Tokyo’s street cleanliness is a natural object of admiration among foreign visitors. “Japanese people don’t litter” has become one of the most famous misconceptions about Japan, along with “Japanese trains are always on time.” Tokyo is indeed cleaner than most big cities anywhere else in the world, and Japanese people tend to be extra careful…
When Thoughts Become New Worlds
While Haruki Murakami and Hayao Miyazaki have become household names around the globe, there’s one Japanese creator who also deserves mainstream recognition: Hideo Kojima, the game designer best known for the Metal Gear franchise. I’ve been aware of his work since the original Metal Gear game was ported over to the Nintendo Entertainment System back…
Thoughtful Communication during Difficult Times
At the time of this writing, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike is providing weekly updates on the Covid-19 pandemic in English via YouTube. If you live outside of Japan, this might not seem like a big deal. However, any foreigner living in Japan knows that frequent English communication coming directly from high-level public officials is rare….
Thoughtfulness at 30,000 Feet
When you live almost 5,500 miles away from your hometown, you tend to spend a lot of time flying, experiencing varying levels of hospitality and thoughtfulness throughout the process. One flight I’ll never forget is when I was flying with my mother on an ANA flight from Tokyo to Okinawa in 2010. The flight was…