Guides for getting stuff done
Recently I was asked how I manage to capture my adventures without getting overwhelmed and missing out on the present moment. Having lived abroad for over eight years in a state of long-term/slow travel I thought I’d share a few of the things I’ve learnt which help make this possible. Read more
When I moved to Japan in 2013 I spent the first six months taking intensive Japanese classes at a language school in Tokyo. During that time I got frustrated with the quality of the teaching materials and in particular the explanation of grammar rules which I found over-complicated things for the average student who just wanted to get a hang of the basics. Read more
It’s a long-known fact that Japan is facing acute population decline which could devastate the country’s economy. A report commissioned by the government in 2012 stated that, without policy change, by 2110 the number of Japanese could fall to 42m, i.e. just a third of its current population. Read more
Yesterday I entered China for the first time without a visa. Considering all the time and money I’ve spent in the past applying for them this was quite a revolution. Read more
Update: as of 2016, tourists and foreign residents in Japan can now apply for a visa at the Chinese Visa Application Service Center so you no longer have to use a travel agency.
If you’re a foreigner living in Japan (not a tourist) you can no longer apply for a Chinese tourist visa (type L) direct from the Chinese embassy in Tokyo (although type F business visas are still available). Despite conflicting information on their website you will be given the number of a travel agency who charge more than double the going rate than the embassy (10,000 ¥ vs 4,000 ¥). Read more
A few weeks ago I wrote about my first experiences of earthquakes in Japan and yesterday I got to learn up close how to react to them at the Ikebukuro Life Safety Learning Center (池袋防災館全景写真). Read more
Despite being the mega city to end all mega cities Tokyo is surprisingly accessible by bicycle and is the primary mode of transport for many people. This is mainly due to the high cost of car ownership, the lack of parking space and overcrowding on commuter trains. Read more
Moving house is just about the most stressful project you can undertake, moving abroad doubly so. At the outset it can feel overwhelming, taking months of stressful planning and endless checklists to pull of smoothly. Read more
Since the introduction of the iPhone in 2007 the tech world has been solidly focused on mobile and for many publishers having a mobile presence has become a must (often irregardless of users actual needs). Of the thousands of apps available, the average user will probably only use half a dozen with any regularity, so cementing your app in this hallowed position is no easy task. Read more
When people ask me what I do for a living I often struggle to explain myself – being a ‘Product Manager’ can mean a lot of different things but whether you’re building something physical like a car, or virtual like an app, a Product Manager has to be able to operate on multiple fronts to juggle business, technical, and creative demands. Read more