Minimalist living, especially in big cities like Tokyo, has always fascinated me. A few years ago, I rented a 25 square meter Airbnb condo in Tokyo for a few weeks and attempted to live as much like a local as possible. I went to local supermarkets to buy and cook my own meals everyday, strolled around the neighboorhood to patronize the smallest shops, and commuted by packed trains to the...
Our frequent distractions amid constant changes in the outside world provoke our survival mode frequently. We easily become restless, which affects both our physical and mental health. We seem to lose touch with our innate calmness. In recent years, I find out that practicing mindfulness by turning our antenna from outward (e.g., refreshing social media, binge viewing shows, etc.) to inward (focusing on our breath, fleeting thoughts and senses) anchors me on what I can control vs the external forces that are beyond my control....
2023 is coming to a close and in the same tradition, I decided to tally my book reviews. This year presented me with a big challenge. I was diagnosed with a serious illness and had to go through treatment and surgery for half of the year. This period was like a trekking expedition when I had a lot of solo time during pain and suffering to ponder and self-reflect. My...
We always hear the catchy phrase you are what you think, but is this true? Recent reading of neuroscience and psychology books taught me that our brain is not trustworthy, because thinking can be unreliable due to its automatic (thus uncontrollable) mechanism. We are easily derailed by cognitive bias, and allow our contrived stories/thoughts to create negative experiences. In this post, we will see how our brain’s wirings can trip us, and how mindfulness can mitigate....
Mental distraction from information/choice overload is a common problem worldwide. Having an anchor for our taste and what we are meant to do provides a more stable path without being easily swayed by cyclical trends that are just like seasonal wind. But is good taste innate or honed by practice? In this post, we’ll look at Matsuura Yataro, who is a renowned lifestyle essayist and ex-chief editor of Kurashi no Techo (Notes on everyday living), a magazine dedicated to promoting aesthetics in living well....
In this digital era, what values can physical bookstores still offer? In this post, we’ll look at the Japanese cultural mecca Tsutaya Daikanyama T-Site, which started a revolutionary wave of curated spaces promoting idea exchange, lifestyle exploration and rural revitalization. Its central promise is that visitors can enrich what they already know, and find some new hobbies at the same time. We’ll also look at how the company behind Tsutaya...
My professional interest is in applying recommenders to travel planning and reservation. So it is natural that I’ll keep up with books on both technical implementation and those that dissect the cultural influences of recommendation systems. After finishing the book Computing Taste, which charted the change of recommendation systems in the music/movie industry, I want to extend what was discussed in the book to changes in software development paradigm, as well as societal views on mistakes or criteria for finished products....
In the book “100 basics of life”, the Japanese essayist Matsuura Yataro has proposed writing down your kihon - the core basics, or guiding principles of your life. It not only acts as your anchor and guidance, but also becomes a living document for reflection during uncertain times. With it, you can also trace your important changes as you continue to learn and evolve, something akin to a changelog. Kihons...
It’s often said that traveling offers atypical experiences that sharpen our senses and train us to be more adaptive with creative improvision. Far removed from our usual dwellings, we have no choice but to observe our environment more keenly for both survival and enjoyment. Our usual status quo no longer applies, and our eyes begin to take into things that might be deemed too bland or extreme at home. Specifically, the time you spent before, during and after a trip can be a valuable training ground for product planning and management skills....
Ask any traveler to Japan and they will tell you mouthwatering tales of what they found in convenience stores (called konbini in Japan) no matter where they go. In fact, tons of posts have been written about konbini food selections and how different they are from convenient stores elsewhere. These konbinis have, huge variety of products, from over 20 flavors of rice balls, sushi, noodles, salad, bento, sandwiches, mixed drinks, fried food, chips and cup noodles to fancy desserts, to daily essentials such as soap, shampoo, toothbrush, magazines, to emergency needs such as underwear and umbrella (I have bought so many transparent umbrellas over the years)....