Summer season in Japan is unbelievably hot. It’s what some senseis described to me as 蒸し暑い (mushi atsui), or humid. Which is why when someone told me about hundreds — thousands even — of people dressing up as Pikachus (and in some locations, Evees), I felt what could be a…

My childhood was pretty boring — I went to school, got back home to study, and then slept. My weekdays were always like that: lather, rinse and repeat. This weekly cycle went on until I got into high school, because my aunt didn’t allow me to go anywhere else after…

It was already 7 PM by the time I arrived at Yokohama station, and while the days are starting to get colder once again after a whole week’s streak of warmer weather, I was still sweating in my padded jacket despite it still being the middle of winter. I wiped…

But i see no stars Life after college graduation turns out to be completely underwhelming. You get out of university, bright eyed and full of hope, wanting to make a name for yourself. Like a world-renowned author, probably, or a founder of a renowned company. And maybe you will get…

I pass through the front door drenched in sweat, the knapsack on my back feeling heavier with each step I take. The heat is sweltering even if it’s already the beginning of December, and the oncoming signs of blisters forming on my hands from the long time I’ve been carrying…

This time, you have a cigarette stuck between your lips, and it dangles there dangerously, the same way you look a little too close to falling from the building’s ledge as you walk on it like a tightrope. “It’s dangerous,” I say, safely standing on level ground, only a few…

Three dots appear next to his profile photo, indicating that he’s typing. It takes a long while, but I wait, and wait, and wait… “Hahaha,” is all it says instead. No emojis, no follow-ups, nothing. Just that single “hahaha” that didn’t even feel like a heartfelt laugh. He was probably…

At age 12, you graduate at the top of your entire elementary class and all the parents of your classmates envy your parents for having such a “smart and hardworking child” like you. “This child is born for success,” they say, along with all the other compliments you’ve practically showered…

I know I shouldn’t be nervous, but of course, no matter how hard I try not to think of it, I do. Because after half a year, I finally get to see you again. Everybody’s already seated on the couch, loudly talking about some hilarious joke I wasn’t in on…