INTOUCH Magazine

Aiming Low in 2022

The heading on the whiteboard in the entrance to the WeWork office where I worked from over the New Year period read “RESOLUTIONS,” with a subhead “How will you be a #BetterYouIn22.” Underneath, people had attached cards with their goals for the year ahead.

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My Side of the Mountain

I grew up in a house abutting a state park filled with winding bicycle and horse tracks and meandering rivers and streams.

Each spring, my brother and I would explore the thick forests on the lookout for jack-in-the-pulpits peeking through latent April snows.

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Written in the Stars

Just as the Nordic countries dominate the medal table each Winter Olympics, the region is a leader in the world of heavy metal music, too.

According to the Encyclopaedia Metallum website, Finland had 630 metal bands per 1 million people in 2016, followed by Sweden with 428, Iceland (341), Norway (299) and Denmark (154).

Voice

Inland Sea Charm

My list of places to visit in Japan never gets shorter. The country is endlessly fascinating.

This was reinforced during a recent visit to Kure and the Seto Inland Sea. I was dazzled by its beauty, history and innovative local entrepreneurs.

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Lighting the Way

A sense of adventure brought me to Japan. I arrived from Taiwan in 1981, and one of the first things that shocked me about Japanese society was how male-oriented it was.

This hit home after I mastered the Japanese language and secured a job at a local IT company. I soon lost count of the number of times I was asked to serve tea to my male colleagues, and I had to constantly remind my boss that I wasn’t comfortable doing it.

Voice

Family Immersion

I come from a long line of travelers. Visiting Japan is a family business of sorts. I’ve been in and out of the country since 1966, and my first two arrivals were by ship.

Paving the way was my father, John F Howes, who first arrived here on January 1, 1947.