Japan
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Daisuke Fujii, the cofounder of Farm & Firm Company, a Japanese consulting firm that helps farmers and rural communities generate new income through agritourism, hospitality, and business development. It’s been edited for length and clarity.I grew up in Saitama, about 20…
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Sia and Mikael Lilja, who moved from Sweden to Japan, where they bought and are restoring an old house. It’s been edited for length and clarity.We’ve been together for 12 years and married for the last 4.In 2020, we bought a…
A Japanese resort company has turned an iconic former prison into a 48-room luxury hotel.The former Nara Prison, built in 1908 and designated a cultural property in Japan in 2017, reopened in June as Hoshinoya Nara Prison Hotel, a luxury hotel operated by Hoshino Resorts.The complex features a star-like design,…
Seven months ago, I left Canada after living in Ottawa my entire life.When my apartment lease was coming to an end, I knew I didn’t want to make another expensive yearlong commitment in the only city I’d ever lived in — especially as the cost of living kept rising.I’d visited…
Jeff Layfield spent years imagining where in the US he and his wife would retire after leaving Hawaii. Instead, they now live in a traditional home overlooking the sea in Japan.Before retiring, the couple lived in an upstairs apartment at his parents’ home on Oahu. Layfield worked in data management…
In my early 20s, I moved my life from the bustling metropolis of London to a quiet, scenic town in the mountains of Japan. I had been offered a job as an English teacher in a high school, and I was eager to take advantage of what I imagined would…
