Millennial cultural translator, mother, feminist, former SCM specialist, sushi and Thai food lover — Hi, thank you so much for reading my articles. It’s funny that I’m writing about myself after publishing over 100 articles since I opened my account on Medium in 2021. I truly appreciate this community, and now I finally feel safe talking about myself. My Childhood I was born and raised as…

The preference for subtle expressions is more than a love language allergy — With the cherry blossoms unfurling throughout the city, Tokyo basks in the most romantic season of the year. Yet this city is a world away from Paris, where couples have no hesitation about displaying their love in public. Beneath the ubiquitous masks, Tokyoites’ language of love is surprisingly subtle, and…

My own experience in Japan where women bear the heavy burden and responsibilities of marriage — In Japan, roughly one in three marriages end up in divorce. The number of divorces has been on a recent downward trend after a long period of increase, but one particular change is striking: the proportion of couples who divorce after living together for over 20 years rose to a…

Unexpected support in grief from the undertaker — “Moshu-sama, please take the passenger seat and hold this photo.” The young man in a black suit gestured to me, holding a large umbrella over my head. It was Friday afternoon. The heavy rain had subsided but it continued to drizzle. …

Disclaimer: No ikigai, kintsugi, or wabi-sabi included — As a native Japanese speaker, I get annoyed when I come across English articles that tout Japanese buzzwords like ikigai. They’re not commonly used in our day-to-day conversations. Ikigai is more like a stock word thrown in job interviews or autobiographies. Instead of those fancy words, I’d like to introduce…

Bigmotor’s crazy scandal in Japan will change your view on loud quitters — You may think loud quitting is disgraceful. Quitters don’t need to voice their grievances upon leaving. What about their NDA? Just quit with respect! I admit you have a point. Keeping things unsaid is a hallmark of grown-up diplomacy. Besides, screaming about your former workplace in front of a camera…

The outdated definition of hikikomori in Japan — A month or so after the world-renowned composer Ryuichi Sakamoto passed away, an advertisement grabbed my attention on Instagram. It was a photo of him dressed in a tux, his gray hair neatly separated and his piercing eyes staring at the camera behind the tortoiseshell-framed glasses. Across his chest was…

Why we’re here and what we can do for you — It’s been one and a half years since Japonica started. Recently, we had our second get-together with editors and writers, and it came to my mind that Japonica hasn’t published its mission statement as an individual piece. Our initial motivation was simple―spread everything about Japan as a niche publication on…

Organizational constraints limit employees’ potential — It’s no secret that Japanese employees don’t aim for managerial positions. And this isn’t limited to a specific generation like Millennials or Gen Z. According to a poll, 77% of Japanese workers claim that they don’t want to be managers irrespective of gender or age¹. While the underrepresentation of Asians…