All posts tagged "Ask the Expert"

  • Perfecting Perseverance

    Willpower, in the form of “ganbare” is so woven into the fabric of Japanese life that it is difficult to navigate a day in Japan without hearing this term. Ganbaru or ganbatte means “give it your best”...

    • Posted October 18, 2017
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  • Time to Thrive Part 3: Staying on Track

    If you’ve followed the advice in parts one and two of this series, you’ve picked your focus, made a proper plan and started executing it. Despite this focus and organization, however, you’re eventually going to run into...

    • Posted October 4, 2017
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  • Compulsive shopping: a disorder?

    QUESTION: My wife and I have been married for 15 years.  We have been blessed with a good life but my wife is a shopaholic. This is frequently the subject of our debates because she won’t see...

    • Posted October 2, 2017
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  • Ikigai and aging well

    Japan, along with many other countries in the developed world is experiencing a marked increase in the percentage of its population that is over fifty. With this changing demographic comes an increased interest regarding what it takes...

    • Posted September 2, 2017
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  • Knocked Out Tooth! Don’t Panic.

    Don't panic - there's a good chance that a dislodged tooth can be saved if you take the right steps.

    • Posted June 2, 2017
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  • 4 ways that enrich a couple’s relationship

    Gary Chapman, speaker and author of best-selling book, The five love languages says getting creative with how you express love and appreciation to others can greatly improve relationships. ACTS OF SERVICE.  Do meal prep for your partner...

    • Posted May 31, 2017
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  • Too Damn Busy: Why you are and how to stop.

    Here’s a statement about my life – and probably yours. The day I started writing this article, I got stuck in our elevator for 30 minutes – and enjoyed it! Somewhere in a day that was jam-packed...

    • Posted May 12, 2017
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  • New beginnings part 2: Barriers to a brighter future

    Making the move to a new and better stage of your life and career without getting overwhelmed by the inevitable challenges and uncertainty the process it involves, is a challenge. Last month I wrote about the importance...

    • Posted April 12, 2017
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  • The ADHD controversy

    A controversial comment made by leading Harvard Child Psychologist Jerome Kagan in Spiegel Online became the subject of heavy discussions between academia and pharmaceuticals. Kagan claims ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is an invented health condition rather...

    • Posted April 7, 2017
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  • How to choose a helmet for kids

    Every year, you hear about  bike-related head injuries and deaths involving kids.  Otasuke, a Japanese support group claims that more than 60% of traffic accidents involving children are  high school students while some 24% are elementary graders. ...

    • Posted March 15, 2017
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  • New Beginnings Part 1: KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE PRIZE

    For most foreigners living in Japan, the time to leave eventually comes. Whether leaving out of desire or necessity, this transition can be fraught with stress. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be. I’ll...

    • Posted February 15, 2017
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  • Our 13-year old wants to have a Facebook account. Should we allow her to do so?

    Everyone these days is speaking the same online language and interacting with others through social media platforms like Facebook. You must be at least 13 years old to open a Facebook account. Meguro Counseling Clinic director Dr....

    • Posted February 15, 2017
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  • Have You Found Your Calling?

    Vocation/ Calling: Vocation and calling are often used interchangeably because they have similar definitions. Vocation is defined as a strong desire to spend your life doing a certain kind of work and calling as a strong inner...

    • Posted January 12, 2017
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  • Q. Should you be worried if sedation on your baby is required for MRI to diagnose a Venusian dimple?

              Dr. Joe Kurosu of Primary Care Tokyo gives his medical opinion on the matter. In general, what are referred to as “Venusian dimples”,  located on the sides of the lower back, are...

    • Posted December 22, 2016
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  • Create more meaning, fulfillment and impact in your work

    While holidays are a time most people look forward to because they can forget about work, being away from work provides a great opportunity to gain some perspective on it and develop strategies to make it more...

