A CD player with two cassette tape decks was one of my first purchases when I arrived in Japan in 1994.

Because what would life be without mixtapes?

So here’s a blast from the past — a mixtape I made in December 1994 (translated here to Amazon). Lots of strong women who sound a little bit melancholy, a little bit hopeful and a lot ready for a fresh start!

If you’re reading or have read my memoir, The Same Moon, this is a partial soundtrack of the first year I spent in Shuho-cho, half my life ago.

What songs would your half-life mixtape include?

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Originally shared in The Same Loon, my once-in-a-blue-moon newsletter. (Join the list here.)