I have to admit, there are many challenges so far to living here but one of the greatest joys has been the time and space to create art. Here are some of the things I’ve painted since I’ve been here. The latest to the earliest. The earliest piece I did here was the tengu (red…
Category: Otaru
On Sharing Too Much – About My Life and About Other Things – also – Fuck Tourism
People are always surprised by my writing. “It’s so honest!” “Are you always this open?” “It’s refreshing to have someone share their experience without filters.” Those are just a few of the comments I’ve recently heard and I guess I should address them. I’m a spiritual being having a human experience. It’s baffling, exciting, frustrating,…
Hungry Ghosts Seeking Connection in a disConnected World
I find myself quite alone in my house in Otaru – and in general in the town of Otaru, on the island of Hokkaido, and in Japan. It wouldn’t be accurate to say that I find myself alone in the world as there are people I communicate with on a regular basis via the social…
Some Notes on Moving to Japan – Satoshi Manor
It took me a while to figure out that Amazon.jp works well here but you need a new Prime membership if you want the free shipping. Once I cancelled my U.S. Prime and changed to Japan, life suddenly got a lot easier. I don’t plan on having a car so being able to have things…
My path to Home Ownership – I bought a Cheap House (Akiya) in Japan
I’ve always wanted to be a home-owner and up to this point, I’ve been thwarted by economics. I could never get enough to make a decent offer in the beautiful places I’ve lived – or to qualify for a mortgage with my self-employed hustle lifestyle. When I finally did manage to get enough money together…
Dormy Inn Otaru and the Japanese Breakfast Cult
I didn’t take pictures of this – because of basic respect for strangers on holiday – but I hope my words can convey how strange and awesome it is staying in a Japanese tourist hotel in a resort town during a holiday. I’ve written about the onsen (hot spring) and the unfortunate (for me) rule…