Category Archives: Life in Japan

8 Years in Japan: Highlights and Lowlights

Posted on October 19, 2022 by SK

This October marked 8 years since I first set foot in Japan. I remember that day clearly. I landed in Osaka at around 8pm in the night and took the express train to Kanazawa, transferring at Maibara. I remember thinking … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog, Life in Japan, Motherhood | 2 Comments

Nail Update: I’m Healed!

Posted on October 14, 2022 by SK

It has taken 5 months, but finally the broken nail I blogged about here has healed. Please read that post for the information on when it became broken (over 25 years ago), how it got broken (door slam), why it … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog, Life in Japan | 2 Comments

A Day in the Life of a Working Single Parent in Tokyo

Posted on September 7, 2022 by SK

This post is inspired by K, who runs the resourceful blog “Tiny Tot in Tokyo” and did a post about their day here, and also by Pippa, who wrote about her day in this post here. In case you are … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog, Life in Japan, Motherhood | Tagged | 5 Comments

Young Leaves

Posted on August 7, 2022 by SK

My apartment building used to be called “Young Leaves Heights” (若葉ハイツ ). Many old and rundown apartments in Japan have fancy names like “Heights” and “Corpos”, “Maisons” and “Palaces”. My apartment building is pretty old too, but it got renovated … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog, Life in Japan | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

The Life Update Post You’ve Been Waiting For

Posted on May 2, 2022 by SK

It is May 2022. We are lucky to be alive in the pandemic. But, where to begin this life update? First of all, if you had met me in late 2019, you would have that known I was looking for … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog, Life in Japan, Motherhood | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

Getting a Japanese Passport for Your Child (Foreign Unmarried Mother)

Posted on August 26, 2021 by SK

Did you know that it’s very easy for your child to become stateless? It used to be that if a non-Japanese woman gave birth in Japan, if they were not married to a Japanese person at the time, their child … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog, Life in Japan, Motherhood | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

My Pregnancy and Birth Story in Japan

Posted on June 26, 2021 by SK

My second born son, Kai, was born in March this year. The pregnancy journey in Japan was an interesting one. Being in Japan means a lot of things are done a certain way but overall I had a positive experience. … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog, Life in Japan, Motherhood | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Of Mortgages, Pregnancies and Video Games

Posted on March 10, 2021 by SK

On the last Saturday of February, I started my maternity leave. On that particular day, a friend and colleague invited me to her home for a housewarming. We completed our PhDs in the same school, although we were in different … Continue reading →

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Taking Stock of 2020

Posted on January 28, 2021 by SK

The days are long but the years (months) are short, so they say. Can you believe January 2021 is over? This post was supposed to have been published in late December but unfortunately, I have been having a writer’s block. … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog, Japan, Life in Japan, Travel | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

To Kenya and Back: Traveling in a Pandemic

Posted on December 5, 2020 by SK

It’s not travel as usual these days. The airlines have their requirements, the destination countries have theirs. The lower demand hasn’t led to lower ticket prices either. Flights are fewer and may be cancelled or rescheduled, which would invalidate any … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog, Life in Japan, Travel | Tagged , | 9 Comments