area rugs
fish tree tales stories from japan
anyone whos ever lived in a foreign country knows what its like to misunderstand the natives and their ways of doing things . even if youve mastered the language youre still a foreigner and some things are just . strange confusion is common and we may find ourselves wondering more than wed like to admit why do they do it that way i spent time in several foreign countries but by far my longest adventure overseas was in japan . i lived there almost seven years . my first trip over i only knew the words for colors and numbers in japanese . and i could ask questions but i had no idea what the answers people gave me were . later on i conducted nearly my whole life in japanese . even now i know there is a lot i dont know and i think i speak only pidgin japanese . but friends humor me and tell me my japanese is amazing . im easily humored . this collection of short stories mixes fact with fiction which is something the foreigner may be unsure of anyway in their non native surroundings . even after six years living in japan and having amazing japanese many times when im there im still not quite sure whats going on so i simply go along . understanding might not ever come anyway and going along is just easier . except for dealing with bankers police officers immigration officers train officials about 30 % of taxi drivers surly convenience store clerks and the occasional stumble upon the local mafia wan na bes aside from dealings with these people it is nearly always fun the fiction stories have elements of truth in them but are purely from my imagination set in japan and based on my own understanding of the culture during the various times i have called that place home .