Dear Reader, How have you been recently? If you've been wondering where I'm newsletters were, sorry I've been away! It's been a hectic few weeks, and the time to attend to my personal life was very helpful, but I'm back 😊 I've been thinking a lot about how to attend to my emotions lately. The positive ones are easy to enjoy, but alas, you can't escape the negative ones either. Sometimes, we have tough weeks. It's not always a “one really bad thing happened to me” sort of tough, but sometimes...
9 days ago • 2 min read
Dear Reader, Happiness is a seemingly simple feeling, but the pursuit of happiness often feels like a complex endeavor. We make hundreds, if not thousands, of choices every day in the pursuit of happiness– from what we choose to wear and eat today, to studying hard at school to guarantee an easier life in the future. Many people often feel they are doing so much to be happy. So why does it feel so difficult to attain? Japanese culture has not figured out happiness, but perhaps its attitude...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Dear Reader, “Why are there so few overweight Japanese people? They eat so much white rice!” After several years of living in Japan, when I went back to the United States I was asked this by someone. It was kind of an awkward question, one that I didn’t even know how to approach, because I didn't agree with how the person was equating eating white rice with weight gain. This thought surprised me, because just a few years back, I used to be really afraid of eating refined carbohydrates too....
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Dear Reader, Growing up, I thought my life was going to be predictable. There is a certain structure and rhythm to life that many of us follow when we’re young - go to school, get good grades, graduate, get a job, and build a family. So it was very humbling for me when the pandemic challenged all of my expectations. The pandemic was a while ago. I mean, it happened 5 years ago now, but a lot of us are still affected by what happened then. I certainly am. The 2 things we always have within our...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Dear Reader, I hope you're having a great summer! With the warm weather and long days, I’ve been going to more picnics and barbecues - and honestly, probably eating just a little more than I should 😅 So what’s the best thing to do in moments like that? I like to remind myself of the Japanese concept of kuchisabishii. Keep reading to find out more! The best thing you can do after you eat too much I was recently asked by a reader, “I once read this Japanese word, “Kuchisabishii” — would you...
3 months ago • 2 min read
Dear Reader, It's summer! And I've been hearing from so many family members, friends, and readers about their recent or upcoming trips to Japan 🇯🇵 It truly makes me happy to see so much interest in the country I grew up in. I love being able to share it with others, especially since it wasn't always as accessible, so it's great to see more people experiencing and learning from it. Whether you've visited Japan or are still dreaming of going, here are a few things I've learned about healthy...
3 months ago • 2 min read
Dear Reader, I’ve been thinking about procrastination a lot recently. Mostly because I’m doing a lot of it (😅). I've typically been good at getting things done, so I've been trying to figure out why it's been so difficult for me lately. I have my to-do list, I make time to do things, but why is it that when I come so close to starting I feel… Dread? Japanese single-tasking for the procrastinating mind In today’s world, our attention is constantly being pulled in different directions—by social...
3 months ago • 3 min read
Dear Reader, I've been thinking about resiliency a lot these days. There's a lot for me to be grateful for in my life, but that doesn't mean it doesn't come without its problems, challenges, and setbacks. And everyone experiences this - Maybe it's around our personal health goals. Maybe it's career or school-related. Maybe it's romance or friends. So what should we do when things don't go as intended? I value taking responsibility over my life, but I'm also not someone to be described as...
4 months ago • 2 min read
Dear Reader, I'm back! Thank you for your patience 😊 When I'm working, I feel like I spend too much time inside and on a screen. While I don't think screens are inherently bad for us, I think too much makes it easy to fall out of touch with our bodies and internal wellbeing. So I took advantage of the warmer weather - I went to a baseball game, met up with old friends at new restaurants, and had lunch on a bench in the park (underrated activity). Can't forget that life is meant to be lived....
4 months ago • 2 min read