John Spiri began his teaching career in Tainan, Taiwan after earning an M.S. from Saint Rose College. After a year teaching English at the Tainan YMCA, he returned to the United States and taught Composition and other courses at colleges in northern Vermont. The Green Mountains were magical, but too much of the world remained unexplored, so he headed for Kyoto seeking the Japanese Dream. As of 2009, he's lived in Japan for 12 years, seven years teaching at colleges and universities in Kyushu (Nagasaki and Kumamoto), Akita as Assistant Professor at Akita International University, and presently as an Associate Professor at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology. His academic interests include Global Issues in Language Education, Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL), Materials Development, and Autonomy. In February 2009 John passed level 2 for the Japanese language proficiency test. His personal interests include hiking, traveling, writing, and the Japanese game "go."

John's photos are on flicr.

Other photos are on Picassa with a nature album, a flowers album, a Kamioka, Gifu album, and a Tokyo album.

Click here to see classic home video of Andre speaking his first words ever--an entire sentence! For more family fun see John's youtube page.

Some poems are below:

An Ode to Earth

Fly to the moon on a techno-path
What'll you find?
VCRs and computers to delight the mind.
An orbiter here, and space debris there,
People are starving but noone does care.
It's unrelated, I know,
I've heard the sermon of science
The men in white coats are no humanitarian giants.
It's not that I decry you, condemn you or deny you
--even I feel some awe--
it's just that I can't revere you
and your visions I don't share.

You are the neo-Columbus--no mistaking is there,
but your quest for some metal again I can't share.
If there's gold or some answers in the orb let it be.
I'll stake my rake in the earth and
look up when I please.
The planets have their place, and so too does man, despite the grand visions,
I'll abide by an earthly plan.
It's true I've crossed some oceans,
and a river or two,
I've climbed mountains, rode bike trails,
and gazed awe-struck at the stars--
all along the ancient mother did keep me
embraced in her arms.

January 5, 1996

Akita Blues

Wintry skies reek of dull gray
Structures creak and moan under the strain
Of a vengeful wind.
Mud-splattered snowbanks tunnel the streets—
Beautiless inaka streets, crass suburb streets,
City streets devoid of style or intrigue.
Desperate sun-starved citizens
Scribble suicide notes,
Poised to pad infamously ignoble stats.
Oh Akita! Promising autumn fields,
Trails leading past seas and mountain trees,
And lifetime employment.
You offer no recourse, no respite, no repose
From your ill-temperate clime
And unscrupulous Leaders
Lost in clouds of hubris and ego.
Only fine home-brewed beer
Can slake my thirst for grander place.

winter 2006-07

At Mt. Madonna

If I promised you Gardens of white roses
And the last bastion Of succulent fruit trees,
A cottage in the mountains
And intentions of pure gold—
Would you sing for me?
Would you lift the veil
That enshrouds us in a worldly haze?

January 1997

On the Death of a Friend’s Father

Could be free floating in free space
Could be re-entry in a realm
You’ve sought, earned, or stumbled into
Could be sweet eternal nothingness
Final oblivion.
Or harpsichords and white clouds,
a Meeting with the Maker.
I just don’t know.
Or maybe I do know but don’t recall
the all and everything of transcendant beauty.
How could it be otherwise?

around the year 2000