Blog

One of the most important things in your FIT adventure is "face time." It's easy to underestimate this essential part of working in Japan, but it's a mistake to do so. It's true we live in a whirlwind of texting, email, ichat, etc., but showing up and making clear to a client how important they are and how much you'd like to work for them is common sense anywhere... even more so in Japan. In my experience, it's what has made the positive difference in my freelancing work flow in Tokyo.

One of the great things about living in Tokyo is that it makes strange bedfellows of all Westerners -- and some Japanese. It seems unlikely that had I stayed in Los Angeles that I would have been one of two people being interviewed at a media event... the other person being Yukie Kito, one of the producers of the critically acclaimed filmTokyo Sonata. But that is one of the joys of living here. You can start off an English teacher, and end up rubbing shoulders with elite entertainment professionals. Just another day as a freelancer in Tokyo!

New Year's Day is the big holiday in Japan. It is one of the few days that, depending on the hour, you can find a peaceful moment to walk the streets of Tokyo, perhaps visit a temple (otera) and reflect on the year to come.