What if fulfillment at work is less about clarity and comfort, and more about complexity, care, and the small rituals that shape our days?
This week’s newsletter reflects on psychological richness in cross‑cultural work, lessons from Japanese garden design, and the quiet habits that make mornings better.

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From reflections shaped by life between Japan and the US, to everyday global work, to a quiet moment at home, this week’s newsletter brings a few threads together in an unexpected way, and offers a gentle invitation to slow down, rest, and restore.

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I spent this week writing about moments from Japan that still linger with me: a noren with unexpected wisdom, why language training is still deeply human, and a Costco discovery that made me laugh out loud.

If you’re in the mood for a mix of reflection, cross‑cultural work insights and a very large bag of bunny‑shaped KitKats, here’s the roundup.

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Coming back to Tokyo after six years felt like pressing play on a part of my life I didn’t realize had been on pause. The week brought grief, clarity, cross‑cultural HR lessons and one very well‑timed Ebi Filet‑O at Narita that still makes me smile. If you’re curious how all of that fit into a single trip, this week’s reflections are for you.

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Fresh off my Tokyo trip and still slightly jet-lagged, I put together a newsletter full of everything this visit gave me: reconnection, reflection, temples, full circle career moments and ending up with one very large box of Chocorooms. And as much as I loved every minute in Japan, it also feels incredibly good to be home again with my husband, my little piece of Japan in the US. If you want the full story, here it is.

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Tokyo has a way of turning an ordinary workweek into something much more layered. What was meant to be a straightforward trip became a string of small surprises, old memories resurfacing, and conversations that quietly shifted perspective. This week’s newsletter shares those moments, from workshops and long walks to unexpected reunions and little slices of shitamachi life. If you are curious how a week in Tokyo can blend work, nostalgia, and connection so seamlessly, this one is for you.

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I am writing this from SFO on my way to Tokyo, and this week’s newsletter reflects that feeling of being between two worlds. From satsuma imo gohan to startup conversations to an Odaiba statue I will now see again before even visiting the real one in New York, it all somehow fits. I am also looking forward to seeing how Tokyo has changed, working with my client while I am there, and getting a fresh burst of energy from meeting people and having conversations about the thing that makes me tick: connecting people. Stay tuned for many posts from Tokyo next week!

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I stayed mostly at home this week, but my writing wandered: into an Oakland landmark with quiet echoes of Japan, into the political winds shaping 2026, and into the humble perfection of chicken skin on a skewer. Funny how the themes connect only once they’re on the page.

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This week took me from clear plastic drawers in my California home to an overflow room at a “Why build in Japan?” event, and finally to a tiny bottle of umeshu the size of an apple. On the surface, they have nothing in common. Look a little closer, and they all point to the same Japanese lesson: start small, make space, and let that change what feels possible.

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February began with familiar rituals, thoughtful conversations, and a tanuki photo that resurfaced at just the right moment. And with Setsubun this week, it felt like the perfect time to notice what we’re ready to let go of, and what we want to welcome in.

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This week from California, I’ve been thinking about winter camellias here and in Japan, a CES debrief viewed from here, and two metal sparrows in tiny knitted outfits at Enoshima Station … small details that still shape how I see the country’s relationship with technology, care and seasonality.

More in this week’s newsletter, if you’re curious.

The first weeks of 2026 have felt a bit like moving through overlapping layers of time. A century‑old plate, a sparkling Shinnenkai in San Francisco, and a tiny memory from a train station in Kanagawa, three unrelated moments that somehow ended up speaking to each other.

Funny how objects, gatherings, and even small metal sparrows can remind you where you’ve been, and where you’re standing now.