Anthony Bourdain does Tokyo

CNN is running an episode of "Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown" featuring "Tokyo Nights" (season 2, episode 7).....  Here's the link to a few clips and the accompanying article:

http://www.cnn.com/video/shows/anthony-bourdain-parts-unknown/season-2/tokyo/index.html

Note the disclaimer that this episode is for "mature audiences only"......

He's covered Japan in several other episodes of his shows that are worth watching as well!  Always fun to see this beautiful place and learn more.

Anime recommendations?

My twelve-year-old son loved our time in Japan and I'd love to hear from anyone who has recommendations for anime he might enjoy??  Thanks so much!

Miyazaki films.....

Last night my sons and I watched the new Miyazaki film just out on DVD - "From Up on Poppy Hill".  As with all of his films, it was beautiful and thought-provoking.  Highly recommended!  We try to watch the Japanese versions (with subtitles!) though the DVD has the English-language version as well.  I hope someday, thanks to our fearless leaders, はなぶさせんせい and まるたせんせい and おもりせんせい, we can watch them without subtitles!

We're looking forward to the upcoming series on campus:

http://performingarts.nd.edu/nowshowing/index.aspx?k=cinema

じゃあまた！

Introduction....

こんにちは！

I'm thrilled to be sitting in on Japanese I this year at Notre Dame; I returned in July from four months in beautiful Japan for a teaching and research fellowship and I'm excited to enhance my understanding of the language through this course.  I'm an associate teaching professor at the Mendoza College of Business, I teach business ethics, sustainability and values-based decision making through the Department of Management, and my goal is to help enhance MCOB's business and academic partnerships in Japan.

I have two sons, 8 and 12, who traveled with me to Japan, along with my mother, and we all fell in love with the people and culture.  It was wonderful to see my sons making such good friends, learning so much, and even speaking quite a bit of Japanese (they learned much faster than I did!).

Here we are in the Hama Rikyu Gardens in Tokyo.......

Thank you for allowing me to join your class!