LAST UPDATED: 24 Nov 2023

Hi, I’m Alvin — Welcome!

Index page — Updated regularly.

What’s New?

1. Working in Japan Makes You Realize Why Japan Doesn’t Need English
2. What Western Writers Won’t Tell You about the Real Okinawan Diet
3. Why This Singaporean Doesn’t Write Much about Singapore
4. Why Japanese Companies Prioritize Language When Hiring Foreigners
5. How I Moved to Japan at the Age of 31 without Being an English Teacher

Top 5 Stories of All Time (Ranked by Views)

1. Why So Many Foreigners Who Move to Japan End Up Hating It
2. Calling Bitcoin a Ponzi Scheme is Lazy Thinking
3. Love Japan and Want to Move There? 5 Reasons Why You Could Regret Your Decision
4. Japanese Salarymen Are Sleeping on the Streets of Tokyo — Guess Why?
5. Why Japanese People Don’t Understand When Foreigners Speak Japanese

Discover My Stories — Categorized (Not Mutually Exclusive)

• Japan
• Japanese Language 【日本語について】
• Culture and Society
• Bitcoin, Cryptocurrency, and Related Technologies
• Business & Marketing
• Creator Economy
• Modern Work and Capitalism
• Short-Form (Below 150 Words)
• Personal Essays
• Fiction & Poetry
• Meta-Stories About Medium

Curated Writers

• Love Japan? Then You Need to Read These Amazing Writers Now

Bio

I Was a Social Science Grad Student Who Sold My Soul to Capitalism.

I was born, raised, and educated in Singapore. After graduating with an M.SocSci (Masters of Social Science) in Sociology, I made a 180-degree switch to start a career in marketing.

Still, I remain very much an “academic” inside. I like to reflect on the modern condition — what it means to be modern and the fates of our lives in capitalism and modernity.

I moved to Japan in 2016. Living in Japan and speaking Japanese lets me write stories about the Japanese language, culture, and Japan. I am also an editor of Japonica, a Japan-focused publication.

I also like to theorize (speculate?) about the future, which is why I also write about cryptocurrency — not so much in terms of the technology itself, but its social implications.

From time to time I also throw in a creative piece — a short story, flash fiction, poem, or reflective essay.

→ Get my posts via e-mail whenever I publish a new story.

→ Or see my feed first before you decide.