Akiko is an old Twitter friend of ours. We love her daily Japanese vocabulary tweets – she drops in a few words usually relating to current events, seasons and even scandals! We strongly recommend following her to give your Japanese a boost. But read on to hear more about this hard-working teacher, mother and twitterer.
How long have you been in Tokyo and where were you before?
I have lived all of my years in Tokyo (and Saitama, the prefecture next to Tokyo) since my birth.
What brought you to Japan/Tokyo?
My parents are from Tokyo.
Briefly describe a typical day in your life?
On weekdays, I usually get up at 5:30am and prepare my kids’ bento (lunchbox), make breakfast, do the dishes, laundry, etc. etc.
I take the kids to the nursery and kindergarten at 8:30am. It takes 30min to get there, and I like that time a lot as we chat while we walk.
10:00am I start working. I have lessons, prepare for the lessons or post something about Japanese language on Twitter and Facebook.
At 5:00pm, I pick up my kids and go home, cook and eat dinner, and then it’s bath time.
My kids usually go to bed at 7:30pm, and then it’s time to drink beer by myself or with my husband if he comes home early!
What do you like most and least about Tokyo?
Most: The reliable and convenient transportation (We have a car but I don’t drive, so the public transportation is very important in my life.)
Least: It’s very crowded everywhere, especially on weekends!
What’s your biggest expense?
The cost of my kids’ nursery and kindergarten.
What do you blow money on (i.e. what’s the fruit of all your cheapo savings)?
Home electric appliances for cooking, like a bread maker. It’s called ホームベーカリー (home bakery) in Japanese by the way. What I want next is a Nespresso machine!
What are your top three Tokyo cheapo (saving money) tips?
– When I want to eat something nice, I try to cook it instead of eating out.
– I check 価格.com (http://kakaku.com/) to see what the most reasonable price is before I buy home electric appliances.
– When I go to an izakaya (Japanese pub), I check Hotpepper to see if they offer a discount coupon.
Do you have a website/social media account we for people/stalkers who’d like to find out more about you?
Yes!
Website : http://nihongolessons.com/
Twitter : https://twitter.com/AkoKitamura
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/akonihongolessons
Blog : http://nihongonihongo.blogspot.jp/
