Dear readers, how are you all doing? I am sure some of you are still enjoying your summer vacations and others already have their noses to the grindstone — still others, no doubt, have worked straight through the o-Bon period.

My heart (and a pang of guilt) goes out to the latter group, as I am enjoying a summer holiday, recharging my batteries in North America. I rarely get a chance to gallivant around Canada and the U.S., so I figured for this month I'd tackle an American custom that is rare in Japan: tipping.

It is an unspoken agreement in Canada and the U.S. that you tip about 15-20 percent on top of the bill to hotel and restaurant workers. Having grown up in Japan, this is a tough custom to get used to.