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Voices | WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST Mar 18, 2015

Japan desperately needs more little monsters

by Thomas Dillon

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.

Our Lives | WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST Feb 18, 2015

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

by Thomas Dillon

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?

Our Lives | WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST Jan 14, 2015

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

by Thomas Dillon

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.

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  • Hideki Matsuyama wins Masters to become first Japanese man to claim major title
    Hideki Matsuyama celebrates in the green jacket presented to the champion after winning the Masters in Augusta, Georgia, on Sunday.
  • Sex, murder and a getaway car: ‘Ride or Die’ stars go on the trip of a lifetime
    All the right moves: The production team for “Ride or Die” hired an intimacy coordinator to coach the film’s two leads, Kiko Mizuhara (right) and Honami Sato (left), through sex scenes. Netflix says this was a first for a Japanese movie.
  • ‘Terminal Boredom’ is a treasure trove of Izumi Suzuki’s subversive science fiction
  • The global impact of Hideki Matsuyama's historic Masters triumph
    Hideki Matsuyama (right) and his caddie Shota Hayafuji pose with the trophy after Matsuyama's victory at the Masters in Augusta, Georgia, on Sunday.
  • 'Attack on Titan' manga series concludes run of almost 12 years
    The characters from "Attack on Titan" for the manga's final chapter are shown on the cover of the May issue of Bessatsu Shonen Magazine.
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Hitting 60 in Japan offers a chance to start over, so don't waste time looking back

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

by Thomas Dillon

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.

Our Lives | WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST Nov 26, 2014

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

by Thomas Dillon

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.

Our Lives | WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST Oct 22, 2014

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

by Thomas Dillon

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

Our Lives | WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST Sep 17, 2014

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

by Thomas Dillon

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

Dreaming of shoveling snow in high summer

Our Lives | WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST Aug 20, 2014

Dreaming of shoveling snow in high summer

by Thomas Dillon

Yeah, I know. The thermometer is shooting for the moon and the humidity makes each stride forward seem more like a breaststroke. So why am I writing about snow? Well, I have to cool down somehow. In February, I got all hot about snow. Plus Tokyo's ...

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

Our Lives | WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST Jul 16, 2014

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

by Thomas Dillon

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

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

Our Lives | WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST Jun 22, 2014

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

by Thomas Dillon

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.

A new and unexpected twist to life in Japan: tornadoes

Our Lives | WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST May 25, 2014

A new and unexpected twist to life in Japan: tornadoes

by Thomas Dillon

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

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

Our Lives | WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST Apr 27, 2014

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

by Thomas Dillon

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

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