What made you want to become a Being A Broad rep? Being a foreign woman living in the boonies, I pretty much had to fend for myself to learn the ropes here. I had other foreigners that taught me ‘life-saving’ things, like introducing me to the Daiso Store (my fave!) and helping me set up [...]

Name: Maiyim Baron Nationality: American Qualifications: BA, Washington University, St. Louis in Japanese Language and Literature, including a year at Waseda University. Graduate study,  Japanese Art History, University of Washington, Seattle. Job title: translator and interpreter Employer: The Yamadera Bashō Memorial Museum and Mogami Yoshiaki Historical Museum. Salary: ¥170,000/month Time in this job: started April [...]

I love yakiniku (Korean BBQ), but find it can be a bit expensive sometimes, which is why I love the chain An An, known for its inexpensive  à la carte choices and Asahi beer for less than ¥300. Every time I’ve been, two of us have left comfortably stuffed for considerably less than ¥2,000 each, [...]

BY ALENA ECKELMANN “We are called the crazy ones, you know,” Ronen stated, matter-of-factly. He had a poker face that did not give away any of his thoughts. Yet he openly checked me out. “You look strong enough to me, but why do you want to do the course?” he asked, his eyes now piercing [...]

BY LAURA MARUSHIMA I came to Japan soon after my 19th birthday to study abroad for the year. Studying Japanese had been the first unexpected step in my university career and studying abroad had been another. I had come out of a relatively serious relationship (as serious as a teenage romance can be) and was [...]

BY MEG NAKANO October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and the busiest fundraising month for the NPO “Run for the Cure®” Foundation here in Tokyo. The RFTC Foundation’s two main events are the daytime Run for the Cure/Walk For Life on October 17, and the evening black-tie dinner and auction event, the Pink Ball, held [...]

Japan has an extensive network of bus routes, both local and long distance. Local buses tend to be crowded, but take much longer than trains due to the busy traffic. Although the buses are numbered, the destination signs both on and in the buses are rarely in English and this can make it difficult to [...]

BY SHANA GRAVES When moving to or living in a foreign country, probably the last thing on your mind is your hair. However, you may soon become aware of just how important hair care is, especially when you can’t understand your stylist or read the labels on hair care products. I recently had the chance [...]

BY KARIN LING Remember when you used to be able to get a four-year degree and then go on career cruise control for 30-some years? Ah, how times have changed. To gain a competitive edge in the workforce these days, the pursuit of continuing education is the way to go. One group of individuals who [...]

I love exploring Komachi Dori, which stretches from the east exit of Kamakura station through a little red torii gate. It’s here that you can find many restaurants, boutiques, and souvenir shops. The street is always thronged with young people and tourists enjoying some shopping. Running parallel to Komachi is Wakamiya-oji Street, which is the [...]