Seiji Muromoto was one of the first people I worked with upon arriving in Japan in January, 2009. We were both English instructors in Shinjuku with lofty dreams and calculated plans for achieving business success in the future. During his lunch breaks, I would always see Seiji studying feverishly, preparing to become a legal professional,…
Three Days in Kamiyama, Tokushima: A Rural Revitalization Success Story
Ryuji Nakayama is a man on a mission. After toiling away for 21 years as one of Japan’s salarymen, Nakayama-san found himself captivated by the alluring countryside lifestyle of Kamiyama, a rural village in Tokushima Prefecture on the island of Shikoku. His sojourns to Kamiyama made such an impact that he decided to pack up…
What We Wish We Had Known Before Moving to Japan
In this roundtable discussion, we look back on our past in Japan to help you plan ahead for your future. Moving to a new country on a whim can be fun and exciting, but as you’ll soon read, there are some important things to consider before you start packing your bags. Even if you think…
The Best Places to Live, Work, and Play in Tokyo
Tokyo is massive. The megacity, which doubles as a prefecture, includes endless urban cityscapes, tropical islands hundreds of kilometers off the coast, and mountains crisscrossed with hiking trails. A city of cities (also known as wards), Tokyo is filled with variety, and this is both a blessing and a curse. There’s something new and exciting…
Things to Consider Before Moving to Japan
With foreign residents in Japan reaching record numbers, our editorial team thought it would be a good time to reminisce about our halcyon days in Tokyo and share a few things that we’ve learned during our time here. Representing the U.S., France, and Belgium, we have a combined experience of nearly 30 years of living…
Three Perspectives on Learning Japanese
As three authors from three different countries, we all share one common thread. We’ve all achieved a working knowledge of Japanese, and each of us has done so in our own unique way. There’s no single “right” way to learn Japanese, and in this article we hope to give you a few ideas that you…
Clearing Up Misconceptions about Train Punctuality
Japan’s train system is legendary for its punctuality. Peruse any travel book or Japan-related website and you’ll find countless tales of how trains always arrive at their station on time—rarely more than a minute late. If you visit Japan for a brief period, it’s easy to see how this belief came to be, especially if…
Japan Origin Stories: How, When, and Why We Came to Japan
With a combined experience of nearly 35 years living and working in Japan, Amelie, David, and I figured it was high time we had a roundtable discussion about how we ended up in the land of the rising sun. Representing the U.S., France, and Belgium, our backgrounds may be diverse, but we discovered that we…
The Goshuincho: A Necessity for Japan Travel Enthusiasts
When it comes to things that I wish I had known before visiting (and eventually moving to) Japan, the goshuincho, a book used for collecting ink stamps and calligraphy from Japanese shrines, tops the list. So, allow me to save you some regret. If you are planning on visiting Japan, do yourself a favor and…