What is this website mainly about?

History, Media & Communication

"History illuminates reality, vitalizes memory, and provides guidance in daily life", the Roman philosopher Cicero wrote. Having studied history, media and communication, I write essays dealing with these fields of expertise, often combining them.

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Japan

A long time interest in Japan, especially its history and cinema, and several study visits in the last few years have made the land of the rising sun one of the more prominent and interesting topics to write about in the form of essays and (travel) stories.

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Reggae

The music from Jamaica that came from the slums of Kingston as the musical voice of the poor and oppressed and eventually conquered the world. As a uplifting, inspiring and motivating soundtrack to life, reggae and especially Bob Marley and the Wailers are favorite topics to write about.

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A trip through memory lane: Japan 1977 & Japan 2010 (Part VIII: Sensoji, Asakusa)

Sensoji (Kinryu-zan Senso-ji, also known as the Asakusa Kannon Temple) is a ancient Buddhist temple located in Asakusa, Tokyo. The first temple on the location was build in 645, making Sensoji Tokyo’s oldest temple. During the Second World World War the temple was bombed and largely destroyed. After the war the temple was rebuilt, becoming a symbol of rebirth and peace to the Japanese people. As such, Sensoji is the most significant temple in Tokyo, … Continue reading

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‘Leven als hikikomori‘

Vandaag, op deze zonnige en warme dag in Tokio, maar weer eens een update. Wat valt er te vertellen sinds het laatste berichtje zo’n maand geleden? De afgelopen weken heb ik welhaast doorgebracht als een zogenaamde hikikomori, de naam die Japanners geven aan hun landgenoten die leven als kluizenaar en zichzelf totaal afsluiten van de buitenwereld. Hoewel deze lui dat meestal doen omdat ze de sociale druk niet aankunnen en liever op hun kamer vertoeven, … Continue reading

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A trip through memory lane: Japan 1977 & Japan 2010 (Part VII: Heian Jingu, Kyoto)

This time a photo-update, in the ongoing series A trip through memory lane: Japan 1977 & Japan 2010, about Kyoto. The two photos below show Heian Jingu (Heian Shrine), a large Shinto shrine in Kyoto. In front of the main gate of the shrine stands one of the largest torii (traditional Japanese gate) in Japan. The main building of the shrine itself, which can be seen on the photos, was made in imitation of the … Continue reading

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‘Takoyaki Speciaal’

Landgenoten! Vandaag een tweede update vanuit Tokio. Terwijl de regen hier met bakken uit de lucht komt, en de hitte en benauwdheid daardoor eindelijk even verdwenen zijn, weer eens de tijd genomen om de netbook ter hand te nemen en het een en ander op digitaal papier te zetten. Wat valt er te vertellen over mijn verblijf alhier sinds mijn eerdere stukje? Een gebeurtenis die mij nog lang zal heugen is er één die vorige … Continue reading

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Babylon By Bus. Bob Marley & The Wailers in The Netherlands

Today, May 11, 2011, it is exactly thirty years since reggae-king Bob Marley died just before noon at the Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Miami at the age of 36. On this day, I honor Marley’s memory and celebrate his music with my second research project, Babylon By Bus. Bob Marley & The Wailers in The Netherlands, a project which started in September 2010. I hope readers will enjoy in the same way I enjoyed … Continue reading

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‘Welkom in Japan’

In het kader van mijn drie maanden durende verblijf in Tokio in het recentelijk door rampspoed getroffen Japan, tracht ik voor thuisblijvers en geïnteresseerden regelmatig hier een berichtje achter te laten over het reilen en zeilen hier. En dat voor de verandering eens een keer in het Nederlandsch. Vandaag mijn eerste post over het vertrek uit Nederland, de aankomst in Japan en de eerste indrukken in ‘post 11 maart’ Tokio. Maandag 25 april. Na weken … Continue reading

‘E-democracy, an illusion to be pursued but never attained’

The World Wide Web has long been hailed as the medium that would revive the civil society and the public sphere, by means of providing digital spaces for political deliberation, discussion and – with the introduction of ‘Web 2.0’ – other forms of interactive participation. Media and communication scholars have been writing about the potential of e-democracy for about twenty years, ever since the Internet became widely available in the ‘developed world’ in the 1990s. … Continue reading

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A trip through memory lane: Japan 1977 & Japan 2010 (Part VI: Nikko)

Due to other pressing matters I unfortunately don’t have the time to write new articles for the website. Therefore today the sixth part of the ongoing series A trip through memory lane: Japan 1977 & Japan 2010. This time we stay in Nikko, the famous tourist attraction about two hours north of Japan’s capital Tokyo. In the photo’s below we again see a part of the famous Toshogu Shrine, the mausoleum for the first Tokugawa … Continue reading