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A week before moving to Japan I was called to jury duty.  My happiest day was calling them and telling them that I can't make it...ever.  They added a note to my “juror profile” regarding the international move, and asked me to call them when I move back to the USA.  “Yeah...sure...I'll do that,” I sarcastically replied.  And that was that.  All I had to do was move out of the country, and I was officially exempt from jury duty forever.

Wrong.

Over the next several years I was called to jury duty many times.  The summons notifications were mailed to both my old address in North Hollywood as well as my parents' address in West LA.  I was no longer a

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Recently I started working in the 800-person IT department of a large Japanese financial firm.  Being the only white boy and only native English speaker in my 30-person section, I stand out quite a bit.  I've only been here a month; however, the piquant Japanese-ness of the office permeates my very essence.  Thus, I've compiled a short list of survival tips for other Westerners finding themselves imbued with overwhelmingly Japanese coworkers.

Lie Your Ass Off
You will be asked many many times how old you are, if you have a significant other, where you're from--and in extreme examples--if you can use chopsticks.  They'll also

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The incumbent prime minister Hatoyama and his new government have been working to pass legislation that will place a 100-yen tax on each and every pack of cigarettes sold in Japan.  I was shocked this wasn't done 10 years ago.  Japan has a major problem with smoking addiction, and here are some possible reasons why:

They're Cheap
A pack of cigs cost about 300 yen ($3 US).  That's an awesome deal compared to a place like Singapore, where they are around $12 US a pack.  Most industrialized nations tax the crap out of cigarettes to promote a healthier, non-smoking population while boosting tax revenue.  As I'm sure many

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Just as living with LA traffic day after day made me hate cars, living with central Tokyo's population density makes me hate people.  Tokyo is so crowded with people that even an uncomplicated excursion is exhausting.  Train stations, shopping malls, cafes, restaurants, bars--people ooze out of every possible orifice.  Over the years of living in one of the most crowded cities in the world, I've developed certain skills and tendencies to cope.  Some of them are embarrassing, but all of them greatly relieve the annoyance caused by living under such people pressure.  Consider this advice on becoming a Tokyo hermit if you happen to share in my frustrations.  Consider it me-deprecating entertainment if you do not.

Stay At Home
The most easily-executed is to