An endless parade of books, advice columns, blogs, and apps are constant reminders that the search for a significant other is rarely easy. Looking for love in a foreign country adds an extra layer of complexity comprised of language barriers, unfamiliar customs, and countless cultural differences. The COVID-19 pandemic, and the isolation that came with…
A Quick Guide to Public Holidays in Japan (2022 Edition)
Despite the country’s reputation for long hours at the office, Japan has 16 annual public holidays—more than any other G8 nation. Whether you’re a new resident or an aspiring tourist, it’s important to know at least a little about Japan’s public holidays, as they can have a significant impact on your experience. For some holidays,…
Manabu Goto: Improve Your Japanese with Japan’s Senior Citizens
“All we have is the knowledge passed on to us by our elders, experiences we inculcate and hardly negate. But to bridge the generation gap, one needs to adapt to the new while retaining the goodness of the old.” This quote from Indian actress Sonali Bendre best represents my conversation with Manabu Goto, founder, and…
Is Willpower Now the Most Important Trait for Achieving Japanese Literacy?
When I moved to Tokyo in 2009, learning Japanese was an entirely different experience than what we know today. Electronic dictionaries were more common than smartphone apps. Digital flashcards had yet to go mainstream, so tangible ones, homemade or prepackaged, were the primary way to learn kanji characters. Before the prevalence of handwriting recognition and…
Life After Japan: The Lasting Impact of Living and Working Abroad
For those with more adventurous personalities, taking advantage of the opportunity to live abroad is an obvious choice. For many of us, however, the idea of living in a new country, with all the language and cultural differences that come with it, is a difficult decision, even for an incredibly appealing country such as Japan….
Landing a Job in Japan in 2022: Career Outlook for Foreign Residents
To be honest, when I first conceived of this article, I was overly optimistic. In the fall of 2021, COVID-19 cases in Japan were at an all-time low, and there was that blink-and-you’ll-miss-it window where students and workers from abroad could once again enter the country. Then came the Omicron wave, and despite World Health…
Looking Back on 2021 as a Foreign Resident in Japan
It’s February 2022 and Japan is in the midst of its sixth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, with much of the country under a quasi-state of emergency. Foreign tourists and new long-term residents remain barred from entering the country. Initiatives that could have propelled the economy even after the pandemic, such as remote work, have…
Nagareyama City Mayor Yoshiharu Izaki: Diversity and Municipal Marketing in Japan
I first learned about municipal marketing in the mid-2000s while I was earning my MBA in California. During that time, The City of Riverside Development Department hosted an on-campus presentation about promoting the city to businesses around the country, and the world, to create a vibrant community and increase economic activity. Upon graduating, I joined…
Conduct a Personal SWOT Analysis to Study Japanese More Efficiently
Long-time Kokoro Media readers know that I like to apply various frameworks to the process of studying Japanese. I especially enjoy importing concepts from the business world to do this, and in this article, I’ll explain how you can apply the SWOT framework to your Japanese studies. Read on to learn what a SWOT analysis…
Japan’s Train Station Songs Are More than Mere Melodies
As an endless sea of people funnel through long, narrow corridors, the din of marching feet is drowned out only by an endless stream of megaphone announcements. As you approach the ticket gates a new sound permeates the atmosphere—the incessant digital beeps of electronic commuter passes being swiped over sensors. Finally, upon reaching the platform,…