In the past blog post, I have mentioned how young Japanese may lack resilience where new grads were quitting their job on day 1, via a resignation intermediary company. However, there are many young and up and coming Japanese enterpreneurs and the one that stands out by far in many ways is 片石 貴展, Takanori … Continue reading Japanese game changers: CEO of Yutori
April 29 starts Japan’s Golden Week and we have came to Istanbul, Turkey. This is the first time I have visited Turkey and there are differences between Turkey and Japan including: Difference in religion where Turkey have more muslims and Japan have more Buddhists Istanbul have ferries as a common public transport to connect people … Continue reading Similarities and history of Turkey and Japan
In the series, Japanese brand highlights, I select one Japanese brand that's a league of its own. In the past, I featured U-plan, a hand crafted wooden toys, and Traveler's Factory. This time, I'm sharing an apparel brand that I found out through my Australian friend, Momotaro Jeans. What is Momotaro Jeans? Momotaro Jeans originates … Continue reading Japanese brand highlights: Momotaro Jeans
Spring, New Beginnings, and Early Resignations in Japan As cherry blossoms bloom across Tokyo, it's clear that spring has arrived, bringing with it fresh starts and new beginnings. In Japan, April 1 marks the start of the fiscal year for many companies and schools. Under the pink blossoms, countless new 社会人 (shakaijin or working adults) … Continue reading Spring time is new graduates and resignation season?
This year has been a record breaking karaoke🎤 visitation for me. Japan welcomed a record breaking 36.8+ million international visitors in 2024 and 2025 doesn't seem to show any sign of slowing down. Personally, we have been hosting friends from overseas with the "Japanese experience" usually dining out at yakiniku or yakitori restaurant which inevitably … Continue reading 5 Surprising Uses for Karaoke in Japan
This weekend, I am flying solo as my husband is off on a ski trip with his friends visiting from Australia. Luckily, Tokyo is a haven for soloists. Many people enjoy a quiet time in cafes, eats alone (they are many counter seating that makes it comfortable) and the sight is so common that it … Continue reading 3 recommended Tokyo bookstores to spend hours in
Happy New Year!The year 2025 is the year of snake (巳 mi 🐍) in 干支(Eto or Lunar Year). What is Eto? Eto is the Chinese Zodiac with 12 animals in the order of: Rat Ox Tiger Rabbit Dragon Snake Horse Sheep (Goat for Chinese) Monkey Rooster Dog Boar (Pig for Chinese) The origin story goes … Continue reading Happy 2025- the year of snake
Sometimes, I get contacted through this blog and it's generally from an international traveller planning a visit to Japan to somewhere remote (like Chichibu in Saitama prefecture) and wants some travel advice. I'm always pleasantly surprised to know that I've been able to help visitors to Japan with by providing local Japan insights in English … Continue reading Sweet memories of Japanese sweets
Last weekend, for the third time since living in Japan, we visited PICA Saiko's lakeside lodge for the weekend. More about Lake Saiko in Yamanashi prefecture, the surrounding area and about the first visit to PICA Saiko in my previous blog: https://nativeexpat.home.blog/2020/09/12/a-weekend-of-lounging-by-the-lakes-and-appreciating-art-%F0%9F%8E%A8/ More about the second visit in 2021: https://nativeexpat.home.blog/2021/07/10/lakeside-barbecue-and-first-shot-of-vaccine/ Just like the last two … Continue reading BBQ in summer and bbq in spring in Hokkaido?
As Rihana said, everybody's gotta work, work, work, work 🎶. Many companies used to have a strict no side-hustle rule in Japan but side-hustlers have been increasing in Japan since the pandemic allowed many people to work remotely and the relatively recent shift from saving to investing amongst Japanese. According to a 2022 survey conducted … Continue reading Side hustle culture in Japan
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