Since 2004 the author has lectured for the Japanese government foreign aid agency to visiting officials, mostly from developing countries. The 70th 2-hour presentation will be to long-term grantees entering graduate schools in the Kansai region (Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto, Nara, and surroundings) by Zoom. This illustrated slideshow gives an idea of the…[Read more]

In Mumbai the sonic dimensions of place‐making and religious life are deeply connected to the right to the city. For Twelver Shi‘i Muslims, who are marginal to both the city and the nation, public religious rituals and processions have long played very important roles in staging claims to the city. Investigating the sonic aspects of urban pla…[Read more]

Although Japanese soprano Tamaki Miura attempted to revive her career shortly after the conclusion of World War II, it was not until her recital on 21 March 1946, in which it became apparent that she was severely ill, that the Japanese media began to pay close attention to her activities. In an attempt to capture the sound of the once world-famous…[Read more]

Slideshow for a forthcoming invited presentation. ABSTRACT: Podcasting originated as a new form of audio broadcasting, but by 2006, issues of ease of use, proprietary technology, and finances slowed its momentum. Now podcasting is more popular than ever. This presentation therefore traces the author’s initial and current CALL podcasting p…[Read more]

theory of Deleuzian bifurcation

Whether citizens, sojourners, or immigrants, most employed residents of Japan will be unable or unwilling to retire. The natural desire to choose the terms of transitions, however, runs into customary age limits, around 65 for full-time and 70 to 75 for part-time employment in the case of higher education. Combined with stereotypical…[Read more]

Fun quiz with a presentation and worksheet for students to answer the questions while the teacher projects the presentation. It upends preconceptions of most Japanese university students and provides a lesson on phenomena such as international marriage, language shift, and the levels of bilingualism formulated by the author.

A previous Deep in Japan podcast explored how ancient Japanese viewed their environment and sacred sites, culminating in the author’s discovery of a mountain range that was formerly viewed as a mandala that practitioners could traverse. This 2022 podcast is more autobiographical, describing encounters with Reischauer, Keene, Alan Watts, and…[Read more]