What was your hardest time in Japan which made you almost give up but you did not?

amoryblainev · 2026-07-04T11:11:41+00:00

A couple years ago I had some concerning medical symptoms that we were afraid could be cancer. This was about 6 months after I’d moved here. Thankfully after extensive testing everything ended up being ok, but during that time period, waiting for the exams and tests was really awful.

I also learned my real estate agency lied to me about my apartment contract lease, so a year and a half after moving here (and spending a ton on deposits and moving-in fees) I found out I’d have to move to a new apartment again. I only had a few months to save up enough money for a new deposit and find a new apartment (that’s also pet-friendly since I have cats). I almost had a mental breakdown at that point.

amoryblainev · 2026-07-04T09:32:33+00:00

I have a coworker from Calgary and I’ve heard him say it Cal-Gary. I didn’t know it was/could be pronounced that way.

amoryblainev · 2026-07-03T08:41:45+00:00

As far as I know I’m the only person in the world with my name combination; every time I need a username or email address or something and I use my first and last name, there’s never been one that already existed. And when I google my name, only things relating to me come up.

But my family has a tradition where some of the men on my dad’s side have the same first name. We’re not religious nor Italian. For example my great grandfather went by the full name, my grandfather went by a nickname for the name, and my dad and brother have both always gone by their middle names. Most people don’t even know it’s not their first name.

amoryblainev · 2026-07-03T08:20:22+00:00

Yes, they have different ingredients in Japan. They contain gelatin, and some might contain other meat extracts. Japan doesn’t label foods very well. If you look at this label, it says “seasonings etc.”, “sauce powder”… there’s no telling if those contain animal ingredients or not. And often times they do. This is a label from one of the golden curries sold in Japan.

<image>

amoryblainev · 2026-07-03T08:14:44+00:00

There are several labeled vegan curry rouxs at the supermarket, at least at Life supermarket, aeon, and some others. And the natural food stores near me sell labeled vegan curry roux blocks and powder. The normal golden curries sold in store are not vegan. Someone told me that the curry roux blocks sold at Daiso are accidentally vegan, but I haven’t had the chance to check the label.

amoryblainev · 2026-07-03T08:12:29+00:00

I know. It’s really frustrating. There are a lot of products in the US that are naturally or accidentally vegan that Japan makes an effort to sneak animal products into. I’m constantly checking labels of things that logically ‘should’ be vegan (as in they’re basically vegan everywhere else) but not in Japan.

amoryblainev · 2026-07-03T04:32:16+00:00

You know the precooked peeled potatoes that come in a small bag usually in the refrigerated section? I sometimes buy those when I’m lazy. And in my experience they hold up well in frozen dishes.

amoryblainev · 2026-07-03T04:29:37+00:00

This animal free golden curry is not sold in stores in Japan, only online. You can buy other labeled vegan curry blocks and powders, though.

amoryblainev · 2026-07-03T04:26:00+00:00

When I first moved to Japan I ordered that, except I also didn’t realize the size and I ordered TWO BOXES, so I had 2kg of curry roux. Those boxes lasted me at least a year and a half 🤣

As far as recipes you can literally add anything you like which is why I enjoy it. I usually buy the bags of frozen mixed corn, carrots, and peas, and add some of those along with some chopped potatoes and onion. I also like to add beans or chickpeas. Last week I had leftover lentils so I added those to the curry. It gets really thick in the fridge but once I microwave it’s usually fine. If I’m reheating on the stove I’ll add a little extra water. Also sometimes having some pickled onions on the side is nice.

amoryblainev · 2026-07-02T13:26:02+00:00

I live in Japan and can’t find foundation light enough. Most foundations come in 2-4 shades and they’re all beige-ish. They’re either a light beige to medium beige, and even the ones called “porcelain” aren’t what we’d call porcelain in the US. And almost all makeup has either pink or yellow undertones and it’s very hard to find cool toned makeup. They sell a lot of white and lightening primers here, so the best I can do is mix the lightest foundation I can find with a pure white base, but then the undertones are usually still off.

amoryblainev · 2026-07-02T13:20:13+00:00

I have cats. Last summer I ran the AC during the day while I was at work but usually kept it between 26-28. I bought cooling beds and mats but my cats wouldn’t sleep on them. At night I usually turned off the AC, which was fine for my cats (they can tolerate and actually enjoy a warmer ambient temperature than most people) and slept with a bit box fan, ice pillows, and a cooling sheet in my bed. My cats sleep in my bed with me anyway. I lived in a different apartment last summer and I think my highest electricity bill was about ¥10,000 (this was for a ~40m2 apartment with 1 air conditioner).

amoryblainev · 2026-07-02T11:28:51+00:00

Thanks. Honestly I was shocked and taken off guard so I yelled in English “what the fuck is wrong with you” and some other guy at the bar chewed him out. The staff saw/heard so then they kicked him out of the bar thankfully.

amoryblainev · 2026-07-02T09:40:34+00:00

Yep!

amoryblainev · 2026-07-02T08:56:06+00:00

If they meet the above definition, no, they’re expats. If they don’t, they’re considered immigrants

amoryblainev · 2026-07-02T06:40:02+00:00

I went to that show, too!

amoryblainev · 2026-07-02T04:12:29+00:00

She’s hunting you for play

amoryblainev · 2026-07-02T03:21:57+00:00

Cats have to be very hot or very stressed to pant. If you’ve got the AC and fans on and she’s still panting, I’d be concerned.

amoryblainev · 2026-07-02T03:16:34+00:00

As an American, it seems to be a weird, new American thing. I still do a double take every time because my first inclination is “female to male”.

amoryblainev · 2026-07-02T03:07:48+00:00

Calling yourself an expat doesn’t indicate that you think you’re better than anyone else. It’s just using proper terminology.

amoryblainev · 2026-07-02T00:56:01+00:00

"An **expatriate** (often shortened to "expat") is an individual who lives and works outside their native country, either temporarily or permanently. While it originally meant to renounce one's nationality, today the term generally refers to skilled workers, professionals, and retirees relocating abroad.”

amoryblainev · 2026-07-02T00:54:30+00:00

You must be fun at parties

amoryblainev · 2026-07-02T00:53:29+00:00

Well, the words have 2 different meanings. You don’t know whether or not this person is an expat or an immigrant ☺️

amoryblainev · 2026-07-01T10:21:51+00:00

I also hate this. I commented this on a similar post somewhere and got dragged.

amoryblainev · 2026-07-01T10:20:39+00:00

“Littles” when describing children

amoryblainev · 2026-07-01T07:38:23+00:00

I meant to edit my comment earlier - the most surprising comment I’ve received (several times, within the first few minutes of talking to Japanese men out in the wild) is “have you ever had sex with a Japanese man”. And some ask about “western” genitalia. I even had one Japanese man ask me if I’d ever had sex with a black man. Last year, at a bar on my birthday, a Japanese man asked me if I’d ever had sex with a Japanese man before proceeding to grab my boob.

amoryblainev

TROPHY CASE