Earlier this week, North Korea launched a series of ballistic missiles, including one that sailed high over Aomori Prefecture, at the nor...

A core requirement of many grown-up activities in Japan is having a savings account. But there are some adults—law-abiding, financially s...

When I first arrived in Japan, getting a driver’s license was a piece of cake. I moved from a place that had a full reciprocal agreement ...

This past Sunday, I visited an English-language church in Tokyo. After the main service, they had an adult Sunday school class where the ...

When foreigners first move to Japan, they typically enter the “honeymoon” phase. During those first months or years, “God’s in his heaven...

I was told this day would come, the moment when the honeymoon with Japan would end and the scales that kept me from seeing the reality of...

As March arrives in Japan, many people across the country are wishing away the brisk air and looking forward to flowering cherry-blossom ...

I can probably count on one hand the number of times I had to visit city hall back in the United States. Not so in Japan. In the few year...

An interesting notice appeared in this Monday’s edition of The Japan Times, the largest English-language newspaper in Japan. Under the he...

Ten years ago, on March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake off the northeast coast of Japan triggered a tsunami that devastated a large...

When it comes to world affairs, even small things can cause significant conflicts. And “small things” is the perfect description for a re...

Today I am going to introduce you to the major political parties in Japan. Don’t get too excited; as is the case with other countries, th...

You can’t avoid death or taxes, and if you are an American citizen or recognized alien, you can’t avoid reporting your Japanese bank acco...

From Confucius’ focus on familial piety in ancient China to Enlightenment Era thoughts on the role of government and citizenship, philoso...

On November 25, 1970, world-famous Japanese author, actor, and model Mishima Yukio (三島由紀夫) attempted a military coup d’état with the goal...

One thing you discover right away after moving to Japan is that English is everywhere. From store names to advertising to funny T-shirts,...

One of the things I looked forward to most about moving to Japan was the chance to get my very own hanko (ハンコ) name stamp, complete with ...