Random thoughts converged into one path and one size. — Thirteen steps up the stairs were all it took for me to plop facedown on my bed sprawled like a starfish, panting. “I can’t do this.” Headaches and fevers spanning five days? Sounds typical. But what was up with this? Earlier, I tried to make vegetable soup to let food…

Reasons to hold off until they’re older. — Recently, I came across a laser hair removal advertisement for children as young as five. The image was of a child lying down with towels over her chest and eyes. Her arms were up over her head and the clinician appeared to be dabbing gel on her skin with a…

We aren’t robots. Feel something and stop scrolling for a second. — When I got married, my cousin posted about it on Facebook. An old friend saw it, and the first thing he did was not congratulate me, but he called my ex-boyfriend at three in the morning to tell him. Ew. I mean, not to my ex, but this kind of…

Pretty in vivid pink. — Some people used to freak out on Instagram when they saw me post photos of sakura in February. Followers commented the following. “WHAT?! They’re blooming already?” “So fast this year.” “They won’t last by the time I visit in April.” And, every time I would have to explain that these…

Take a walk with me at Kameido Tenjin Shrine in Eastern Tokyo — Imagine you’ve stopped at the entrance of a red torii gate. You’re present, but you can get over the past and cross over to the future. Symbolically, you can do this at Kameido Tenjin Shrine, tucked away in the eastern outskirts of Tokyo. A torii is a traditional Japanese gate…

Reversing societal conditioning at a Japanese hair salon. There’s shampoo, cut, color, perm — and peace — on the dropdown menu. — Salons. They’re a hub of energetic exchange, a place for you to dish the dirt on your neighbor’s affair or rant about your job. That includes manicurists, too. Picture Elle Woods and Paulette in Legally Blonde. They were each other’s confidants. They were each other’s cheerleaders. …

Or, why you should never make fun of one — I don’t play games, but Wordle stands out. There’s no commitment required, no button to press for payments, and no becoming addicted. Well, you might develop a mild addiction if you’re competing with others — especially if you’re tied with an ESL student like my husband. Let me explain if…

Covid restrictions in a collectivist society spell harmony — Ah, February. Love — and Covid — is in the frigid air. This conversation won’t blot out like erasing past mistakes. Does that stop people from going to Tokyo Disneyland? No. You may be thinking, geez, now Tracy? Couldn’t you wait? Well, not really. Every day has been varying degrees…

When the skies are in shades of joy — I took these photos last month. Since, we have moved swiftly, right smack in the middle of winter. Snowfall is rare in Tokyo, so seeing it is both precious and pathetic because it’s never enough to last beyond a day or two. …