reallifestories
Birthdays are special occasions and spending these days abroad away from family can be stressful for most people. During the three years, I’ve lived in Japan, I have made it a habit to travel to a new prefecture every birthday to feel less lonely. My husband and I chose Yamaguchi this year and had an adventurous week there. We left Kobe before sunrise and arrived in Yamaguchi after a seven-hour drive. Along the way, we stopped by a few places around Hiroshima to rest and gaze at views of the Seto Inland Sea. Here’s what we got up to: First stop: IwakuniOur first destination, Iwakuni, is best k...
GaijinPot
When we first found our previous apartment in Minami Asagaya, my partner and I were thrilled. It was near a lovely park and gave us an easy commute to work. And then the coronavirus pandemic hit. Suddenly the apartment felt very, very small. Both of us were working from home and neither one could get space away from the other. After a year of making due, our lease came up for renewal. A few months later, we finally found the perfect house for rent and moved from urban Tokyo to a semi-agricultural area located a 25-minute walk from Mitaka station in the western region of the city. This has impr...
GaijinPot
I’m drenched in sweat from riding all day. I’m pedaling as fast as I can towards the light at the end of a dark tunnel when a cool afternoon breeze hits me, and I finally see Lake Kawaguchi’s vibrant, deep blue colors. I let out a triumphant whoop as the road turns downhill. Then, I stand up in my seat and let gravity do the rest as a sunset baths Fujisan in a red glow. “So, this is the Fujigoko (Fuji Five Lakes) cycling adventure,” I think. This is my experience cycling around the iconic Mount Fuji and how you can do it too. Starting at Lake KawaguchiWhen I arrived in Fujikawaguchiko, I staye...
GaijinPot
Most visitors to Japan, and residents alike, are charmed by the serene beauty of traditional Japanese gardens. However, behind the seemingly effortless flow and intricate composition of the natural scenery hides labor of love. We spoke with two foreigners who took traditional gardening apprenticeships in Japan. They started from scratch and learned the ropes over several years before getting into the “garden business” themselves. Here are their stories. Dominik SchmitzDominik Schmitz was born in Germany and raised in a small village in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. He came to Japan for the first tim...
GaijinPot
In 1569, a port was established in Nagasaki to harbor Portuguese merchant ships, which brought not only trade but Christianity to Japan. Catholic influence grew so strong that Nagasaki was referred to as “Little Rome.” However, once Christianity was banned in 1614, the threat of persecution led Japanese followers to practice their faith in secret and form Kakure Kirishitan, the hidden Christians of Japan. In 2018, twelve sites linked to the Kakure Kirishitan culture were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List, bringing this dark, enthralling part of Japan’s history into the light. It’s taken ...
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Hamamatsu is the capital of Shizuoka—the prefecture in central Japan most famous for sharing Mount Fuji with neighboring Yamanashi Prefecture. Yet a spectacular event happens annually that manages to fly mostly out of sight of the national tourism radar. From May to August, loggerhead sea turtles come out of the ocean and onto the beaches of Hamamatsu’s Nakatajima Beach in an instinctual ritual—the laying of their eggs. The sea turtle mothers drag themselves onto the dunes after a nearly 30-year time away, riding the currents from their western Pacific birthplaces to the American and Central A...
GaijinPot
Homes in Japan are some of the cheapest in the world according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). However, residents still spend, on average, 22% of their total income on housing. Buying a home instead of renting might improve your lifestyle, but in my experience, it is hard to make a profit. Let’s talk about why you need to be extra careful when deciding on one of the biggest and most important financial decisions of your life in Japan. Making the decisionMy wife and I were both sick of our crumbling, semi-detached, two-story rental house near the train trac...
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