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…
Category: Japan
Too Old For A TennisBear Event
The other day, I tried joining a tennis event through TennisBear, a popular Japanese website for finding such events. This particular event was looking for six intermediate or upper-intermediate players, and since there were still a few open slots, I was hopeful I could get in. I applied, entered the required details like my name,…
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….
Selling My HomePod Mini on Mercari
September is just around the corner, and every Apple fan knows it’s the month when new hardware drops. I’ve been reading rumors that Apple will release new HomePod minis, so I figured it’s a good time to part with a few of mine … ehem … to make space for the new ones. We currently…
Upgrading Our Almost 10-Year-Old Toilet
The Red Light That Started It All Our toilet is almost 10 years old. Our building was built in 2016, and while it’s still working fine, we recently saw a red blinking light on our Lixil toilet. A blinking light is never a good sign, but since nothing seemed wrong, we checked the user manual….
We Visited Narita Station (Not the Airport) — Here’s What We Found
We were in Narita to run some errands. Not the airport that everyone associates with “Narita,” but the actual city where the airport got its name. Specifically, we were at Narita City, near Narita Station. We thought to ourselves—we pass this station so many times whenever we go to Narita Airport, and now that we’re…
1K Followers Later: My Anonymous Neighborhood Account
Yesterday, I hit a mini-milestone: I’ve accumulated 1,000 followers on one of my accounts on X (formerly Twitter). It took me three years to get here, and I’m genuinely happy about it. Back in early 2022, I wanted a forum to talk about my neighborhood and possibly connect with local people — but I didn’t…
Twenty-Five Years in Japan: Then and Now
Twenty-five years ago today, I had just graduated from university and found myself boarding a plane for the first time in my life. I was with other trainees, and we were flying from Manila to Nagoya in central Japan, where we would begin our training as software engineers. I didn’t know it at the time,…
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…
Cherry Blossoms: Been There, Snapped That
It’s that time of year again—cherry blossoms are popping up in every conversation, and Tokyo’s big sakura spots are packed with tourists. Domestic ones, sure, but lately, way more international folks too. After living in Japan for about a quarter of a century, we’re at the point where it’s just normal. Our cherry blossom pics…
Enrico in Tokyo 