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Channel: Grace Buchele Mineta – Texan in Tokyo
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Our Marriage is as Old as a Tiny Human (Nine Month Annivesary)

October 2, 2014, 5:32 am
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Today is my 9 month wedding anniversary. I’ve been so busy with all the book stuff (ordering copies, reviewing, trying to make last minute changes, and sending frantic emails to all sorts of suppliers, trying to fix tiny mistakes) that this anniversary kind of just snuck right up on us. I’m sure most people don’t celebrate their 9 month anniversary. However, we’ve already established that Ryosuke and I aren’t “normal” (whatever that means). Ryosuke and I decided last night that our marriage is officially as old as a tiny human. We both laughed – but later that night, I let it sink in. Our marriage could be a baby. In fact, our marriage kind of is our baby. We feed it, take care of it, love it (and each other), and make sure to take time out of our busy schedules to emotionally nourish this marriage. Ryosuke leaves me notes like these every morning :) I blogged about it a bit when we first got engaged, several people asked (sometimes offhandedly sometimes as a joke) if I was pregnant. Because why else would we get married so quickly? Right out of college? Sorry to break it to you, but babies are [...]

The post Our Marriage is as Old as a Tiny Human (Nine Month Annivesary) appeared first on Texan in Tokyo.

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Comic: The Earthquake Game

October 3, 2014, 5:09 pm
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In case anyone is wondering, yes, this actually does happen. Ryosuke’s much better at this game than me (you know, on account of being raised in a country/area that actually has earthquakes). I like to counter my fears with humor.

The post Comic: The Earthquake Game appeared first on Texan in Tokyo.

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Why don’t Japanese People wear Wedding Rings? Things I Don’t Understand about Japan

October 4, 2014, 5:17 pm
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I’m married. I wear a large, plain gold wedding ring (family heirloom from my grandmother) and gold/diamond engagement ring on my left hand. My husband Ryosuke also wears a large, plain gold wedding band on his left hand. Actually, Ryouske started wearing his wedding band shortly after we got engaged. He thought it wasn’t fair how I got an engagement ring and he didn’t. He still thinks the fact that only girls get to wear an engagement ring is very sexist. Moving on. Two years ago, right after we got engaged, I started doing that sneaky “check for a wedding ring” glance at people I met or people I see on the train. I wanted to see who else was married. You know, curiosity. Except I rarely saw a wedding band in Japan. Which either meant that 80% of the men on the train or in the office I worked at were unmarried… or they chose not to wear a wedding band. I didn’t know the polite way to phrase “Hey, I know we just met and we’re only working on this one project together, but I heard from the person who introduced us that your wife is also from Ibaraki. So [...]

The post Why don’t Japanese People wear Wedding Rings? Things I Don’t Understand about Japan appeared first on Texan in Tokyo.

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Video: PDA in Japan VS America [Public Displays of Affection]

October 5, 2014, 6:49 pm
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Ever wonder about the differences between PDA [Public Displays of Affection] in Japan and America? Time to find out!  We tried to be serious in this video. We really did. The basic summary: We started dating in college when Ryosuke studied abroad at my university in America. He wasn’t comfortable doing anything more than holding hands in public (even hugs for more than .5 second made him uncomfortable) We had to really talk about it – and meet halfway. I wouldn’t kiss him “Hello” in public, but he does need to hug me from time-to-time. I grew up watching my parents/grandparents/relatives kissing and/or cuddling in public. His parents used to kiss… but they stopped a long time ago. Neither of us have seen either of his older (married) siblings kiss their partners. Acceptable levels of PDA in America: holding hands, hugging, cuddling, kissing “Hello/Goodbye.” Don’t make out in public. Acceptable levels of PDA in Japan: holding hands. Sometimes hugging is ok. Don’t cuddle or kiss. Now Ryosuke is more into PDA than I am. We got used to being very “open” about our relationship when we were in Philly/Texas last year and it was difficult to adjust back to Japanese [...]

The post Video: PDA in Japan VS America [Public Displays of Affection] appeared first on Texan in Tokyo.

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Comic: Nightmare Spider Babies

October 6, 2014, 3:40 pm
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So this happened. I didn’t really sleep that night. Every time the wind hit my foot, I jerked awake. Ugh. I saw a spider crawling on the desk near my sketchbook, so I squished it with a nearby magazine (that I happened to write an article in. Oops). And then a ton of baby spiders crawled out of the carcass. lasjd;kfja;lskdjf;lkajs;dklfj;aslkdf;iowjeoifja;sdkf Nightmares. And no, I didn’t burn down the house. Thanks for asking.

The post Comic: Nightmare Spider Babies appeared first on Texan in Tokyo.

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Comic: 10 Months Pregnant in Japan

October 7, 2014, 6:48 pm
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Comic: 10 Months Pregnant in Japan



Neither Ryosuke nor I remembered when his older sister got pregnant/when she was due, so we called up the parents to ask (she moved in with the parents back in early September, so they could take care of her throughout the pregnancy, since her husband works long hours and stuff- this is pretty standard in Japan).

When Ryosuke got off the phone, he was like "Oh, she's 10 months pregnant. So it should be pretty soon."

And I was like "WHAT 10 months pregnant??

The post Comic: 10 Months Pregnant in Japan appeared first on Texan in Tokyo.

