"To know the future, look at the past," is a familiar Buddhist aphorism. However, it's also said that a prophet isn't honored in his hometown — which is why I live in Tokyo. As we ride into the Year of the Horse, I thought I'd canter awhile through times to come and report back on what I found. My apologies if some predictions are rather dire and dark; if you're easily offended, you're sure to be fuming by the time you finish. So: Off we go . . .