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After five years of living in Japan, I am finally walking the walk. When I lived in the countryside in Japan, I filmed a few videos but never edited them. I always said I would make a video 100% in Japanese to improve my studies, but I never did. Co-workers encouraged me after seeing my Instagram stories (the OG “come with me to *insert place/activity*) and during COVID since something like that has never happened and probably (hopefully) won’t happen again.
The What
The name of my channel is called Haru in Japan. What does that mean?
When I was taking Japanese lessons at USF, one of my best friends gave me the nickname “Haru”. 春 (haru) means spring in Japanese & my name is Michelle *Spring*. I have always loved that my last name translates in any language. Now what if I move back to America? Well, creating content may be a bit more difficult than in Tokyo, but even tropical Florida has a week of spring. Haru in Florida. Spring training, anyone?
The Why
After five years of living in Japan, why did I finally start? K-pop.
To be fair, when is the next time that I will be able to travel across the country after work on a Tuesday night or see one of my favorite groups on a Wednesday two days before my birthday? Probably never again. Plus, I could justify a 5-day trip to Osaka to see a friend I haven’t seen in 4 years and my Japanese sensei from Florida who happened to be there on a study abroad trip.
In all honesty, I don’t know how much time I have left in Japan. If you told me when I was 19 and first moved to Japan that I would be here for over five years, I wouldn’t have believed it. If you told me that I would move to Tokyo and do something other than teach English, I also would’ve doubted that.
Even in my fifth year of living in Japan, I have had some of the most wonderful moments this year. Some were filled with happiness I’d never known before. At the same time, there have also been moments that have made me realize that it could disappear at any moment. I hope others enjoy my adventures, but I also want to do this for myself, too. Even the places I saw every day four years ago are changing. I want to live in the now and do things, even simple things, that I might not have the chance to do in the future if I don’t do them now.
In addition to the occasional K-pop-related video, there are a plethora of hidden (& not so hidden) gems in Tokyo. I'm someone who likes to stick to familiar things, so hopefully this is a way for me to push myself out of my comfort zone every now and again.
Please look forward to these adventures, and feel free to message me if there is anything in Tokyo or Japan you want to see or want to know more about!
どうぞ宜しくお願い致します。
