Japan, as I see it — starting from Nagoya

Hi, nice to meet you.

My name is Toshizou, and I make videos for a living here in Japan. I currently live in Nagoya.

By the way — have you heard of Nagoya?

It's actually said to be one of the three biggest cities in Japan. But most people from abroad seem to head straight to Tokyo or Osaka. And Kyoto, of course.

Nagoya sits, quite literally, in the middle of the country. Osaka and Kyoto are to the west, Tokyo is to the east.

And honestly, even from a Japanese point of view, this city has a culture all its own.

For example, miso. Do you know miso? It's that fermented soybean paste — the one in miso soup.

People in Nagoya really, really love it. So much that people from other parts of Japan often tease us:

"You Nagoya people put miso on everything, don't you?"

That's half an exaggeration. But the other half is true.

On this blog, I'd like to write about those kinds of small, ordinary things about Japan. Because, you know — the famous parts of Japan are already covered by plenty of other people.

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Now, let me change the subject for a moment.

As I mentioned on the About page, I started learning English by reading Harry Potter. I didn't really start studying seriously until after I finished school and started working.

Back in school, I hated English. Being forced to memorize words and grammar rules just killed any interest I had.

But reading novels at my own pace, in another language — that turned out to be genuinely fun.

And while reading, I realized something.

Studying a language isn't just about memorizing words. It's about getting to know a country — its culture, its history, its religion, its music, even what people are into right now.

All of it, woven together.

That takes a lot of time. But it's also one of the most wonderful experiences I've ever had.

The more I learned about other countries, the more I came to love them.

So that's why I started this blog — because I'd like other people to have that same kind of experience.

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Here, I'll write about the Japan I've seen, and the Japan I still see — as someone born and raised here. Honestly, and as plainly as I can.

It probably won't always be pretty. But that's what's real, right?

I hope that, through these small pieces, you'll come to know Japan a little better — the beautiful parts, and everything else.