Most of my Stateside friends and family have knowledge of Japan only as deep as what they see on TV. Which means they think I live my life in a "dizzified" world of ninja, yakuza and robots.

But for those that read, the impressions can be even wilder. For have you read the news about Japan lately? I mean the "research" news — those tantalizing tidbits that pop up on Internet news sites.

Item: Scholars at the University of Tokyo discover drinking makes you sorrowful. Not that they did this sobering research themselves. No, their conclusion comes after an intense examination of inebriated mice.