Author Archives: Joel

Japan uses the abbreviation “ATM” for ATMs, same as English – pronounced “eh tii emu” – despite not using the full term “automatic teller machine” at all. They also use the English words “cash point” too. Near as I can … Continue reading →

You know how sometimes you’re not really listening and you suddenly hear someone say your name? I’m certain that I heard my name said twice during speeches at the Ryusei Matsuri. And in the Japanese pronunciation, so it’s not like … Continue reading →

Yesterday’s post is now complete, and has images. And I also proof-read it a bit and made some changes to the half I’d already written, if you can face re-reading all that to see what’s different. And yeah, it turned … Continue reading →

Japan has many convenience stores – that’s part of what makes them so convenient. I discovered recently they they’ve actually got more dentists than convenience stores – in fact, almost twice as many, with 103,000 practicing dentists, but only 56,000 … Continue reading →

I survived Hagibis. Now where’s my t-shirt? Actually, there’s not even a huge amount of visible damage around here, aside from the rivers running pretty high, and dirty. There’s a band in the Philippines named Hagibis, who’ve been around since … Continue reading →