I remember well my first Halloween in Japan, mostly because I was invited to speak about it at a junior high. Trick or treating? Kids in sheets with peep holes? Jack O' Lanterns? I might have been lecturing about life on Mars. And now? Now Halloween ...
One of life's little facts: "Every man needs a hobby." "But I thought I was your hobby," says my wife, with a hint of a smile. So I must clarify: "Every man needs an affordable hobby." And there I stand in my hobby clothes: ragged shorts, ...
And here I thought mobile phones couldn't get any worse. But a recent stateside trip has taught me otherwise. Not only can they get worse, they can get hard-core. To start, I am not a fan of such devices. Oh, I have one — somewhere. For ...
Recently I once again journeyed back to the gentle plains of my Midwestern home, this time with my younger son in tow. He had been there often enough as a boy. In those days, we spent part of every other August soaking up my hometown's ...
The world is going to pieces. I know because the television told me so. Global warming, economic meltdown, regional conflicts, partisan politics, Justin Bieber. Is there anything good happening? Anywhere? "The problem," says my luncheon mate, "is not the world. It's you." Now how can that ...
"Japanese are supposed to be polite. It's a defining part of the national character." And before that argument can crash, I back it with . . . "In the same way that bees have buzz, cows say moo, and pigeons on the street go coo, coo, ...
Japan is entering cicada season, so let me start with a modest observation: Cicadas are the ugliest bugs on earth. I can state this not because I am an expert on bugs, but rather because I am an expert on ugly. In regards to which, I ...
A peek at "The Phobia List," a webpage cataloging the accrued fears of our mighty human race, finds a list of over 500 documented phobias. Some on the list are interesting all by themselves. Such as . . . Barophobia — Fear of gravity . . ...
"I have this idea to get rich quick," says this friend. Like me, he is underwhelmed by his Japanese income. Unlike me, he still has dreams. He also has my attention. For we all want to get rich and "quick" is by far the ...
I see him first. The new guy in town. He's just popped out of a convenience store and has turned in my direction. The walkway pinches in and the only way he can avoid me is to freeze in his tracks and spin around. ...
