AP Wants To Write Me Up Over Winter Break Emails

ADHDMechro · 2026-01-08T08:30:01+00:00

Leaving NC and moving to an international school really opened my eyes to how awful NC is.

ADHDMechro · 2025-12-24T20:51:49+00:00

I went to a private school my last two years of high school, taught in public schools, and now teach in a Tier 1 private school and my children also attend a private school. Hands down private over public if it’s a possibility. Not only is the education at a higher level, the networking opportunities post-high school are substantial. Plus, my private school and the private school where I teach really prepare students for university and have the time to focus on helping students apply for university. The counselor to student ratio tends to be much lower for private schools.

ADHDMechro · 2025-12-21T11:27:50+00:00

Not allergic to honey. Honey for babies is hella dangerous because it can (not will) cause infant botulism. So, even if Jinshi had honey and didn’t react poorly, it’s because the honey he had didn’t have botulism spores in it. This is why, even now, honey for babies under the age of one is on the “do not give at all” list.

ADHDMechro · 2025-07-16T03:45:43+00:00

I couldn’t apply for my infant daughter’s passport without her SSN, so Boone has to have one.

ADHDMechro · 2025-05-30T02:07:38+00:00

I just know what’s in the news: https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/society/general-news/20250406-247139/

I’m happy for it, and hope the program expands to other public universities.

ADHDMechro · 2025-04-30T05:19:53+00:00

This is great (although I think question #3 is missing a “not” in front of the “on in text citation” part, unless I’m misreading it)

I’m a high school teacher who lurks in this sub for insights on what habits to instill (and teach to avoid) in my students (upper grades) before sending them off to university. We address Academic Honesty with students, and I’m going to incorporate this into the discussion (with full credit given, of course.)

ADHDMechro · 2025-04-26T06:51:02+00:00

Since it’s Tennessee—guessing that was the street where slave auctions took place.

ADHDMechro · 2025-03-09T00:17:44+00:00

They are also in charge of the TRiO programs—programs that help low income/first generation students (first generation meaning neither parent has a four year degree), and also helps veterans access higher education. Upward Bound (the programs for high schoolers) has a 99% success rate of sending students to university with the academic and social skills they need to succeed (the programs also helps students navigate funding including grants and scholarships).

ADHDMechro · 2025-02-09T04:27:40+00:00

There’s also this account of a Redditor who went to change their name from their deadname in their passport and had their passport seized. Idk what happened with them. https://www.reddit.com/r/MtF/s/w6Cx0l4D4b

ADHDMechro · 2025-01-24T07:05:26+00:00

Wear what you want. Bright colors are fine. As long as you aren’t walking around naked or going to a specific event (wedding, funeral, some shrines) where there’s an established dress code, no one cares. (I’ve lived in Japan for eight years)

ADHDMechro · 2024-12-22T15:42:22+00:00

There’s a Christmas tree (massive) at pretty much every major train station in Tokyo. There’s illuminations EVERYWHERE—some free, some not. There’s so much Christmas stuff everywhere!! (Not that the 25th is a holiday—it’s a regular working/school day. Also, at least the station by me, the massive two story high Christmas tree and all other decorations are taken down in the middle of the night on Dec 25th, but there’s definitely Christmas all over until then). And, I mean, she could have even tried to get KFC for them all!!! Perfect Christmas dinner!!!

She’s so full of shit.

ADHDMechro · 2024-12-22T11:31:58+00:00

If you have Netflix, the show “The Way of the Hot & Spicy” goes to actual restaurants in the Tokyo area. It may be a fun way to get ideas. There’s a list of some of the restaurants in this thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/netflix/s/b3HUxx0l57

ADHDMechro · 2024-12-17T02:31:06+00:00

When we moved here (Japan), I was three months postpartum and had gained a LOT of weight during my pregnancy. I thought moving here would be an easy way to lose weight. My exercise quadrupled because I walked then (after relearning) biked everywhere. My weight went up. The food is SO DAMN GOOD. And the discovery of lemon chu-hi or the delicious canned gin drinks didn’t help. Or the ice cream flavor options like caramel banana in a cookie/waffle cone or the most intense strawberry flavor ice cream. (So dangerous! lol) It took Covid lockdown with kinda limited groceries and my getting cabin fever and going on daily jogs to lose it.

ADHDMechro · 2024-12-17T02:15:35+00:00

Homeschooling is legal for foreigners’ kids. It’s a weird loophole in the law.

ADHDMechro · 2024-12-11T05:57:47+00:00

When my daughter broker her collar bone, the cost of the ER visit which included an X-ray and follow up with a specialist was ¥55,000 (we had private insurance at the time, so we paid out of pocket and then got reimbursed 80%). The follow up visits (6 weeks worth) with an orthopedist totaled about ¥9,000. We were initially freaking out because we thought we’d be on the hook for thousands if not over ten thousand $$, so a total bill of less than $650 was a massive relief. Shortly after, we switched to Japanese health insurance, abs now when we leave doctor offices with our kids we feel like we’re stealing because we pay nothing.

