My experience as a newbie-resident in Tokyo — I’m Japanese-Kiwi but haven’t actually lived in Japan since I was little. Now, I’ve made the move to Tokyo (which was a feat in itself), and wanted to share some thoughts / experiences as I go. A quick note on COVID-19 With another surge in COVID-19 cases, Japan still has pretty strict international border rules…

A rare sight for Tokyo as snowfall blanketed the capital in white on Thursday 6th Jan. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a heavy snowfall warning for the region, which hasn’t happened since 2018. According to Kyodo News, 10cm of snow had accumulated in Central Tokyo by Thursday evening, causing disruptions…

New Year’s is likely the biggest event in the Japanese national calendar. Officially, only Jan 1st (元日 ganjitsu) is a public holiday, but most businesses and stores are closed between Dec 30th and Jan 3rd. This New Year’s season is…

As we all know, the prospect of international travel has come and gone in waves, that is, waves of COVID-19 infections. But with the emergent COVID-19 variant Omicron causing global concern, Japan has banned entry of foreign residents and enforced stronger quarantine measures for returning Japanese nationals. If you’re eligible…

“Joining a start-up is very different from joining an established company. The main difference is the lack of structure in a start-up, which has an impact on work hours, processes, and working relationships. …

You’ve got a Sunday to spend in your own company. Is it a shame? I’d say it’s all the more reason to revel. Having the day to yourself, doing what you want, just the way you want to? Ahhhh very much underrated. So where to go? What to do? Luckily…

Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. It’s a slogan we’ve probably learnt in primary school, but are we doing it right? I sincerely hope that by now, in 2021, we’re aware that we live in a state of climate crisis. One of the (many) prominent environmental issues we face is plastic pollution, with…

The Melbourne Japanese Summer Festival “5, 4, 3, 2… 1…” the production crew gestured the last two seconds in the countdown to cue us in that we were live. “皆さん、こんにちは。Hello everyone, and welcome!” The 2021 Melbourne Japanese Summer Festival (MJSF) marked my third time hosting as MC, but I still…

BlackLivesMatter reminds us that we all have an obligation to address racial and climate injustice — I’m a young black man Doing all that I can To stand Oh, but when I look around And I see what’s being done To my kind Every day I’m being hunted as prey My people don’t want no trouble We’ve had enough struggle I just wanna live God protect…