Nihon Nerd

Just an American nerd living in Japan.

Nihon Life: Week 6 (10/19-10/26) — October 26, 2017

Nihon Life: Week 6 (10/19-10/26)

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Every time I write this weekly update, I’m always impressed with how long I’ve been here. Six weeks? How many days is that? Hmm… Let’s see… There’s how many days in a week? 10? 4? 34? Crap. Ah, I give up. I’ve been here a while, OK? Let’s just leave it at that. Until next week when I’m impressed again and then try a second time to figure it out. Only to fail. Again. Broken record, I am. Talk like Yoda, I do.

So… What happened this week? Shit. A lot, I think? Hopefully I’ll remember. Let’s get to my highlights, lowlights, and goals for next week! Continue reading

Nihon Life: Week 5 (10/12-10/19) — October 20, 2017

Nihon Life: Week 5 (10/12-10/19)

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Looks like I’ve been in Japan 5 weeks. That’s a lot of days. How many, you ask? Hell if I know! You’re asking the WRONG person. Because knowing the answer to that question requires counting. And it involves numbers. Two of my least favorite things. Food, however? Love it! Ask me about food. Do I like to eat food? Um, duh! Am I thinking about food right now? Um, duh x 2! Am I jelly that you eat more food than me? Um… Hey! That’s not cool. But, in case you’re wondering, the answer is “Um, duh x 3!”

So I’m super tired (a common theme these days) and have to study for my にほんご テスト tomorrow (AHHHHH!!!), so let’s get to my highlights, lowlights, and goals for next week: Continue reading

Nihon Life: Week 4 (10/05-10/12) — October 13, 2017

Nihon Life: Week 4 (10/05-10/12)

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Oh, it’s week 4 already? I guess I’ve been living in Japan for a month now. That’s cool…

Wait, whaaaaaa? Really? A FULL MONTH? Wow. Feels like I got here yesterday. Only I didn’t. I got here 4 weeks ago. And 4 weeks equals a month. And a month equals OMG-I-CAN’T-BELIEVE-THIS-IS-REAL. Actually, every day equals that. Lol!

Aight, I got stuff to do, let’s get to my highlights, lowlights, and goals for next week:

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Nihon Life: Week 3 (9/28-10/05) — October 5, 2017

Nihon Life: Week 3 (9/28-10/05)


Here we go again. Another week in Japan. Wow. Still can’t believe it. Am I really here? Hmm… Lemme go check. Hold on. Checking. Just a sec. Looking out in the window. Ah. Yes. Mmmhmm. Lots of buildings with Japanese signs. Lots of Japanese people. Interesting. Very interesting…

OK, I’m back. So I’m about 74.% sure I’m still in Japan. It’s been a crazy week. I think? No joke, I’m having a hard time remembering what happened. Everything has moved so fast since I’ve been here. Ahhh! Let’s just get straight to it, because I have my first にほんご テスト (Japanese language test) tomorrow. Ooooooh boy.

Aight, here’s my highlights, lowlights, and goals for next week: Continue reading

Nihon Life: Week 2 (9/21-9/28) — September 28, 2017

Nihon Life: Week 2 (9/21-9/28)


Yep, still here in Japan. Now for 2 weeks. That’s a lot days minus a TON of days x a few days, which is roughly about, oh, 14 (if my math is correct). Wow. Still can’t believe it. Parappa I am not. But I am still alive (yay for living!) despite eating next-to-nothing every day. My frugal mode shows no bounds. Or calories. Mostly the calories. But it’s helping me stay focused. Otherwise my entire office space would be filled with cute shiba inu plushes and way too much crap from Tokyo Disneyland.

So this week (like last) had a LOT of ups and a LOT of downs. Drastically changing your life is so goddamn exciting, but it’s also equally stressful, goddamn! But good or bad, it’s ultimately rewarding. And that’s what’s most important. Certainly more than eating. Otherwise I would have upped my budget by now. Lulz!

Aight… Let’s get on to the highlights, lowlights, and goals for next week!

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Nihon Life: Week 1 (9/14-9/21) — September 21, 2017

Nihon Life: Week 1 (9/14-9/21)

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I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’ve officially lived in Japan for a week. I know this, because I own a calendar. And a watch. Without both of these, I would have thought I’ve lived here for about, mmm… 10 years. Because, man, things have flown by fast.

And what a week it’s been. In fact, you can pretty much insert any adjective to accurately describe it. Exciting? Of course! Scary? You bet. Fun? Duh! Stressful? Understatement. Enlightening? Totes. Emotional? All of them. Humbling? You have no idea. Worthwhile? 100%.

See, I went into this experience knowing it was going to be a roller coaster ride (hey, I love those!) with lots of ups (higher, go higher!) and, of course, some downs (oh, crap!). But every moment of this first week (both good and bad) has made me smile. Yes, I was even smiling (laughing, honestly) last night when I discovered my US bank account doesn’t allow outbound international transfers, meaning there was no way for me to transfer my US money to my new Japanese bank account (I’ll talk more about this later).

But my point is this: I’m just so happy I made the decision to let life guide me for once, even if it means I have no goddamn clue where it’s taking me. Having said that, I hope life has Google Maps something. ‘Cause if not, I’m scrrrrrrewwwed.

Now to make sure I remember everything that happens during these crazy first few months, starting today, I’ll be writing a weekly blog post recapping my highlights and lowlights of the week, along with some goals for the following week. Hopefully it’ll give y’all an insight on what I’m going through and show you exactly what it’s like to completely start over in a foreign country. Wait… I did that? Man, I’m crazy… OK, let’s get to it!:

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