Formerly worked at a travel company in Tokyo. Now writing a journal of a life in time of Covid 19 from a little corner of Japan
Keeping up with language skills during COVID days
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One of the most difficult thing during the self-isolation period was to keep up with language. I read newspaper every day, chat with my family, read articles on the internet, listened to radio. These were just not enough. I needed somewhere to communicate more with other people – particularly with my colleagues, partners, and clients. I missed the communication with them. Contacting my old friends was a daunting task, even just for a chat, knowing that they were busy working or taking care of kids at home.
To put aside the worry, I took myself for reading novels. There are conversations in most of the novels, and that was what I was looking for. I heard few years ago that some of the doctors recommend hospitalized patients to read novels to keep up with language – especially conversations. Novels do have many conversations, just like in reality.
Once I finished my daily routine, I took some time to read novels from my TBR pile. Novels on business settings would have been more appropriate, but I gave up this choice. There are millions of books out there, but none of them seemed to have been set on travel industry.
Here are some of the books that I read during May 2020.
This novel is based on historical fact about the riot of silk weavers in London, which took place in mid-18th century called Spitalfield riots. This novel was also inspired by a silk designer called Anna Maria Garthwaite, who lived from 1728 to 1763. She produced many patterns for damasks and brocades, many of which are today in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. The book was not serious, had a light touch of romance with historical background. I enjoyed it very much.
This was written by Roald Dahl. The book was written before he wrote children’s stories such as “Charley and chocolate factory” or “Matilda”. This is a collection of short stories, all in macabre settings. It was not a best choice during Covid days, but the stories were brilliant, gripping with unexpected ending.
This is perhaps one of the best stories that I enjoyed during the self-isolation. A detective story which travels from Paris to London, ending in Scotland. Knowing the fact that no one can travel, this novel helped me to imagine myself traveling with the protagonists, while deciphering the mystery given by one of the character.
One important thing during the quarantine was to keep laughing or smiling. This book did help me to keep laughing. This is the third sequel to “Crazy Ritch Asians” which became a film few years ago, and is the final of the trilogy. Very gorgeous, hilarious, and heart-warming in the end. Quite satisfied that my own life have nothing to do with billionaires. As the title suggests, the problems were deep and utterly beyond imagination.
This is a story of a Japanese girl who was totally obsessed with Ameirca, based on my real experience of encountering many people at a University in Tokyo back in 90's.. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I never lose. No way, no how. That’s just not me. Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve been obsessed with America. Like, OBSESSED. Back in the Showa era, around 1970's, Japan was flooded with all this American stuff—TV shows, movies, music. You name it. And let’s be real: America is just... wow. It’s the best at everything. Biggest, strongest, richest. The land of freedom and opportunity. Where else has THAT much influence on the whole world? Nowhere. America’s the kind of country everyone looks up to. The kind of country people dream about. The kind of country that someone as amazing as me deserves to be in. Someday, I’ll live there. I’ll talk just like them....
The morning sky was heavy with grey clouds, the kind that pressed low over the city and whispered of snow yet to fall. It was one of those bitter January days when the air seemed to nip at your skin even through the thickest coat. As I drew back the curtains, the faintest blush of sunrise struggled to light the horizon, promising little comfort. It was 1986, the heart of the Showa era back in Japan, but here in London, the year had dawned with the same bleak winter mornings the city was known for. I forced myself out of my warm bed, the comfort of the covers reluctantly traded for the routine of getting ready. Breakfast was quick, a silent ritual shared with my mother before I gathered my essentials: a pencil case, a small notebook, my wallet, and the lunch my mother had lovingly packed. "Off I go," I called as I slipped on my thick, black coat, its padding a small defence against the cold. "Take care," my mother replied. I nodded, stepping out into the frosty air...
Permit me a moment of reminiscence, an old woman's soliloquy, if you will. This is a story from some forty years ago. For a brief three-year period, my family found itself living in Britain in the late of the 1980’s. It was the height of Japan’s bubble economy, a time of exuberance and affluence. Britain, in contrast, was grappling with economic stagnation. Not only was the economy sluggish, but the sudden influx of Japanese imports and the expansion of Japanese businesses left many in Britain feeling uneasy. Some, particularly those who had lived through a different era, harboured a deep resentment towards the prosperity of Japan. A significant undercurrent to this tension was, of course, the legacy of the Second World War. Britain, once master of the seven seas, had held colonies across Southeast Asia, including Burma and Singapore—regions where it had clashed directly with Japan. Even in the late 1980s, the memory of that conflict persisted amo...
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