2008 is not only the year of the mouse but also time to celebrate 'UK-Japan 2008', marking the 150th anniversary of Anglo-Japanese relations. We take a look at why Japan and the UK actually have a lot in common and trace the brief history of these two island countries.

Here we are at the last issue of Terrie's Take for 2007, our tenth anniversary of producing the newsletter. As we look back on the year, we have tried to identify ten events/trends that we think typify 2007 and indicate the trends for those of us living as foreign "guests" of Japan for the coming 2-3 years. Read Terrie's Take Now

The golden arches have been in Japan for over 35 years and during that time the business has been hugely successful. For an overview of McDonald's in Japan including its latest campaigns and fortunes, Read JIN Now

This week's Gadget Watch looks at the growing trend in 1-seg tuners, Kenwood's new desktop audio system and COWON's portable audio and video player.