Kim, Bandit and Sinbad

Bandit and I would like to wish all of you a very happy, healthy and safe holiday season. I saw a post this evening about how Christmas can sometimes be challenging because the people who made Christmas so magical for you are no longer in your life which is kind of true for me. It's a day I miss my family who celebrate now in heaven, or who live in another country. I'm sure my Dad is watching over us with my relatives and fur babies Sinbad, Sundance and Smokey by his side. I know my Mom is happy eating all her favorite foods with my brother and his family. This Christmas, Bandit and I are staying warm and keeping each other company. We take care of each other and we are truly grateful for the love and support we have been given here on YouTube. Thank you so much. Happy Holidays!

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 14

Kim, Bandit and Sinbad

Hello, everyone! I'm sorry it's taking me so long to get my next video out. Thank you for being patient with me. I've been busy enjoying my last days of being 66 and turning 67! I don't understand all the craziness over "six, seven" but maybe it's a lucky sign that I celebrated my 6-7 th birthday a few days ago! Stay tuned and I'll share my birthday week with you. Can you guess where I went by this photo?

1 month ago | [YT] | 8

Kim, Bandit and Sinbad

I celebrated my 37th Japanniversary on July 31st, 2025. It's hard to believe that I only intended to stay ONE year! I'm currently working on a new, short series about country life vs city life in Japan. It's bringing back a lot of memories about my first year in Japan and being assigned to rural Tottori prefecture. Imagine being placed in a rural area without all the conveniences and technology that we have today! The first 2 segments are up with more following very shortly. These are the areas I'm covering:

1️⃣ Cost of Living
2️⃣ Accessibility & Transportation
3️⃣ Shopping & Eating
4️⃣ Events & Activities
5️⃣ People, Friends & Work Opportunities
6️⃣ Privacy & Loneliness


I hope my perspectives can help anyone who is contemplating where they would like to live/work in Japan and of course, if anyone has any questions or if you'd like to share any of your experiences/advice, please feel free to write them in the comment section of the videos.

Thank you so much for stopping by and for your kind support!
xox

(photos: Tottori 1988, Tottori 1995ish?, Gunma 2017)

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4 months ago | [YT] | 11

Kim, Bandit and Sinbad

It took 4 months to finish, but I finally posted the final chapter in my "What No One Tells You About Living and Working in Japan" playlist. I hope it can help anyone who has either contemplated or considered living and working in Japan. Although my experience comes from teaching in Japan, I think some of these chapters could apply to anyone who is thinking about living/working in any foreign country. Please feel free to leave any advice of your own if you are someone who is currently working in Japan or if you have worked in Japan. Also, please feel free to leave any questions and I'll try my best to answer them. Thank you so much for watching !

7 months ago | [YT] | 8

Kim, Bandit and Sinbad

Thank you so much for being patient with me as I try to learn more about posting here on YouTube. I've been working on a playlist to discuss possible challenges or worst-case scenarios that people coming to live and work in Japan may experience. I still have 2 more chapters to go! I appreciate the support and your messages. Thanks to a kind viewer, I finally learned how to do time stamps to hopefully make it easier and more viewer-friendly to navigate my long-form videos. Cheers (and thanks, again!)

PS How are we at the end of March 2025 already?!

9 months ago | [YT] | 5

Kim, Bandit and Sinbad

Hello, everyone! First of all, thank you so much for all the love and support you have given me over the years. Thanks to all of you, I finally reached a milestone goal for me to reach the 1k subscriber mark! I am still learning and still striving to improve. Yes, I am always a "work in progress" but I truly hope that I can help others through my experiences, my mistakes and my insight.

I wish I didn't have to make this latest video, yet at the same time, I think it covers things that we often don't think about when we choose to live in a foreign country, especially as we get older. That being said, the unexpected can happen at ANY time and how ready are we to make decisions that will affect our own lives or the lives of those we love? I wish I didn't have to blur my Mom's face, but I'm respecting her privacy. (Just imagine my face with a few more wrinkles as people say we look exactly alike!) I'm happy to report that my Mom is doing well and working hard with her physical therapy. It shouldn't be too long before she's released so I'll update with a future video about all the things we had to do. Maybe it will put some of your minds at ease knowing that my Mom's experience at 91 years old in a Japanese hospital without knowing how to communicate in Japanese or without having much hospital experience in her 91 years wasn't too bad! She's still smiling!!!

Thanks again to YouTUbe and to all of you for letting me share and document my life here in Japan.
xox

1 year ago | [YT] | 5

Kim, Bandit and Sinbad

Even though this video is just a short update to a new phase in my life, it will be the start of my new playlist to hopefully help people to be a little better prepared than I was as they enter the retirement phase. Whether it is you, your partner, or a family member, there certainly are a lot of things to consider and decisions to be made, especially for those of you who are planning to retire in another country. To be honest, I'm not someone who really planned well for the future. In fact, I'm one of those people who takes life one day at a time and I love living in the moment because tomorrow is never promised. I have no regrets about how I've lived my life. However, I'm realizing that so many of the decisions you have to make regarding retirement are for the future and not necessarily for the now.
It's a huge challenge for me! But if my experiences and insight can help others or if you are someone going through the same challenges and need someone who understands what you may be going through, I'm here for it!

Thank you so much for being a part of my journey here in Japan as a teacher, a dog mom, an official senior citizen and a lifelong learner who makes all the mistakes so you don't have to!

xox

1 year ago | [YT] | 3

Kim, Bandit and Sinbad

Happy Holidays, everyone! Bandit and I would like to wish you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas. Thank you so much for joining us and supporting our little channel. We hope the holiday season finds you in good health and that you can spend the holidays just as you hoped to!

2 years ago | [YT] | 16

Kim, Bandit and Sinbad

I really wanted to get a video out on my last day of being 64 years old. So here it is!

2 years ago | [YT] | 4

Kim, Bandit and Sinbad

I should probably learn how to post here more often! I just wanted to thank all of you for your kindness and support. As you can see from my T-shirt, I really am trying to embrace the glorious mess that I am! And the fact that many of you are subscribing or commenting or helping me to learn and grow means so much to me because that means you too are embracing the glorious mess that I am!!! It is super challenging and scary for me to try and navigate the next stage(s?) of my life without a map, but I am enjoying every step of whatever lies ahead for me. I’ve always thought my motto here could be “I make the mistakes so you don’t have to!” I hope to continue sharing whatever I can to help you through those rough spots or personal/professional journeys, even if it’s just sharing a few random laughs or moments with you.

Once again, thank you all so much. Have a wonderful day! 🥰💖🐾

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2 years ago | [YT] | 12