Notes from the Obstacle Course
Category
Snow Country
Notes from the Obstacle Course
Dr. Michael Peckitt
It was a stern night landscape. The sound of the freezing of snow over the land seemed..
A Question Concerning Priority Seats
Notes from the Obstacle Course
Dr. Michael Peckitt
In December of last year, on my way to visit Tokyo, I noticed something about..
Disability in Japan – A Year in Review: 2016
Notes from the Obstacle Course
Dr. Michael Peckitt
It is now December again in Japan, so it nearing the time for Kentucky Fried Chicken..
The Japanese Diet’s Disability Access Woes
Notes from the Obstacle Course
Dr. Michael Peckitt
When it comes to public amenities, whether it be public transport, city ward offices,..
Okayama man: “I am the reincarnation of Hitler, disabled people should go and die”
Dr. Michael Peckitt
A man from Nagi city in Okayama Prefecture was arrested on November 11th on suspicion of disrupting business..
Murder and the Media in Japan: Better to be Mad than Bad
Notes from the Obstacle Course
Dr. Michael Peckitt
Here in Japan I like to read as many newspapers as I can and watch as much news TV..
Uematsu Rearrested
Notes from the Obstacle Course
Dr. Michael Peckitt
On Monday 15th August 2016, Satoshi Uematsu was rearrested by the Kanagawa police. ..
Disability Hate Crime & The Sagamihara Victims
Notes from the Obstacle Course
Dr. Michael Peckitt
It is has been nearly two weeks since Satoshi Uematsu killed 19 disabled people and..
After the Sagamihara Attack
Photo via Chunichi Newspaper
Notes from the Obstacle Course
Dr. Michael Peckitt
As I write this it is now five days since the Sagamihara..
On the Sagamihara Attack
Photo via Kyodo News
Notes from the Obstacle Course
Dr. Michael Peckitt
Since early morning on Tuesday 26th July, I have had many tweets,..
Pokemon Go and Disability
Notes from the Obstacle Course
Dr. Michael Peckitt
Ever since playing the 1983 Star Wars Arcade game, I have loved video games. After my..
Where is the Barrier Free Thinking?
Notes from the Obstacle Course
Dr. Michael Peckitt
Even if you do not have a disability, if you spend enough time in Japan, you will come..
Priority Seats: To Sit or Not to Sit
Notes from the Obstacle Course
Dr. Michael Peckitt
I have mentioned ‘Priority Seats’ before in my blog posts for Notes from Obstacle..
One Cane, One Umbrella, One Hand
Notes from the Obstacle Course
Dr. Michael Peckitt
I don’t mind Mondays, but its rainy days that always get me down. A low pressure..
On the Tokyo 2020 Summer Paralympics
Notes from the Obstacle Course
Dr. Michael Peckitt
It is 2016, four years until the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, and Olympics fever has begun to..
On Being ‘Lost in Translation’ Today
Photo: Lost in Translation, © Focus Features
Notes from the Obstacle Course
Dr. Michael Peckitt
A few years ago, as I was teaching..
Who Will Win The Happy New Year? Reflections on the Kohaku
Notes from the Obstacle Course
Dr. Michael Peckitt
It is New Years Eve in the average family household in Japan, at about a quarter past..
Christmas in Japan Means Chicken!
Notes from the Obstacle Course
Dr. Michael Peckitt
Christmas in Japan means Chicken. I usually date the beginning of Christmas in Japan..
Shocked but not Surprised
Notes from the Obstacle Course
Dr. Michael Peckitt
There are times when, as a disabled person, I have to remind myself to be shocked by..
The Chrysanthemum and the Stick – Accessible Japan Book Review
Anyone familiar with Accessible Japan has likely enjoyed one of Dr. Michael Gillan Peckitt’s excellent posts from his Notes from the..
The Strange on a Japanese Train
Notes from the Obstacle Course
Dr. Michael Peckitt
The doors slid open on the nearly vacant subway car and a mass of passengers piled in...
The Daily Shock of Re-entry
Notes from the Obstacle Course
Dr. Michael Peckitt
She experiences the small daily shock of reentry that every foreigner in Tokyo knows...
A Space of One’s Own in Japan
Notes from the Obstacle Course
Dr. Michael Peckitt
I see it as a twilight genre between the night of confession and the daylight of..
On the Virtues of Dependence
Notes from the Obstacle Course
Dr. Michael Peckitt
[T]he virtues that we need, if we are to develop from our animal condition into that..
At Kinosaki, or the Confession of Michey
Notes from the Obstacle Course
Dr. Michael Peckitt
Prelude to the Kinosaki Onsen
She who must be obeyed, A.K.A ‘The Awesome Wife’ and I..
In the Comfort of Japanese Strangers
Notes from the Obstacle Course
Dr. Michael Peckitt
I often feel overly uncomfortable in everyday situations — such as when using a..
Is it so bad to be useful?
Notes from the Obstacle Course
Dr. Michael Peckitt
There is a scene in Bernardo Bertolucci’s film ‘The Last Emperor’ that has always..
Sports Day Blues
Notes from the Obstacle Course
Dr. Michael Peckitt
(An audio version has been created by Dr. Peckitt and can be found below)
This..