From several decades ago, the expression "second virgin" came to be applied in various contexts, one of which referred to women who found their first sexual experience so traumatic that, figuratively speaking, they reverted to their previous virginal state. Another usage is applied to people of both genders who for… Read
“Close as sisters,” we say; “brotherhood of man;” “liberty, equality, fraternity;” as though “fraternity” represented the closest relationship there is, symbol of the human family united in love triumphant over forces of rivalry, contempt and hate that make of history what it so unspeakably is. We know better but speak… Read
This coming October, the Tokaido Shinkansen will fete its 60th anniversary. With an unparalleled record for speed, safety and efficiency since its initial run on October 1, 1964, it has much to celebrate. Not content to rest on their laurels, the trains in its network have continuously made changes to… Read
The pitfalls littering the road to marriage are deep, wide, many and costly. Watch your step, warns Spa (March 12). Social life is not what it used to be. For some, increasingly numerous, life is hardly social at all. Personal fulfillment that takes no account of others is an increasingly… Read
On February 23, the Japan Sumo Association announced that Hokuseiho, a 22-year-old wrestler from Mongolia belonging to the Miyagino stable, would retire from the sport due to numerous allegations of mistreatment of lower-ranked members at his stable. Hokuseiho joined the rolls of high-ranked Mongolian grapplers forced out of sumo due… Read
She grew up in a big lively happy family and yearned for an attic. Happy and lively herself, she loved her parents and brothers and sisters, took active part in family amusements – but solitude called her, and as soon as she was old enough she answered the call. Does… Read
In Japan's print media, the possibility of former U.S. president Donald J. Trump's election this coming November has been handily encapsulated into four syllables: Moshi-Tora, literally meaning "if Trump." The expression has a built-in expiration date of November 6, 2024, being the date (Japan standard time) on which it will… Read
(Second of two parts) Worry is nothing to worry about, really. You can use your brain to train your brain, writes neurologist Toshinori Kato in President magazine (March 1) – if not not to worry at all, at least to worry productively, generating solutions and action plans instead of the… Read
Use of "prestigious," when applied to educational institutions in Japan (from K-12 to university), has probably been done to death. But there's one school that few would deny warrants the term: Gakushuin. Previously referred to in English as the "Peers School," Gakushuin, located in Tokyo's Toshima Ward, may not rank… Read
First of two parts Why worry? It’s stupid, pointless, distracting. Worry feeds on the joy of life, leaving us weary and dispirited. “Worry is 90 percent misunderstanding,” says President (March 1). Really? A glance at the state of the world shows plenty to worry about: war, warming, aging, democracy threatened,… Read