Jim on Japan
@jimt.onjapan.net
Ito, Shizuoka, JAPAN
US JP SG NZ
Heath H8/H89, Atari 1600, ST, TT design teams
Machine-vision urinalysis. CD-ROM drive design.
A @TLUG.jp founder. OERu early adopter.
A Time Person of the Year (2006)
Python Mojo Go Forth Lua Microcontrollers
US JP SG NZ
Heath H8/H89, Atari 1600, ST, TT design teams
Machine-vision urinalysis. CD-ROM drive design.
A @TLUG.jp founder. OERu early adopter.
A Time Person of the Year (2006)
Python Mojo Go Forth Lua Microcontrollers
It is November, and that means "Butt Sumo" (尻つみ祭り) time again at the local shrine here in Ito, #Japan. Contestants stand back-to-back on a raised dais and, at the signal, attempt to bump their opponent off. The winners are sometimes surprising.
November 10, 2025 at 1:48 PM
It is November, and that means "Butt Sumo" (尻つみ祭り) time again at the local shrine here in Ito, #Japan. Contestants stand back-to-back on a raised dais and, at the signal, attempt to bump their opponent off. The winners are sometimes surprising.
Halloween 🎃 is appearing more and more in Japan.
October 22, 2025 at 7:43 AM
Halloween 🎃 is appearing more and more in Japan.
Yesterday's silliness involved replacing the garish LENOVO BIOS logo on my old ThinkPad with the Tokyo Linux User Group emblem.
October 17, 2025 at 10:54 PM
Yesterday's silliness involved replacing the garish LENOVO BIOS logo on my old ThinkPad with the Tokyo Linux User Group emblem.
School kids have been practicing their drumming for the past two weeks for their ride in the float. Our community's dashi was hit by an elderly driver while making the rounds on Saturday, putting one neighbor in the hospital with broken ribs. We sat out most of Sunday's festivities.
October 13, 2025 at 9:05 AM
School kids have been practicing their drumming for the past two weeks for their ride in the float. Our community's dashi was hit by an elderly driver while making the rounds on Saturday, putting one neighbor in the hospital with broken ribs. We sat out most of Sunday's festivities.
It was festival weekend in Ito. More than a dozen illuminated floats with musicians are pulled and pushed around the neighborhood.
October 13, 2025 at 8:49 AM
It was festival weekend in Ito. More than a dozen illuminated floats with musicians are pulled and pushed around the neighborhood.
Wow, it's been years since I encountered a "you can only use this site with MSIE" alert... except now it is Safari or Chrome.
September 27, 2025 at 7:37 AM
Wow, it's been years since I encountered a "you can only use this site with MSIE" alert... except now it is Safari or Chrome.
JG1GPY showed off a clever, compact multi-band antenna at the SOTA JP booth at the Japan Ham Fair this weekend. A switch allows selection of direct feed (for 1/4 wave on 40m, with trailing counterpoise) or through a 49:1 transformer for end-fed on higher bands.
August 26, 2025 at 1:57 AM
JG1GPY showed off a clever, compact multi-band antenna at the SOTA JP booth at the Japan Ham Fair this weekend. A switch allows selection of direct feed (for 1/4 wave on 40m, with trailing counterpoise) or through a 49:1 transformer for end-fed on higher bands.
I'm pleased that someone at Helsinki Airport was willing to have fun with their airport code.
July 10, 2025 at 4:40 AM
I'm pleased that someone at Helsinki Airport was willing to have fun with their airport code.
Continuing my series of unusual post boxes, this penguin awaits your letters between the Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium and the Antarctic Museum/Research Ship Fuji.
April 30, 2025 at 6:15 AM
Continuing my series of unusual post boxes, this penguin awaits your letters between the Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium and the Antarctic Museum/Research Ship Fuji.
NZART (The New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters) is the only amateur radio organization I am a member of that still insists on publishing its magazine on paper. The March issue has just arrived. It still punches above its weight for a small organization, but I wish it were digital.
April 23, 2025 at 5:54 AM
NZART (The New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters) is the only amateur radio organization I am a member of that still insists on publishing its magazine on paper. The March issue has just arrived. It still punches above its weight for a small organization, but I wish it were digital.
