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  • 2009
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      • Looks Like Autumn
        09/26/08
        Masses of variously colored cosmos flowers are very common around Kitakami in the fall.

      • The I-O Distinction
        09/23/08
        This is definitely not the kind of pepperoncini I ran around town looking for back in May:



        As it turns out, this kind of pasta is actually called peperoncino. This batch is from a mix, consisting of a liquid sauce packet (olive oil, garlic oil, soy sauce, and some other stuff

      • Akita Manhole Covers
        09/17/08
        Here are some more manhole covers. These ones are from Akita prefecture.



        These racks of lanterns feature prominently in Akita City's largest festival, Kanto Matsuri. The manhole cover is in the city's downtown area.



        Kamakurando, a tourist des

      • Summer Caterpillar
        09/16/08


        Battari-mura was full of these caterpillars when we were there in July.

      • Mourning in Japan
        09/14/08
        The air smells like incense. It has almost every day for the last week. One of our neighbors died on Tuesday, so the family's house has been draped in mourning since then. It's a very haunting scene.

        A black-and-white banner hangs above the front door to the home. A small st

      • Black on White
        09/12/08
        A friend gave me a bag of satoimo today.



        Satoimo are probably better known in America as taro root, the basis of the Hawaiian food poi. Here, they're most often boiled, peeled, and served in miso soup. I have a new Japanese-language cookbook that rather conveniently has

      • First Hints of Autumn
        09/11/08
        The leaves are already starting to change color here. Last weekend, this was the scene around an old farmhouse located in the village that makes up part of the city museum.

      • Moldy Housing Blues
        09/08/08
        My face has been feeling pretty gross over the last few days rather itchy and tight, like the skin is too dry. The fall flowers are blooming, so I'd been chalking the grossness up to allergies. Upon further consideration and a look at the tatami after I picked our futons up this morning, I t

      • Harmony
        09/06/08
        Lanterns are a common festival decoration. At the city museum's festival today, the road was lined with small lanterns decorated by children from a local elementary school. This one was particularly wonderful.



        The kanji is wa, meaning "peace" or "harmony.

      • The Real (Tall) Thing
        09/03/08
        Beverages that come in tall cans have a sketchy reputation in America, at least where I'm from. They're usually full of cheap malt liquor or beer. They can often be found lying in the gutter, surrounded by the brown paper bags used to conceal them from the eyes of people who might happen

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