It started simply — through small moments, personal interests, and a growing connection to everyday life experiences that I wanted to live through with my family.  I grew up in Japan, so it has always been home.  A licensed real estate agent  in Japan i wanted  to utilize  my skill sets in a different way that allowed for a better work life balance and respected the home and the community, not a commision sale. I  was always drawn to the quieter parts of everyday life — second-hand shopping with my wife. Local neighborhood dynamics, the delicious local cuisines and the changing colors of the seasons as the leaves turn from green to golden. Life in Japan is not staged or polished. It is just life  and that is I love it. 

The  flavours  of our neighbourhood

On the way home, we often stop at the local bakery. There are cakes there you can’t really describe properly in words or even in photos — they are sweet and  light, almost like air in your mouth and my wife being Scottish, has a very sweet tooth and usually eats my cake too.  

What stays with us most, though, isn’t just the places or the food, but the people. Children bow as they pass, and we bow back. It is a small exchange, but it carries something meaningful — a quiet acknowledgement that we are all sharing the same space, even if only for a moment. 

Over time, this is what has shaped how we see Japan. Not just through properties or markets, but through daily life, small interactions, and the feeling of being part of a place rather than just observing it.