When I first arrived in Japan, the thing that made me worried was the language. We had to travel from Narita Airport to Sagamihara which was almost 2 hours travel by train and bus. Because of the long travel, I couldn’t help but had to use toilet at the train station. I was surprised when I finished using the toilet I couldn’t flush it, because I couldn't find the lever. Since I studied some Nihongo before I came here, I tried to read the instructions and label on that modern-style toilet which were written in Kanji. But unfortunately, I couldn’t read it. I started to panic, my sweat started to run down my face until I noticed a hand picture on the button. I positioned my hand in front of the button and I was thankful it worked.

My husband’s parents welcomed me ... Read More

I have been in Japan for almost 2 years now and I can tell you how difficult yet exciting my experiences the first few months were and how it is now.

In the beginning, I was so excited about touring and getting to know the country and the people. I toured the famous landmarks of Japan like Mt. Fuji, Tokyo Tower, Meiji Temple, Roppongi Hills, tried to find new gaijin friends and partied on weekends in Roppongi District and Shibuya. It was worth all the effort and money visiting these places. The importance of learning their language was never my priority before because I didn’t care about what was going on, I was just focusing on having fun during my stay. Even if it took me some time explaining in sign language or broken English about direct... Read More