Year 2016 was a presidential election year.  One morning, I turned my car radio on while driving my daughter to school.  A lady on radio said, “If Trump becomes a president, Miley Cyrus will vomit and then move to Canada.  But first, she vomits!” She emphasized that point. My daughter chuckled in the back.  The … More Geography and mindset

My family and I were on the train platform, sending off my husband’s aunt to New York.  I was watching her through the train window as she settled into her seat when I heard, “Wait!”  I turned to the staircase, but didn’t see anything.  I looked up and found a tall beautiful young woman running … More Moving forward

I was surprised when my daughter told me that AP U.S. history in high school is a two-year course.  I asked jokingly, “Why do you need two years?  American history is less than two hundred fifty years.” But of course, Americans become Americans through education as not everyone was born in the U.S. and not … More A word can change history

When I worked in Japan a long time ago, everyone in the office who came back from trips to the U.S. said unequivocally, “American food is awful.  They put salt and pepper on everything.”  And I thought, “but I use soy sauce and mirin all the time.  My cooking isn’t any better than American cooking.” … More Crossing the emotional border

I played tennis in college.  Everybody else in the club was more serious about it; I only played for pleasure.  I was also not that good at it.  Much later, I learned that my poor eyesight meant that I couldn’t measure a distance well: my right eye was near-sighted, and the left far-sighted, both with … More An alternative to a passionate life

I was fresh off the boat when someone first asked me, “How are you?” I translated my Japanese response into English and said, “I’m a bit tired.” That was the truth.  I worked and also studied at a graduate school until my wedding, and the day after we said “I do”, my husband and I … More How are you?

My alarm clock goes off at 5:55 a.m.  I don’t necessarily get out of bed then, but it is important for me to see this number first thing in the morning.  Five is pronounced as “go” in Japanese.  I want to start my day by seeing my clock say “Go! Go! Go!”. Japanese are superstitious … More Just a number, nonetheless it’s a number

“Please ask me any questions you may have.” I reminded my client, although I had already told him several times over the phone interview.  Today’s client was a Japanese executive who moved to the U.S. for work several months ago. “Any question is really Okay?” He looked as if he was assessing my words.  I … More A cultural speculation on why Americans are … plump

When my daughter was in preschool, teachers said at various times, “Your daughter is very independent.” At first this sounded positive. After hearing this a few times though, I started to wonder.  So, the next time I heard it, I decided to ask. “Does that mean that she’s not listening to you?” “Oh, no no!  … More Positive reframing