my japan story · 38 videos, in order
everything since i said fuck it and moved.
start at the top if you wanna watch from the beginning! every video has its own page with what actually happened, in my words, and links to the pages on this site that go deeper if you want more insight :)
chapter 1
the move
january to march 2025. leaving california, the share house, apartment hunting as a foreigner, keys on my birthday.
moving to japan alone at 22 | why i'm leaving everything behind
move to japan vlog | shared house tour, apt hunting as a foreigner, travel + first few days in tokyo
settling into my lil room in japan | apt hunting, frustrating language barrier experience
my tiny tokyo room tour + living in japan vlog | sending mommy home, getting into a routine
making friends in japan as a foreigner | starting work at an eikaiwa
apt keys & kimonos?! | how i spent my birthday in japan
moving in tokyo... again?! | no electricity, building furniture & first day teaching
chapter 2
teaching english
march to august 2025. the eikaiwa job, the language barrier, loneliness, the first summer.
life in japan: errands, struggles & practicing japanese over yakitori
costco in japan, hanami viewing, & izakayas | life in japan vlog
coping with loneliness in japan | how i meet people
i did a photoshoot in tokyo?! | behind the scenes
is summer in japan actually this bad?!
chapter 3
quitting & the in between
august 2025 to january 2026. i quit, hello work, the cnbc doc, hawaii for emotional support, the holidays.
why i quit my english teaching job in japan after 6 months | my plan to learn japanese
cooking for the first time in my small japanese kitchen (after 7 months)
first week unemployed in japan | hello work, health insurance & pension
japan × hawaii × california | language exchange & cultural differences
escaping my japanese sauna of an apartment for one night
a weird week back in japan: cnbc filming & figuring things out
i left japan to visit my best friend in hawaii for emotional support
halloween was banned in shibuya but i went as tengen anyways
living alone in japan | what i spend in a month, gym routine & my first japanese bath
street interviews in japan | two foreign girls in shibuya get humbled
this is what some nights in japan are like | night routine
best friend japan adventure | tokyo in 3 days
holiday season in tokyo | visiting shibuya & asakusa christmas markets
nightlife in tokyo japan | karaoke, wagyu & izakaya with friends
chapter 4
language school
february to july 2026. isi, finals week, the last day that wasn't supposed to happen.
a chaotic week in my japan life | visa updates, running errands & new job?
this is why i love living in japan | i didn't expect gunma to look like this
isi language school japan: orientation, prep, classes & my first week
missing the last train in tokyo | 5am survival vlog | hana's birthday
last day at isi language school in tokyo (this wasn't supposed to happen)
pov you're on ft w your friend who moved to japan | apartment tour + life update
escaping to japan's hawaii & somehow getting a free luxury hotel | naha, kokusai street & us village
realistic day in my life in japan | spring break, groceries & life updates
solo travel from japan during golden week | hawaii vlog
finals week at japanese language school
chapter 5
startup life
september 2026 onward. working at a tokyo startup while still learning japanese.
the letter · once a month
get the move to japan checklist now, and one honest email a month after.