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

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

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

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,

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

Tokyo encounters and expat reflections May is my favourite month in Japan. No heating. No air conditioning. The bedroom window stays open all night, and the cool air drifting in before dawn keeps the room at exactly the right temperature. The sun rises before five, the birds begin their morning conference outside the window, and getting out of bed suddenly feels far less offensive than it did in January. By six o’clock, the temperature is already pleasant. Around twenty degre

Space, culture, and daily life in Japanese homes The other morning, my wife and I had breakfast on our balcony. One of our two balconies, I should say. The one off the living room (on the middle floor) is wider but shallow, so it functions as our miniature garden – ivy, herbs, the illusion of rural life. The one on the top floor, off the bedroom, is narrower but deep enough for a table. Not massive, but sufficient. One learns to compromise. So, breakfast on the balcony. Nothi

Japan’s sleep culture and public transport habits The other day, on the train home from a weekend outing – fortified by a lunchtime beer – we managed to secure seats. It took me approximately three minutes to nod off. Fortunately, my wife was sitting next to me to inform me – at the appropriate moment – that our stop had arrived and it was time to get off. The incident reminded me of one of Japan’s most refined life skills. A skill that does not appear to exist anywhere in th

Seasonal shifts and cultural rhythms in Japan As the days begin to warm, there comes that hopeful moment each year when we realise we can finally turn off the heating and open the windows. Fresh air enters the living room. Spring announces itself. Life feels lighter. In a densely built neighbourhood, however, fresh air rarely travels alone. It arrives accompanied by sound. Last year we discovered one particularly dedicated contributor to the urban soundtrack: a neighbour acro

Wildlife, culture, and unexpected comparisons The other day, my wife suddenly looked up from her morning coffee and asked a perfectly reasonable question: 'Where have all the crows gone?' This may not sound like a big deal. But if you’ve ever lived in Tokyo, you’ll understand the gravity of the situation. For years, our mornings weren’t greeted by the delicate chirping of sparrows, but by the full-volume cawing of crows that sounded like they were holding an emergency meeting

Pandemic habits and cultural differences in Japan It’s flu season. And Covid is also still doing the rounds. At this point, I’m beginning to suspect we’re not getting rid of it anytime soon. Walking around Japan at this time of year, it can sometimes feel as if the pandemic never really left. Masks everywhere. On trains. In shops. On the street. Sometimes even outdoors – alone, in wide‑open spaces. Or worn by drivers sitting solo in their car, presumably protecting themselves

Swiss winter nostalgia meets Japanese life I’m writing this from Nagano – roughly 230 km away from Tokyo – where we are spending our Christmas and New Year's Holidays. When people hear Nagano, their brains immediately start projecting skiing montages: powder snow, mountain peaks, and some heroic skier flying through the air in glorious slow motion. Understandable, since Nagano Prefecture is often referred to as the "Roof of Japan", surrounded by enough mountains to make a Swi

Digital life, bureaucracy, and living abroad Last week, my wife and I went to see Back to the Future in concert – 40 years after its premiere. Forty years! Sometimes I do feel old. As the orchestra launched into that epic opening theme and the DeLorean thundered to life, I felt chills – partly from nostalgia, partly from the dawning realisation that humanity has somehow managed to invent AI that writes poetry, but not a single functioning time machine. And frankly, some days,