The country I came back to after my year abroad was entirely different to the one I left. — No pamphlet or brochure can adequately prepare you for the experience of studying abroad I was told. In preparation for our class to head off to Japan to have a taste of life in the land of the rising sun, our professors made sure this was hammered into our brains. …

The reaction to the VP nominee shows how the world still cannot fathom identities that cross borders. — I am not American. Yet when I read the news of Kamala Harris’ VP nomination, I couldn’t help but feel an inkling of pride. Whilst she has a questionable record during her time as attorney general, Harris is a person of mixed Asian origin like me. …

Dissecting an article that should have swiftly dropped off the radar reveals some truths about content creation — Look online at any content marketing website and you’ll see the same thing repeated. If you want to succeed in this blogging game, you need to write evergreen content. …

We should never underestimate the power of representation — I’m not used to seeing myself on a screen. Minorities never are. Especially for someone who comes from one as niche as mine. I am a queer mixed British-Japanese person. I am fully aware that you have most likely never met anybody like me. And I am not saying that…

How pay-later digital solutions such as Klarna are complicit in Boohoo’s horrific factory conditions. — As the UK entered lockdown early March, restaurants, theatres and cinemas amongst other local businesses were bordered up and shut down. Highstreets were left empty as people across the country stayed inside. Some were lucky enough to work from home with some even finding that their work-life balance improved. …

Thanks to our media, East Asians have become the face of the pandemic. — Growing up I never saw a face like mine or my family’s in the media. Although the UK, through its status as the metropolitan core to the British Empire, is a very diverse place, media has never reflected this reality. …

I’m the only hafu in the onsen, and I get to decide what that means — Hadaka no tsukiai is a Japanese saying that roughly translates to “naked friendship.” It describes the bonding that occurs whilst bathing with another in an onsen, or Japanese hot spring. In this communal setting where members of the same sex are all vulnerably naked, the public selves that we project…

Until this year, it seemed like the only way was up for the UK app-only bank. — For a long time, it was considered the brightest unicorn of the UK fintech startup scene. Before the pandemic, sporting a pink Monzo card, as London city slickers and fintech aficionados alike did, was a form of social status signalling. Since its beginnings in 2015, the pink coral card has…

As Japan braces itself for its new normal, life in Tokyo has slowly edged back to normality. — Many are now prophesying that the world as we know it is over. All the old rules of yesteryear are now replaced with post-pandemic predictions of remote working, socially distanced gatherings and Zoom parties. …