It was the summer of 2021. I hadn’t picked up on the news that Japan’s prime minister had appointed a Minister of Loneliness. (Apparently the UK had done that a…
Minister of Loneliness
Tag: Japan
AI Jesus
A 1995 article in The Lookout magazine reported on the world’s first Buddhist “robo priest.” This ministering machine in Japan contained prayers and rituals for various Buddhist sects. Arrangement could…
Shinjuku and One Man
Shinjuku, Japan (a district of Tokyo), is a happenin’ place, including being home to the world’s busiest train station. (At last count in 2022, more than 3.6 million people a…
Just a Couple of Old Soldiers
It was 1981. My parents were visiting Japan, helping us to build a building. While Dad installed kitchen cabinets, the Japanese tile man, Mr. Narahashi, was installing the Japanese-style bath.…
Of Mice Rats and Men
To be a country where everything is small, Japan certainly has large mice. Over here, we’d call them rats; but the Japanese call them mice. (That is, the Japanese word…