I never really got how Casio could sell the G-Shock in Japan. A lot of their watches reminds me of the stuff I grew up wearing, like the iconic Timex Ironman, which basically resembled a hideous plastic stopwatch strapped to the wrist. So in these past few years, every time that I’d see an ad campaign for a new G-Shock model, I’d shake my head in disbelief that Casio could sell such a thing. ...

Most people have heard of the geisha, the nightshift women who entertain Japan’s wealthy and elite. Their classy behavior and dedication to the arts have gained them respect and reverence throughout Japan’s storied history. And also helped inspire one of the most terrible forms of Hollywood Orientalism ever. Just try sitting through five minutes of Memoirs of a Geisha — it’s like hold...