Dominique Ansel Bakery What-a-Melon and Creme de la Corn Soft Serve

I’m hopping on a a fairly timely topic! Look at me go! Over the summer, some videos and pictures of a watermelony soft serve from Tokyo made the viral rounds of Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Those came from the limited summer specials at Dominique Ansel Bakery down in Omotesando, just a short walk away from […]

Furin (Wind Chimes)

Furin (foo-reen) are those pleasant wind chimes that you often see made of a globe of glass with the bottom cut out. Often, you’ll have another piece of glass dangling below to bump against the orb, producing sound. They are a symbol of summer here in Japan, and I thought I’d take a little time […]

Cool Biz

Having lived in both incredibly dry heat and super wet heat, I can say with certainty that life in these places without air conditioning is quite the challenge. Having a fan makes it manageable, but for how long? In Japan, there is an effort that started back in 2005 in order to help cut energy […]

Naadam: Archery

This post is part of a four-part series on Mogolian Naadam (Three Manly Sports). Naadam is a festival traditionally held within the first half of July every year in Mongolia. You can read the other sections here: Horse Racing, Wrestling, Ankle Bones. “Archery has as ancient a history as wrestling; both are mentioned in the Secret […]

Naadam: Wrestling

This post is part of a four-part series on Mogolian Naadam (Three Manly Sports). Naadam is a festival traditionally held within the first half of July every year in Mongolia. You can read the other sections here: Horse Racing, Archery, Ankle Bones. “Wrestling is I think the most national of all Mongol sports. It excites and […]

Naadam: Horse Racing

This post is part of a four-part series on Mogolian Naadam (Three Manly Sports). Naadam is a festival traditionally held within the first half of July every year in Mongolia. You can read the other sections here: Wrestling, Archery, Ankle Bones. “Summer, when there is least work to do and the pasture is at its […]

Too Early For Sleep

Temperate evening Fills its skies With mosquitos And other Winged pests That make The guard dog Whimper As he is eaten With peckish Stings. Families sacrifice Kindling and dung To the gods Of fire And smoke To keep their Threshold Clear of tiny Intruders As they rest. The young man Stays at watch In the […]

Summer Soum

Walking through The dust-coated city With cracked road, The only road With paved lanes, But no lines Down its center, I salute the eternal Blue sky so I Might shade My brow. The dirt, once Brown or mahogany In texture, now A bitter a lifeless Color, cracks Underfoot as if You were walking Upon brittle […]