Where We Call Home

On this episode, we meet Bhutanese Robin Sharma who works for an agricultural company in Uwa, Ehime Prefecture. Robin has overcome many hardships since he moved to Japan. Now that he's learning advanced farming techniques, he hopes to one …

This episode takes us to Akita Prefecture, where Polish-born Michal Taberski runs a sausage and ham manufacturing business. To give back to the region's people who helped him achieve success, he mixes local products into his own and collab…

On this episode, we visit Takasaki in Gunma Prefecture to meet Russian-native Yulia Lev, a pianist who's been active in Japan for 20 years. As an accompanist - a specialization common in Russia yet rare in Japan - she performs with a wide …

People from around the world who have made Japan their home must adapt to a new community, but the unprecedented issue of COVID-19 is adding to the hardships of non-Japanese. A year after the pandemic started, there is still no end in sigh…

This time, we meet American-born Pamela Ann Matsunaga who's traveled the world with her 5 children, spending several years in Greece to finally settle down in sunny Okinawa Prefecture. Although the pandemic has forced her to close down her…

On January 7, 2021, a state of emergency was once again declared for 11 prefectures in Japan in response to a dramatic increase in COVID-19 cases. How is the lingering pandemic affecting foreigners working in Japan? To find out, we speak o…

As the pandemic shows little to no signs of abating, we continue to touch base remotely with some of the people we've met over the past year to see how they've been coping with the COVID crisis. UK-native Paul Christie who organizes tours …

This episode takes us to Kyoto to meet Togo-native Kabressa Deabalo. A master tailor in his home country, he specializes in bespoke, vibrantly colored clothing. He partners with Kyoto local Nakasu Toshiharu to produce garments, each one-of…

On this episode, we travel to Urakawa Town in Hokkaido Prefecture where Nguyen Van Bao and Nguyen Van Hieu, 2 veterinarians from Vietnam, work as grooms at a racehorse breeding farm. Not accustomed to taking care of horses at first, they'r…

In recent years, the Nepalese population has been growing in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture. Acting as a bridge between his fellow Nepalese and Okinawan society is Ojha Laxman, who came to Japan 10 years ago to learn karate. He now also teaches …

We follow Chinese-born Aya Wu, owner of Szechuan restaurants in the Tokyo area. To help her business survive the pandemic, she hired the services of a meal delivery company, but commission fees proved too high, prompting her to start her o…

In this episode, we head to the forested Northern Alps of Nagano Prefecture with Lama Gyalu, a Sherpa and former mountain guide from Nepal. Devoted to preserving the natural environment of his beloved region of adoption, he founded his own…

Step right up, ladies and gents! Come witness the thrilling spectacle that is our latest episode! With thorough preventive measures against the pandemic, the Happy Dream Circus presents performers from 7 different countries as it tours wes…

When living abroad, the language barrier can be a major obstacle. This is particularly true in healthcare, notably with the current pandemic. We focus on 3 non-Japanese who provide assistance in the medical field to foreigners in Japan: Au…

With the pandemic, the number of foreigners in Japan who find themselves without work is on the rise. On this episode, we follow 2 people's efforts to provide support to the unemployed. Duong Thi Thuy Duong mobilized a Buddhist temple, vol…

On this episode, we visit Hiroshima to meet Mary Popeo from the US. She works there as a "Peace Guide," teaching visitors from abroad about the atomic bombing on Hiroshima, and relating the experiences of the survivors, also called "hibaku…

Like in many other small villages in Japan, the population of Sasama in Shizuoka Prefecture is declining due to aging. But US-native Shelley Clarke is determined to change that. To attract tourists, she's turned an old house into a cafe cu…

United by their love and passion for craft beer and their adoptive Kyoto Prefecture, Chris Hainge from the US, Canadian Paul Speed and Wales-born Ben Falck run their brewery in Japan's old capital. Business was doing well until sales dropp…

Lack of social contact due to the pandemic can cause feelings of isolation and anxiety, which can be made even worse by language and cultural barriers for those living abroad. On this episode, we follow 2 Brazilian men in Japan who are hel…

On this episode, we meet UK-born potter Adam Smith who lives in Nagano Prefecture. After learning Japanese-style pottery in his native country, Adam moved to Japan to further his mastery of the craft and work with glazes made from the ash …

We follow Nitin Hingarh who runs a Tokyo company selling ingredients from his native India to restaurants around Japan. With the impact of COVID on food service, he had to shift gears. He opened a branch of his grocery store in Tokyo's Lit…

In recent years more and more foreign workers are being hired in Japan in response to the shortage of care laborers for the elderly. But the pandemic brings up additional issues for both the aged and care workers. On this episode, we look …

This time, we head to Kikugawa in Shizuoka Prefecture where many non-Japanese workers live. For the children of foreign parents, difficulty with the Japanese language is a barrier to entry into elementary school. Luckily for them, Ochi Kiy…

We meet Maurice Torralba, a former member of the national volleyball team in his native Cuba, whose competitive career was cut short by injury. After marrying a Japanese woman he met in his homeland, he's now settled down in Miyazaki Prefe…

On this episode, we head to Gifu Prefecture to meet German-native Bernd Kestler, a knitting artisan whose work is inspired by the prefecture's natural colors. Through his creations, he wants to help reinvigorate the textile industry in Gif…

In Japan, castella cake has been popular for generations. It's the descendant of "pao-de-lo," a dessert brought to 16th-century Japan by Portuguese merchants. Also from Portugal is Paulo Duarte, a confectioner in Kyoto Prefecture who made …