After living in Kyoto for six years and working in several very different Japanese companies — a small family business, a mid-sized office near Kawaramachi, and a global firm with its Japan HQ in Tokyo — I’ve learned that the probation period (試用期間 / shiyō kikan) is one of the most misunderstood parts of working […]
The Truth About Probation Periods in Japan: A Kyoto Foreigner’s Experience Read More »
I’ve lived in Kyoto for six years now, and in that time I’ve learned that Japan has a way of dealing with neighbors that feels almost the opposite of what I grew up with. There’s no yelling from balconies, no passive-aggressive sticky notes in the hallway, no heated parking-lot arguments. Instead, there’s something quieter and
Why Japanese Neighbors Never Complain — The “Silent Agreement” Explained Read More »
A long, honest breakdown from a foreigner who’s lived in Japan for 5+ years. Let me start with a confession:I never moved to Japan thinking I’d one day care about the Japanese tax system. But after living here for more than 5 years, watching policy changes closely, and experiencing unexpected tax bills (yes, the 住民税
✨ Japan’s 2025 Foreigner Tax Changes Explained (In Simple Terms) Read More »
Japan Looks Free, But It Runs on Unspoken Rules When you first visit Japan, it feels calm, clean, and amazingly organized—almost like the whole country is running on invisible software. But live here long enough (I’ve been here over 6 years now), and you start noticing something deeper: Japan works because everyone follows rules—written or
Why Japan Loves Rules (And How Foreigners Can Actually Adapt Without Going Crazy) Read More »
Dating in Japan Isn’t “Easy Mode” — It’s Just Different The biggest myth I see online is this idea that dating in Japan is easy for foreigners.It isn’t. It’s different, interesting, confusing, slow, fast, polite, indirect, and sometimes emotionally exhausting — depending on who you meet, how well you understand Japanese culture, and what your
The Hidden Challenges of Dating in Japan as a Foreigner Read More »
Yes, Foreigners Can Get Promoted in Japan — Just Not How You Think Let me start with the truth:Getting promoted in Japan as a foreigner is absolutely possible… but the rules are invisible, the expectations are unspoken, and the timeline is almost never what you expect from Western workplaces. When I first came to Japan,
How Foreigners Can Actually Get Promoted in Japan (The Real Rules Nobody Tells You) Read More »
