【Am I Still Japanese?】An Honest Reflection on Living Abroad
There's a question that haunts every person who lives abroad for a...
【The “Ganbaru” Trap】Japan’s Dangerous Culture of Perseverance
I once saw a colleague in my Tokyo office stay at his desk for thr...
【The Sound of Silence】Why Japanese People Aren’t Afraid of Pauses
I was in a business negotiation once with a team from New York. ...
【Don’t Be Shy!】How to Eat Ramen Like a Local in Japan (The Art of Slurping)
You're sitting in a small, steamy ramen shop in a Tokyo alleyway....
【More Than a Mentor】Japan’s Unspoken Senpai-Kohai Rule
When I had my first part-time job in Japan, I made a terrible mist...
【Naked with Strangers】Your Guide to Japan’s Public Baths (Sento)
“So, let me get this straight,” my friend from Canada said, his ey...
【Reverse Culture Shock】5 Strange Things I Notice in Japan Now
There's a strange thing that happens when you live away from your ...
【Beyond the Buzzword】What “Ikigai” Really Means in Japan
If you’ve spent any time on the internet in the last few years, yo...
【The “Maybe” Trap】How to Read the Japanese Art of Saying “No”
I once nearly destroyed a business relationship with a single word...
【Don’t Do It!】Why Japanese People Don’t Eat While Walking
The other day, I was walking through the quiet, beautiful city whe...