Thomas Dillon - The Japan Times

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Thomas Dillon

COMMUNITY / Voices / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST

Mar 18, 2015

Japan desperately needs more little monsters

The lack of future taxpayers presents a chilling scenario for a nation with lots of debt on one hand and lots of pensioners on the other. The nation needs more hands.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST

Feb 18, 2015

Time, gentlemen: When it's time to bid sayonara to Japan, what next?

I ask my departing friend the biggest question of all: After decades in Japan, just how does he plan to earn a living back home?

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST

Jan 14, 2015

Worst-case scenarios make good sense but can lead to silliness

Worst-case scenarios make good sense to too many people in Japan, and in turn influence decisions in ways that can only be described as . . . silly.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST

Dec 17, 2014

Hitting 60 in Japan offers a chance to start over, so don't waste time looking back

If one measures life in a 60-year cycle — and if you use the Chinese zodiac calendar, you do — then age 60 marks a new beginning or birth: You can be a child once again.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST

Nov 26, 2014

This teacher's seen more ESL acronyms than you've had hot dinners

Even after long years teaching English in Japan, he still views himself as an avant-garde teaching artist, as can be seen by what insists he now be called: The Adjunct Instructor Formerly Known as Bob.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST

Oct 22, 2014

Silver City: one man's dream of growing old in English

My friend dares to dream of a whole city for aged foreigners in Japan where everyone speaks the lingo.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST

Sep 17, 2014

Fear of flying: What to do when trapped next to a weirdo?

Airlines advise us what to do in in-flight emergencies, but what should you do if you get seated beside a nutter?

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST

Aug 20, 2014

Dreaming of shoveling snow in high summer

Yeah, I know. The thermometer is shooting for the moon and the humidity makes each stride forward seem more like a breaststroke.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST

Jul 16, 2014

Ten tips for shaking stage fright, aka 'the American disease'

Ten tips for stage fright, aka 'the American disease.' Americans supposedly fear public speaking more than anything — spiders, sharks, or even heights.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST

Jun 22, 2014

Until some bright spark works it out, we’re just bathing in the dark

We bathed in strobe light for six months until the fateful day arrived: Our bathroom light had entered that great junk pile in the sky.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST

May 25, 2014

A new and unexpected twist to life in Japan: tornadoes

Japan, which so loves its seasons, now has another time of year to highlight: tornado season.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST

Apr 27, 2014

Tokyo: what not to do and when not to do it

Here it is: Tokyo — all the must-miss spots that might ruin your day, if not your entire visit.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST

Mar 28, 2014

Spending decades in Japan has made a mascot out of me

Japan loves mascot characters, part of its unholy obsession with anything "cute."

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST

Mar 14, 2014

Nonsensical slogans point to a surreal 2014 baseball season

Spring is a time of two things: hope and . . . baseball. And — unless you are a Chicago Cubs fan — those two often go together.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST

Feb 28, 2014

One boy, one peach, but hold the kibidango: 'Momotaro,' the movie

The Oscars are upon us, and I have this idea for a Hollywood screenplay — 'Momotaro! The Peach Boy Of Japan'!

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST

Feb 14, 2014

Time to nip this growing plastic tumor in the bud

I find myself swamped with cards. And not just the e-money variety. Member cards, discount cards, hospital registration cards — my wallet has so many damned cards, it's like a plastic tumor bulging from my back pocket.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST

Jan 31, 2014

Japan's cops: keeping the nation safe, in their Keystone kind of way

Most Japanese have a good cop/bad cop view of their law-enforcement services. They see a sinister side — one of smoky back rooms, coerced confessions and trumped-up charges — and they see a soft side: those helpful cops-in-the-box dotted throughout the land.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives

Jan 17, 2014

Fortune, fame or betrayal? It's all in the omikuji

All Japanese shrines have omikuji (fortune-telling sticks) — just like all McDonald's have fries.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST

Jan 3, 2014

It's the Year of the Horse, so bring on the feedbag

2014 is — according to the Chinese zodiac — the Year of the Horse. Born in a distant year of another cordial horse, we thus celebrate the spin of the 12-year cycle. This year is our year!

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST

Dec 20, 2013

To tap tourist yen, think train-packing, plastic grub and sumo

I think it is time for some up-to-date experiences — ones that the waves of tourists due to flood Japan up through the 2020 Olympics might savor more than those that revolve around traditional Japanese culture.

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.

What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji

By Alex K.T. Martin

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Smile! It’s ‘Sanrio Time,’ now and ever after

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