Season of Love
Almost any tourist book you pick up about Japan will tout how the country is a land of 4 Seasons – each distinct and beautiful. Like these distinct seasons, to me it seems that the Japanese have distinct times in life to do certain things. Previously, I’ve talked about the 青春 period of youthful discover … Read more
Christiana Learning Japan
As a foreigner, I do find the Japanese culture fascinating, especially since it is the prototype for a modern Asian society. More so than I feel in China, Japan has been able to retain its traditional identity (by this, I mean more than a nationalistic pride) while modernizing, synthesizing centuries of history and culture with … Read more
Now, I’m in Japan!
It’s odd to say, but it’s actually taken me quite a while to realize that I am actually in Japan. Perhaps it was the week long orientation with the other foreign students and being shielded from awkwardness by my Chinese labmates here. Or, perhaps I hadn’t tried hard enough yet. But, recently, it’s dawned on … Read more
Kaho, Riho, Maho
I believe that the cutest thing in the world to a father are his daughters. I’ve finally arrived in Japan for my 2.5-month research exchange trip as part of the JSPS Summer Program for foreign fellows. As part of the orientation program, I was fortunate enough to be placed with a family of 6 (Dad, … Read more
Concert in Dallas (with a free Anime Con)!
It’s been a crazy week of travel, starting with a short trip to Dallas, TX, to watch the concert of my friend’s favorite Japanese band, AYABIE. He was so excited about the concert that he bought the ticket last December! Since he likes the band so much, I figured they must be pretty good, so … Read more
Sights of Shanghai
Shanghai is a dazzling city. Though Shanghai lacks the ancient history of Beijing, it’s unique history as a Sphere of Influence port and commercial center of China has resulted in fantastic synergy of western influence and Chinese modernism. Along the Huangpu River, which cuts through the city like its main artery, lies the Bund on … Read more
One Week in Shanghai
By now, the 36 hours worth of delay in Dalian has nearly been wiped from my memory. I’ve now spent one week at Tongji University in Shanghai for the Asia-Pacific Summer School (APSS) on Structural Health Monitoring and Control, an international summer school with students from US, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese universities. It’s an interesting … Read more
The Big Buddha – Finding Peace from the City
Hong Kong is a place with a lot of places to see, so you need to plan carefully if you want to get the best sights and you’re on a tight schedule. So, with only 4 full days in Hong Kong and really only time for one day trip, what did my travel companions say … Read more
Hong Kong Food Journey – Part Two – Taking it to the Street
Perhaps the single most amazing thing I find in Hong Kong is how much food there is in such a small place. Houston has stuff to eat everywhere, but Hong Kong has stuff to eat EVERYWHERE – the kind of everywhere which means whenever you walk out of your building you’re either staring fresh fruit, … Read more
A Night at the Races!
It’s surprising how much our Hong Kong trip was inspired by all the movies that my siblings and I had seen as kids! For some reason, we were particularly fixated on the horse racing scene from All for the Winner (A.K.A. – Saint of Gamblers, see 3:26 of the clip) this time around and made … Read more
