Exploring Feels Good

As I said earlier, I was restarting Japan by Train this month, and I finally did today.  I took my daughter walking around the Mutsuainichidaimae Station neighbourhood, and it felt great.  I was able to recapture the feeling I had whenever I went exploring new places, and I found a couple of really nice places.  One was a temple, the other was a shrine.  I’m a bit tired, as we walked for 4 hours, and probably around 10-15 km.  But you know, it doesn’t matter that I’m tired.  What matters is that I was able to feel peaceful the entire time.  I’m definitely doing more.

Exploring Japan will also be returning soon with Niigata prefecture.

Book Review – Hi! My Name is Loco and I am a Racist

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted. Sorry about that. I’m not giving up on this blog or Exploring Japan. It’ll continue. But right now, I’d like to share my review of Baye McNeil’s book Hi! My Name is Loco and I am a Racist. Enjoy!

I Read Encyclopedias for Fun

Hi! My Name is Loco and I am a Racist is  part memoir, part social commentary written by fellow Japan resident Baye McNeil.  He talks about his experiences ranging from his childhood in New York, his time in the Army, and teaching English in Japan.  But throughout this book, there is one common theme: racism.

He starts the book off with something most foreigners in Japan experience, the empty seat on a train.  It’s quite obvious that the reason is that he’s a black man in the homogeneous Japanese culture.  He returns to the empty seat several times throughout the book, sometimes as an enemy, sometimes as a friend.  He talks about his experience with racism not only in Japan, but also growing up and living in pre-911 New York.  But it’s not all about racism against him, it’s more about how he and everyone else in the world has…

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