Category Archives: Adventures in Columning

Wild Parakeets in Tokyo ワカケホンセイインコ

Posted on July 1, 2012 by Alice

This morning it was my great pleasure to watch three ring-necked parakeets feeding on a tree outside my window. I’ve been enjoying these wild parakeets since 2009 when I wrote a column about them in The Japan Times. As I … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventures in Columning, Life in Japan, What the Heck is That? | Tagged alice gordenker, feral parakeets, Japan, Japanese Society for Preservation of Birds, Psittacula krameri manillensi, wakake honsei inko | 1 Comment

The making of “moshio” seaweed salt 藻塩　　

Posted on June 19, 2012 by Alice

In my June 19 column in The Japan Times, I wrote about moshio, a salt made from seaweed. And in an earlier post, I mentioned an adventure I didn’t explain. Things came together so I’ll share that adventure now. In … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventures in Columning, Life in Japan, What the Heck is That? | Tagged agehama enden, alice gordenker, Gambare Shiogama, Japanese salt, moshio, Oikawa Fumio, Shiogama, what the heck is that? | Leave a comment

Randoseru Giveaway! Get a genuine Japanese backpack

Posted on May 13, 2012 by Alice

NOTICE: FEB 27, 2015: I will have a few used randoseru available in March for anyone willing to pay the postage from Japan (maybe $30-$40 US depending on your location). Use the contact form on this blog to contact me … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventures in Columning, Life in Japan | Tagged blog giveaway, Japanese backpack, Japanese school bag, randoseru, randoseru recycling, school backpack, used randoseru | 6 Comments

The Urban Balcony: My First Japanese Garden

Posted on November 5, 2011 by Alice

Before I moved to Japan, I lived in a house with a garden. In Tokyo, I’ve lived in an urban apartment. No garden. No access to the outdoors. Then in July, I moved to a second Tokyo apartment. Still no garden. … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventures in Columning, Life in Japan | Tagged balcony garden, Japanese garden, urban garden | 13 Comments

More on Manhole Quilts — and the Tsunami

Posted on April 3, 2011 by Alice

The other day I received a solicitation for sleeping bags for one of the coastal towns in Iwate Prefecture that was all but destroyed by the March 11 tsunami. The town is called Kamaishi. More than 600 people in Kamaishi … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventures in Columning, Life in Japan, What the Heck is That? | Tagged Japan, Kamaishi, manhole quilt, Shirley MacGregor, tsunami | Leave a comment

Adventures in Columning: Japanese bobtail cats

Posted on February 8, 2011 by Alice

One of my very first “What the Heck is That?” columns in The Japan Times, way back in 2005, was about why Japanese alley cats don’t have tails. A few months after the column appeared, I got an email: I … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventures in Columning, Life in Japan, Uncategorized, What the Heck is That? | Tagged alley cats, cat breeder, Japanese bobtail cat, what the heck is that? | Leave a comment

Adventures in Columning: Manhole Quilts

Posted on January 30, 2011 by Alice

This beautiful quilt arrived in my Tokyo apartment last week, and inspires me to write here about the adventures I’ve had thanks to my columns in The Japan Times. Back in 2008, I wrote a column about Japan’s beautiful manhole … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventures in Columning | Tagged Japan Ground Manhole Association, Japanese manholes, quilt, Shirley MacGregor, So, what the heck is that? | 1 Comment