Children! You have no idea how good you have it. Just wait until you grow up and find yourself dragging your own kids to cartoon events like this. Or worse, performing on stage—especially when you're not up to it.

Stone statues play a prevalent role in Japanese life. You see them at Buddhist Temples and Shinto Shrines, and you also see them in front of houses and businesses or in gardens as decoration. Ditto at cemeteries.

In Japan, every pre-school kid loves Anpanman. The superhero has a head made of bean paste bread. All of his fellow heroes are made from bread, too.

I love arcades. I wrote a book about them. But there was a time that I hated them. Well, not all arcades, just one in particular.

In Japan, video games are called "TV games" (terebi geemu). Here's a look at video games that have been turned into tabletop entertainment. Think TV games, but minus the TV.