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

Into The Japanese Mind  by Sio I once thought I had escaped materialism after I backpacked across half the globe. Before I moved to Japan, clearing out my 3-bed flat in Macau shocked me with so many unused goods I didn’t even remember buying. In Osaka, I moved into a 20m² flat with just one suitcase. Shopping became cautious. Every item takes up room. Spent a week deciding on a foldable table. Measured bins again and again. Held a bath mat for way too long, then put it back,