the qualia journal

Clouds are always up in the sky, yet we do not attend to them. From time to time, when the shapes strike us as massive, and the angle of the...

Back in Tokyo, I am already immersed in a hectic work schedule. I had a quite stimulating dialogue with Dr. Hisashi Matsumoto, who is a flyi...

It used to be that when I go abroad and come back to Narita airport, I get into a mental zone of inverse cultural shock, finding the atmosph...

On my final day in London, I visited the British Museum with my co-travelers, and talked to Mr. Timothy Clark, head of the Japanese Section....

I visited Tate Britain and the National Gallery in London. One of the main purposes was to see the paintings by John Mallord William Turne...

I came to London for a magazine and book cover trip of the Tate and British Museum. I am staying just for two nights and then will be flying...

In a democracy, people have the power to oust the king, no matter how powerful he may be. For the last 25 years, I have been voting for the ...

Although the ending of the film is rather sad, the opening scene of "Easy Rider" always thrills me when I watch it. "Born to...

Bats are such fascinating creatures, by the very nature of their existence. The playing time passes quite rapidly for a child. In the olden ...

I was 25 or so when I first visited Madrid. I usually do not consult a travel guide except for the very basic information. So I entered the ...

Some things keep staying in mind, no matter how intractable they may be. When I read Roger Penrose's "The Emperor's New Mind...

I had a dialogue with the artist Rei Naito for a digital radio program by NHK. We have had several conversations before. Some of them has be...

I continued to stroll in the beautiful region of Takashima. In the Harie district, many houses are equipped with Kabata, a natural water poo...

Computers are wonderful things, but to the extent that we associate with them, something in us becomes dumb. It is especially true for the i...

I had a dialogue with the political scientist Kang Sang-jung in the Hilltop Hotel in central Tokyo. The conversation was held for a woman...

I think The Carpenters was the first pop singer group that captured my imagination when I was a kid. I guess I was about 10. "Top of t...

I and Ms. Sumiyoshi Miki had a conversation with the manga artist Takehiko Inoue for "The Professionals" program broadcast by NHK...

When I am hungry at night, having been unable to take a respectable bite, at the bed time I am faced with a dilemma. Should I eat something ...

When I was a kid, I used to love to eat white thin noodles ( Somen ) in the summer. After being boiled, the noodles would be put into ice c...

My native and resident country, Japan is a nation of islands. Going abroad used to and remains to have a special connotation for its inhabit...