Today’s story teller is a professional skier and alpinist, Gouta Miura, who is a son of the world famous professional skier Yuichiro Miura. The story dates back to when Gouta was 14 years old, he was studying ski at school in the United States. One day he woke up at five o’clock in the morning and went running. After running for a while, he tried to go home but he was lost.

A run-down of some of the best Japan-related stories from this week: After years of economic stagnation and widening income disparities, this once proudly egalitarian nation is belatedly waking up to the fact that it has a large and growing number of poor people. Japan Tries to Face Up to Growing Poverty Problem The New York Times (Martin Fackler) - I was making the same amount of money as assem..

Ever wonder how yer offspring will evolve here in Japan? In the Central Highlands of the Suzuka Mountain Range, in the misty border regions of Shiga and Mie prefectures, live many a Wellowbone apart from the low lying plainslanders. Local traditions vary as to the origin of these people. According to one, they are descendants of early Caucasian settlers who intermarried with the Japanese; anothe..