Corporal Punishment Getting Punished in Japan; Don’t throw pens at the kids!
The Japanese language is rich with expressions and words that extol the virtues of corporal punishment aka taibatsu (体罰) but the penchant some older Japanese have for slapping their younger…
Sometimes death is a matter of inches; a meditation on tsunami, guns & loss
I feel funny writing about personal things, but the anniversary of the tsunami in Japan had me thinking a lot about loss, and the unexpected events that change our lives…
Japan, Mother of the World’s First Novel Hosts Its First International Literary Festival
Japan, the Mother of World’s First Novel to Hosted its First International Literary Festival, this year.
Tora-san, Japan’s most famous tramp, is a yakuza? テキ屋
Tora-san, Japan's most popular movie figure, doesn't have a home. He's a tramp, and a tekiya (的屋)--a street-merchant yakuza--who earns his living by traveling in remote Japanese towns and selling…
Goodbye Friendly “Mild Seven” Cigarettes; Hello “Mevius”!
Mild Seven cigarettes are no more to be found in the smoker's paradise. Japan Tobacco Inc. changed the name of its flagship cigarette brand from "Mild Seven" to "Mevius" in…
“May I have some more whale, sir….”
In the United States, serving whale meat can cost you decades of jail-time as one sushi chef in Los Angeles recently learned; in Japan it costs you about $10, for…
The Surprising Cancer-Killing Cocktail
The Green-Tea/Levitra Martini was highly effective on pancreatic, stomach and prostate tumors. This is a good thing because if you’re going to be taking Levitra, you definitely want a healthy…
Japan & China: a couple that can’t get divorced, says former Ambassador
For thousands of years, China and Japan have been neighboring countries. Former Japanese ambassador to China, Uichiro Niwa, at a press conference held today, explained it is not possible for…
Competition In Japanese Digital Comics Gets Bloody; Mamoru Oshii haemophobic?
Blood-Stained Mai Love by Mamoru Oshii is a black comedy about a high school student with a fetish for donating blood and his strange friendship with Mai, a wandering Transylvanian…
“Strong In The Rain” shines among books on Japan’s 3/11
The message of "Strong In The Rain" in its tale of foreign and Japanese heroes and villains--and there are both, remains with the reader long after the book is done.…