After deciding to return to the UK, we faced the stark reality that many things we did and places we visited next would be our last as residents of Japan. While we didn’t compile a ‘bucket list’, we did have a few select things we knew we couldn’t leave without doing one last time. 1….
Tag: Japan
Revitalising in Paradise
In July 2019 I took a week long trip to Miyakojima, in Okinawa. This was a solo holiday, and my first solo holiday for some time. I needed some space from Tokyo (not my wonderful Dan of course!) and some time to relax and rest – my first in a while! The island is in…
One Year in Tokyo Town
1st August 2019 marks one year of living in Tokyo and three years of living in Japan. It is hard to believe how quickly and slowly the time has passed! Life in Tokyo has been full of energy, new experiences, bureaucratic challenges, and most significantly, change. The past year has marked some incredible and life…
Our First City Onsen
Dan and I used to go to the onsen quite frequently when we lived in the Japanese countryside. An onsen is the name of a Japanese hot spring bath, and it is a popular way to unwind and relax. It is a communal bathing experience, so only for those who feel comfortable with this. There…
Four Years
27th May 2019 saw Dan and I celebrate our fourth wedding anniversary. However, perhaps even more significantly, 2019 marks our tipping point. We have known each other for half of our life times this year, and so from here on in we have spent more time together than apart. That feels pretty special. Of course,…
Ten Days, Ten Tokyo Universities
The new academic year has started in Japan, and with it brings a new job for me. This term, I am going to be working in a Women’s University in Tokyo, supporting women to communicate in English and understand more about global cultures. My new university says that it aims to create global women (it…
Promoting Peace
Several years ago I was introduced to Rotary International through the Rotary Peace Fellowship. The Rotary Peace Fellowship is the chance for peace-builders from around the world to obtain an MA in Peace Studies at a Peace Centre university (there are six around the world) after a rigorous two year programme. The more I learned…
Still Mad, One Year on…
A year ago I wrote a post about why I am mad in Japan. A year later, the madness is less and life is a little more normalised! The hair. Yep, it is still insane. Although longer now with some blonde tips, it is still hard to control and has a constant fluffy halo. Looking…
It’s Been a YEAR!
After we celebrated our second wedding anniversary on the 27th May, the next big anniversary loomed ahead; one year in Japan. And now it has passed and we are officially in our second year of living in Japan. How have we continued to function in a country we do not speak the language of for…
I’m Wet
Rainy season has arrived. It is worse than we could have expected. We were warned, but nothing could prepare you for this level of humidity. The sweat, the smell, the hair. Oh the hair. So, for the next month Dan and I will be dressed in smelly clothes we couldn’t dry in the 110% humidity…