Author Archives: Vicky

方と気 Form & Energy

The poet William Blake proposed that two types of people exist: the “energetic creators” and the “rational organizers”, or, as he calls them in The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, the “devils” and “angels”. According to Blake, both are necessary to life. Often both can be found in a single person. He said we should goContinueContinue reading “方と気 Form & Energy”

The Unique Challenges of Renting in Japan — Part 2

Part 2: Understanding Japanese apartment adverts In my home country of the UK, renting is a pretty simple affair. It’s not uncommon to be able to sign the contract on the same day as the viewing. Not so in Japan! Renting an apartment in Japan can potentially be a long, complicated and drawn-out process; especiallyContinueContinue reading “The Unique Challenges of Renting in Japan — Part 2”

Pain is inevitable, but suffering depends on you!

My housemate wanted a Japanese translation of the above title, written in Japanese calligraphy. It’s one of his favourite quotes, and we originally thought it was an ancient Buddhist phrase. However… after a lot digging on the Internet to find a Japanese translation…. it seems that the original phrase is actually Japanese! It comes fromContinueContinue reading “Pain is inevitable, but suffering depends on you!”

The Unique Challenges of Renting in Japan – Part 1

I lived in a share house which had tatami mats and paper shōji windows. It wasn’t as nice as this image from PxHere though. Part 1: The pros and cons of renting a room in a share house for foreigners In my home country of the UK, renting is a pretty simple affair. It’s notContinueContinue reading “The Unique Challenges of Renting in Japan – Part 1”

愛は勝つ (ai wa katsu) “love wins”

I created this as a commission for a friend who wanted to give it as part of a gift. Before writing, I double checked the Japanese with my Japanese teacher to make sure it sounded natural (I *always* do this – it saves embarrassing mistakes!). She said that as well as sounding natural, it isContinueContinue reading “愛は勝つ (ai wa katsu) “love wins””