    • Posted December 22, 2016
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  • The Rise of the Portfolio Career

    Do you have a job but dream of building a career? You might be out of luck. Why? The traditional definition of what constitutes a career is becoming obsolete. Consider the following definitions of career: 1) a...

    • Posted November 14, 2016
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  • Managing your pain

    HEAL YOURSELF What I am going to share and teach today is not mainstream information. That’s why it’s not more well known. But you are a select few that will be way ahead of the curve and...

    • Posted November 5, 2016
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  • The meaning of work: Profession

    Profession has two definitions that give insight into the mindset it carries with it; 1) a type of job that requires special education, training or skill; and 2) the act of declaring or publicly claiming a belief,...

    • Posted November 1, 2016
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  • The meaning of work: OCCUPATION

    How the words you use when thinking and talking about work influence your performance and fulfillment. Occupation: Defined as an activity that a person spends time doing, people who see work as an occupation tend to neither...

    • Posted October 26, 2016
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  • Should you have your boy circumcised?

    What do insanity, syphilis, and epilepsy have in common? They are all caused by masturbation, or so it was believed in Britain and the US in the late 19th century.  And the cure?  Circumcision.  When this notion...

    • Posted October 10, 2016
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  • Is your child an Olympic hopeful?

    “HOW IS A PARENT TO KNOW THAT HER CHLD’S GOAL IS REALISTIC? I can’t imagine that any parent would discourage their young child from following his dreams, no matter how lofty. However, as any parent of an...

    • Posted October 3, 2016
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  • Question: My child has ADD, what special learning needs will he have?

    Dr. Berger  : This will depend on the type and severity of ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) that your child has. There are mainly three types of ADD, mostly inattentive, mostly hyperactive, and mixed inattentive and hyperactive (the...

    • Posted October 2, 2016
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  • Saying goodbye to Summer

    There’s typically a feeling of impending change in the air this time of year. For students, autumn means saying goodbye to the long awaited summer months often devoted to de stressing, catching up on sleep and socializing....

    • Posted October 1, 2016
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  • Question: Is Play Preference Influenced by Gender? Japanese experts give advice.

      ❝ No. I think a child is influenced by the adults in his immediate environment. There was a study made previously where 3-year old kids were asked to draw any subject they like. The boys drew...

    • Posted August 17, 2016
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  • 10 questions to help figure out whether you want to stay committed for life

    Brenda (not her real name of course) wasn’t the first client to ask me for advice about how to figure out whether she loved her spouse enough to spend the rest of her life with him. For...

    • Posted June 16, 2016
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  • Saving your business without selling your soul

    A few years back I spent most of August on a self-styled writing retreat at a gorgeous house overlooking the ocean on Vancouver Island. I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful or inspirational place to write....

    • Posted June 16, 2016
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  • The modern way of birth

    Kony 2012.  It might be a golf tournament.  In fact, as you probably know, it’s a film about atrocities perpetrated by a man of that name, last seen in Uganda that became an overnight viral sensation with...

    • Posted May 1, 2016
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  • Success by Accident – The Kintsugi Path to a Fulfilling Life

    On January 29th, I published my first book, Wabi-Sabi Wisdom: Inspiration for an Authentic Life. In brainstorming ideas for the cover image, my husband recommended the idea of using a photo of kintsugi, the Japanese art of...

    • Posted March 12, 2016
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  • Is Japan without Humanities and Social Sciences good or bad?

    A decree issued by Japan’s Ministry of Education ordering Japan’s public universities to stop offering humanities and law, and social sciences, to align itself with the real demands of the job market, elicits mixed response among parents,...

    • Posted January 16, 2016
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  • The 8th Mindset of Workplace Transformation: Motivation vs. Inspiration

    The eighth (and final!) mindset of workplace transformation addresses where people derive the energy and impetus for action from. At this time of year this mindset is relevant even if you are not a leader as it...

    • Posted January 10, 2016
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