Every December, shops all over Japan start announcing their Fukubukuro 「福袋」— better known in English as Lucky Bags or Happy Bags. If you’re new to the concept, these are mystery bags sold at a set price, usually packed with items worth much more than what you pay. … Continue reading Why I Say No to Fukubukuro — Japan’s “Lucky Bags”
Winter in Japan varies where you are visiting, but most of the country gets consistently to 0 degrees celsius or colder during the winter, so it gets pretty cold… at least to me. I went from not knowing anything about … Continue reading 5 Ways To Survive Winter In Japan From A Native Floridian
Living in Japan as a foreigner is such a fulfilling experience. I’ve been living here for over 7 years now and can’t imagine living anywhere else, but with the good comes the bad and there are some realities of living … Continue reading 5 Realities of Living in Japan as a Foreigner
When talking about landing a non-English teaching job in Japan, there are many different options, like Japanese language school or a working holiday, but the option that I chose to come to Japan was higher education. I wanted to talk … Continue reading How to Get a Non-English Teaching Job in Japan Through Higher Education
A lot has changed in the four and a half years since I first started working in Japan. I’ve grown from a 24-year-old just trying to survive work life here into an almost-29-year-old who’s been humbled, shaped, and strengthened by … Continue reading Working in a Japanese Company: Part 6 – It’s Been 4 Years
“When are moving back home?” That phrase is something I get commonly asked when I make my way back to the US, especially at social functions. It’s almost like there is this default setting on everybody that one day you … Continue reading “When are you moving back home?” Answering the Question of Do I want to live in Japan for my entire life?
Moving to another country can be scary in many ways, but nothing as scary as natural disasters. On March 11th, 2011 a huge earthquake shook the Tohoku region of Japan, leading to a tsunami and leaving widespread destruction in its wake. In 2018, there were 2 big earthquakes, 2 typhoons, and flooding that rampaged through the Western part of Japan (one earthquake in Hokkaido), which lead to the 2018 kanji of the year to be “Disaster”. This was a wakeup call to many, including me, to be prepared for the worst. For the most part, Japan is a safe country … Continue reading 7 Tips on How to Prepare For Natural Disasters in Japan
Living in Japan can be a challenge for foreigners and for people looking for information before making the leap to move over here. I reached out on Instagram and asked followers there if they had any questions about life in … Continue reading Questions About Living in Japan – Is It Hard to Get a Job?
Within the 3 years that I have lived in Japan, I have moved within Japan 2 times. Once from Kyoto City to Osaka Prefecture, and once to from Osaka Prefecture to Osaka City. When you move within Japan, there are a few things that you need to be aware of. I will be pointing out 5 of these things that will be helpful for people moving within Japan. Tip #1: Calculate how much money it will take to move ahead of time Moving within Japan can be expensive; having to deal with many different expenses that we are not used … Continue reading 5 Tips For Moving Within Japan
Over the past few months, I’ve noticed a recurring theme in my company: attention to detail, and I’ll be honest… it’s not exactly my strong suit. Coming from a Western background, some of the things I see here feel overly … Continue reading Working in a Japanese Company: Part 5 – Attention to Detail
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