the qualia journal

(Continued from yesterday's entry "The firefly night") My sister and I wandered around in the night, sometimes hand in hand. M...

When I was about 10 years old, there was an announcement in the local newspaper that a "firefly night" would be held in a nearby p...

When I go for jogging in the park forest nearby, I am always watching out for butterflies. They are lovely creatures. I used to try to catch...

Every child is born into a system of language. I was born into the universe of Japanese, spoken by 130 million people but virtually confined...

So I am back in Tokyo, back into the heat and humidity. When at home, I do not use the air conditioner, as I don't like the artificial a...

On the plane back to Tokyo (JL001), I watched the film "East of Eden". I think I had seen this masterpiece directed by Elia Kazan ...

2nd day at the Science Foo camp on the Googleplex. Discussions begin in earnest. The sessions are self-organized, scribed down on large pos...

First day of Science Foo camp 2010 at Google campus. It was my first visit to the Googleplex. Impressive. The atmosphere of playfulness and ...

So here I am in Sunnyvale, California. It is 2:42 p.m. local time. In the evening, I will be attending the Science Foo Camp sponsored by Goo...

Throughout my life, I seem to have been enjoying the status of being a minority. In the junior high, I used to chase butterflies in the fiel...

I attended the wedding party of Ebizo Ichikawa, the young and great Kabuki actor. The Kabuki is a miracle, as it is both popular and artisti...

My favorite bar in Tokyo is "EST" in Yushima. The first time I visited this legendary bar, I was with Ken Shiotani, my fat philoso...

As I go about my life, I meet many people. Some are famous. Others are young. Many are experienced. A few are truly awesome. I seem to appre...

Responding to the invitation of a senior high school headmaster Mr. Kawasaki, I gave two lectures in Sapporo. After the strenuous but enjoyi...

The Dubliners by James Joyce is a sublime example of English prose work. Written in 1904, the classic masterpiece, however, did not get publ...

To express oneself, in particular as a matter of being understood by the widest audience possible and giving pleasure to many, is a hard uph...

Nowadays Japanese manga and anime enjoy much popularity and a high respectability. Manga and anime are considered the primary cultural expor...

When I traveled to Korea a few weeks ago, I had the joy of being in a land where I found myself helpless as a three year old child. Hangul, ...

My native language is not English. I started to learn English only at the age of 12. Then my struggle began, as English and Japanese are two...

Now I am staying in the Kayoutei onsen ryokan in Yamanaka Onsen, Ishikawa prefecture. This ryokan is famed for its magnificent breakfast, so...