About Nagaijin

Nagaijin has lived in Nagai (長居), a suburb of the city of Osaka, Japan, since late in the last century, more or less. Gaijin (外人) means foreigner. Japanese people find this pun hilarious, others less so. He is originally from Nova Scotia, on the east coast of Canada. Some people find this hilarious, others less so.

The Japanese pride themselves on their country’s “four distinct seasons”, always forgetting to add that you’ve got to go from one end of the country to the other to experience them. To a Nova Scotian, an Osaka winter is just one long November, and summer is a season in Hell. Spring and autumn are very pleasant indeed, but the Rainy Season is not a season, although it’s unlike all the others. One of Nagaijin’s biggest fears is that this will all make sense to him eventually.

NB: In keeping with the Prime Directive, friends who don’t wish to be mentioned by name in this blog will not be. Mike, for example, will never be mentioned.