I started this blog almost exactly eight years ago.
It receives, at this time, an average of 1,000 visitors a day.
I appreciate all of the visitors to this blog…especially the ones who leave comments.
That’s what makes blogging enjoyable and is the reason I continued this blog for so long.
It was fun for me to blog…and I’m happy that my blog was fairly popular.
But recently it has become a bit of a chore to write blog posts…and, as this was meant as a hobby, it shouldn’t be like that.
So, for this reason, I have decided to retire this blog.
By all means, please read the blog posts that I have written from 2008 March 26th (when I started this blog) to today (2016 February 14th)!
I am, of course, still living in Tokyo with my family. So, if you leave a comment on any of the posts on this blog…or if you Contact me, I will continue to reply as I always have.
Thank you for your understanding.
Tokyo Five 
I was only there a few years but Japan turned me into a headcase http://www.tokyoshakedown.com/send-me-back-to-japan-1.html
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I agree! Japan is the best place to live!
Your wife is Japanese? Does she like living in America? Do you ever come back to Japan to visit?
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Hey tokyo5, remember me? We used to exchange blog comments quite a lot back in the day. I haven’t updated mine since 2013 but I was just browsing some old posts and came across one of your comments.
Sorry to see you’re not posting any more. Out of all the Japan blogs I used to follow you were the only one still active.
Take care.
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Yes, I remember you. Thank you for returning to my blog! Feel free to comment anytime … I still reply to comments.
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Been a long time since I’ve been here. I changed my main blog to my book blog, while my Japan blog took a backseat. I just posted on my Japan blog for the first time in a year. I guess it’s a kind of revival, even though I no longer live in Japan. Back in Canada now. However, I’m doing a fairly long video series about places I’ve been in Japan. I have a lot of video to edit and put up on YouTube.
Hope everything’s going well for you.
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>Been a long time since I’ve been here.
Yes. Please feel free to comment anytime!
>Back in Canada now.
Do you ever come back to visit Japan?
>I’m doing a fairly long video series about places I’ve been in Japan.
I’ll check it out!
>Hope everything’s going well for you.
We’re very fine, thanks!
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We have a plan to visit Japan in 2018 for about 3 weeks in spring. Our ambitious plan is to spend a week in Kyushu, a week in Kyoto, and a week in Tokyo. We’ll see if it’ll actually happen.
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Oh, in about a year-and-a-half from now. How long has it been since you’ve been in Japan?
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It’s been 7 months.
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Oh, not so long
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Not really. It simultaneously feels like yesterday and a lifetime ago. A quarter of my life was in Japan, and I still find it difficult to believe I’m no longer there. You know how people say they left their heart somewhere? It feels like that for me. While I love Canada, I felt like my life was going to be in Japan until circumstances changed.
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I’ve been living in Japan more than half my life now … I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.
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I’d been thinking about it tonight, and I still feel like Canada is strange.
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For example?
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People don’t line up for the bus. Everyone says thank you to bus drivers. People talk to strangers on the street. People smile and say hello even though you’ve never seen them before, and you’re just passing each other on a busy downtown street in a big city. Things like that.
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Oh yeah … that’s definitely different from Japan!
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If noone lines up, how do they board the bus? Pushing and shoving?
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A slow shuffle to the door while some more assertive people go in and polite people gesture for others to go in before them. Sometimes it’s like 2 lines going in at the same time like a zipper.
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If people don’t wait in line and board in order, then a person who was waiting the longest might not get a seat but someone who came later, but boarded first, would. 😦
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HI there ,
I really want to learn nihon go as i want to be a translator in 5 years from now . May i know how can i begin to learn nihon go? Can you guide me ?
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Can you speak / read any Japanese now? Why “five years from now”? If you want to learn Japanese well enough to become a professional translator, I’d suggest enrolling in a Japanese-language school.
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Nice Post..
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Thanks
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I am sad to hear it. I recently didn’t check your blog but I had often read your nice posts and actually learned how to express Japanese customs in English. Your articles were always great and filled with love to Japan. Thank you very much and ‘Otsukaresama’!!
