Tag Archives: Japan
Riding the Floor
About a week after we moved to Japan, my daughter, Bonnie, and I experienced our first earthquake. As we sat on the floor, Japanese style, our legs tucked under the kotatsu for warmth, the apartment began to sway. “Look at … Continue reading
Breaking Up With Hooligans
In Roxborough, the Philadelphia neighborhood where my family moved in 1963, the first fast food restaurant to litter the landscape was Gino’s. We’d eaten steak sandwiches and hoagies from Delassandro’s, in Wissahickon, for years, but Gino’s was the first hamburger … Continue reading
Starring on highways in Pennsylvania: fall foliage
One of the things I love about Pennsylvania is the smash hit that plays along a highway near you around the last two weeks of October, and runs until the last leaves fall. In this production there are no bad seats, and the ticket is always free. It can be a sad story, a reminder of mortality; or a joyous one, with the implicit promise of renewal; regardless, it plays to packed houses. Continue reading
Serial quitter
This January, I almost quit smoking. Again. I can hardly keep track of the myriad times I’ve almost quit. I started smoking at about twelve, and have continued off and on for most of my adult life. Luckily, I’ve lived … Continue reading
Stressed out in Shinjuku
When we arrived in Japan, in April, to attend the wedding of my good friend, Mark, I exuded confidence as I lined up for the Narrita Express, the train that would take us right to Shinjuku. I’d forgotten the name … Continue reading
