I am an American living in Japan. How does that happen, anyway? Most people just come here to eat a few authentic sushi rolls, take in a temple or two, and bring home some fancy hi-tech gadget to impress their friends with.
For whatever reason, Japan often holds some sort of mystical appeal, a land where everyone is polite and everything is smiles and cupcakes. So some of us may choose to live here, rather than visit. The most common road to Japan is that of the English teacher - work in elementary, junior, and senior high schools across Japan teaching English to Japanese students. There are other roads of course, but this was mine. For those who do end up living here, we find that there's a lot more to life in the Land of the Rising Sun than anything you may have conjured up in your wildest dreams.
This is my story.
