Category Archives: Lifestyle & Culture

Choosing a Personal Fitness Trainer in Japan that Delivers Results

People are living longer than ever before. To maximize present wellness and the quality of those extra years, experts suggest that you stay fit through daily exercise. A personal fitness trainer can help tailor a fitness program to suit your … Continue reading

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End Gym Boredom: Exercise Your Mind

Is boredom your excuse for not exercising regularly? Reading an e-book on the treadmill can remove the boredom experienced by many while exercising. The Kindle, for instance, has a text-to-audio feature that allows one to listen while reading. It automatically … Continue reading

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Kentaro’s Home Run

This is the story of a clear-headed young man who suffered physical paralysis. Notwithstanding becoming quadriplegic at an early age, he was decisively free from the more common ailment known as “decision paralysis”, a neck-up condition that leaves those afflicted … Continue reading

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The End of a Japanese Tradition

The Japanese tradition of taking care of one’s own in old age is fast headed towards extinction. The cause, as for so many of Japan’s current and future woes, is down to demographics. Using statistics kindly provided by Professor Noriko … Continue reading

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A Fiddle Worth More Than Gold: Investing In Strings

As an investment, rare violins such as those made by Antonio Stradivari and Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesu have consistently and dramatically outperformed both gold and the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Between 1960 and 2008 the price of Stradivarii increased 26,083 … Continue reading

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Avoiding Medical Surprises in Japan

Understanding how Japanese medical practice differs from that in your home country can be crucial to avoiding unwelcome surprises next time you or a loved one find yourselves in need of treatment at a local clinic or hospital. Without pre-planning, … Continue reading

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Tokyo’s Exposure to Tsunami, Explained

Following the events of 3/11, those living in Tokyo should be asking, “How vulnerable is Tokyo to flooding by tsunami?” — should a seismic event the same size as 3/11, or larger, occur near Tokyo Bay. To answer this question, … Continue reading

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Head Up, Not Down to Survive Tsunami

Sitting across from me at a Naka-Meguro pizzeria, Riccardo Tossani pulled out his iPhone to check his Spyglass app. He glanced out the window to survey the adjacent taller buildings, ignoring the cherry blossoms that were in full bloom. “The … Continue reading

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The “Lowe-Down” on English Language Education

No one knows the Asian educational publishing market better than John Lowe. He was recruited by Thomson Publishing (now known as Cengage) in 1994 to head up their newly established English language learning division from Singapore before moving to Tokyo … Continue reading

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Japan’s M&A Under the Microscope

Bruce Pomer is Managing Partner of WESTGATE ADVISORY and an investment banker working in Tokyo. With his vision into Japanese companies, Bruce shared with me his views on Japan’s M&A activity. As background, Bruce grew up listening to the Beatles. … Continue reading

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