I have this vivid memory from high school about the need to belong—and what happens when you try to be different. It’s part of my core memories, though now as an adult, I just laugh when I think back on it, even if it did have a big impact on me. I went to a…
Category: insights
Then and Now: A Visit to My Childhood Barangay
The other week, I flew back to my provincial childhood home to spend some quality time with my family. I bought my tickets on Thursday, flew the next day, and stayed for a week. This time, I went by myself and had no particular plans other than to simply be with my family. It was…
Japan And The Rules Locals Often Break
The people of Japan have, over the years, built a reputation for being rule-abiding and mindful of their surroundings. It’s still not uncommon to see locals patiently waiting for the pedestrian light to turn green, even when there are no cars in sight. Television and social media often feature visitors who don’t follow the rules….
Goodbye Wisdom Tooth. Goodbye 親知らず
My dentist had been prodding me for a while to have my wisdom tooth extracted. He argued that it would be better to remove it before it started causing more problems, since it had become a natural collector of dirt that was hard to clean, and because it had been pushing against one of my…
My Unexpected Return to High School
A close friend from high school messaged me one day to say our school was celebrating its 80th anniversary. As part of the celebration, they were collecting short video reels from alumni—one for each of those 80 years. The idea was to create 1–3 minute videos in English sharing our experiences at school, and post…
Navigating Tokyo’s Roads: Bicycles, Scooters & Cars
I was on my bicycle on the way home when, to my surprise, a guy riding one of those LUUP electric scooters tripped and fell in the middle of the road. Luckily, there were no cars around. I asked if he was alright, and thankfully, he said he was fine. I couldn’t help but think…
Flying Home From Home: Where Is Home, Really?
While packing for a recent trip to the Philippines, my wife exclaims excitedly, “We’re flying home!” After a few seconds of thinking about what she said, I reply, “Home?” I’m puzzled because Tokyo is our base now. If we’re flying home, are we flying home from home? Where is our “home”, really? We’ve lived most…
Resting Sad Face: A Tokyo Train Story
A friend visiting from Hong Kong and I were discussing his observations about Tokyo. He used to live here before moving to Hong Kong, and one thing he pointed out was that people on the trains here look sad. This was interesting, as it wasn’t the first time I’d heard this—I’ve seen similar comments on…
Thinking Ahead: Our Retirement Possibilities
A former teammate dropped by to say hi and mentioned that it was his last day as a regular employee because he had reached the official retirement age in Japan, which is sixty. However, he isn’t retiring yet—he will remain with the company under a different employment status through the reemployment programs designed for people…
Four Years Later: Was Buying a Home in Japan the Right Choice?
Four years ago, we decided to stop renting and finally buy our own place. For the longest time, we thought we’d be renting for the rest of our time in Japan. We didn’t want to be tied to a multi-decade mortgage. We didn’t even apply for permanent residency because we believed only people applying for…
Enjoying a No-Plan Birthday Vacation at Home
For my birthday, I took the week off from work but didn’t make any plans to go anywhere. Aside from my actual birthday, my wife was working throughout the week, so I basically had the whole time to myself—except for when she was working from home and we could grab meals together. This isn’t the…
Why We Don’t Own a Car in Tokyo (And Don’t Miss It)
We sold our last car in 2013, thinking we might miss the convenience. Over a decade later, we haven’t looked back. Living in Tokyo, we’ve found that owning a car just isn’t necessary—and in many ways, it’s more of a burden than a benefit. Getting Around Is Easy Without a Car The train station, which…
Enrico in Tokyo 