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13 Tips for Studying Abroad at Akita International University [国際教養学/Kokusai Kyoyo Daigaku/AIU]

October 9, 2014, 4:29 am
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13 Tips for Studying Abroad at Akita International University [国際教養学/Kokusai Kyoyo Daigaku/AIU]



This week's guest post comes from Rebecca Manuel who studied abroad at Akita International University for the year of 2012 - 2013. She wanted to write a "survival guide" for potential study abroad students. She writes:

I studied abroad for a full semester year – meaning, in Japan, from the end of August to the beginning of August – during my junior year at university (2012 to 2013) at Akita International University (AIU).

The post 13 Tips for Studying Abroad at Akita International University [国際教養学/Kokusai Kyoyo Daigaku/AIU] appeared first on Texan in Tokyo.

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Comic: Adventures as a Haircut Model in Japan (+ Video!)

October 10, 2014, 4:56 am
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Comic: Adventures as a Haircut Model in Japan (+ Video!)



 

Btdubs, if anyone wants to watch me draw this comics (at 20X speed), here you go:

That last "speed comic" vlog I did was surprisingly popular, so I wanted to do another one. In general, this is how I do all my comics. I mostly draw either at cafes (while waiting for a client or killing time in between jobs) or at home (as a break from using the computer).

The post Comic: Adventures as a Haircut Model in Japan (+ Video!) appeared first on Texan in Tokyo.

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Comic: You can Come Live with us!

October 11, 2014, 5:37 pm
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Comic: You can Come Live with us!



I love my in-laws. My favorite part about them is the fact that they don't treat me like a foreigner. I'm just another part of the family. Neither of my husband's parents have left Japan or speak English.

The post Comic: You can Come Live with us! appeared first on Texan in Tokyo.

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Things I love about Japan: Yuba (Tofu) Flavored Ice Cream

October 12, 2014, 5:12 pm
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Things I love about Japan: Yuba (Tofu) Flavored Ice Cream



One of my husband's "bucket list" foods is yuba, the protein-rich skin skimmed off cooling soymilk during the tofu-making process. Most people just call yuba "soymilk skin" (because apparently that sounds appetizing) - and it is famous in Kyoto. Recently, in Kyoto, we ate yuba-flavored ice cream. It was amazing.

The post Things I love about Japan: Yuba (Tofu) Flavored Ice Cream appeared first on Texan in Tokyo.

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Comic: The Easiest way to get rid of a Cold is to give it to Someone Else

October 13, 2014, 4:36 pm
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Things I Love about Japan: Japanese Bakeries (and Cake Shops)

October 15, 2014, 4:52 am
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Things I Love about Japan: Japanese Bakeries (and Cake Shops)



In my experience, foreigners have one of two reactions (physically at least) to spending an extended period of time in Japan: gaining or losing a fair amount of weight.
After all, the Japanese diet of rice and noodles effects everyone differently. Throw in the "snacking culture," bakeries,  freshly made sweets at conbinis, and cake shops - and your body is bound to change.

The post Things I Love about Japan: Japanese Bakeries (and Cake Shops) appeared first on Texan in Tokyo.

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Comic: My First Earthquake -VS- Now

October 16, 2014, 6:11 am
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My Books are FINALLY here + Kickstarter Update + Video!

October 17, 2014, 4:46 pm
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Are You Attractive in Japan?

October 18, 2014, 6:00 am
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Are You Attractive in Japan?



This week's guest post comes from Gina, the blogger behind Gina Bear in Japan (which is an awesome blog, by the way, and you should totally check it out!). Gina writes: 

Everywhere in the world, beauty has different standards and bars set so high, they are usually unattainable.

The post Are You Attractive in Japan? appeared first on Texan in Tokyo.

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Weird Japanese Drinks: Euglena Farm Juice (飲むユーグレナ)

October 20, 2014, 5:17 am
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Comic: Coupons for date night/steak night

October 21, 2014, 6:50 am
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Comic: Coupons for date night/steak night



We don't go out to eat often. We both enjoy cooking and, mixed with the fact that I'm allergic to preservatives and milk (making eating out difficult), it's just easier to make our own food.

Cheaper, too.

Except for the kaitenzushi (rotator belt sushi) and a Steakhouse near our house, we don't go out to eat.

The post Comic: Coupons for date night/steak night appeared first on Texan in Tokyo.

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Comic: Placenta Face Mask

October 22, 2014, 6:06 am
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How My Fear Of Long Distance Almost Ruined Everything

October 23, 2014, 4:49 pm
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How My Fear Of Long Distance Almost Ruined Everything



This week's guest post is from my good friend Jasmine (who runs the awesome blog Japan-aholic). She talks about how her fear of a long distance relationship almost prevented her from making one of the best decisions of her life. She writes: 

This sort of post is a bit unusual for me, as I normally don't get into too much details when it concerns my private life.

The post How My Fear Of Long Distance Almost Ruined Everything appeared first on Texan in Tokyo.

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Comic: Digging Sweet Potatos in Rural Japan

October 25, 2014, 3:33 am
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Comic: Digging Sweet Potatos in Rural Japan



 

I dug sweet potatoes for the first time ever last weekend out in Ibaraki. "Japanese Dad" has two gardens (one in the vacant lot next to the family house and another much larger farm/garden about a 10 min walk away).

He sells his produce at local farmers markets and on Saturday mornings at the  nearby Ibaraki community center.

Also, as I touched on in this comic, I really enjoy helping "Japanese Dad" out in his garden whenever we visit :

The post Comic: Digging Sweet Potatos in Rural Japan appeared first on Texan in Tokyo.

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