After 5 years in Japan, I guess it’s time for an update! So,

What happened in the last 5 years?

Well, I moved to Kyoto in May 2013, after giving up my old life in academia. The first year I spent in Japan, I was here on a tourist visa, essentially running through the city with a big grin on my face “yeah, I finally did it!”. In the second year, I studied soroban, the old Japanese abacus, and I was still running around with a big grin on my face. However, things were not quite as positive on the job front (no Japanese language – no job), so I decided to open my own company in 2016.

Things are mostly good, and despite a few setbacks that I had, I don’t regret a thing! I feel very happy and calm and confident here in Kyoto, it’s like coming home. Life’s good!

Currently my posting schedule is 3 times a week. Tuesdays and Thursdays I write about my own experiences in Japan, things I find odd, curious, annoying… Sundays I usually write about “all things Japanese”, those posts should be of a more general interest.

I hope you’ll enjoy your time on here!

Comments to my posts are welcome – as this is my blog, however, I do reserve the right to delete those that are either not nice or outright spam. The contact form below is if you’d like to contact me in a more private manner.

Previous “About Me” from 2013

Name: Iris

Born: 1975 in Austria

Likes: everything Japanese 😉

Does: Academia – computer science – but ended up disenchanted. “Why and for whom am I doing this?” is a dangerous question…
Is ready to go out there and try something else.

Wants to move to Japan because:  Not entirely sure. There’s a fascination emanating from the country that is difficult to understand, lest explain. Can be best described by the feeling of “falling in love”, maybe.

Ultimate goal: Looking back at the experience and being able to say “At least I tried”.
And becoming rich and famous on the way, of course.