by Rebecca Copeland | Sep 14, 2022 | Japanese Culture
Overheated, overdressed, and definitely over the idea of traveling with my parents, I plopped down on my suitcase right there on the platform of Ueno Station in Tokyo, Japan. My suitcase was a bright red hard vinyl rectangle. It was part of a matching set that I’d...
by Rebecca Copeland | Aug 31, 2022 | Japanese Culture
Japan is a great place to run races. People are generally supportive of runners and racers and are eager to cheer even the slowest on the field. Years ago, when I lived in Mitaka, Tokyo, I ran a lot of short-distance road races. Inspired by the encouragement of the...
by Rebecca Copeland | Aug 3, 2022 | Japanese Culture
I stood on the bridge feeling perplexed. Nothing was right. There should have been a small lane here next to a beauty salon. It was gone. Not just the beauty salon, but the lane, too. Perhaps I was on the wrong bridge. I looked up and down the river and saw bridges in...
by Rebecca Copeland | Jul 20, 2022 | Japanese Culture
“I have a kimono that my Uncle brought back from Japan at the end of World War II, as a gift to my mother. I’m wondering if you might be interested in it?” I received an email with this message shortly after my university’s online magazine ran an article on my kimono...
by Rebecca Copeland | Jul 6, 2022 | Japanese Culture
One of the perks of associating with the International Pulpwood Queens and Timber Guys Book Club is that it has put me in touch with so many other writers and their amazing works. Suzanne Kamata’s The Baseball Widow is the Official 2022 Pick of the International...
by Rebecca Copeland | Jun 22, 2022 | Japanese Culture
In The Kimono Tattoo, main character Ruth Bennett keeps an eye on the Japanese seasons. She knows when it’s appropriate to wear unlined kimonos or to dispense with long sleeves. Knowing of her fastidiousness, I was surprised when she forgot to celebrate the Aoi...
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