**日本語訳は下をご覧ください** “The half-Japanese community in Japan is really strong. We seem to band together. Maybe because there was a film made in 2010 about half-Japanese people that brought everybody out of the shadows. Suddenly people who grew up in a bicultural, biracial household have other people to talk to about these things. That bondsContinue reading Bicultural Boundaries in Japan
**日本語訳は下の方ご覧ください** “I’m half-Swiss, half-Bolivian, and my first contact with Japan was when I was working in the fashion industry in Hong Kong. My boss, who was Japanese, introduced me to high-end denim products that just blew my mind. It was the kind of quality and craftsmanship people pay top dollar for. He also showed meContinue reading Two Faces of Fashion
**日本語訳は下の方ご覧ください** “I’ve been thinking about working in Japan after finishing my studies. After all, I’m already here and know the customs well enough, so I might as well try my luck. And besides, there’s not much work related to my field (biochemistry) back home in Peru anyway. That’s why I came to Japan to doContinue reading An Overseas Opportunity
**日本語訳は下の方ご覧ください** “I’m married to a Japanese man and it always surprises people when they find out we met in Russia. It was at a party, to be exact. I was studying Russian and so was he, although at different universities. We talked and I thought he was smart and interesting, so we started going out.Continue reading Love Across Borders
**日本語訳は下の方ご覧ください** “I wrote a lot about the interaction of language, humans, and society in what became my first book. I think these ideas are what constitutes a big part of my experience here in Japan. When you learn a second language it is like you have a second soul. It is like you build aContinue reading Living Between Two Worlds
“My general understanding of identity is that it’s fluid right? It depends on who you surround yourself with. When I surround myself with Japanese people I never feel Japanese. When I surround myself with Chinese people I feel more Japanese. I think when you put yourself in a different situation you always find a differentContinue reading Blurred Identity
“Shimokitazawa, where I live and work, is really similar to a place in Stockholm called Södermalm. Basically it’s the hipster area of Stockholm. I was really familiar and liked that area so when I came here I felt really at home. Not everyone is in a suit and I feel like people are super relaxedContinue reading Steering Towards a Goal
“I’ve been living in Tokyo for 15 years now. I studied and graduated from a university in Seoul but to be honest I wasn’t a big fan of Japanese culture, reading manga nor watching anime. That’s why when I first came here as an exchange student it was quite a shocking experience for me. I foundContinue reading Open-Minded
“I’m trying to open people’s minds and make them realized that beauty and also imperfection is okay. “As a child I dreamed of being an illustrator, but at the time I didn’t have the confidence to pursue it so I decided to join a business school after I got older. I joined the school becauseContinue reading Where is Home?
