It’s flu season. And Covid is also still doing the rounds. At this point, I’m beginning to suspect we’re not getting rid of it anytime soon. Walking around Japan at this time of year, it can sometimes feel as if the pandemic never really left. Masks everywhere. On trains. In shops. On the street. Sometimes even outdoors – alone, in wide‑open spaces. Or worn by drivers sitting solo in their car, presumably protecting themselves from… themselves. Shop and restaurant staff are m

In 2026, I will have lived in Japan for 30 years. Thirty years. Long enough to forget that Sundays once meant closed shops, but still short enough to be asked, every now and then, when 'I’m going back home.' What I only realised recently is that this urge to leave Switzerland – to look over the mountains and think maybe somewhere else would be nice  – is not a modern phenomenon at all. It’s about 2,000 years old. What I’m referring to is one of the earliest mass emigrations

🚗 Driving Culture Switzerland treats speed limits as sacred laws, written in metaphorical stone and enforced by hidden speed cameras lurking like highly trained snipers. Step even slightly over the limit, and you've instantly won yourself a surprise photo souvenir courtesy of Swiss law enforcement. It's efficient, relentless, and guarantees that every Swiss driver develops a built-in speedometer through sheer fear alone. In contrast, Japan's speed limits, though technically

On December 10, Switzerland’s parliament elected Economics Minister Guy Parmelin as president for 2026. If your immediate reaction to this news was a polite nod followed by 'Wait, Switzerland has a president?' . Congratulations, you are responding correctly. Because Switzerland’s presidency is one of the most Swiss things imaginable. It exists, it functions perfectly, and it makes absolutely no fuss about itself. In most countries, becoming president comes with perks. Palaces