or

"Christianity In Japan"
- a history of the struggles of Christianity in Japan from 1549 and persection from 1597 to the present day situation - from Kondansha's Encyclopedia of Japan

"Hot Links for Understanding Japan"
A collection of hot links to other web sites to assist your knowledge about living in Japan as well as understanding its religions and philosophies.

"Small Earthquake in Japan"
- the fattest sumo wrestler, a naturalized
Hawaiian, retires from the sport of emperors - from The Economist

"Secrets Behind Japanese Gestures"
- an introduction to the sign and body
language of the Japanese by Jack Seward - from Tokyo Weekender

"WWII Hold Out Yokoi Dies"
- an obituary of Shoichi Yokoi, the former Japanese Imperial Army soldier who hid in the jungles of Guam for 27 years - from The Daily Yomiuri

"Pig Riders Won the East"
- a CNN description of how one town in Japan emulates the Wild, Wild West via its own unique bareback sport

"Kanji and Kana on the Internet"
- an update on Japan's dramatic increase of Internet use - from The Economist

"Masami Teraoka"
- an illustrated review of one of Japan's
most famous contemporary artists who is notable for his parody, from Japan Insight

"The Fine Art of Interpreting"
- an overview by one of the post-WWII pioneers in Japanese/English interpreting, Jack Seward - from Tokyo Weekender

"Very Clean People, The Japanese"
- a history and update on the Japanese
obsession of cleanliness and the enjoyments of bathing- from The Economist

"Japanese Mouths"
- Dr. Hamaguchi argues that the Japanese mouth is a unique anatomical structure peculiar to the Japanese people

Japan Undergoing Shock Treatment" -
The year is not even half over, and Japan's annual "quota" for sensational crimes has already been filled - from Asia Times

"Cows from Heaven" -
Well, would you belive just one cow?
from Reuters

"Tokyo Alphabet" -
a listing that lists it as it is starting with,
"A is for Aum Shinrikyo, the doomsday cult that..." from Planet Wired

"You've Been in Japan Too Long When..." -
a hundred endings to that phrase as  compiled by TWICS online services

"Wiring Japan"
- a bitter culture clash that has reduced Japan to a third-rate power in networking. An in-depth report from HotWired

"Japanese National Holidays"
An annual schedule of national holidays
plus a rule of thumb and a few pointers
in planning your schedule around those days.

"Japanese Rules"
- Let's speak Japanese - a review of a Mac
CD-ROM language tutor, Japanese for Everyone, from HotWired

"What is Shinto?"
An in-depth review of the origins, mythologies, symbologies of Japan's native religion plus a discussion of how it provides the foundation of Aikido.

"O-bon Festival"
My photo essay of the August 1995 O-bon matsuri festival in Nippori, one of Tokyo's oldest neighborhoods.

"Pachinko über Alles"
- the real story behind your neighborhood gambling establishment - originally published in WIRED Japan

"Japan's Un-salarimen"
- there is a thriving alternative culture in Japan, and Karl Taro Greenfeld's Speed Tribes lets you get up close and personal with it - from the pages of WIRED Japan

"Toshiro Mifune Dies at 77"
-  an obituary of Japan's best known film actor and Kurosawa great from Associate Press

"Keeping Nintendo Competitive"
- a 3D accelerator chip that powers Starfox,
a space-based dogfight game, has been a huge seller for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. A report from HotWired

"Sega's Plan for World Domination" -
an in-depth report on the origins and future plans of Kyoto's Sega Corporation -   originally published in WIRED

"Japan and American - Friends in Need"
The alliance between America and Japan--the cornerstone of East Asia's security--is in even worse trouble than it looks - an article from the April 13, 1996 The Economist

"Itchiku Kubota - Kimono Textile Master"
The Japanese master has devoted his life to reviving a long-lost technique of fabric design and to creating handcrafted kimonos of lyrical and lasting beauty - an article from the December 1995 Smithsonian Magazine

"Japan: A Hungry Market That's Internet-Ready"
Companies that are Internet-related would be wise to take an early look at opportunities in Japan,  with its rapidly growing Internet user base,  is ready for new technologies - an article from the May 1996 Upside Magazine

"The Yakuza: Past and Present"
A group that has been around for over 300 years, that has as much honor and principle as the Mafia, and is just as strong, if not stronger - a study from The Yakuza Page on the Internet

"The Magic Bullet"
The collapse of the police investigation into the shooting of Takaji Kunimatsu is starting to unravel the official coverup of the Aum Shinrikyo affair. Though Japan's mass media blamed Aum for the assassination attempt
against the national police chief, the facts of the case tell a different story about the "gentlemen of the underworld" who have controlled Japan for more than a half-century. - from Archipelago Magazine on the Internet

"A Drink From Japan - Brewed for the gods"
Rarely found outside Japan, jizake is to ordinary sake as the finest single malt is to rotgut whisky. Where to find it, and how to drink it; an article from the December 21, 1996 The Economist