Raison d'être
This blog came about for various reasons.
Whilst I loved (and still love) corresponding with family and friends over the e-mail about my life here in Japan, being brief is not my forte; it was therefore sometimes difficult to find time to correspond with each person individually. So I was looking for a medium to share the going-ons in my life that everyone can have access to. Also, sharing numerous photos over the e-mails is just not optimal, given that quite a few of the people I correspond with use dial-up access to the internet.
Not being a very "with-it" person, I did not know the existence of blogging platforms until about a year ago! I chanced upon it and thought "great, this is exactly what I need". But being the procrastinator that I am, I did not get down to blogging right away (partly also because I had a new baby then and was otherwise preoccupied). At about the same time, I was getting very frustrated with my MIL and needed an outlet to vent - because there is not much else I can do, can I? :-( And it was that, that pretty much pushed me into properly starting a blog.
I don't blog that much about my MIL because to a large extent, I am able to treat these issues like water-off-a-duck's back. But every now and then, to stop myself from becoming mental, I just have to release it here. Banging a few cupboard doors after she has left helps too.
The Blogging World
Since discovering blogs, I am amazed at the vast array of blogs out there, on all sorts of topics. The wealth of information is most appreciated, as is the discourse on the subject of the blogs. The blogs I read most are those that relate to food, parenting, and life as a foreign mummy in Japan (not necessarily in that order).
Life as a foreigner (gaijin/gaikokujin) in Japan is not easy. I think even more so for foreign women than foreign men, to a certain extent. Add in children and the complexities increase, especially for a foreign mum. I think I have been able to survive thus far due to my ignorance (ignorance is bliss at times!), thick skin and support from the other foreign mummies who share it all on their blogs. (Thank you, you know who you are!)
Qualification
I write quite a lot on my observations of Japanese society/behaviour. Obviously, the contents in this blog are my personal experiences (and my thoughts on them). As experiences are personal, others may not share the same views as me. Also, when I say "Japanese society/behaviour", it is not necessarily representative of all Japanese in Japan. I am aware that it is possible that certain behaviours show up more in Tokyo only.
