For the last 3 and a half years, my New Zealand husband have been living in Japan. Now that the borders have reopened, we have been visiting family and friends in Australia and now in New Zealand. As last Thursday was a public holiday in Japan called Mountain Day , we have been traveling in … Continue reading Expat goes native, Kiwi expat in Japan back in New Zealand
We have been away from Japan for nearly a month now. During our visit to Australia to visit friends and family, we weren't empty handed as it's the Japanese custom to bring お土産 (Omiyage or souvenir). I remember pre-pandemic, Monday morning office kitchen will have at least one omiyage from some colleague who visited somewhere … Continue reading What is omiyage and 5 Japanese souvenir friends loved
I continue to be in Australia where last week I spent time with my parents. After moving back to Japan in 2019, this was my first visit to the Gold Coast, Australia where I lived when my family moved to Australia in 2001. My parents continue to live on the Gold Coast and staying with … Continue reading Native Expat goes back home (to Australia) from home (in Japan) 2022 edition part 2
We are back in Australia for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic🐨. I have lived in Australia since I was 12-30 years old and as my parents and many of my friends live in Australia, Australia remains a big part of my life. Since moving back to my motherland, Japan at the start of … Continue reading Native Expat goes back home (to Australia) from home (in Japan) 2022 edition
The Japanese Cabinet Office released official research on modern Japanese dating life in June 2022. 20,000 Japanese men and women between the age of 20s and 60s were interviewed between 2021 December to 2022 January for this research and the situation seems dire for Japan that agonises over the sluggish/declining birth rate. Many of the … Continue reading The modern Japanese dating situation
For my birthday this year, I asked my parents for a portable cutlery set that I have been using especially during my travels when we have snacks on shinkansen and at hotels; like this time when we had a room dinner at Furano Prince Hotel in February 2022 (more about the ski trip in Furano): … Continue reading It’s a little easy being green: how to make a portable chopsticks holder
June 27 marked the end of the raining season or 梅雨(Tsuyu) in many prefectures in Japan including Tokyo where the rainy season ended 21 days earlier than the previous year. It is the earliest day for tsuyu to end in record. What I learned this week is that tsuyu season was created to warn any … Continue reading Caution hot! Japan’s sudden summer heat wave
One of many activities that I enjoy doing especially during the 梅雨 (Tsuyu or rainy season) and hot summer season; is visiting museums. Tokyo is home to an extensive number of exhibitions, museums and galleries that you'll never run out of places to visit. Last weekend, I visited the world's first picture book museum in … Continue reading The world’s first picture book museum: Iwasaki Chihiro Museum
A couple of months ago, I visited a cherry blossom art museum🌸 where they offered a discount ticket to an exhibition located in Meguro city about Taisho Romance era. As it was the last exhibition day last weekend, we made a day of it in Meguro area in Tokyo. What is 大正ロマン（Taisho romance) about? 大正(Taisho) … Continue reading Art exhibition along 100 steps in Meguro’s Hotel Gajoen Tokyo
From June 6th, Tokyo is officially in 梅雨（Tsuyu) or the rainy season between spring and summer period☔️.Once tsuyu is over, Japan enters the sunny, hot and humid summer time🥵. Generally, tsuyu is from the start of June but in the south part of Japan including Okinawa, their rainy season starts earlier in mid-May while the … Continue reading The start of a rainy season, Tsuyu and mineral rich city onsen
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