Ito is hosting a ramen festival for the next four weekends. Within a five-minute walk, I can try 28 different kinds of ramen from around Japan.
April 17, 2025 at 7:29 AM
Ito is hosting a ramen festival for the next four weekends. Within a five-minute walk, I can try 28 different kinds of ramen from around Japan.
I managed to get my @washingtonpost.com Keyword score back under 7. (It is harder to work on the average time statistic, since this is a "second screen" game.)
April 16, 2025 at 2:39 AM
I managed to get my @washingtonpost.com Keyword score back under 7. (It is harder to work on the average time statistic, since this is a "second screen" game.)
A (modern) programmer may own the parking lot around the corner since it is 0-indexed.
March 25, 2025 at 2:30 AM
A (modern) programmer may own the parking lot around the corner since it is 0-indexed.
It was a lovely but cool day for the vernal equinox at Jogasaki-Kaigan Station in Ito.
March 21, 2025 at 12:39 AM
It was a lovely but cool day for the vernal equinox at Jogasaki-Kaigan Station in Ito.
My Atari Portfolio hard disk adapter prototype. The only problem was that the hard disk's power consumption was higher than the computer's, but it was fun to play with.
March 18, 2025 at 3:02 AM
My Atari Portfolio hard disk adapter prototype. The only problem was that the hard disk's power consumption was higher than the computer's, but it was fun to play with.
The JARL Ham Fair 2025 will return to Ariake GYM-EX (an Olympic venue repurposed into an exhibition hall) on August 23rd and 24th. www.jarl.org/Japanese/1_T...
March 2, 2025 at 2:20 AM
The JARL Ham Fair 2025 will return to Ariake GYM-EX (an Olympic venue repurposed into an exhibition hall) on August 23rd and 24th. www.jarl.org/Japanese/1_T...
Old rail car at Daiyuzan Station with a plaque celebrating Valentine's Day. The line will be 100 years old in October.
February 12, 2025 at 9:02 AM
Old rail car at Daiyuzan Station with a plaque celebrating Valentine's Day. The line will be 100 years old in October.
I enjoyed the food and folk dance at the Soga Plum Festival in Odawara, but the cold snap has delayed the blossoms so most areas still looked barren.
February 9, 2025 at 10:20 AM
I enjoyed the food and folk dance at the Soga Plum Festival in Odawara, but the cold snap has delayed the blossoms so most areas still looked barren.
I enjoyed a percussive lunch today at the festival here in Ito: first, the local steel drum band, followed by a taiko ensemble.
January 26, 2025 at 6:13 AM
I enjoyed a percussive lunch today at the festival here in Ito: first, the local steel drum band, followed by a taiko ensemble.
Happy New Year from Ito, Shizuoka
December 31, 2024 at 3:05 PM
Happy New Year from Ito, Shizuoka
I am starting to doubt my choice of amateur radio and retro computers as hobbies. Dr. Kazuo Moribe, a ship's doctor, traveled the world and ate 1.2 tons of chocolate to build this wrapper collection on display at the ROYCE' Chocolate Museum.
December 6, 2024 at 1:09 PM
I am starting to doubt my choice of amateur radio and retro computers as hobbies. Dr. Kazuo Moribe, a ship's doctor, traveled the world and ate 1.2 tons of chocolate to build this wrapper collection on display at the ROYCE' Chocolate Museum.
I saw my first wild Japanese fox yesterday. Wild might be overstating it, though, because he was standing at the intersection of two prefectural roads. When I pulled over to get a closer look, he trotted over to the driver's side and seemed disappointed I didn't offer any food.
December 4, 2024 at 1:11 AM
I saw my first wild Japanese fox yesterday. Wild might be overstating it, though, because he was standing at the intersection of two prefectural roads. When I pulled over to get a closer look, he trotted over to the driver's side and seemed disappointed I didn't offer any food.
Most people aren't as eager to visit the dentist as this cat.
October 30, 2024 at 2:04 AM
Most people aren't as eager to visit the dentist as this cat.
Sault Ste. Marie Bridge silhouetted against a brilliant sunset.
October 5, 2024 at 12:07 AM
Sault Ste. Marie Bridge silhouetted against a brilliant sunset.