Pacific Biosciences is working on a DNA sequencing process that it says will allow a person’s genome to be sequenced in under an hour for less than $100 making a future of personally tailored genetic medicine more feasible. Reporter/Videographer: Nick Burns

Produced by Nick Burns

Originally published at WSJ.com.

Monzen-Nakacho—Monnaka to the locals—lies low, laced by canals that flow into Tokyo Bay. It’s a refuge from the formality of central Tokyo. And it typifies Japan’s sense of drift: fewer children, dying businesses and flagging faith.

Night Snacks by Nick Burns

Shigemi Masuda is a quick-change artist whose wooden cart becomes a semi-private tent of intimacy each night. He’s a purveyor of oden — traditional boiled fishcakes, turnips and bean curd. A slow stream of people trickle into his street stall, usually as their last stop on a night out.

To view the full project, please visit The Washington Post.

Web design and production by Nick Burns

Originally published by The Washington Post on September 4, 2009.

Ten interactive features about Japanese and Japanese Americans on both sides of the Pacific. Tokyo is passing through a moment of political and social confusion as a new generation prepares to confront a world with less. From love to labor, Japan fashions new ways to cope, as its economic might inevitably erodes. In San Francisco, the old take solace in their culture. Newcomers arrive in search of opportunity and love.

After the Camps by Nick Burns

California was once dotted with more than 40 Japantowns – communities built by generations of immigrants who were prohibited from owning land.  During World War II, more than 100,000 people of Japanese ancestry in America were forced into camps.   Uprooted and isolated, sometimes viewed as hostile enemies, they learned to cope.  When Molly Miyako Kimura was freed, she found her town transformed.

Waist Watchers by Nick Burns

The Japanese government wants to trim fat from its health care system.  It hopes to slash ballooning medical costs by preventing more cases of heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes.  So it’s asking overweight citizens to diet.  Still, some people want the freedom to be fat.

Visit WashingtonPost.com to view the full project.

Web design and production by Nick Burns

Originally published by The Washington Post on September 4, 2009.