How not to get shot

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In 1992, the same year that I saw videos of an African American man bludgeoned by multiple police officers and the ensuing riot in Los Angeles, a Japanese high school […]

Challenges

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There was a popular narrative among very high-minded students that you should immerse yourself in the environment in which you had no choice but to speak English because having Japanese […]

Study abroad program

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At school, I was preparing to apply for the study abroad program. I attended talks and meetings with organizers and students who had done the same program and met with […]

Nobu’s insecurity

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When my sister’s boyfriend, Nobu, learned that I got a tutoring job after failing the waitress and sweetshop sales jobs, he said to my sister that I couldn’t hold the […]

Tutoring job

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The next job I landed was a tutoring job at a tutoring school. I had tutored before, and it didn’t require carrying anything heavier than a textbook. The school had […]

Waiting tables

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Next, I got a job at a beer restaurant. Many college students worked waiting tables, so I thought it must be easy enough to do even if you are an […]

Job at a Sweetshop

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I had to look for a new part-time job as I had left Kubo when I moved, though I would return two years later. First, I found a sweetshop a […]

Tyranny thy name is sister

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I asked my sister one thing I worried about. “He’s not going to live here, is he?” She said, of course, he was. I told her I wouldn’t have agreed […]

Bean bag

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My sister and I went on furniture shopping for the new apartment. My sister’s boyfriend, Nobu, came along. Furniture shopping was done on my sister’s terms. I was picturing a […]

Moving in with sister

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In the second year in Tokyo, I moved in with my sister. My friend, who knew of our rocky relationship, was baffled by my decision. A few months before the […]