I had a fascinating conversation a couple weeks that I keep reflecting on. The woman I was speaking with is Japanese but had lived in the US for several years as a child. We’ve talked a lot about different aspects of Japanese culture, and how my husband and I dissect many of the conversations we… Continue reading Global Recipes

So, we’d gotten over the initial hurdle in our new neighborhood. The trash spot, per the sempai’s request was now on the back corner of our corner house. We’d managed to subvert the system by rushing our trash directly to the trash men, who more often than not, remember to wave to my toddler. It’s… Continue reading Trash Theater

Trash is a big deal here. A really big deal. In this two-part tale I will tell of the trashy drama happening in my neighborhood, there are tears that have been shed. They weren’t mine either. Foreigners can get a bad rap here for failing to dispose of their trash appropriately. And for a good… Continue reading Trash… All the Trash

Well, you made it though the saga. Thanks for sticking with me. I had some content for new posts in my mind, but before I wrote those things, I felt it was important for me to write some of this down. For one thing, I wanted to remember this. It was a big trip for… Continue reading Epilogue

Dallas and me are currently not cool. Cancelled on journey home, cancelled on the journey back home (yes, I know I used the word “home” twice), I used to show Dallas some love when other people complained about it. But guys, I have some hard feelings about Dallas right now. Not great, Bob. Anyway, I… Continue reading The Saga- End of the Journey

I couldn’t believe that my paperwork was wrong. It was 9pm and there was literally nothing I could do. We had had so many challenges up until now. I knew from experience and from posts that what the officials cared about was the MOFA form as compared to the test results. So, the only thing… Continue reading The Saga- Trying to Get Back Home

So, I’m part of a group on Facebook that offers support and updates about the changing regulations for entering Japan as a foreigner. You’d think it would be pretty straightforward. But at the best of times, my dearest Japan prefers… more…. complicated approaches. And so this group is very necessary to even understand the rules… Continue reading The Saga- QTips up the Nose

Funerals are a blur of faces, tears, hugs, murmured condolences and shared stories. One of the most touching stories as my brothers and mom and I gathered alone before my dad’s casket in the moments before the visitors would arrive for his funeral was the story of a coin placed on his chest. It was… Continue reading The Saga- The Post I Didn’t Want to Write

After about 36 hours of travel, I was ready to end this leg of it. But I was the first runner-up among a crowd of people waiting for standby. The lady in front of me turned around and looked at me. I’m sure I was a mess. Sleep deprived, deep circles under my eyes and… Continue reading The Saga- Losing a Great Man