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Amy Chavez

For Amy Chavez's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

May 18, 2014

Stone, sweat and stamps: chasing Jizos in Kamakura

Amy Chavez gets to know Jizo Bosatsu — the Buddhist deity who looks after travelers and children — a little better, by embarking on a 24-site Jizo Pilgrimage jog through Kamakura.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Apr 20, 2014

The one that got away

In 2004, the job of looking after the local foreigner went to Rikimatsu-san, a 75-year-old fisherman intent on teaching me the ways of the Seto Inland Sea.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Mar 21, 2014

Move over, Tigers — the era of the Chihuahua Mama is here

I don't mind screaming children so much as I mind their doting mothers. Eyeing the antics of the parent, sometimes you can clearly see why their child is screaming. Recently, believe it or not, I heard a 1-year-old, coddled in the arms of her exuberant mother, scream at the top of its lungs, "I am not a Chihuahua!"

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Mar 7, 2014

Barely-a-bear Kumamon could be the next faker to shock Japan

Japan's "deaf composer," Mamoru Samuragochi, has turned out to be an imposter. Wow, who's next? Well, I'll tell you.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Feb 22, 2014

Tokyo 2020: only as old as the medalists you field

The motto of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is 'Discover Tomorrow,' which organizers hope will help distract sport fanatics from the reality of Japan being the fastest-aging country in the world.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Feb 7, 2014

'Cove' to become 'aquatic nook' as Abe takes aim at improper eigo

Some say that Shinzo Abe's latest proposed tax increases, part of the 'fourth arrow' in his popular 'Abenomics' policy, are going a step too far. Dubbed the 'language tax,' the new levy is aimed at word usage.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Jan 24, 2014

From the ditches of Nara to the Otohime, a lav story

Ever wondered what's with the toilet slippers in Japan? Surely I am not the only foreigner to question whether we need to be entirely reshod before entering the restroom in a Japanese house.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Jan 10, 2014

Teachers must nurture critical thinking, confidence in English for a shot at 2020 goals

Until English teachers start developing critical thinking skills in the classroom and emphasizing confidence over competence, students will never be able to converse with native English speakers 'at a viable level of proficiency.'

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Dec 27, 2013

Japan should take English lessons from Philippines

English is an official language of the Philippines but this does not mean that everyone understands or speaks English. However, it does mean that exposure to the language is so widespread that those who do speak it can communicate quite fluently.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Dec 13, 2013

Bike-riding bureaucracy may threaten the classic 'obāchan dismount'

The new regulation decrees that bicycles must be ridden on the left side of the road, in the direction of the flow of traffic. Seems logical, doesn't it? But no one has said how this will prevent accidents or make anything safer; we're just presuming it will.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Nov 29, 2013

Islanders must think bigger to thrive, not just survive

As a resident, may I be so bold as to suggest that we don't need an NPO to save our island from aging and depopulation. What we need is for an NPO, or anyone, to save our island from itself!

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Nov 15, 2013

A war of words over butchered English

The student wanted to make a brochure in English, aimed at attracting foreign tourists to Shiraishi. The English title of her presentation was “Come on my Island!”

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Nov 1, 2013

Seven Unlucky Gods sowing misery across Japan

I have a theory about the conspicuous absence of the Seven Lucky Gods: They each have an evil twin.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Oct 18, 2013

Shōchū and the art of conflict resolution: an islander's insight

If you don't drink shochu, you're bound to have problems adjusting to island life. It's like moving to Okinawa and not partaking in awamori: It's a part of the local culture.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Oct 11, 2013

A really long name — as long as the Mississippi

Small islands in the Seto Inland Sea such as mine are visited periodically by health care boats with doctors, nurses and medical equipment on board to offer health exams for islanders. The boat makes the rounds of all the small islands that belong to Okayama Prefecture, making it possible for even the elderly and bed-ridden to take advantage of certain medical services.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Oct 4, 2013

How enlightened are you? — it doesn't have to be religion

We've all heard of enlightenment: awakening to the ultimate truth of life, usually achieved by relief from suffering. With the stresses of modern life — careers, love, family, Facebook — all that mental and physical pain, who wouldn't want to suffer a little less? Who wouldn't want enlightenment?

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Sep 27, 2013

FYI: Agricultural World Heritage status

After our 3,776-meter-tall friend Fuji-san won the coveted UNESCO World Heritage status this year, many people are wondering what site will win the status next? Only one Japanese site per year can be nominated for the award, and recent reports have said the government is considering a steel works, a dockyard and a coal mine for nominations in 2015, as these facilities represent Japan's industrial revolution in the late 19th to early 20th centuries. Hmmm, I wonder, though: Aren't cows more interesting?

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Sep 20, 2013

The ancient pilgrimage routes and the local community

As I headed out the door to do some trail running in the national park behind my house, I was surprised to make it only a few hundred meters before I was stopped dead in my tracks. The dead part was a tree that had fallen over the trail over a month ago and had yet to be removed. No problem. I went back home, got a hand saw, cut up the tree and cleared the trail. Now run!

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Sep 13, 2013

The dysfunctional family of Mother Nature

"From now on, I will carry my own water bottle," I promised Mother Nature. She had just scolded me as I came around the corner by presenting me with an angry beach covered with garbage. And this was not the first time she has told me off. Hundreds of beaches in the Seto Inland Sea are inundated with garbage that washes up.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Sep 6, 2013

The big and small of it — slippers that fit the feet of Hibagon

I live with Bigfoot. Don't tell anyone though, or the media will be all over it.

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.

[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.

Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree

By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

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Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass

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