“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
“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
“Japan recently acknowledged the work that I’ve done integrating foreign actors with the entertainment industry by writing a book on acting in Japan and bringing people across the board together. The biggest problem here isn’t someone’s ability to act, it’s their ability to behave. The small cultural things, like what questions to ask or notContinue reading
“Moving to Canada from Taiwan to live with my aunt’s family and attend high school and university was a big moment in my life. And now I find myself at a crossroads once again. After going back to Taiwan and having worked there for two and a half years, I relocated to Japan through anContinue reading
“I was going through a difficult time in my life last year due to a relationship that had ended. Not only that. Some friends went through divorce, someone had cancer, and one even committed suicide. So it really shook my faith in God. And my friends tell me I’m someone with a strong faith. BecauseContinue reading
“It was hard for me to marry the two Japans that I saw and experienced before and after coming here. My fascination for Japan came from a young age. I fell in love with the stories as told through books, film, animation and even video games, such as Final Fantasy, Sonic the Hedgehog, and MarioContinue reading
“I wasted half my life trying to make other people happy. My family and relatives were totally against me moving to Japan. My stepdad is from the Caribbean and the traditional culture there is you’re not supposed to go against what your parents said. But I didn’t really want to study Spanish or something elseContinue reading
“I went from being a hotel manager to a convenience store clerk in a matter of months when I moved to Japan with my wife. We were living in Turkey, where we had met, when we decided to raise our child in her home country (she’s Japanese). Since I was up for a challenge andContinue reading
“We’re all from Cambodia. It’s famous for Angkor Wat, a temple complex with religious monuments. Have you ever been? We came to Japan to study because Japan is a famous destination and getting a degree here means a lot.” Guy wearing a mask: “I’m majoring in electrical engineering. I hope to apply my knowledge andContinue reading Cambodia Festival 2019
“Working with machines as an engineer for 6 years didn’t let me meet new people much. I was confined to a lab most of the time. The only time I got to talk to clients was when something went wrong and I had to apologize. It got repetitive so I switched careers and found myselfContinue reading
