For two weekends in a row in September 2019, Japan is celebrating a public holiday on a Monday and this Monday is 秋分の日 (Shuubun no hi, Autumnal Equinox Day)🍂. In English, it makes total sense what the day involves but I wasn't too sure what "Shuubun" meant besides the character for "Shuu" is 秋, autumn … Continue reading Autumnal Equinox Day
Compared to Australians who switch their jobs every 2-3 years (or working on 6 months contract a time), I have an impression that Japanese stick to their job where you enter a company as a graduate and (if you're a man) stick around until you receive your golden watch on the way out to retirement. … Continue reading Japanese mentality to work and yet another public holiday
Kanazawa in Ishikawa prefecture is one of three prefectures in the 北陸 (Hokuriku or Central Japan) and it was a perfect quick weekend getaway from Tokyo when my parents visited my husband and me from Australia. It felt odd to welcome my Japanese parents from Australia to Tokyo and I felt guilty for not being … Continue reading Weekend in Kanazawa
A lucky business trip to Sapporo last Monday gave us an opportunity to travel to the prefecture that I most wanted to visit in Japan, the northern island in Japan, Hokkaido. After landing in Chitose Airport at 8:30am on Saturday, we caught the train for 50 minutes into the city center, Sapporo. It was quite … Continue reading Summer weekend in Sapporo
2 seasons ago at the end of February 2019, I moved back to Japan after living in Australia for 18 years. Reflecting on it, I feel like I have settled into a routine of "living". Monday to Friday is work, gym before or after work💪 , washing in the morning on the days I don't … Continue reading A sense of place at 6 months mark of living in Japan
Since moving to Japan at the start of the year from Australia, this has been one of the longest time that I haven’t seen or swum in an ocean - until the last weekend. We visited the closest beach resort area from Tokyo called 熱海 (Atami) 🏖 which took around 2 1/2 hours on a … Continue reading The Japanese way of swimming at the beach
This weekend is another long weekend in Japan and this time, we get a day off to appreciate mountains and its blessing where the public holiday is quite simply called, 山の日(Mountain Day) 🗻. What is Mountain Day? There isn’t too much history with this public holiday as it is the newest public holiday in Japan. … Continue reading August Japanese public holiday: Mountain Day and Obon
The delayed rainy season kept the start of summer unusually cool, the term known as 梅雨寒(tsuzamu - rainy season coldness) ☔.However, Japanese summer doesn't let us off the hook that easily! Suddenly, after 20 days straight of daylight hours under 3 hours per day, on July 17th the sun broke through, heated up the concrete … Continue reading Boom! Sumida River Fireworks Festival in Tokyo
“Can you please wait a day or two for my share of work dinner expense from last night because I’ve spent all my pocket money…help me save my face or my wife will get mad!” “I came back to work after a couple of days after my wife gave birth. She seemed to be handling … Continue reading Japanese triangular communication method
It feels long and it feels short to have lived in Tokyo for five months now. Reflecting on my last 2-5 months of my time in Japan so far after living in Australia for 19 years (more on that in About Me section) by revisiting my 2 months, 1 month and 1-week posts, here are … Continue reading Discoveries made by living in Tokyo for 5 months
Native Expat 