Living In Japaaaaaaan!

The title of this is totally supposed to be sung out loud like James Brown's "Living in America" by the way. I live in Japaaaaaaaaaaaaan!!

I actually can't believe it. After three epic visits and falling in love, I'm here. Hopefully for good, cuz my love and I are fully "90 Day Fiancé-ing" it and this girl is gonna live happily ever after thankyouverymuch.

Not gonna lie, a LOT has happened in order to get here. I brought a dog and a cat for example, which was about 7 months of work ahead of time and I had to get a few things squared away so I can get married. I also had to sell off a ton of my stuff, take a leave of absence from my job and sublet my apartment. In other words, this last 6+ months has made me adult like I've never adulted before. BUT I GOT IT DONE AND HI, I'M HERE.

The jetlag is real and happening. The shock is real and happening. The pets are happy to be with me but also like "NANDE YA NEN!" (aka WHAT THE HECK) and I don't blame them. Basically, I dunno what is gonna happen either but I'm really excited to be living my dreams which includes marrying my dream man.

I'm going to keeping this blog up to date with all my shenanigans here, and answer some of the most random things you've ever wanted to know about Japan. I'll write about; general day to day life, random wackiness, how to bring pets here (as in, not just the process but what it's actually like going through the quarantine), what having pets in Japan is like, getting married, DJ'ing, shopping, and basically just existing as a half black Canadian woman living in Japan.

You dig? Stay tuned. I'm here now! And follow my adventures on Instagram @fujiiyamamama

Comments

Best Bars: Cha Cha Lounge (LA)

If the flyer says DJ Jello, yes it IS Jello Biafra (Dead Kennedys) and that's not the only surprising thing. When he's dj'ing, he actually won't talk your head off , and he selects great music. Jello may be too busy to talk but he plays brilliantly obscure garage, soul and rock n' roll on vinyl. My homegirl Cece and I tried to sneak him into the photo booth, instead he was happy to pose for pics right there while he kept us dancing. No matter when you go to East LA's Cha Cha Lounge, this dive has everything you want and plenty you didn't know you wanted, but need. The Mexican themed bar has the perfect soundtrack every single night and checking their Facebook will let you know to expect punk, hip-hop, metal or any number of genres. There's ample dance floor space, and DJ's who make the most of it. The crowd has always been friendly, which is nice for a spot in the hip Silver Lake 'hood. Cha Cha Lounge checks all the right boxes to impress ...

Yoshi's First Holidays!

The doorbell rang, pin pon! Who could it be? I grabbed Yoshitora and ran to the door. The camera was ready. It was Santa and Rudolph! They were making their Christmas Eve rounds and decided to pay a special little boy a personal delivery for his first Christmas. The bewildered Yoshi didn't really know what was going on, but Santa didn't miss a beat. He informed Yoshi that tonight was Christmas Eve and that Yoshi had been a very good boy. So good that Santa had brought him a special gift. He reached into his sack and pulled out a large present. We took pictures, and I profusely thanked the incredibly wholesome Santa and Rudolph for making this night so special. Christmas isn't a huge deal in Japan. It's not a holiday and is celebrated more like Valentine's Day as opposed to what I'm used to in the west. Typically couples go out on a date while families keep it low-key with one or two presents for the kids and a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken. Jesus is largely a...

Ask Me Anything: Pregnancy In Japan

Photo: Ayana Wyse A few months before Yoshi arrived, I threw out this question on Instagram and Facebook and got a lot of questions in return. I answered them all individually at the time but thought I would compile a bunch of them here on my blog as well. Q: How is the health care? A: Really good! Apparently, it’s among the best in the world. This chair is next-level scary, though. Q: Are doctor’s appointments conducted in Japanese or English? A: 90% Japanese. My doctor speaks some English but the midwives do not so it’s been a combo of my Japanese comprehension, occasionally my husband translating or the helpful hospital translator when he is available. Q: What’s the hospital/birthing centre like? Have you gone on a tour of it yet? A: The hospital is new and really nice! So far I’ve only seen pictures of the delivery room and hospital rooms but they are fancy! (*and fancy they were!) Q: Are you going to raise your child mostly in Japan? A: Yes! Q: Are you worried about disc...

Fujiiyama Mama

Search This Blog