“I will always be a minority in every country I go to. I’m Punjabi but I was born and raised in Birmingham, England. My parents are both from East Africa, grandparents all from India. If I go to India, I’m a Brit. In the UK, I’m British Indian or British Asian. In Japan, I’m aContinue reading
“I was a single mother in California when my son told me he wanted to study Japanese. So I let him, and after he graduated from high school, we both came to Japan for two months using money I saved up. After that, my mother got sick and died, my son went to college, andContinue reading
“I had to go through a lot of disappointment, a lot “no’s”, before getting to where I am in my music career in Japan. I came here after college and it was a total culture shock (even though I used to stay here as a kid since my dad was in the military). I gotContinue reading You Got This
“I’m surrounded by successful people in my family and it’s tough because there’s this expectation to be great. Then I come to Japan, put on a suit, and I’m trying my best, but I don’t know, the pressure to be something is a lot (especially being African American). I came here with no expectations, butContinue reading Social Stigma
**日本語訳は下にあります**“I’m a singer and songwriter, and my dream is to perform live at Kōhaku Uta Gassen (a popular annual New Year’s Eve television special in Japan). I write mostly love songs. I know, it’s such a cliché. I’m kinda embarrassed to say I’ve yet to experience grown up love. My longest relationship lasted only sixContinue reading Isshin Aoi
“Before Marie Kondo sparked joy on Netflix, I was already minimizing my stuff, selling them off, giving to charity, or just ridding myself of my belongings. I had this idea in my head that the less stuff I had the easier it would be for me to go anywhere. And I’ve wanted to live overseasContinue reading My Bungu Box
**日本語訳は下にあります**“Our moms had been friends even before we knew each other. Back in the 1960s, her mom, Ruri (a Japanese national), visited Sydney. She met my mom there, and together they promised they would stay friends for life. Every year we received letters from Ruri and her husband, including pictures of their two children. IContinue reading Generations of Friendship
“Growing up in Vietnam, I was so afraid of not getting into a good school. There was pressure from my family, teachers and friends. So when I didn’t pass the entrance exam of a university where I wanted to study, I cried for a whole day. Looking back now, it wasn’t the end of theContinue reading Accepting Failure
“Pakistan’s society is very patriarchal. You get defined as somebody’s wife, daughter, daughter-in-law, or mother. Although things are changing, I think it’ll still take more time. Now I live in Japan. When I moved here, my husband told me about this Japanese proverb: Ten people, ten colors, which means ‘we’re all different and that’s okay’.Continue reading Ten People, Ten Colors
“My whole life, I have been body-shamed for being too small for my age. After graduation, I had an interview with a radio station, and it went well. But then they told me the position wasn’t available to someone like me. They said I was too small. At first, I thought they were referring toContinue reading Size Doesn’t Matter
“I’ve had a lot of ups and downs these past two years. My girlfriend got sexually assaulted, I lost my grandfather and my aunt, my dog got taken by people who probably eat dog meat, and my E-commerce startup didn’t make it at a business competition. But early on, I’ve developed the kind of mentalityContinue reading I’ll Be Back
