a work in progress I was born and grew up. I drifted to Japan. I took root. Why here and not somewhere else? Happenstance. Do I write only about Japan? No. Mostly? Yes. Why? It's the air I breathe. I'm often asked if I like Japan. Answer: I like the house I live in, and the house I live in is in Japan. Books aside (but are books ever really "aside"? never) I write mostly for the Japan Times, where I have two Sunday columns going: (1) Big in Japan, on current issues; (2) The Living Past – tales and essays on Japanese history.