Japanese grammar: Using を (o) vs. に (ni) with 教える (oshieru) 
For a quick review, as you may know the Japanese particle に (ni) is generally used for the direction of an action, the location of existence (with verbs like aru/iru), and also for the doer of a passive action. On the other hand, the particle を (o) is used for the direct object of a… Read More »
Single release: If Pianos Could: “Along the River” (Flute + Piano)
Since as long as I can remember, music has been an important part of my life. While I consider piano my “main” instrument (and that is what I enjoy playing the most), I actually first started playing the flute at a very young age, and continued partway through college. In high school I was at… Read More »
Japanese Grammar and More: Episode 16 (Osaka travelogue)
Japanese vocabulary list: Ki Aikido (martial arts) training words 
Photo Album: Japan 2024 October Trip to Osaka/Kyoto
I just came back from a trip to Osaka, Japan, for which my main objective was attending a 3-day world camp for Ki Aikido taught by the head of Ki Society, Shinichi Tohei Sensei (which was an amazing experience, by the way). I also spent a little time doing some sight seeing, including a few… Read More »
Japanese literature release: “Dreams of a Child: Mimei Ogawa: The Father of Modern Japanese Fairy Tales”
Anime highlight: Orb: On the Movements of the Earth (チ。―地球の運動について)
I’ve been feeling a bit burned out on Netflix; historically the number of shows where I’m motivated to watch the 2nd episode has been pretty low, but in the last few months it feels even worse than usual. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I happened upon the new Netflix series “Orb: On the Movements… Read More »
If Pianos Could: Flow [Solo album released]
Japanese verbs “ukeru” (受ける) and “ukaru” (受かる): a useful pair
Japanese verbs often conveniently come in transitive/intransitive pairs, but sometimes those verbs don’t have the meanings you would expect. In this post I’d like to talk about “ukeru”(受ける) and “ukaru”(受かる), two verbs that are pretty important in daily life. The first of these, “ukeru” is the transitive one, which means it takes an object using… Read More »