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