Keiko Amano's Blog
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Oct.12.2009
While I was in the U.S., a friend of mine and her daughter bought a puppy. I wished it wasn't a miniature dachshund because it seemed everywhere in Japan. As I walked through my town, I was concerned about over-breeding pets and consumers' behaviors. When I was small, spitz was the most...
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5 comments
Oct.09.2009
The first scene. The other day, I rode on a bus heading toward Yokohama Bay to renew my ten-year-term passport. I dreaded to take a photo of myself, but I couldn't avoid it this time. A passport photo costs 1800 yen next to the passport office. I thought photo booths at stations usually cost...
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11 comments
Oct.08.2009
To make scones, I have to add buttermilk to sifted flour. Like jealousy, it sticks to my fingers. But if I want to cut scones in alphabet shapes, I will probably suffer more than cutting in a traditional shape. I tried a gourd and a fan shapes before, but they didn't turn out right. So alphabet...
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6 comments
Sep.17.2009
Her name is Mrs. Chaotse Lee. I call her Akiko-san, but she is Taiwanese. She is my neighbor and very good friend. She is my model. I'm her fan. There's nobody like her. I've known her for about ten years, and I often praise her for being very healthy and active. She walks fast. But two...
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20 comments
Sep.06.2009
Sumathi asked me about the language connection between Tamil and Japanese. I don't have the related books with me right now, but as to the time of the origin, probably nobody can say for sure. The books I read were written by Oono Susumu, the most well known Japanese linguist, and his...
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3 comments
Sep.03.2009
My parents told me very little about their families and ancestors. The only thing they told me a lot about was how little food they had during WWII. Because they didn't have white rice, I was sure they didn't have any candies. But maybe an exception would be Sakuma-Drops.
A few weeks ago,...
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11 comments
Aug.23.2009
I love nature. But I didn't plant fig trees in my backyard. I think birds flew over to my yard and dropped some seeds. I appreciate birds and seeds. One day, a thin fig tree appeared. It was natural, so I liked it. A year or so later, another fig plant appeared ten feet away. I believe in...
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35 comments
Aug.18.2009
"Among our relatives, Miyoko-san was the most beautiful woman," my mother used to tell me about her cousin. This wedding photo was taken around 1940. She looks so serious, but in other photos, she shows her warm smile. I knew one of her younger sisters, and she was also...
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Aug.04.2009
"The Mayfly" is the 52nd chapter of Genji Monogatari. Prince Kaoru set up the 49th day Buddhist chant for the death of his lover Ukifune at his mother-in-law's residence. The mother and his wife travelled together to some other far-away location. Right after the chant ended, he...
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Jul.30.2009
The below is an Ebooker's site. I submitted a three page story "Pickles" to this Japanese site for a short short contest. No money is involved. I have blogged a similar story in RR before and recently made a haiku in the "Say Yes to Haiku" club in RR. On the site, my...
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16 comments
Jul.28.2009
Say Yes in Cornish
Some people wonder why I'm interested in words and sounds and variety of things. I don't know why. But I am. Last Christmas, I watched a Cornish Christmas Carol Choir on the television. The program was "California's Gold" from Grass Valley hosted by Huell...
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Jul.26.2009
Because Sumathi made a request in my blog "Sanskrit," I decided to introduce the best, classic book on ocha (a nickname of Chanoyu 茶の湯). O is an honorific word to respect the word, cha means tea, and it pronounces like Cha Cha Cha or Chao. I don't want to confuse you, but first, I want...
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40 comments
Jul.25.2009
In the recent Ellen Sheeley's blog "Emperor's new clothes," I wrote the following comment:
"I just read a Japanese Wikipedia site and learned that in 1880, Japanese women who were the head of household gained the right to vote. It said this was one of very few such examples in the...
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Jul.24.2009
A few days ago, I heard the average Japanese women's life expectancy went up again. It's now 86.05. Men's is 79.29. It's the highest so far for both. I wonder what those Meiji women writers would say if they learned about this achievement. This blog is my tribute to those Meiji-era women...
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Jul.22.2009
I knew the word "Sanskrit" and bon-ji (凡字). But I didn't know bon-ji meant Sanskrit words. Attached photo is a scroll of bonji. I used to think they are a variation of Kanji. My mother used the scroll in her ocha (tea ceremony) party. I don't remember what it says. I hope Jitu can...
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27 comments
About Keiko
Keiko Amano is a bilingual and bicultural writer who lives in Los Angeles and Yokohama. She writes short stories and novels in English and Japanese. Her stories appeared in Eye-Ai magazine.
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Keiko’s Favorite Books
All the books by Flannery O'Connor
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