When sending money abroad becomes complicated by having too many names The other day I needed to pay a freelancer in the UK for a service she had provided to me. Simple, one would think. After all, we live in the age of global banking and online transactions. What could possibly be easier? I asked whether she accepted PayPal, which has worked like a charm for me in the past and doesn't even involve any banks. She didn't. But she mentioned that many of her international client

A Japanese colleague introduced me to a rather unexpected piece of Swiss culture. A recent conversation with one of my Japanese co-workers went something like this: ‘Have you ever played the handpan?’ ‘The what?’ ‘The handpan.’ ‘The hand WHAT?’ She rolled her eyes. ‘The handpan. You know, the Swiss musical instrument.’ ‘Huh?’ At this point, I wasn’t sure whether she was winding me up or whether I had a rather serious knowledge gap. ‘I watched a documentary about Switzerland o

One pot. Two cheeses. And enough opinions to start a small civil war. If there is one dish that unequivocally says Switzerland, it's probably fondue. Chocolate comes close. Watches, banks and mountains have their supporters. But put a steaming pot of melted cheese in front of a foreigner and there is a good chance they will immediately think of Switzerland. Which is slightly ironic. Because the Swiss cannot even agree on how to make it. The first problem is that Switzerland d

For a good while, this blog has been about being Swiss in Japan. Today I’ve got something a bit different to show you. I’ve written a novel. It’s called Love, Secrets, and a Plate of Sushi, it’s a romantic comedy, and, as you’d expect from someone writing what he knows, it starts in Switzerland, wanders off to England and ends up in Japan. It’s loosely inspired by real life. How loosely, I’m not saying. Which brings me to this weekend’s news: the cover. It's the work of Victo

Japan automates the checkout, but not quite the customer service When I went grocery shopping the other day, I noticed something new. The supermarket had installed a large section of self-checkout machines. I’m one of those increasingly old-fashioned people who still prefers human interaction to a machine. Judging by the queues at the human checkout counters, I’m probably not the only one. In fact, I can’t remember ever meeting anyone who has said: ‘You know what I really enj

Why Japan plays a melody every day at 5 p.m. The very first time I heard it, I honestly had no idea what was happening. It was late afternoon. I was walking home when, without warning, a gentle melody drifted across the neighbourhood from somewhere above the rooftops. Not one loudspeaker. Dozens of them. For a brief moment I wondered whether I'd accidentally wandered into the opening scene of a Studio Ghibli film. Or perhaps Japan simply liked providing its residents with a d

When earning more suddenly gets expensive The other day, I found a brown envelope in the letterbox. It looked official. Rarely a good sign. Especially when it carries a red stamp which, after consulting my iPhone translator, revealed itself to say: 'URGENT PAYMENT REMINDER.' Well, that certainly got my attention. When I opened the envelope, I discovered – first with the help of AI translation, and then, as my frustration increased, with the considerably more reliable assistan

The Swiss Alps, as seen through Japanese eyes. When we visited a souvenir shop in Hokkaido this summer, I came across something that stopped me in my tracks. A box of biscuits. On it was a familiar little girl, standing against an Alpine landscape. And underneath her: “Heidi, a girl of the Hokkaido” in English, which somehow made the whole thing rather confusing. Because Heidi is Swiss. Isn't she? The original Heidi was written by Swiss author Johanna Spyri in 1881. It tells

Cheap dinners, expensive cheese and the strange mathematics of the yen On our recent trip to Hokkaido, my brother flew over from Switzerland and quickly developed a habit. Whenever we bought something, he would convert the price into Swiss francs in his head. Then he would look puzzled. Surely there must be some mistake. Things couldn’t possibly be that cheap. But they were. At least to him. A lavish dinner with a starter, dessert and wine – the sort of meal that can produce

Hokkaido roads, Swiss memories, and full-service petrol stations On a recent road trip through Hokkaido – my first visit to Japan’s northern island after 30 years in the country – I discovered something I had almost forgotten existed in Japan: A straight road. Not just straight by Japanese standards. Properly straight. Some seemed to disappear directly into the horizon, without a bend, traffic light or elderly driver deciding to turn right at the last possible moment. One roa

