Bonsai trees. Walkman. Karaoke, Nintendo. What do all of these items have in common? Well, for one, they are items which can be enjoyed for hours and hours, yet only take up a small amount of space. And two, they all come from Japan. Mere coincidence? I don't think so. The population density of Japan stands at 331 people per square kilometer. That's over ten times higher than the U.S.! But wait. This statistic is misleading. Japan is made up of a group of extremely mountainous islands. Many of the mountains are so steep there is no way a house could ever be built on them. So it's actually even more crowded over here than the numbers suggest! When there is less space for each person, it seems natural to think that people will discover ways to maximize the value of space. Speaking of maximizing space... let me tell you about a place where I wish I could do just that. It's called, Commuting Hell. Fortunately, I don't have to experience it very often. But when I do, wow. What a rush. Any stories you may have heard about how bad Tokyo's rush hour is, well, they are all true. Yes, there are times on the train when it is so crowded that you literally can't move. Yes, there are people who work at the train stations, whose sole job it is to push commuters into the trains so that the doors can close. Shinjuku, Tokyo's busiest station, has a million people pass through it every day. If there ever is a time when one is thankful that Sony invented the walkman, it's during Tokyo's commute. Maybe that's why it was invented! Hope your summer is going great! Until next month, your man in Japan. -Dan