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William Lang
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Oct 13, 2019
Land of the rising tax: A 2 percent hike brings 100 percent confusion
Eat in or take out? Use cash or card? There are several ways to get around a recent tax hike, but not everyone can take advantage of them.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Sep 11, 2019
Unpicking the mysteries of a Japanese convenience store at night
"Ping-pong, ping-pong! Ping-pong, ping-pong!"
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Aug 25, 2019
The subtleties that bedeviled St. Francis
There's a certain script that you need to follow when interacting in Japanese. It's a shame nobody told St. Francis Xavier.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Jul 24, 2019
Going in blind to Japan's Fuji Rock Festival
Our writer recalls heading to one of the country's biggest outdoor music festivals both as a first-timer and a blind Scotsman.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Jul 10, 2019
Tokyo is big, Kyoto is polite, but Osaka's for the Scots
Writer William Lang says the frankness and openness of Osakans is a common trait of the people he remembers from growing up in Glasgow.

Longform

Traditional folk rituals like Mizudome-no-mai (dance to stop the rain) provide a sense of agency to a population that feels largely powerless in the face of the climate crisis.
As climate extremes intensify, Japan embraces ancient weather rituals