Japan

A New Service In Japan: eScooters

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When I visited Japan in 2018/2019 one of the interesting aspects of the culture that I saw, was their use of the bicycle. People in Japan use bikes like people in Canada use cars, it’s less for recreational use and more for running essential errands (groceries and local travel). Recently, … Read more

Why is Shinto so fascinating to me?

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16-bit video game style illustration of a Shinto shrine in a forest, with a large torii gate, stone lanterns along a path, shide streamers, and Kodama-like spirits

I never considered myself a religious person. I don’t typically find the idea of religion very interesting. As someone with an undergraduate degree in history that might be somewhat surprising, as religion tends to find itself at the center of history all the time. So it is interesting now that … Read more

Japan Trip 2.019 (Part 2)

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While the Shyla and Ryan Japan Adventure 2018/19 has come to a close, the next adventure is right around the corner, Japan 2.019! I’m going to (un)feature the first collection of posts and replace it with this one. Below you will find a new collection of blog posts about my … Read more

T-minus under 2 weeks until Japan trip #2

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Twice in one year? Inconceivable!? But alas, I am heading back to Tokyo in May/June of this year. Unlike the last trip which saw Shyla and I travel to Kyoto, Hiroshima, Osaka, Fukui, and Kanazawa, this time we are going to be a little bit more stationary. That means no … Read more

2.0 (Two Point Oh)

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2.0 …an adjective used to denote a superior or more advanced version of an original concept, product, service, etc. We live in an age where software updates and newer software versions are coming out all the times. We are constantly shifting, re-evaluating and redesigning. When software is updated or undergoes … Read more

The Convenience of Vending Machines

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When I got to Japan one of the first things I noticed was that they had a $*%# ton of vending machines. They are literally everywhere, and they sell almost anything. My purchases from vending machines were mostly of the liquid variety and most machines sell both hot and cold … Read more

Shyla and Ryan’s Japan Tour 2018/2019 (Presentation)

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So, yesterday I was finally able to share Shyla and I’s Japan Tour with my colleagues at Carleton University Library. Over an hour “Lunch and Learn” presentation we looked at over 200 photos on an absolutely massive 107 slide Google Slideshow (featured below). The session was well received with over … Read more