Okonomiyaki is a Japanese dish associated with the Kansai region, a pan fried batter cake mixed with other ingredients. Okonomi means “as you like” and yaki means “grilled.”

In this blog, I’ll be linking and posting about the various things that interest me. The primary topics will likely include: Japan, Politics, Culture, Economics, History, University of Michigan Football, the Washington Wizards, places I’ve traveled, places I’ve lived (New Jersey, DC area, Michigan, Tokyo), music, movies and books.
The main purpose of the blog is to organize the interesting things I find on the web so that I can more easily find and share them. If other people find it interesting, that’s great.
I’m on Facebook in case anyone is interested in more about me.
Tom Arrison
5 responses so far ↓
Brian Threlkeld // December 19, 2008 at 1:51 am |
The name captures the idiosyncratic, catch-all, inspired ad hocness of a blog with transcendent perfection, and I’m profoundly jealous that one of my old Japan studies buddies beat me to it. “I wish I’d said that!” hardly starts to describe the chagrin! Well done, Tom; I’ll look forward to your ruminations.
Tom Arrison // December 23, 2008 at 2:53 pm |
Thanks Brian. For this to be something I post to regularly, it will inevitably be “idiosyncratic” and “ad hoc.” I don’t know about “inspired,” but we can hope.
tokyo5 // December 31, 2008 at 10:05 am |
お好みブロギー (“Okonomi-bloggy”).
Funny name.
Do you like お好み焼き (Okonomiyaki)?
How long did you stay in Japan?
Tom Arrison // December 31, 2008 at 10:32 am |
Hi tokyo5–
I do like okonomiyaki. Though having it in Osaka for the first time in 2005 was eye-opening. In its native habitat, at a good place, it’s really transcendent, like really good pizza.
I lived in Japan for the summer of 1986 (Tokyo, lived near Hanakoganei on the Seibu-Shinjuku line, worked in Otemachi) and from the summer of 1987 to the summer of 1989. First year went to school near Sakuragicho in Yokohama, lived near Higashi-Totsuka on the Yokosuka line; second year lived in Machida, worked near Musashi-Kosugi on the Chuo line.
tom
tokyo5 // December 31, 2008 at 12:15 pm |
Tom….
So you’ve lived about three years in Japan.
Can you speak / read Japanese?
In 1987, you lived in 桜木町 (Sakuragicho)? Back then, there wasn’t much there…have you seen that area recently? Shopping center, small amusement park.
I wrote a couple posts about that area…
http://tokyo5.wordpress.com/2008/03/28/yokohama/
and
http://tokyo5.wordpress.com/2008/04/07/yokohama-2/