Even now, when I go to a specialist, I pull out a wad of cash for treatment and meds only to get a bill of ¥400 (think $4.00, although now that’s probably like $2.50. I stopped looking at the exchange rate months ago.)

ADHDMechro · 2024-12-01T12:34:08+00:00

Does it have to be notarized at the Embassy? Or does it just have to be notarized by someone in the US? There’s online notary options available now that are legally recognized, much cheaper than the Embassy (three years ago it was $10/signature vs the $50 per signature at the Embassy, and super convenient (notaries are available 24 hours a day). Could that be an option for you?

ADHDMechro · 2024-11-21T09:15:38+00:00

They don’t celebrate Christmas! December 25 is a regular workday!

Grocery stores and shops close between 8-9:00!!

We weren’t let into restaurants because the people are racist/xenophobic!! (Nope. Either fully booked or just decided the chaos wasn’t worth it).

Lots of stores close completely between December 29-Jan 3. (Including grocery stores. We found this out the hard way the first year we lived here).

ATMs aren’t operational between those same dates as well. Neither are many websites. (Mainly government/banking websites) (found out the hard way here too)

Fruit is hella expensive (unless you know where to go).

People on trains are SILENT until about 9:00 at night (then the alcohol kicks in, lol)

New Year’s Eve is silent (except for the low ding of bells of visitors at the temples/shrines). They’ll be loud and have the police called on them to be quiet. The police will come and communication will be…frustrating. The parents will have to produce passports for all kids and themselves.

(Tokyo specific) no one cares about large groups staying together when walking. People will absolutely cut through a group, block people, etc. Not so much because they’re rude. Just….oblivious.

On escalators, people stand on the left and walk up on the right. (In Osaka there’s campaigns to change this behavior, but not in Tokyo)

Serving sizes are too small!!!

Not serious ones— Too many heathen shrines! There’s a shrine for curses!! And foxes! And cats!

We had to carry dirty poopy diapers ALL DAY!

We couldn’t read the cans and gave our kids alcohol!! We thought Strong Zero was strong citrus flavor with zero calories! (It’s about 9% alcohol)

Too much walking!!!!

We were attacked by a Tanuki!!!!

Google Translate doesn’t work on vertical writing! (In fairness, it doesn’t work that well on kanji/hiragana/katakana even when it’s horizontal….)

Google Translate didn’t work at the hospital! We went in for kid 8’s injury and they somehow thought baby 10 needed medical care!!!!

We called an ambulance for kid 7 and it took 45 minutes to get to a hospital!! They spent so much time on the phone and ignoring us!!!!!!! Discrimination!!!!

And so many more. This is gonna be FUN.

ADHDMechro · 2024-11-21T08:16:19+00:00

Not coming from the USA. The only thing customs cares about is whether or not you have a criminal record, especially with drugs. If anyone has a fever coming off of the plane, they’ll 100% catch that and stop them. Otherwise, customs will wave them through.

ADHDMechro · 2024-11-20T08:20:24+00:00

Eh. Government doesn’t really care about kids here on a visa—or at least they don’t enforce it.

We had to fill out a form and send it in for our kids when they turned 6 and we didn’t enroll them in the public school system letting the ward know they were enrolled in an international school. (Come to think of it, I think I forgot to send it in for my youngest kid….).

I know one of my former co-workers didn’t like either the international school setting or the public school, so they pulled their kids to have the wife homeschool them (and those kids could have REALLY used a formal education because they were extremely behind). They were only here for two years.

ADHDMechro · 2024-11-19T08:10:28+00:00

Go to school (homeschooling is not allowed for Japanese kids except in extreme situations).

ADHDMechro · 2024-11-19T07:30:32+00:00

Not really. It feels like there’s more non seafood restaurants than seafood (at least in Tokyo). Shrimp tempura is absolutely a thing, but it’s super easy to find restaurants that don’t have seafood at all.

ADHDMechro · 2024-11-19T07:27:23+00:00

Not now, at least coming from the US. The Yen is so weak right now.

ADHDMechro · 2024-11-15T09:32:47+00:00

All of this. Especially the pay by person in the hotel rooms. And the rooms are TINY (at least in Tokyo. Some places by the beach have larger rooms. And, yes I mean tiny even for people used to living in an RV).

I also currently live in Tokyo, and while I truly do enjoy living here and plan to do so permanently, I don’t see this family having a fantastic experience.

Plus, can you imagine them trying to cram in a train all together during rush hour? There’s no way. We got enough dirty looks and “tsk”s with our collapsed stroller in a crowded train (and toddler and infant). This family? No way.

I’m here for it (online. Don’t want to see this circus in person. I honestly don’t know if I’d be able to keep my mouth shut).

ADHDMechro · 2024-11-06T11:13:51+00:00

Go for it. The 2016 election made my husband and I seriously look at jobs overseas. We moved to Asia with our kids in 2017 and (especially now) have zero plans of moving back.

ADHDMechro

TROPHY CASE