the
ASK EXPERT
with Lilly
1. What’s the best part of your daily schedule in Japan? The best part is how busy I am doing things I love. Aside from working a job that I overall enjoy and am appreciated in, I fill my free time with hobbies and passions. Living in a different country can get overwhelming and lonely if you sit idle. I make the weeks feel like mine by structuring them with activities such as dance classes, volunteer clubs, bouldering, and occasional yoga classes. On weekends I’m usually traveling or spending time with friends. I purposefully make these commitments that get me up and going because they override my natural tendency to stay inside and nap. The biggest advantage to moving somewhere new is reinventing how you spend your time.
2. Do you feel safe and secure in Japanese society as an American woman? One of the main reasons I prefer living here is because of how I feel generally safer in my daily life. I have to give credit to Japan for allowing me to do things that are nearly impossible in my hometown in America. Some of those things are: 24
Autumn 2020
-being able to walk alone in public (even at night) and have a very high chance of getting to my destination safely -travel on my own and be able to rely on strangers if I am lost or need help -generally being left unbothered while pumping gas or riding public transportation It kind of blows my mind how simple those tasks are, but having these basic freedoms to move about my daily activities peacefully has greatly improved my quality of life.
3. What’s been your favorite place you visited so far? This is too difficult since I’ve visited 27 prefectures, so I’ve decided to do a top 3.
1.Miyagi prefecture during the winter: I have nothing but fond memories and feelings of this place. It was a beautiful mixture of countryside and city. The chill but lively vibes of Sendai captured my heart and Zao Fox Village in the countryside was one of my happiest memories in Japan. It wasn’t too cold, and there was still beautifully satisfying snow around.
