The Swiss Alps, as seen through Japanese eyes. When we visited a souvenir shop in Hokkaido this summer, I came across something that stopped me in my tracks. A box of biscuits. On it was a familiar little girl, standing against an Alpine landscape. And underneath her: “Heidi, a girl of the Hokkaido” in English, which somehow made the whole thing rather confusing. Because Heidi is Swiss. Isn't she? The original Heidi was written by Swiss author Johanna Spyri in 1881. It tells

Memory, longing, and life between two countries The other day my wife and I went to see Bryan Adams in concert. This guy really rocks. And I don’t just mean in a 'good for his age' sense – which is usually polite shorthand for 'still upright and not entirely embarrassing'. No, he genuinely rocks. Especially when you consider that he’s 66. Sixty-six! An age where most people start complaining about their knees, their eyesight, and music all sounds the same these days. Meanwhil