Collected moments
Stories of becoming, belonging, and finding home between two countries.
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I never imagined I’d experience something like that in my lifetime. I’d only ever seen it on TV. But when it actually happened, I wasn’t really scared because everything happened so fast. More than anything, I was just surprised. After all the international trips I’ve taken—going through immigration and airport security so many times—that was […]
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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 both countries. In Japan, people are taught to follow the rules without question, maintain 平和 (heiwa)—peace—through conformity, and […]
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In the USA, most homes have large trash bins that people roll out to the curb on collection day. The garbage truck uses a mechanical arm to grab the bin, lift it, empty it, and place it back—all in just a few seconds. No one even has to get out of the truck! In Japan, […]
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1. Japanese Sense of Nationalism First of all, I observed that Japanese people are very nationalistic. They love everything about their country and they are very proud to be Japanese. I am sure I…
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The Long Awaited Day The 21st of July. We, the sleepyheads, specially my dear husband, miraculously woke up before our alarm. Our long awaited summer vacation will start today. We’ll be flying to his…
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