AmericaAugust 5, 2026
The Stark Contrast Between Japan and the USA
Having lived in Japan for more than a decade and being married to an American citizen, I have had the opportunity to experience and observe the stark contrast in language, expression, individuality, and uniformity as distinctive characteristics of...
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Sometimes, Children Give Us the Answers We’ve Been Searching For
Sometimes, children unexpectedly give us the answers to the questions we’ve been asking ourselves as adults. My six-year-old daughter has done that for me—not just once, but many times. As I was...
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Becoming Japanese Part 5: After the Test Support and a Small Celebration
After I handed the lady the copies she asked me to make that very day, I couldn’t help but think that I could have simply done them later and submitted them during...
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Becoming Japanese Part 4: The Long Road Ahead
Even now, I keep thinking about what I wrote on that test paper. Was it enough? Did I pass? Or did I fail again? I honestly don’t know. When I finished the...
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Becoming Japanese Part 3: The Test
The timer started. I had exactly 20 minutes. The first section required me to read a passage aloud. After that, I had to convert hiragana into katakana and katakana into hiragana. This...
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Becoming Japanese Part 2: The Document Screening
The elderly gentleman led me to one of the small rooms in the middle. He took his seat and motioned for me to sit across from him. A glass barrier separated us....
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Becoming Japanese Attempt No. 2 Part 1
Today, Wednesday, July 29, 2026, was my second attempt at becoming Japanese. I was scheduled to go to the Legal Affairs Bureau in Fukuoka City at 1:00 in the afternoon. Because of...
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Two homes. One unfolding story.
Stories to Tell is a personal journal about life, love, family, culture, and the everyday discoveries that connect the Philippines and Japan.