Tim Sullivan, Japan-based cross-cultural educator, storyteller, and prominent expat voice on LinkedIn, has never been shy about openly sharing the joys of (semi-)retirement. Tim’s life is framed by Japan, from his formative youth to his golden years, enriched by cross-cultural business consulting experiences in North America and Hawaii in between. After getting to know Tim…
Matt (Game Gengo): Learning and Teaching Japanese through Video Games and YouTube
What is the best way to learn Japanese? “Focus on what works best for you,” says Matt, creator of the Game Gengo YouTube channel. And when Matt says this, he means it. In the spring of 2020, armed with the fervent belief that language learning can and should be fun, Matt leveraged pandemic-induced downtime to…
Exploring the Japanese Underground Music Scene with Kaala Music
In February 2022, I had the pleasure to interview Matt Ketchum from Akiya & Inaka, and he shared his expertise on vacant houses in Japan. During the course of that conversation, he mentioned his passion and involvement with the Japanese underground music scene, and drew some unexpected parallels with the vacant houses problem. The Japanese…
A Visit to Happy Nuts Day’s Factory in Chiba Prefecture
In 2021, I did my first interview with Go Nakano, CEO and founding member of the peanut butter company Happy Nuts Day. He talked about creating products that reflected his values and hoped to encourage the birth of new regional ventures in Japan. In Spring 2022, Happy Nuts Day announced that they were about to…
Language Learning Stories: How Did You Learn Japanese? Volume 2
As we learned in the first volume of this article series, there is no single correct path toward Japanese fluency and literacy. With so many methods, tools, books, and courses dedicated to learning one of the world’s most popular languages, it was only natural that I once again reach out to my network for another…
Adrian Francis and Paper City: Preserving the Fading History of the Tokyo Firebombing
“We who have witnessed the obscenity of war and experienced its horror and terrible consequences have an obligation to rise above our pain and suffering and turn the tragedy of our lives into a triumph.”–Ron Kovic The 1945 firebombing of Tokyo by U.S. warplanes is the single most destructive bombing raid in human history. In…
Tiffany Rhodes: All You Need to Know About Being a Recruiter in Japan
With perseverance, determination, and the right credentials, it’s possible to build the career of your dreams in Japan. For Japan’s foreign residents, a career in corporate recruitment is one of the most viable pathways to success. Recruitment isn’t for the faint of heart, but great rewards await those who approach the industry with the right…
A Talk With Shochu Expert Christopher Pellegrini
This article is particularly exciting for me because I had the opportunity to chat with one of the world’s leading authorities on shochu, Chris Pellegrini. A Japanese spirit evangelist, Chris is passionate about spreading the gospel of shochu and awamori. He made a convert out of me! From talking shochu 101, to clearing up the…
Michele Fujii: How to Learn Japanese Literature, Language, and History
Literature, language, and history are intertwined. Studying one without exploring the others is like sailing without a rudder. The longer I live in Japan and study Japanese, the greater my curiosity about Japanese history and literature has grown. However, making the transition from textbook learning to native-level literature is intimidating. With greater access than ever…
Ben Shearon: Investing and Saving for Retirement as a Foreign Resident in Japan
Investing and saving for retirement is an intimidating prospect, even in your home country. Add in the layers of complexity that come with retiring as a foreign resident abroad, and you may be tempted to give up on the endeavor entirely. That would be a grave mistake, as Ben Shearon, founder of RetireJapan, explains in…