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….
Buying an Akiya or Vacant House in Japan
Akiya, or vacant houses in Japan, have become a hot topic on international news websites. Articles about Japan giving away countryside houses for free or for 500 US dollars have fueled the dreams of people desiring to come and live in the Japanese countryside. Reality is much more complex—although rural real estate in Japan can…
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…
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…
Gary Luscombe: Crossing Cultures to Work in the Japanese Hospitality Industry
The traditional inn—the ryokan—is where Japan’s rich history intersects with the unparalleled hospitality and customer service that the country is known for. Steeped in tradition, it’s hard to imagine what it would be like to work at a ryokan as a foreign resident of Japan. Thankfully, Gary Luscombe, who works at Amami Onsen Nanten-en, has…
Aguyoshi’s Funny Tokyo Street Dances
Aguyoshi is a very peculiar dance duo. You may have seen some of their intriguing, poetic, and funny videos on social media, especially on Twitter and Instagram. Formed by contemporary dancers Aisa Shirai and KEKE, the duo explores the streets of Japan (mainly in the wider Tokyo area), letting the places’ shapes and rhythms influence…
Henry Seals: Citizenship, Communication, and Community in Japan
I first met Henry Seals, a fellow American living in Japan, at a Tokyo-based professional networking event in 2013. At that time, I had no idea I was exchanging business cards with someone who would eventually become a Japanese citizen and the first foreign-born, naturalized human rights commissioner in Japan. Henry is a natural communicator,…
Inami, the Japanese Woodcarvers’ Town
Inami is a town of 8,000 inhabitants located in Toyama Prefecture. With more than a hundred sculptors’ workshops, it is said to be the number one city for sculptors in Japan. After moving there in 2016, architect Tomotsugu Yamakawa decided to turn part of his recently refurbished house into an accommodation for visitors to use…
Unlocking the Power of Professional Networking in Japan: An Interview with Sayuri Nishimoto
Networking is like exercise—often something we’d rather avoid but necessary for enriching our lives. However, just as with exercise, you can learn to enjoy networking, with the right approach. Networking as a foreigner in Japan is especially nuanced, but fortunately, Sayuri Nishimoto, senior client solutions manager at LinkedIn, agreed to share her advice on bridging…
Hunting Kyoto’s Ghosts Through Art
As I explained in my previous interview, in Japan, summer is the season for ghosts. That is why this interview also deals with this spooky topic, as I talk with a young artist who made a series of art pieces about Kyoto’s ghosts. Michael Hirschbichler is a German-Austrian-Swiss artist and professor at the Academy of…