Life Reset Journal by Sio My first lashes salon in Tennoji used Google Translate, but the result was so-so. Then I tried one in Namba and loved it. I decided to stick with it. But the 2nd visit I fell into a 4D black hole. The beautician fired off rapid Japanese. I showed her my phone, but she didn’t even glance. I pleaded in broken Japanese for her to check my phone, but she still didn’t care. Her lips kept moving, her voice drifting from a 4D space. Just as I spaced out, s

Japan Life Guide  by Sio There’s a scary little urban legend that every foreigner hears before coming to Japan—and yeah, it freaks people out. “To open a bank account, you need a phone and residence certificate. To get the certificate, you need an address. To rent a place, you need a phone and a bank account. To get a phone, you need a bank account.” Before moving to Japan, I saw many posts about this loop and it really made me worry how I’d handle it. Turns out, there are a

Another Life at 40s  by Sio Japan was never on my Dream List — no anime, no J-Pop, no love for tatami. When I got the job offer, I thought: not for me. I’d started over in Europe and the Americas, but always with passions. But Japan? No sparks at all. To live properly means handling life on your own. Doctor visits, banking, lashes... But without love for Japan, I had no will to learn the language. So how could I possibly say yes to the offer? Then came the year everything fe