my residency in Japan. That's a long time. I haven't felt nostalgic yet, but I've started to
Growing Up White And Dealing With an Identity Crises*
I grew up in a quintessential, middle class New Jersey suburb. My parents, who went to college in America, were not typical Japanese expatriates. They cared little for socializing with Japanese people or Japanese pop culture and thus, I grew up with very little Japanese around me. Except for insisting that I attend Japanese school
Being “Bilingual” Isn’t as Nice as It Seems
The managing partner of my firm's Tokyo office once said that he considered anyone who claimed to be bilingual to be a liar. Bilingual himself, he was being facetious, but he had an underlying point that I completely shared: bilingualism just means that you're imperfect in two languages.
In Defense of Lawyers
In Japan, lawyers rank right below doctors in the list of most respected professions. In the United States, they rank with politicians as one of the most reviled. The difference is striking.
Part of the problem in this country is oversaturation. Compared to Japan, where the passage rate under the old bar exam was around 3%,
Part of the problem in this country is oversaturation. Compared to Japan, where the passage rate under the old bar exam was around 3%,
What Hatoyama’s Resignation Teaches Us About Responsible Government
In 2003, conservative commentator Billy Krystol spoke at Boston College and foretold the rough road ahead for the Republicans by astutely observing, "There's nothing more difficult than being in power."
The flip side is equally true: there's nothing easier--and more irresponsible--than not being in power. This is a lesson the just-resigned Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama
The flip side is equally true: there's nothing easier--and more irresponsible--than not being in power. This is a lesson the just-resigned Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama
Those Damn Ls and Rs
I'm often asked, generally in Japan, which language I'm more comfortable with, English or Japanese. Since my subconscience* (i.e. my dreams) has been in English for years, the answer to the question is obvious.
That answer, though, is actually a matter of relativity. Just because English is my better language doesn't mean I'm a good English
That answer, though, is actually a matter of relativity. Just because English is my better language doesn't mean I'm a good English
Straddling Individualism and Communalism: Which Am I?
I have a great story that explains how societal norms greatly differs between Asians and Westerners.
The summer after I graduated from college, I went to China on a two week trip composed of college students mostly studying or interested in government. The student composition was geographically diverse, with students from colleges all over the United
The summer after I graduated from college, I went to China on a two week trip composed of college students mostly studying or interested in government. The student composition was geographically diverse, with students from colleges all over the United
Some Things Are Just Too Difficult – Like Geography
I like history, but not necessarily social science. I don't particularly care for Geography and predictably I'm not particularly good at it.
I find it appalling that 1/3 of Americans can't identify China on an unmarked world map, but then, I'm in no position to critique. I took a mini Japanese Geography quiz at juku, my
I find it appalling that 1/3 of Americans can't identify China on an unmarked world map, but then, I'm in no position to critique. I took a mini Japanese Geography quiz at juku, my
Japanese Is Incomprehensibly Vague–Just Like the People
Japanese is a terrible language. And I'm not saying that just because I haven't been able to master the language due to my elementary school slackery.
Even if you set out to intentionally create the most vague, indefinite language, you couldn't have done better than Japanese language.
It fits the people perfectly.
Even if you set out to intentionally create the most vague, indefinite language, you couldn't have done better than Japanese language.
It fits the people perfectly.
Serious and Humorous Thoughts on Easter Sunday
The church I attended on Sunday was very nice. Of all the churches I've been to, I think I felt most comfortable there.
The pastor who gave the service on Sunday at Saint Frances de Sales Parish on the corner of 96th and Lexington was a man of a booming voice whom God did not bless with
The pastor who gave the service on Sunday at Saint Frances de Sales Parish on the corner of 96th and Lexington was a man of a booming voice whom God did not bless with