The Odakyu Odawara Line connects Tokyo’s Shinjuku Station, the busiest rail station in the world, with suburbs and outlying cities to the southwest. So on any given weekday morning, you can expect to see a lot of people on its northbound train commuting to work or school in the big city. And…
In Japan there’s a system called furusato nozei, or “hometown tax.” Originally created to help out small businesses in less-developed parts of the country, furusato nozei lets you make a donation to a town and deduct the amount on your taxes. You also usually receive a gift of some sort of locally…