So sorry I've been busy.
The news has been overflowing with reports on Fukushima. I know I should be worried because I not only want to return to Japan, but because I also want to move to the west coast and if there is radioactive material oozing into the ocean, that will affect the West Coast of America quickly. After the plant manager died of cancer (supposedly unrelated to his heavy hours in the plant after the near meltdown two years ago), there has been several reports in the weeks following that updating global citizens of what is failing and Japan's attempts to fix these grave problems. I really wonder how Japanese citizens view this and whether or not they're getting as much or (hopefully) more information daily about what is going on at this nuclear power plant. I also worry because I know that Japan's been trying hard to conserve energy since they had closed down their other plants (in order to one day not need run on nuclear energy anymore).
Then today I found out Utada Hikaru's mother passed away (maybe yesterday in Japan--not sure). I found out via Asian Junkie and one of my Japanese penpals that she is definitely deceased (and not just propaganda) and supposedly by suicide, but nobody knows for sure. I don't know how Utada is taking it since this just occurred, but I can only hope that there is some comfort in knowing that her fans and her mother's empathize with her. If you haven't had the chance to hear either of these amazing musicians, quickly go listen to some of their hits. I can only hope the best for Utada.
A roommate from last year posted this on another roommate's wall the other day. I know that instant ramen is becoming more and more common as daily meals in both America and Japan, and people love to mix up what they like. The reason that the first roommate shared This Article on the second's wall is because we've watched her try hummus ramen, ramen as toppings, dry ramen, and more. She wanted to see if the second would try a ramen burger because of her experiments, but it was too much for the other one to consider.
At some point a few weeks ago I was reading Understanding Humor in Japan by Jessica Milner Davis because I read another book by a Russian in Japan that upset me. The Russian author stated possible facts about why the Japanese do things they do, why they view things the way they do, but without historical or factual explanations. There were no citations or any evidence to back up his statements besides his living there. I plan on putting up a more in-depth post on the book when I get the chance.
Davis' article was really interesting because she not only explains everything in detail for an audience who does or doesn't know anything about Japanese culture on top of relating and explaining historical context. I look forward to reading more of this book in the near future.
Lastly I've begun prepping for applying to grad school and the Fulbright Scholars Program. I want to research Japanese culture and this is a great way to do so. It is really prestigious and I really hope I get in. I have an interesting subject I want to research and I hope they'll accept me so I can study and write about it. Since I can only research and not teach or get an MA or anything while I'm in Japan, I'm hoping that the Grad Schools I apply to will allow me to defer them for a year to do this researching (if I'm accepted *fingers crossed*).
Well, thank you so much for reading. Don't forget to comment and share with your friends.
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