Born in Tokyo, Living in Vancouver: A Tale of Two Very Different Worlds 🌏

Have you ever met someone who doesn’t live in the country they were born in?

In places like Canada or the U.S., people often move across states or provinces—and those distances can feel like entirely different countries.
So today, I want to talk a bit about that kind of shift.
A personal one.

I’m From a City Everyone Knows…

That’s right—Tokyo, Japan!

Not just Tokyo. I was born and raised in the very heart of it.
Ever heard of Ueno?

If you've ever visited Tokyo, you’ve probably passed through Ueno at some point.
It’s one of the city’s busiest transport hubs, packed with museums, parks, shopping streets… and yes, actual residential neighborhoods! 😄

Even my Japanese friends say,

“Wait, people actually live in Ueno?”

They think of it more like a commercial or cultural zone than a place to grow up.
But for me, it was just normal.
To this day, I still don’t think of Ueno as particularly “urban”—because it’s what I knew.

And Now? I Live in… Vancouver, Canada 🇨🇦

Yep, these days I live on the opposite side of the world,
in what people think is a city: Vancouver.

Let me be clear—compared to Tokyo, Vancouver is basically the countryside. 😅
Public transportation here is… how do I say this nicely…
“What is this, even?”

Tokyo’s train system looks like a sci-fi spiderweb from the future.
Ueno alone has so many lines crossing through it, I still don’t know how many exactly.

Vancouver? You’ll wait 30 minutes for a bus, and if you miss it, good luck!
Even for a simple errand, I often need to drive.

So… Do I Want to Move Back to Tokyo? 🤔

Honestly? It’s complicated.

While Tokyo is convenient beyond belief,
I’ve grown weirdly fond of this “fake city” version of Vancouver. 😂
It’s calm, it’s quiet, it’s slower.

Do I miss the Tokyo convenience? Yes.
Do I want to live in it again? Maybe not.

The Past Tokyo > The Present One 🕰️

Strangely, I find myself missing the old Tokyo more than the shiny, high-tech one of today.

There was something magical about meeting up before smartphones—
that little thrill of wondering, “Will they show up?”
That kind of real-life suspense is gone now.

My husband is fascinated by futuristic Tokyo.
But me? I’d go back… if it were the Tokyo I remember from the past.

No Real Conclusion Here… Just Thoughts ☁️

I know this post doesn’t really have a big message or a tidy ending.
It’s just something that’s been on my mind lately.

But if you’ve ever moved far from your hometown,
maybe—just maybe—you’ll understand what I’m trying to say. 💛