Massive Online Open Courses are all the rage in the USA, and thanks to the Internet, in Kyrgyzstan, Waziristan, and even Setagaya -- with a single course attracting 40,000 or more students.

Coffee shops are particularly interesting because their role has changed from that of smoky dens for salesmen out of the office and killing time, to that of fashionable internet-connected meeting places.

Today we want to recognize two foreign entrepreneurs who are classic start-ups in their respective fields and who are using technology to build possible new futures for Japan.

All Nippon Airlines announced a net loss of JPY6.6bn for the first quarter of the year amidst the 787 Dreamliner groundings, rising fuel costs on the weaker yen, and losses booked from its failed joint venture with AirAsia.

The acquisition of cell phone operator Sprint Nextel was a triumphant moment for Masayoshi Son, the iconic founder and CEO of Softbank, and elevates his firm into becoming one of the largest telcos in the world.

Last week researchers caught some Japanese sea bass 100km out at sea and found that they had concentrations of 1,037 Bq/Kg of Cesium-134/137, about 10 times higher than the government safety limit.

The Japanese government, in its efforts to bring foreigners and foreign companies back to Japan, has recently floated a balloon that it will provide a 3-year fast track for new immigrants to get permanent residency (PR).

A popular destination in the Shibuya area over the weekend is the occasional clothing flea market held at the NHK-Yoyogi Park Amphitheater, with over 400 stalls selling tons (literally) of used clothing in good condition.

Extrapolating what future Japanese will look like in 100 years (let alone 100,000 years), our forecast is that thanks to tourism-begets-immigration, they will have huge foreheads, flat faces, and saucer-like eyes.

Seven Bank has once again suspended MasterCard, Maestro, and Cirrus cards, and so tourists looking to withdraw cash will be out of luck, unless they go to the post office or one of the few Citibank or Shinsei ATMs.