I’ve been in Japan for almost 5 years and married for 6. I’m going to be applying for my PR soon but that’s another story. Anyways my wife never took my last name since we planned to live in Japan. Last week after doing my banking, my bank book was full. I went into the bank for a new bank book and they told me that my wife has to come in to do it. This triggered a thought. If something happened to my wife, I couldn’t get money to pay the hospital.. My wife and I started talking. Not only that situation but when we have children they will have the last name on the family registry which is hers. (more…)

Tying the knot, getting hitched, and joining in an everlasting union of Holy Matrimony.  Whether you see it as an attachment of the old ball and chain or the single greatest moment in your relationship, sooner or later, most of us will get married.  I personally never thought I would ever get married.  Not me.  I had seen way too many failed marriages in my day to make such a mistake.  Both of my parents were married numerous times, and if you asked me 5 years ago, I would swear that I would never travel down that same miserable, exploitive, and unpredictable life draining path.  Well, as with all things in life that you think you “know”, most of the time you come to find out otherwise.  Now, I’m getting married.

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Catching frogs, chasing lizards, fishing for crayfish, that’s fun! Picture Japanese kids with dirty hands having clean fun! I’ve done it, and enjoyed it too. Getting back in touch with nature in the spring helps me feel young again. And, well, somebody has to show my daughter how to do it. Children love the hands on approach to learning. Especially if they (we?) can get dirty while doing it! Here is what you need to do in order to “be a kid again”, in Japan.

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We are now reaching the end of the American school schedule, which means that, in the next few weeks, hundreds of expat families will pack up their toddlers and board planes bound for summer vacation destinations. They will also carry with them enough gear to open a daycare center, in the hope that something, anything, will stave off the misery that comes with flying with children.

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As a teacher, I live and work under the assumption that we never stop learning. All knowledge is worthwhile. Even knowledge that seems irrelevant to our current situation is still input that adds to the general mental database. And, of course, the most valuable learning is that which further shines a light into one’s own psyche

This week, I learned something new about myself. I’m a sex education wimp. With both my students and my own children, I’m a complete and utter weenie when it comes to discussing all things sexual with people younger than I am.

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photo credit: kawarano

For six years, I worked as a tour co-coordinator at the Melbourne Branch of one of Japan’s major travel companies.  It was during the boom years when Australia was one of the major destinations for honeymoon couples and indeed most time deficient Japanese travelers opting for the ‘package tour’, which catered for their every need.

At the time Melbourne struggled to maintain its position on the standard package tour itinerary with only two flailing attractions: the penguin parade and her older European style buildings.  Our frustrated branch manager’s frequent remonstrations on the necessity for Melbourne to simply create a new attraction fell on deaf ears.

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photo credit: Kanko*

At university I was required to memorize an inordinate number of kanji (Chinese characters) each week. However my motivation never quite reached sufficient levels to ensure the complete transference from short term to long-term memory.  Until now!!

Having recently arrived in Japan from Australia with my Japanese husband and our three children, my children have only varying degrees of Japanese ability ranging from zero to low.   We have taken them from their beloved home, friends and schools and plunged them into the local Japanese elementary school and kinder.

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photo credit: elbragon

For various reasons, I find myself in Japan and a “Home-life Quality Technician”. Ok, so I am a housewife… with no children.

In my own country, this is called being “unemployed”.

In Japan being a housewife or shufu is a profession in itself, which requires years of practice and training. If you don’t believe me, just open any kid’s lunch box at kindergarten, perfectly formed rice balls decorated with happy faces and wiener sausages cut to look like an octopus. Puts the peanut butter sandwiches I took to school in a very sad light indeed.

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Today, I finished my day at work, ran out the door to grab my son, Max, and pulled him by the arm to the car so that we could make it to the train station in time to get him downtown for a modeling job. He’s been modeling in Tokyo for three years, so we’ve played out the rapid departure from school scene many times. Today, as usual, a million questions ran through my head as I zipped through yellow lights in a race to catch the train that the Jorudan Train Finder website claimed was my last best of hope of getting to his job on time.  (more…)