Living in Tokyo, Japan

Personal Anecdotes

For several years, I lived and worked in Tokyo, Japan.

It was a fantastic experience!

Tokyo became one of my “Happy Places” because I made some great friends from Japan and other countries.

My Japanese friends, and those from around the globe, are kind, friendly and helpful.

I am back in Canada now and only returned to visit this summer (2023). Prior to visiting, I contacted my friends. Two were able to meet up with me and bring their spouses.

It always amazed me that they were so considerate of me when I lived in Japan. They invited me out, translated for me, and made sure I was okay. Sure enough, when I met up with them again this summer in Tokyo, we had lunch and afterward they asked me the same question they did 10 years ago, “Leta do you have any plans?”. My answer was, and still is, “No” and off we went traipsing around Tokyo.

I lived and enjoyed experiences like a native Japanese!

When I lived in Tokyo, my friends found out that I love sumo wrestling. So one day, one of them made arrangements for four of us to go to a wrestling match.

Photo with sumo wrestler

Before the match, I saw my friend talking very quietly to one of the sumo wrestlers. The next thing I knew, she came over and told me he gave permission to have a photo taken with him.

My delight knew no bounds!

A few weeks after, they decided to take me to kabuki theatre (a form of traditional Japanese drama)  and to shop in the Ginza district afterward.

Kabuki & Shopping Trip in Ginza

Another time, one of the friends arranged for the two of us to have a private tea ceremony because her mom was a friend of a Kokoroire, translates “Devotion”. This refers to practitioners of the Japanese tea ceremony who devote their lives to the ritual and the way of tea. The Japanese tea ceremony (known as sadō/chadō (茶道, ‘The Way of Tea’) or chanoyu (茶の湯)) is a Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of matcha (抹茶), powdered green tea, the procedure of which is called temae (点前).

Dressed for my tea party

We went to many places, including Asakusa, Nikko, Akihabara, Shinjuku, Kamakura, the Imperial Palace, many cultural festivals, shrines, temples and Oeno Park to view Sakura (cherry blossom).

I tried pachinko, karaoke, and learned to cook Japanese food – among many things.

The outings were endless! The experience was priceless!

A truly beautiful cultural experience given as a gift by sweet, beautiful people with beautiful spirit.

I will share some of my experiences each time I blog.