“I must have done five internships in total before getting hired by my company now. I sent dozens of cover letters and resumes to lots of different hiring managers, telling them, ‘Hey, I’m a foreigner and I can only speak conversational Japanese. But I’m willing to work for free for up to six months.’ MyContinue reading
“We met online. I’m from France and she’s Japanese. We decided to meet up in real life so here we are, lining up to watch a traditional Japanese kabuki theater performance. I’m a student and she works as a mechanic at the airport. By the way, we’re just friends. I’m only here for two moreContinue reading
“I was so burned out from work. The stress was too much to handle that my stomach would hurt and I wouldn’t be able to come to work. When I went to the hospital here in Japan and even in France, the results showed my body was fine. So it was just all in myContinue reading 80 Jours Japon
“The situation in Algeria is really bad. We have huge political and social problems, not to mention youth unemployment is sky high. For most people back home, going abroad is difficult. They’re even dying while attempting to cross the sea to Europe. The government limits the number of visas issued. Scholarships are scarce and goodContinue reading Hope Lives
“The job-hunting process in Japan is so outdated. It’s especially hard for foreigners. There’s only a small window of time to do it, which usually starts in the second semester of your junior year. You have to follow a schedule, otherwise you fall off the radar of prospective employers. In my case, I was inContinue reading Sclerotic and Antiquated
“I was heartbroken and a bit bored of my finance job in London so I decided to do some soul-searching while exploring the world for a couple of months. I found myself in South East Asia then Japan. A week before leaving, I met an Indonesian girl at a bar after she noticed I hadContinue reading Same Love
**日本語訳は下をご覧ください** “I’m a very shy person. I’m so self-conscious. In my head I always think, `Oh I shouldn’t have said that,’ or `what if this person doesn’t like me?’ But now with Muay Thai, I feel like I can accomplish anything. I have focus when I step into the ring. I stop worrying about whoContinue reading Muay Thai
**日本語訳は下をご覧ください** “My dad is Venezuelan; my mother is French, and they met in the U.S. while they were exchange students in Philadelphia. They got married and moved to Venezuela together, where they had my big brother. Now things aren’t going so well there in Venezuela. Prices are skyrocketing. You must wait a long line toContinue reading Happy to Help
**日本語訳は下をご覧ください** “Before coming to Japan and Korea for an internship, I wasn’t sure how people would see a black guy like me in public places, like onsen (hot spring or public bath), or in the streets. That stressed me out a bit. Also, I noticed a lack of information on the web about life hereContinue reading Pape San
**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
**日本語訳は下にあります** “I have a love and hate relationship with Japan. And after five years of living here, small things have started to pile up. Take for example the lack of flexibility or critical thinking. Nobody takes a stand against the established order (except for a very few outspoken minority). That’s why you often hear peopleContinue reading Broscience
“I have a hard time finding an apartment in Japan. And it’s because I’m a foreigner. My Japanese friends tell me people here are just shy or it’s because of something else. But I speak Japanese so I’m sure it’s not a language problem. When I lived in the countryside, I actually got the response:Continue reading Room for Improvement
