New Year’s in Japan: Joya no Kane, Hatsumode, and Shishi-mai

I’ve heard a lot and have spoken to a lot of people about the New Year’s traditions. There were so many small pieces that lead up to the evening itself that I decided to focus on two of the biggest and give them a go: Joya no Kane (New Year’s Bell) and Hatsumode (First Temple […]

World Championship Hoop Dance Contest 2017

Having such a wonderful establishment like the Heard Museum so close has allowed me to gain an insight into cultures and customs from my own country that I never knew existed. One such tradition is Hoop Dancing, which is practiced by a wide variety of tribes all across North America. Once a year, they meet […]

Ballet Arizona: The Nutcracker

I’m quite the novice when it comes to ballet, much like musical theater. Given the holiday season, I decided to take the plunge with my wife and go see The Nutcracker, as performed by Phoenix Ballet (Ballet Arizona), at the incredibly beautiful Orpheum theater in Downtown Phoenix. I went into the performance knowing next to […]

Dia De Los Muertos Festival

This year, being busy Halloween weekend, I wanted to check out Phoenix’s Dia De Los Muertos Festival. It’s part of my cultural heritage that I never really did much with growing up nor as an adult up until this point and I wanted to change that. From the description of the festival on their website, […]

A Night Out

Scant neon letters hang above The iron circles with no rust, Next too the plush doors With tall, vertical handles Leading towards a black descent Into a glass floor above Dying earth illuminated with Iridescent strips of cosmetic light. Everything is black and white, Except for the large panel behind Where the two men with […]

Rainy Day

Averting eyes from Confused looks; Combating confused Questioning with Silent repose. Everything was The same But different. Earlier, the day was Filled with Difficult songs That could be read But not understood And simple waltzes Danced by counting But no higher than four. Sweeping dirt from The plastic floor And woven rug squares Used for […]

The Halloween That Almost Wasn’t

“You can’t have a Halloween party. A few years ago, a girl in UB, she died. From being shocked. I think Mongolians cannot handle this holiday.” Words that, in retrospect, sound like they came from someone who had only read about Mongolia, and never experienced it. Mongolians have taken to Halloween. It comes naturally. Interest […]