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“When the 2011 earthquake hit Japan, I dropped everything and left the US to come back here and work as a volunteer. Being bilingual and bi-cultural (I was born and raised in Tokyo), I worked as an interpreter for disaster and economic relief organizations. I also did PR and got major global coverage for oneContinue reading
“I’m Japanese but my mom got remarried to an Australian, so my last name changed to Smith. I also have a younger brother who’s half Japanese, half Australian. We all moved to Australia, where I spent the next 4-5 years. That was an important part of my life. It shaped me to who I amContinue reading
Her: “We met on a dating app. When my friends got tired of me complaining about the dating scene, one of them helped me sign up to this Japanese dating app, which was different than Tinder. After a few messages, we went out for lunch on a Sunday. We only planned to have lunch butContinue reading
“I’m a 3D artist from Mexico. A week after our wedding, my wife and I moved here. So I’ve only experienced married life in Japan. Everything changed once we boarded that flight to Tokyo. All of a sudden, I can’t be just preoccupied with my hobbies anymore. I’m not just dating my girlfriend or livingContinue reading
***日本語は下記をご覧下さい***“As a working mother in Japan, I’ve been juggling work and family for a couple of years now. I’m a Japanese make-up artist. I work with professional models for fashion magazines, TV, etc. It sounds so cool with all the glitz and glamour, but it’s an industry notorious for a grueling work schedule. That’s whyContinue reading
“I’ve always wanted to live here from a really young age. Pretty much my whole life. So every decision I’ve made has been to get to where I am now. But now that I’m here, I don’t think I’ve ever really thought about what’s next. And being so separated from my support network in NewContinue reading
“I was demoted at work when I came back from maternity leave. My superiors didn’t seem to think I could still handle a job with responsibilities while raising my daughter. Instead, they had me answering the phone, photocopying papers, and sending faxes, which is unfair considering I used to do sales and marketing for moreContinue reading
“I was supposed to marry my ex-fiancé. We were together for four years. Then suddenly, three months before the wedding, she tells me she didn’t love me anymore and that she didn’t want to be with me anymore. Everything was arranged—we had the invites, the date was set, everything. It was the lowest point inContinue reading
“We’re trainees from Cebu, Philippines, under the Technical Intern Training Program. We do plumbing for Japan’s waterworks bureau, who secures water resources and provides a stable supply of clean water for the public. Life is good. But grocery prices and living costs are so high when converted back to pesos. I’ve been here for aContinue reading
“She’s nine months old. I had the easiest pregnancy with her. But now I’m having the hardest time with her. Maybe it’s like reverse karma or something. I want her grow up to be assertive because I notice people here talk to you in this roundabout way. Makes me want to say, ‘Just get toContinue reading
“I think everyone goes through some kind of identity crisis. I’m from Taiwan and when I was 16, I went to the States, where I lived with a white host family. I went to a private school that was predominantly white, although there were also a couple of Asians and some black people. I rememberContinue reading
“When one of the biggest English conversational schools in Japan went bust in 2007, I suddenly found myself jobless. With no income, I would desperately find former students, go to their house, and do a group lesson for not even so much money. There was even a single mother who asked me to do lessonsContinue reading
“My daughter just turned two. She’s half Filipino. My wife teaches her Tagalog while I teach her English. If she goes to public school then she’ll learn Japanese very quickly so that would be great for her. She’ll be trilingual and a third culture kid. I thought Tokyo might not be a great place toContinue reading
“We met through a mutual friend at a party. She’s Japanese and I’m half Japanese, half Filipino. I was born and raised in Japan. But even though I’ve never lived in the Philippines, sometimes I miss the vibe of my Filipino side, and of course the food. My mom’s Filipina so she’d cook dishes fromContinue reading
“We’ve been friends since elementary school. She’s Japanese (left) and I’m half Japanese, half Filipina (right). My mom’s from the Philippines, dad’s Japanese, and I’ve been coming back and forth here since I was a kid. The Philippine community in Japan is so huge that whenever there’s a festival like here today, everybody comes. NoContinue reading
“I work the night shift at a convenience store. I show up for work at 10 pm then clock out in the morning at 6 am. Because they can’t hire young Japanese people, lately there are more foreigners like myself doing this kind of job in Japan. Not gonna lie, it’s tough. Especially the language.Continue reading
“We’re volunteer staff for today’s Vietnam Festival. It’s the biggest we’ve ever been to. Sometimes it surprises us how big the Vietnamese community is in Japan. We’re the third-largest group of foreign residents here. I’m from Huế (left), she’s from Danang (right), and we made a Japanese friend (center) today, who’s even wearing our traditionalContinue reading
“I was brought up in a poor environment in Kenya. My dad passed away when I was seven so I barely got to know him. And even while I was growing up, I hardly saw him because he was always in the hospital due to a heart problem. He was constantly being admitted to theContinue reading
