The 1st of July marks six month of my living as a pescetarian! I used to believe I could never leave red meat and poultry especially after trying the DIVINE Japanese beef. I believed so despite my knowledge that meat production is one of the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases, which cause climate change, and I had been a promoter of climate action for the … Continue reading My Pescatarian Journey
My life consists of movements. My favorite place has been the airport since I was a teenager. From the time I turned into a young adult, the wonders of travels had become my home. I left my hometown Jakarta in 2015 for Japan in search for experience, learnings, and adventure. Living in Japan is a dream for many people but I’d never thought of living … Continue reading Repatriating
Three years ago, as I sat on a beach reflecting upon my life, I decided to take a yoga teacher training. What I gained from practicing with my teacher in Tokyo, Nana Kalyani, in the-then past year was more than enough to convince me: her yoga classes and approach inspired me to share the benefits of yoga with people who seek them. The thing is, … Continue reading A Typical Indian Odyssey #2: Yoga Teacher Training
Another year has passed and here I am, looking back at the year that’s coming to a close in a few hours. I started the year 2018 without new year’s “goals” or “resolutions”. This was the first after a few years of having diligently written down goals, even setting quantitative ones. Always on the list were to lose weight (5-10 kg) and write a number … Continue reading 2018
I read on Quora stories by non-Japanese residents of Japan who felt hurt because “people in the train would get up to find another seat” to avoid sitting next to them. Or because a co-worker stopped talking to him when the co-worker realized his English was not good enough. Apparently, the co-worker was friendly to the Quora poster only to practice English. Do these stories sound … Continue reading Living Japan #8: On Racism
My note on finding a home in Japan (Living Japan #3: Mission Apartment) remains as the most-read post on this blog, so there must be many of you who had the same questions and struggles as I did. Hope that note helped you. I’ll continue with the next steps: filling up the house and actually making it a home. 1. Buying new electronics As I … Continue reading Living Japan #6: Mission Apartment, Part Two
Being a millennial, I’ve been restless for some time, questioning myself about “what I’m supposed to do in this world” and “what I was born to be”, despite the fact that I have a job, hobbies, and social activities. I’ve been wondering what “I should do” for the society. It’s definitely hard to always be positive in a highly-informed world where we can easily see the worst … Continue reading Wake-up Call
“It went by too fast!” – says myself at the end of every year. Then I’d try to recollect what I’ve done in the past 364 days. Finally, I’d whimper silently at the undeniable fact that I will age one year older. It doesn’t help much to have a birthday in February, you’ll feel you’re aging faster than everybody else. The year 2016 was an … Continue reading 2016
I celebrated a year of living in Japan last July. Work contract has been extended, so I’ll hopefully be celebrating a second year anniversary next year. As I enter my second year, I made a decision to move to Tokyo. I moved from the suburbs of Yokohama, where most residents were grandmothers and high-school students and residents’ festivals were held frequently. There’s nothing wrong with … Continue reading Living Japan #5: Tokyo “City Girl”
If you’re considering moving to Japan, be ready to get on board the major first mission. I didn’t have to do too much for moving to Italy and Malawi, for having found good places to live in before arriving. But moving to Japan was different because my company let us live in the dormitory while finding by ourselves a place that fits our taste. So … Continue reading Living Japan #3: Mission Apartment, Part One
amellina's journal 