These are things I get asked a lot. If you have a question, check here first to see if I’ve answered it already!
How did you and your boyfriend meet?
He was an exchange student at my university in fall 2011. I used to volunteer at the ESL program (and now have a job there~) and speak Japanese, so I tend to meet all the Japanese exchange students at some point. We really first got to know each other at a Japanese transfer student’s (who is a friend of mine) takoyaki party haha.
Do you have any advice for long distance relationships?
Answered here!
Can I see a picture of you and your boyfriend?
Here is the tag for my boyfriend. It includes plenty of pictures of us together! (and for comedic relief, the quotes from boyfran tag.)
I want to teach myself Japanese - what do you recommend?
Personally, I’m not self-taught, other than learning vocabulary/practicing on my own. I’ve taken university-level classes for 4 and half years at a program that is considered one of the best in the region. I also studied in Japan for 2 months.
If you want to start teaching yourself, the book series we used in first and second year was called “Yokoso”, and I really liked it. Lots of people recommend “Genki”, which I’ve looked through, but I prefer “Yokoso” myself.
Japanese is hard and takes a LOT of dedication if you want to become fluent (which I am still nowhere near - I’m maybe JLPT N2 level?) - you really have to be serious about it if you want to get anywhere past basic competency.
Where do you get your clothes?
In America: mostly Forever21, Wet Seal, a tiny bit from H&M and Charlotte Russe, also Target kids section, Claire’s for accessories
In Japan: Liz Lisa, Ank Rouge, axes femme, Honeys, Shimamura, Tutuanna for legwear and lingerie
How do you afford all your clothes?
Some are gifts, some I’ve had for a very long time (I haven’t changed sizes in a good 10 years or so), and the rest I work very hard for!
How tall are you/what are your measurements/how much do you weigh?
I am 165cm. My measurements are 77-60-85, plus or minus a centimeter or two depending on the day. I don’t know how much I weigh because I don’t own a scale.
Do you have any diet/exercise/weight loss tips?
Other than “eat healthy, be active”, no. My body type is simply naturally thin, so I have no tips. I actually unfortunately (the grass is always greener) have a lot of difficulty keeping weight on.
Please note: I will not answer any questions asking about my daily diet, etc. I do not have an eating disorder, and questions like that honestly make me very uncomfortable.
What is your skincare routine?
The biggest thing that cleared up my fairly bad acne was going on birth control! It’s seriously a godsend.
I also moisturize like crazy - every single time my face gets wet. I use Dove “Deep Moisture Facial Lotion” - it also has SPF in it, which is great.
In addition, I use Neutrogena “Fresh Foaming Cleanser” in the shower and St. Ives Apricot Scrub twice a week (very gently!) to exfoliate. After I get out of the shower, I splash my face with cold water to close the pores.
You often post about your struggles with a sleep disorder - what are you diagnosed with?
My official diagnosis is idiopathic organic hypersomnia. It means I often uncontrollably sleep up to 18 hours a day, have extreme difficulty in waking up (“sleep drunkenness”), and am sleepy literally all the time.
I have had symptoms for at least 6 or 7 years, but I was only recently diagnosed because it simply got too difficult for me to attend school, hold a job, have normal relationships, etc. It’s the reason I’m still in undergrad at this age.
It is a serious lifelong illness with no known cure. Treatment consists of a very strong stimulant-like drug, but my body unfortunately hasn’t responded well to it. Hopefully more research happens in the next few years that will improve my life and eventually find a cure!
Will you follow me?
I follow very few blogs (just over 100), so don’t count on it. But if you follow me, I’ll definitely try check out your blog and follow if I like it! I’m just very picky.
