As an American guy living abroad in Japan, sending money between the USA and Japan is something I'm used to dealing with.  In fact I documented the various international money transfer methods I've used over the years here: How I Send Money Between my Japan and USA Bank Accounts - Life Abroad

Always on the hunt for what's new, I came across Xoom.com, a site operated by Paypal that appears very similar to my current favorite money transfer service Transferwise.  What the hell...let's give it a shot.  At the very least it would be beneficial to have an alternative on hand in case Transferwise ever fails me.

Read more: Xoom.com Review - Is This a Joke?

Despite living abroad in Japan for quite some time now, I of course still maintain a USA presence of sorts in the form of bank accounts and credit cards.  Therefore, a common scenario is sending money between my Japan bank account and my USA one.  While the options used to be fairly limited to international money orders and wire transfers, a couple of newly-discovered and extremely convenient solutions have proved their weight in yen to me.  For the sake of completeness, I document all the solutions I've utilized.

Read more: How I Send Money Between my Japan and USA Bank Accounts - Life Abroad

During the course of my life abroad in Japan, I've increasingly found myself in this situation:
- I find something online that I just must have--usually something very American (and a bit silly) like ridiculously potent gel that makes my teeth gloriously white.
- Not surprisingly I can't buy it in Japan. -OR- I can buy it in Japan, but the price is insanely high.
- I go to Amazon USA or Ebay and find it there, but the seller won't ship it to Japan.
Oh, and this situation is compounded by the fact my family back home loves gifting me Amazon USA gift certificates for birthdays and Christmas.

Read more: How to Get USA Stuff Shipped to You in Japan - Living Abroad

Life abroad as a parent can be tough, and there are moments when you just want someone to take the pain away...now.  It can be especially difficult when those moments sneak up on you, and you don’t have nearby friends or family who can keep an eye on the youngsters.  While you take care of business or recover from an illness or recent childbirth, wouldn't it be nice to have a helping hand?  Sure, there are daycare programs and preschools; but those options aren't always convenient or suitable, often requiring advance registration procedures.  Luckily with some relatively recent developments, parents in Japan can choose from a number of babysitter options to help alleviate the stress of finding someone trustworthy to take care of the kiddies in those busy times.

Read more: Babysitting Services in Japan

Several years ago I enrolled in Sumida Hospital's clinical trials program, participating in one of their paid clinical trials.  Despite the commitment, I found it a rewarding experience both in monetary value and blog-worthiness.  I described the experience in detail here: The Clinical Trial

Since I'm on their mailing list, I receive occasional invitations and information regarding their other clinical trials.  They currently seek Caucasian and Hispanic participants on an on-going basis for a number of well-compensated clinical trials.  The requirements vary based on the specific trial.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
FYI ONLY - These are general requirements that seem to reverberate through most all the clinical trials.
- healthy person of Caucasian or Hispanic background (both parents must be Caucasian or Hispanic)
- age between 20 and 45
- weight between 40 kg and 90 kg
- able to refrain from smoking during the clinic stay
* Please note that these are just the major general requirements. There may be other requirements or conditions not listed here that could cause ineligibility for a particular trial.

Please contact Sumida Hospital through their website if interested.  Please let them know that David Pavlina referred you, as this simple act helps to support my blogging efforts.

Here's the link to Sumida Hospital's site.  Here you'll find a list of the current clinical trials open for application.
http://www.clinicaltrialstokyo.com

Although Amazon Japan offers loads of stuff to satisfy my discriminating American sensitivities, there are times when I surf Amazon USA and find an item that tickles my fancy.  But will Amazon USA ship this thing to my Japan home?  Here's a quick tip for finding out...

Read more: Does Amazon Ship This Thing Abroad?