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Life in Japan

Feb 26
5 min

Growing Up Baptist

Being good Southern Baptists, we went to church up to three times a week, twice on Sundays and once on Wednesdays just for extra heavenly...

101 views1 comment

Deborah Grow

Jan 1
3 min

The Year of the Gypsy

When I was a young actress living in New York City, my first apartment was an unrenovated one-bedroom apartment in a fourth-floor walk-up...

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How a One-Eyed Hairy Monk Can Help to Keep Your Eyes on the Prize

Deborah Grow

Mar 8, 2020
3 min

How a One-Eyed Hairy Monk Can Help to Keep Your Eyes on the Prize

Here in Japan, there is a unique way to set a New Year’s goal and to maintain focus until it is achieved. It is the not-so-friendly Daruma

81 views0 comments

Deborah Grow

Jan 29, 2020
2 min

Celebrating the New Year Japanese Style

“Go to a party on New Year’s Eve? I have to finish my house cleaning!” Now, I too spend New Year’s Eve cleaning my house.

216 views0 comments

Deborah Grow

Dec 20, 2019
5 min

Half Japanese: Part 1 The Big Move

Being half is hard whichever side of the ocean you end up on. September 30, 2001, we landed on the Japanese side of the Pacific at Narita.

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The Realities of Being Half (ハーフ) : Part One - Being Half American in America

Deborah Grow

Nov 18, 2019
8 min

The Realities of Being Half (ハーフ) : Part One - Being Half American in America

When I married a non-American, I actually did not carefully think of the repercussions, like if my future children would fit in society.

118 views0 comments

Training of Champions! The Spartan Training of the Murao Siblings

Deborah Grow

Nov 10, 2019
4 min

Training of Champions! The Spartan Training of the Murao Siblings

There are probably many answers to this question and all of them might be valid if the result is a champion. I can only comment on how my c

89 views1 comment

Question #4: Why did Sanshiro begin Judo? Was it destined to be?

Deborah Grow

Oct 27, 2019
5 min

Question #4: Why did Sanshiro begin Judo? Was it destined to be?

Big brothers and sisters have a big influence over us and Sanshiro was no exception. At age 1, he would pretend to be on the soccer team!

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What's in a Name - Part 2: Why did you name him Sanshiro? Did you think he would do Judo?

Deborah Grow

Oct 22, 2019
4 min

What's in a Name - Part 2: Why did you name him Sanshiro? Did you think he would do Judo?

One afternoon, Hidetoshi announced, "His name is Sanshiro!" "Sanshiro?" I pictured myself calling out this traditional Japanese name....

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Deborah Grow

Oct 17, 2019
2 min

Question #3: What's In a Name? Part 1

What is in a name? Why were you given the name that you were? Do you know?

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Question 2: Sanshiro is tall! Where did he get his height from?

Deborah Grow

Oct 12, 2019
3 min

Question 2: Sanshiro is tall! Where did he get his height from?

But I just dug up an ancestor (not literally) on the Grow side, who was not only tall but quite interesting as well. Speaker of the House!

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DNA Part 3: It is not over until the strong women say so!

Deborah Grow

Oct 9, 2019
4 min

DNA Part 3: It is not over until the strong women say so!

Finally, we stuck Athletic GOLD!! On the Murao Side...the maternal grandmother, Eiko Murao!

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DNA Part 2: Revenge of the Murao Family!

Deborah Grow

Oct 8, 2019
2 min

DNA Part 2: Revenge of the Murao Family!

So now part two of the question: Where did Sanshiro get his athletic ability? I have clearly made a case for the Grow Family (not being a...

12 views0 comments

Question #1: Where does Sanshiro get his amazing athletic ability? ....Is it in his DNA?

Deborah Grow

Oct 7, 2019
2 min

Question #1: Where does Sanshiro get his amazing athletic ability? ....Is it in his DNA?

Is Sanshiro's athletic ability in his DNA? Let's jump in the gene pool and find out....

22 views0 comments

Welcome to my New Blog! Judo Mom.....The Murao Story

Deborah Grow

Oct 6, 2019
1 min

Welcome to my New Blog! Judo Mom.....The Murao Story

Recently, I was featured in an article in the Japan Times Newspaper, "It takes a Village to Raise an Olympic Hopeful". Since then, there...

39 views0 comments

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