Todd Jay Leonard, Blog

Thursday, September 27 , 2007

The old man and the (grrrgh!) seafood

There’s something fishy going on in Japan, and it ain’t the beer — no, wait, it’s in the beer, too

Having lived in Japan for so long, I have become quite acculturated to the Japanese way, including customs, traditions and daily life. There is one particular area, though, that I have never developed a taste for, and that is some types of Japanese food, especially fish.

Unfortunately, I am not a

Thursday, September 13 , 2007

Camp Chesterfield ready for 'Spiritfest'

CHESTERFIELD - Sylvia Browne. James Van Praagh. John Edward. Do any of these names ring a bell? Most probably, you have heard of at least one of these famous TV "mediums." They are household names.

Have you heard of Mabel Riffle, Clifford Bias or the Bang Sisters? Probably not. But at one time,

Monday, September 10 , 2007

Fat chance

Coming home offers old friends,

old joys and the return of the untethered appetite

Coming home offers old friends, old joys and the return of the untethered appetite Often during my trips home, people ask me what I miss about Indiana and specifically my hometown of Shelbyville. On these visits, there are a few things that I always need to do. Of course, visiting family and

Monday, August 27 , 2007

Japan's challenge

Immigration becoming central issue of Japan’s economic future

A little while back, a reader wrote to ask about immigration in Japan. He wanted to know what types of immigrants take Japanese citizenship, how well they are accepted into Japanese society and how easily they are able to assimilate into mainstream Japanese society and culture.

I imagine the

Monday, August 13 , 2007

Culture, people top 'List of Things Japanese'

Saving the best until last, my 10th installment for the series "Todd's Top 10 List of Things Japanese" is what makes Japan so special and why I consider it my second home: its culture and its people.

Of course, there are nice people - and some not-so-nice people - everywhere. Japan is no

Monday, July 30 , 2007

Attention to detail

Human courtesy, respect for others make pleasant the daily life in Japan

Nearing the end of my "Top Ten List of Things Japanese" is No. 9 - not one singular thing, but various things I am going to classify into one category: attention to detail.

When friends from home visit here, this is one of the first things they notice about Japan and the Japanese: a wonderful

Monday, July 16 , 2007

It is good to bear gifts

In Japan, it's the gift that counts

Coming in as No. 8 on my "Top Ten List" of things I like about Japan is the custom of "gift giving."

I'm sure all cultures perform a similar time-honored gift-giving ritual, but there is something institutional about the way Japanese give and accept gifts, making it an ingrained and essential

Monday, July 02 , 2007

Japanese hair salons offer chance to relax, unwind

Continuing on my list of "Todd's Top Ten Things Japanese" is number seven, which is actually a composite of several things I like. All, however, are related to getting one's hair cut in a Japanese salon.

The city where I live, Hirosaki, has a disproportionately high number, per capita, of hair

Monday, June 18 , 2007

Cultural boon

Japanese bath ‘Ofuro’ offers best of both worlds

Continuing on with my series of favorite things about Japan, No. 6 on the list is the "ofuro" or Japanese bath.

Few things in life are as satisfying and luxurious as a traditional Japanese bath. Over the millennia, Japan and its people have truly perfected bath-taking - elevating a mundane

Monday, June 4 , 2007

The hot seat

Visitors warm to luxurious Japanese toilets

This column marks the halfway point of "Todd's Top-10 List of Things Japanese." Over the past couple of months, I have been commenting on aspects of Japanese culture and daily life that I especially like.

Coming in at No. 5 on the list is a topic I've written about before but one that I feel