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Thank you. Very kind words.
By all means, leave comments anytlme … I will reply!
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Say it isn’t so, my friend! I not only enjoyed your blog over the years, I also learned a good deal about Japan’s culture, landmarks and history due to you. You are an excellent communicator through words, I hope you continue to jot down your thoughts in a notebook for any future project. Stay in touch, my good friend and maybe you will return to blogging again someday. I hope! – Stone \m/\m/
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Thank you for the kind words! I still check out your blog…and I’ll comment sometimes.
By all means, keep in touch with me! I’m interested in what you and your family are up to.
If you use Instagram, follow my account!
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Will do! Yes, I will start an instagram account soon… it’s on my to-do list. 🙂 \m/
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I look forward to seeing your photos!
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So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish
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Pardon?
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Is the message who left the dolphins before go away form earth in the Douglas Adams novel The Hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy.
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I’m not sure what you mean.
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I’m sorry you’re leaving the blogging world. I’ve had to take breaks from blogging at times because life around me takes precedence. Perhaps you’ll come back after you’ve refreshed and have more things to say. I wish you the very best in everything you do. Have a wonderful spring!
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>I’m sorry you’re leaving the blogging world.
Thank you for visiting and commenting often.
＞I’ve had to take breaks from blogging at times because life around me takes precedence.
That’s how I feel.
>Perhaps you’ll come back after you’ve refreshed
Possibly.
>I wish you the very best in everything you do. Have a wonderful spring!
Thank you. You, too.
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Hi,
I would like to thank you for taking the time to write the blog content , answer any questions we may have and generally being a great guy. I also appreciate all the time you took with helping me with my Japanese language learning.
Your blog was and is a wonderful read.
If one day I do travel to wonderful Japan, then I would hope to thank you in person, this good sir would be a privilege.
I wish you and your family all the best for the future.
Regards
Tom
幸運を祈ります
ありがとうございます!
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Thank you very much for the kind comment.
Feel free to comment on any posts on this blog anytime.
And I hope you are able to visit Japan one day!
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Sorry to see you pretty much depart from the internet! I enjoyed tweeting with you and reading your tweets as well. I hope that at some point that you’ll have a change of heart. Best wishes to you my fellow KISS fan in Japan!
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>Sorry to see you pretty much depart from the internet!
Thanks. Yeah, I need a break from it.
>I enjoyed tweeting with you and reading your tweets as well.
Thank you. You were one of the small number of people that I enjoyed “talking” with on twitter, too.
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Ah, I am very impressed with how you can keep up with the blog, reply thoughtfully to every comments there are including autobots and some very obscured ones. No doubts it is exhausting and consuming all of your time. You still have a family of 5 to take care of! Best of luck to you and your family! This is not the end but a new beginning.
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Thank you. Yes, I appreciate every comment from visitors to my blog…so have always replied to every one as quickly as possible.
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So sorry to read this! I’ve enjoyed your posts and comments. All the best to you!
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Thank you.
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Best wishes to you, I’ve truly enjoyed your blog and found it super helpful and informative. Thanks for all of your suggestions and adding to my time in Japan. Catch you on Twitter still?
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>Best wishes to you, I’ve truly enjoyed your blog and found it super helpful and informative.
Thank you. I’m glad.
>Catch you on Twitter still?
Actually, no. I deleted my Twitter account. Unlike blogging, Twitter wasn’t what I expected it to be. The only reason I stayed with it for the 2½ years that I did was because most people, such as yourself, were a pleasure to talk on Twitter with…but there are plenty on there who aren’t.
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Wish you all the best. It is best not to continue when writing/ blogging becomes a chore and is not enjoyable any longer. Who knows, perhaps one day you might get back into it 🙂
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Thanks. Yeah, who knows…maybe I will.
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A shame, but understandable. It should never be a chore 🙂 Thank you for sharing.
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I enjoyed blogging for a long time. Thanks.
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Ah.. You will be missed. 😦
Best of luck with everything going on with you right now.
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Thank you.
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