February Roundup

Hey, blog. It’s me. Yes, me. I’m just here to say that I’m alive and I’ve actually done something productive for the month. It’s tax season, and I’ve managed to finish both my Japanese and US taxes, hallelujah! Or, I’ve filed them electronically. I’m just waiting for confirmation that I did everything right. As usual, it was a struggle navigating through the Japanese one because … Continue reading February Roundup

Chilled

Today is the middle of the work week. My husband and I just had a leisurely breakfast and spent an hour talking about random stuff. It started out with my husband talking about work and what his co-workers were doing today. For some reason, we moved on to discussing the differences between American homes and Japanese houses. How my parents and my sister both own … Continue reading Chilled

Bonus

Yes, you read that right. My husband handed me a small slip of paper the other day and said he was getting a bonus. Oh, right. It’s December. Some workers in Japan, if you’re lucky enough to be working for an organization that does it, get a summer and winter bonus. Hubby is one of those lucky people. I am not. Sigh. So I look … Continue reading Bonus

Our Insurance Lady

“How much do you weigh?” the insurance lady asks me. I give her a number in kilograms. She waves the number away and proceeds to give me advice on how I can approach this application with the best way to lower my monthly rates. If you do X, your rates will increase next year. If you do what I tell you instead (Y), then you … Continue reading Our Insurance Lady

Fall: Rebirth and Renewal

Oh, the irony. After my last post about being consistent at writing, I drop off from publishing on a regular schedule and miss basically a month of blogging. Sigh. But such is life. The good thing is that things are cyclical and what I love about fall the most is the feeling of rebirth that it gives me. This is my favorite season because it … Continue reading Fall: Rebirth and Renewal

Feels Like FIRE

58 Days. I haven’t been working for 58 days, which is about two months. I still can’t get over that. In a way, it really feels like I’m living the financially independent lifestyle. I get up and do whatever I want. I can choose to read or write a blog. If I want to go for a run, I lace up my sneakers and zip … Continue reading Feels Like FIRE

Celebrating Women’s Month

March is women’s month and I am making it known to hubby as often as I can. Just kidding. But in light of what’s been going on around the world, I wanted to celebrate all the awesome and empowered women in my life and also hope that others do so. This is just a commentary on what I’ve observed here in Japan, but there has … Continue reading Celebrating Women’s Month

A Moment of Silence

March 11, 2020. Today is the anniversary of the Great Tohoku Earthquake that claimed the lives of thousands of Japanese people. Events had been planned to remember the lives lost this day, but they’ve been canceled due to the coronavirus. Instead, we’re asked to observe a moment of silence. It’s very sad, but unfortunately, that’s how life is. Still, that moment of silence is all … Continue reading A Moment of Silence

More Coronavirus Woes: Lessons I’m Learning

I’m struggling to keep balance. Things are happening at a rate that I can’t keep up. But I’m attempting to keep a level head with all the panic happening around me. The best way to do this is to list what I can learn from this experience: Having multiple sources of income is important I’ve lost two weeks of work. On Friday, around 6pm the … Continue reading More Coronavirus Woes: Lessons I’m Learning