The Japanese take their work seriously, and thus most jobs available are “full on”. This means that your working hours and your stress levels are likely to be high, and of course this takes a toll on your body in general and your eyes in particular. Some of the most common eye conditions that you can come down with are also the most embarrassing, namely styes and conjunctivitis (“pink eye”).

There have been three key things that document the passage of time that I thought I’d share with you on: failing eyesight, dental work, and staying fit. The chances are that you are not 50 yet, since most of us come to Japan when we’re young and footloose, so I’ll try to keep things generic.

This week's Gadget Watch zooms in on the Vitiny digital microscope, jams with the TASCAM GT-R1 recorder, and jumps onto the TOYOTA Winglet personal transporter.

Last Thursday, Japan’s largest independent distributor of foreign books and magazines, Yohan Inc., went bankrupt. The company has shutdown completely, firing all of its staff, closing the office, and leaving a reported ￥6.5billion of debt. We take a look at what possibly went wrong and what could’ve been done better.