Halloween seemed a world away when I lived in rural Japan in the 1990s. A friend of mine knew about it, though, and in an effort to help me feel at home, she corralled a few neighborhood kids to dress up and visit my door. They arrived, giving each other looks that said, “We didn’t sign up for this, and we don’t know what we’re … Continue reading Halloween in Japan: 2024
A couple of memories from my recent trip to Japan — the blazing fast bullet train and ways strangers reached out to connect with me Continue reading Connecting with strangers
I hadn’t planned to visit Japan this fall … But when we learned the country would open its borders to regular tourists just days before the Japan Writers Conference, my husband encouraged me to shift gears. Wouldn’t it be better to present in person, rather than over Zoom? Yeah. A couple of weeks later, I stepped off an airplane in Tokyo. It had been fifteen … Continue reading What day is it?
Japan wasn’t on my bingo card for 2022, but a writer’s conference, a new immigration policy and an encouraging husband say otherwise. Off I go! Continue reading Plot twist — off to Japan!
Sarah Coomber 