Category Archives: Japan

A Look at Sharing

Posted on August 19, 2019 by

I don’t know what it is inside of us that wants other people to like what we like. At my most pessimistic, I think it has something to do with our own insecurities and our need for external validation.  At … Continue reading →

Posted in Aspirations, Reflections, Perfection, comfort food, ethnic food, food, food blogging, food shopping, grocery shopping, Japan, Japanese, Japanese snacks, shopping, tonkatsu | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Pizza for Breakfast

Posted on August 12, 2019 by

I am still catching up on Perfect Moments, and I think I am almost there. Over the weekend, I took some time to rest, and hopefully finally get rid of this cold that has been plaguing me for weeks. Somewhere … Continue reading →

Posted in Aspirations, Reflections, Perfection, breakfast, comfort food, food, food blogging, irony, Japan, pizza, stories | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Wrapping

Posted on July 5, 2019 by

I don’t know what it is with me and wrapping presents. It isn’t a terrible activity, but it certainly isn’t one I relish.  In fact, I usually procrastinate it down to the day of, if not the hour before I … Continue reading →

Posted in Aspirations, Reflections, Perfection, birthday, decorating, gifts, Japan, Japanese, presents, shopping, wrapping | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

A Very Full Weekend

Posted on May 20, 2019 by

It’s a holiday here in Canada–Victoria Day or May 2-4.  Like most Canadians I am not particularly royalist–at times I have been a pessimist, optimist, conversationalist, and even a drunken shower singing vocalist–but not particularly royalist.  I do, however, enjoy … Continue reading →

Posted in Aspirations, Reflections, Perfection, beer, cherry blossoms, dating, eating, ethnic food, food, hanami, Japan, Kensington Market, long weekend, recommendations, weather | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Indulgence in the Afternoon

Posted on April 14, 2019 by

Sometimes, Today’s Perfect Moment has to be a little indulgence.*** As I write that, I felt it was such a powerful statement that I had to step back from the keyboard and admire it a little. I had to start … Continue reading →

Posted in Aspirations, Reflections, Perfection, banana, bargain, chocolate, ethnic food, food shopping, grocery shopping, Japan, Japanese, Japanese snacks, shopping, snacks | 17 Comments

When Shopping At A Japanese Grocery Store

Posted on April 8, 2019 by

Once, a long time ago, I watched a Japanese TV program that was waxing nostalgic about Japanese summer treats.  One of the things they mentioned was Monaka.  If I remember correctly, the program was not really talking about the Monaka … Continue reading →

Posted in Aspirations, Reflections, Perfection, chocolate, comfort food, delicious, ethnic food, food, food blogging, food shopping, grocery shopping, ice cream, Japan, Japanese, Japanese snacks, nostalgia, shopping, TV | 3 Comments

An Encounter with Muji

Posted on February 28, 2019 by

Decades ago, when I lived in Japan, various satirical magazines often made fun of what we termed Japanese English or Janglish. These were translation mistakes or misuses of English (intentional or unintentional) that appeared everywhere. They could be boldly emblazoned … Continue reading →

Posted in advertising, Aspirations, Reflections, Perfection, Japan, Japanese, Retail, shopping, translation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Banana Kit Kat

Posted on January 24, 2019 by

One of my students went back to Japan to take part in a festival to celebrate adulthood.  It is a wonderful event with beautiful kimono.  I saw it a couple of times in Japan and always thought it was spectacular–at … Continue reading →

Posted in Aspirations, Reflections, Perfection, banana, chocolate, delicious, ESL, gifts, Japan, Japanese, Japanese snacks, kit kat, presents, snacks, souvenirs, students, teaching | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

I Couldn’t Resist

Posted on January 6, 2019 by

I have been shopping at a Japanese market for years–though less frequently than in past. On Saturday, I took a friend to experience the place.  Despite trying to cut down on my sugar intake (and increase my exercise time) I … Continue reading →

Posted in Aspirations, Reflections, Perfection, chocolate, comfort food, cookies, ethnic food, exercise, fitness, food, food shopping, Japan, Japanese, tonkatsu, weight loss | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Nostalgia

Posted on June 4, 2018 by

A long time ago, in the previous century in fact, I taught in Japan.  I taught in a small city jammed up into the corner created by the corner of Osaka and Nara Prefectures.  It had beautiful mountains that housed a huge … Continue reading →

Posted in Aspirations, Reflections, Perfection, ESL, Japan, Japanese, nostalgia, students, travel | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments