Akiko Kitamura

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.

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What brought you to Japan/Tokyo?

My parents are from Tokyo.

Akiko Kitamura

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!

Akiko Kitamura

What’s your biggest expense?

The cost of my kids’ nursery and kindergarten.

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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.

Akiko Kitamura

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/

Written by:
Chris's Tokyo favorites are: Tomoe Sushi, Borne, Udagawa Cafe Suite
Filed under: Living
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