✿ ｱﾚｯｸｽ ✿

Taiwanese poster for Nausicaa, which is being released in theaters there next month for the first time:

Why can’t I be more straightforward with people? I think that’s what’s tough about interactions with Japanese folks because many of them seem harmless/friendly so even if you’re uncomfortable, it’s tough to be outright mean. 💀

I said yes I’m married, he added me anyway, and I walked away. Since then he has messaged me a few times trying to ask me to meet, so I decided to block him. I’m feeling a bit guilty for giving him hope by saying “maybe,” but he should have gotten the hint omg. 😫

I’ve been through this rodeo before, give them your Line so they leave you alone and block them. So I gave him my Line, which has my wedding picture as the background. He looked surprised and asked me if I was married and if this was OK. (Lmao, well what do you think ossan?)

I replied “Um, maybe…” very hesitantly. (I should have said no, but idk he was trying to make friendly conversation & he made it hard for me to do that.) And then he asked for my Line contact.

you have to go near the station if you want to find restaurants.

He ignored that and asked me if I would get a coffee with him to chat in English sometime — clarifying not as an English lesson. It was only me and him on this street. I was wearing a mask and didn’t appear friendly.

(This not surprising to me, I’ve heard it a million times.)

He then decided to ask me where Americans live in Japan. (How does one even answer that?) I told him I wasn’t really sure, and tried to switch the conversation back to the main topic:

But then he asked me if I spoke English, and upon me saying yes, he of course asked me where I was from. And upon learning I’m a native speaker, he decided to tell me his life’s story of how he has been learning English since elementary school but has no chance to speak with natives.

Okay, story time.

The other day I went on a conbini run near my house during lunch. A man stopped me to ask if there were any restaurants in the neighborhood, but I didn’t understand one of the words he used, and I was in a bit of a rush, so I just said I don’t speak Japanese.

Are people working in “software” insufferable or is it just me (sorry if that’s you) 🙈

Lake Ashino, Hakone, Japan

Thanks to record tourism, wages in Japan’s Taito City (home of Ueno Park and Tokyo Museum) are up 7% and up 8.10% in Hakone and other parts of Kanagawa Prefecture. In Niseko, says Nikkei, the average hourly wage has gone up a whopping 10%.

https://buff.ly/3WGJ5px

The perfect dessert 😍

I hate how Mercari resized their grid so none of my posts fit correctly. 😒

What was the purpose? It’s so annoying to reupload things and iPhone doesn’t default to the square grid…

It's ok to use chatbots for everyday monotony like writing your wedding vows because this frees you up to use your creative energy for what truly matters: making powerpoints for work meetings

"MANILA (Kyodo) -- Japan's embassy in the Philippines has recently tightened tourist visa slots for Filipino travelers amid a surge in visitors driven by the weak yen. "The embassy is now urging Filipinos to submit their tourist visa applications up to two months in advance -- more than double the previous recommendation -- but the sudden change could dampen the travel boom to Japan. "Filipino tourists typically apply for Japan visas through an authorized agency, with at least five in operation. A travel agency official in Manila said the embassy has indicated it is cutting the daily cap on visa applications by about 50 percent. "The change has overwhelmed agency branches, with long lines forming before opening hours and all slots often filled by morning. Some agencies have suspended applications or switched to an appointment-only system." Photo caption: "A travel agency in Manila posts a sign informing applicants that Japan tourist visa slots are full for the day on Jan. 16, 2025."

Visitors from the Philippines in 2024 were up 31.6% from the previous year. Japan has decided to apply the handbrake on visa issuance. mainichi.jp/english/arti...

a man in a suit and plaid shirt is holding a pen and a clipboard . ALT: a man in a suit and plaid shirt is holding a pen and a clipboard .

Thank you!

Hey, people that look at walls of text all day, how do you prevent eye strain? Asking for a person (it’s me) with eye strain atm!

Just a guess, but tariffs on Columbia?

Why go to America when I can go to Taiwan for 1/4 the price?

So that’s what’s happening this year.

Vaporeon and Vulpix lying on the floor in the shape of the letter V together

V aporeon

And they grow up and I need to correct them in my class 🫶🏻

Nowadays when I go to an art museum and see A.I. exhibits, I roll my eyes. It used to be cool in doses, and still is sometimes in an online format, but I definitely don’t want to pay to see it.

That would result in utter terror I’m afraid lol. Once the weather warms up hopefully she’ll avoid me!

Bought a new mattress but haven’t had a good night’s sleep yet because of my velcro cat that wakes me up by pawing at/weighing down the blanket and sitting on top of me. All I do is toss and turn. So I’m wondering is the mattress not working for me or is it just this little monster?! 👿

A January 1st well spent in Kawagoe

People that still use =) as a smiley face are unhinged I don’t make the rules

Koishikawa Korakuen — Magical Time of Year

Something that never would have crossed my mind before Japan was taking a closer look at those white rings to confirm onions or squid.