In the heart of downtown Shinjuku there's a land -- far over the rainbow -- where dreams really do come true. That is, if your dream involves a bowel movement. Fittingly, it’s called the Toto Super Space, a showroom for bathroom fixtures set on the lofty 26th and 27th floors of the L-Tower Building, a place where visitors can flush their troubles away. And -- if they are perhaps so inclined -- their little dog too.

The Internet is ablaze with lists suggesting ways to fight back against the deadliest foe of modern man — stress. Yes, stress! It will boil your blood pressure, electrify your nerves, scramble your stomach, ruin your happiness and lead you straight to the grave. As if you weren't going there already. And to combat stress, here's a summary of what the Internet says you might try:

I learned to swear as a boy. It was the only thing my father ever taught me. He compensated for his lack of attention in other matters by instructing me well in this. And if you think that there is nothing therapeutic, nothing enriching, nothing self-purging about a decent five-second binge of bile, then I can only advise that you try it.

Two years ago, I had a bet going with my younger son about who could lose 10 kg faster. So I bought a Wii Fit unit.

Time to take up the topic about which everybody moans, but no one ever writes columns about: the Tokyo heat.

There are rules in love stories.

“The Keeper of Dragonflies” is the initial work in my online short story collection of the same name.

I am uneasily reminded of a time 20 years past when I too applied for higher education from within Japan.

For many Japanese, one word sums up their entire lives: "busy."

I have put down roots, dropped my anchor, pitched my tent, hitched my pony, cooled my jets and shelved my thesaurus. After 25 nomadic years,

One benefit of wedding into a Japanese family is the discovery that there is much more to Japanese cuisine than just sushi and tempura.

My old college roommate has named his dog after my wife. "Is this some sort of a prank?" I ask him.

When I first came toJapan, I never thought I’d have to learn the language.

Sometimes love does find a way. Sometimes it is the only thing that can.

I asked my future wife to marry me while we were in the ofuro.

Most Japanese serve rice at every meal and feel a meal is incomplete without it. Many also assume that Westerners think the same about bread

I am sometimes asked how I met my wife. I like to say this unknown girl rushed up and tackled me. My wife’s version is different