In the first act of Mr. Bean's pilot episode The Exam, Mr. Bean - played by Rowan Atkinson - sits for a mathematics test. He has come well-prepared and is seemingly confident about his chances of success. That is, until he opens the test paper and realises he has
Extending my visa's Period of Stay is one of the periodic administrative tasks I need to do. In Japan, this is not terribly difficult provided you like following checklists, filling in forms and have all your supporting documents in order. The problem most people face is the long
Summer is now in full swing in Japan. This week, Tokyo has experienced five or so consecutive days of daily highs in the high 30's. In some Japanese prefectures, the daily high has even exceeded 40 degrees celcius. Nearly 30% of Japan's population is aged above
"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day", goes to the common saying. I am not sure whether there is any scientific evidence to support this saying, but it makes sense that following a good night's rest, your body naturally craves a satisfying meal. Every
Enrolment in some form of health insurance is mandatory for all long-term residents of Japan. This applies regardless whether you are a Japanese citizen or a non-citizen resident. Japan has a Universal Health Coverage ("UHC") system funded by a combination of insurance premiums paid by members,
Chances are that when you see a clinic (Japanese: クリニック) in Japan, there will be a pharmacy (Japanese: 薬局) next door or within walking distance. Pharmacies are not to be confused with drug-stores. The former is for buying prescription medication while the latter is for buying over-the-counter
On July 5th (Sunday), I will sit for the N2 level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test ("JLPT"). This test is administrated by the Japan Foundation. The test paper is divided into three sections: (1) Language Knowledge (Vocabulary & Grammar) (2) Reading Comprehension and (3) Listening. To pass
A family-run neighbourhood soba (Japanese: そば, English: buckwheat noodles) restaurant that we frequent - Sobadokoro Hoteiya (Japanese: 蕎麦処ほていや) ("Hoteiya") - is sadly closing for an indeterminate period of time. Hoteiya has a history of 100 years and is very popular with locals. Each time we visit for a meal,
Japan's rainy season is known as tsuyu (Japanese: 梅雨). The literal translation is "Japanese plum rain". 梅 means Japanese plum and 雨 means rain. Why is this the case? Well it turns out the rainy season traditionally coincides with the ripening of Japanese plums. Tsuyu starts
A few weeks ago I visited Book Off, a popular used-books chain owned by Bookoff Group Holdings (TYO: 9278) ("Bookoff Group"). Bookoff Group is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The company has a market capitalisation of JPY34 billion (~US$210 million) and about 850 stores around
I recently started reading The Economist and have found it to be beneficial in broadening my exposure to global current affairs and improving my grasp of the English language. To recap, in Japan each issue of the print edition retails for JPY2,000 (US$12.50). Unfortunately, as The Economist
No, I did not go running without my clothes. Instead of running with my Apple smartwatch, which tracks running metrics like distance and pace, I have started running with a basic digital watch that tells the time and the duration of my run. After my run, I write down two