“Every country has its flaws and Japan is no exception. But sometimes small things add up. I’m half Japanese, half American and I’ve lived in Japan since I was 6 years old. Some people tell me I’m not Japanese enough and it bothers me, although I’ve learned not to let it get the better ofContinue reading Learning to be More Accepting
“I came to Japan from Russia when I married my Japanese husband 17 years ago. I was just 21 then. Now we have two kids, but we’re divorced. Back then, I had no chance to be employed in a good company because I lived very far from the city. The only work available was beingContinue reading Adversity to Victory
**日本語訳は下をご覧ください** “It’s perfectly okay to be single. As women, we are supposed to marry, maybe have a kid and manage the office as well as the house. But that comes later on, why do you want to waste these precious years cribbing over someone or something which you didn’t have much control over anyway. JustContinue reading Single Ladies
**日本語訳は下をご覧ください** “My grandparents were taken from California and put in various internment camps, then they moved to Chicago. My Great Granddad actually came to the United States from Japan, my family stayed there and everyone married into the Japanese community that was already there. There was a lot of difficult history in that period withContinue reading Lovesick
**日本語訳は下をご覧ください** We always wanted to make a podcast and where we can take advantage of the international environment of our university.We wanted to create a platform for people to come together and talk about Japan from an international perspective. That’s basically what we want Bento Bureau to be. Everything is done by students who areContinue reading Bento Bureau
**日本語訳は下をご覧ください** “When my father died of lung cancer, I realized I needed to do something with my life. He dedicated his entire life to his family and left nothing for himself. My mom once told me he didn’t buy clothes for himself for years, so his kids could have a good education. Thanks to himContinue reading Live Life With No Regrets
**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
**日本語訳は下にあります** “I’m from Madrid and I came to Japan to work as a journalist. My first week was pretty hard. I got depressed. Maybe it was jet lag or not being able to speak the language. At first I was afraid of human interaction, ‘What if they didn’t understand me?’ ‘What if we couldn’t even communicate?’Continue reading Talkin’ Loud
“People in Japan are stuck in the office for countless hours. Why do they do that? There must be a better way to live. Japanese companies are so rigid, making young people afraid to change jobs or be enterprising. So they end up working for the same company until retirement. That’s one reason there areContinue reading Young Unhopefuls
“I was 27 when I started learning Japanese, I had no contact with the language until that time. I started studying in the U.S. and I came to Japan as an English teacher originally, but now I work as an assistant to an author and attend graduate school to study journalism. Even when I was studyingContinue reading Guyjin48
“Tokyo can change people. When you first come here, you’re starry-eyed, full of hopes and dreams. Then one day, your career or business takes over your life. It’s all about the money now. Not saying it’s bad to make money. But wearing a suit every day is not how I imagined my Tokyo life wouldContinue reading The Business of Tokyo
“ I have spent five years here, one in Osaka and four in Tokyo for my undergraduate degree. I realize that the typical university experience in Japan wasn’t for me. Maybe it’s because I was a bit older than my Japanese university peers–around three years older than the typical student. I felt like I shouldn’tContinue reading Going Beyond Student Life