Thoughts on Switzerland's balance vs Japan's harmony 💼 Work-Life (Un)Balance Switzerland respects healthy work-life balance. Japan has a word for dying from overwork. One country treats vacation like sacred scripture, the other treats it like a forbidden fruit. In Switzerland, taking time off means vanishing into the mountains, lakes, or some budget-friendly exotic destination, returning emotionally stable, tan-faced, and ready to smile at colleagues. In Japan, vacation time

Why Japan may be the safest place in the world to lose your wallet There aren't many restaurants with outdoor seating in Japan, particularly traditional Japanese ones. That may be because al fresco dining simply isn't part of Japanese culture – or because summers are far too hot to sit outside. There is, however, a yakitori restaurant just a couple of hundred metres from our local station with a single terrace table, which is one of our favourite spots. One table. That's all

A story about wine, customer service, and why Japan does things differently The other day, I ordered eight bottles of rosé wine from a large online retailer whose name I shall not mention. Not because I fear legal consequences. Mainly because they have just given me twelve bottles of wine for free, and I don't want them changing their minds. For reasons that remain unexplained, our household wine reserves had fallen to alarmingly low levels. The order was placed on Saturday,

What a loudspeaker truck in Japan taught me about the Swiss love of peace and quiet On a recent Sunday afternoon, I was enjoying what I consider one of life's greatest inventions: the weekend nap. A gentle breeze drifted through the open balcony door. Weekend bliss. Then it happened. A loudspeaker crackled into life somewhere outside. 'Old washing machines! Scrap metal! Broken appliances!' The voice slowly drifted through the neighbourhood, accompanied by the unmistakable hum

Where rainy-season storms meet trembling ground The other day, I was reminded that living in Japan means accepting that nature occasionally likes to keep things... interesting. Take last month. We were in the middle of the rainy season – that damp stretch from early June to mid-July that every resident complains about while quietly acknowledging that, without it, the country would have a slight agricultural problem. After all, it provides around 20–30% of Japan's annual rainf

Driving on Japan’s expressways can be challenging at times. There is speeding. There is frequent undertaking. Many drivers appear to believe the fast lane is a perfectly acceptable place to live permanently. And tailgating is apparently a favourite pastime. I experienced the consequences of that last year, when the driver behind me failed to stop in backed-up traffic and crashed into my then three-week-old car. Two months of chiropractic treatment and three months of negotiat

A Swiss expat hunting for familiar flavours, traditions, and identity in Japan After our monthly team meeting at work, we usually order lunch. Sometimes bento boxes. Sometimes curry. The other day, somebody suggested biryani. Then one colleague suddenly asked: ‘Are there any Swiss restaurants that do food deliveries in Tokyo?’ The question caught me completely off guard. Because despite having lived here for many years, I genuinely didn’t know. Someone else then pointed out:

Everyday routines revealing Japan’s culture, quirks, and how it's changing Japan is changing. Not everywhere. Not all at once. But occasionally, small experiences make you stop and wonder whether something is quietly shifting beneath the surface. At the same time, some things stubbornly hold onto the past. Some desired change doesn't happen. And sometimes you get it without asking for it. The other day, I visited our usual dry cleaner. It requires a ten-minute drive, but for

Language misunderstandings and cultural nuance The other day at the supermarket, I found myself in a situation that has become increasingly common ever since shops stopped automatically giving you plastic bags and instead ask whether you would like to purchase one. All for the environment, of course. And, conveniently, a little extra income. Shop assistant: ‘Fukuro wa go-riyō ni narimasu ka?’ Would you like a bag? Me: ‘Daijōbu desu.’ I’m OK. Shop assistant: ‘Kashikomarimashit

Tokyo encounters and expat reflections The other day, while eating a matcha ice cream, I found myself reflecting on the extraordinary global rise of matcha. It’s everywhere now. Matcha lattes. Matcha KitKats. Matcha cocktails. Matcha facial products. At this rate, someone is probably developing a matcha-flavoured matcha. Japan, meanwhile, can barely keep up with demand. Exports continue to hit record highs as the world collectively decides that bright green powder is the answ