About

Celia Knox

I hail from a small country town in Far North Queensland, Australia. My hometown is known for dairy farming and has a population of around 2,000 people. It’s one of those places where everyone knows everyone, and even if they don’t, they’ll say g’day to you anyway! I had a very outdoorsy upbringing with my siblings and friends. I have lots of fond memories of climbing trees, floating down the river on tyre tubes, riding our bikes up the road, mowing the yard with the ride-on mower, having sleepovers and playing with the dogs. The simple life! But even as a child, I dreamed of exploring the world. I wanted to visit everywhere from the French countryside, to Machu Picchu, to New York City.

AustraliaAlthough my mum is Japanese, I didn’t have much of a connection with Japan when I was young. The first time I really developed an interest in this country was on a high school study trip in 2004. I remember being fascinated by so many things – riding the bullet train past Mt Fuji, drinking ‘pure’ water from the ancient Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto, the massage chairs in Akihabara, taking purikura with my new Japanese friends, watching a 4D movie at Universal Studios in Osaka and lots more! After that trip, I went back to Japan three times on short trips. I was so captivated by everything that I wanted to experience everyday life there one day – the ultimate goal was to live in Tokyo.

After studying a degree in languages and a masters in teaching in Melbourne, I finally got the chance to make that dream happen. I got a job as an eikaiwa (English conversation) teacher and made the big move in February 2011 to Koriyama, Fukushima. I was super pumped to be fulfilling one of my life goals. But, Mother Nature had the worst kind of surprise in store for us all. The disastrous Tohoku Earthquake struck exactly one month after I touched down. It was an extremely tragic and stressful time for everyone, but it taught me to value the gift of life more. I ended up relocating to Nagoya and transferring to another division of the company, working as an ALT (assistant language teacher) in public junior high schools. Despite the quake, I was still so happy to be in Japan. For at least the first six months, I woke up everyday thinking I can’t believe I’m actually here! 

TokyoAfter two great years in Nagoya, I decided it was time to reach for my goal to live in Tokyo. I was accepted for a position at a private high school and moved to the capital in March 2013. Realising a dream I’d had since I was 17 was such a huge milestone in my life that I was inspired to start my blog, Celia in Tokyo. I wanted to have a place to share my photos and experiences in this crazy adventure. I’ve met some of the kindest people here in Japan, and experienced once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that I’ll never forget. I have a lot of love for this country!

I hope that my blog helps you to get to know the Japan I know and love – past the usual sushi, trumpet-playing robots and geisha – and possibly even inspire you to visit (or return to) Japan.

[Blog start: February 2013]

Email contact >> celiaintokyo@gmail.com

celiaintokyo logo

Special thanks to my sister for creating this original logo.

100 thoughts on “About”

  2. Hey, Cool blog! It’s always great to read about other people’s travelling experiences. On our website we normally publish stories and articles about hitch-hiking and travelling so if you any story you would like to be seen by a wider audience (with a link to your blog of course). This is how we do it: http://hitchhikershandbook.com/your-contributions/travel-stories/ Drop us a line if you are interested.
    Happy travels!

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  6. Glad I stumbled on your blog, my nephew lived in Japan for a short while -and he loved i!! Oh, and congrats on following through with your dream – wow – what an adventure! And what a great idea for a blog. :)

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    1. Thanks for the very kind words,Yvette! :) I’m glad your nephew enjoyed living in Japan. I’ve been here about 3 years now, and still have to pinch myself sometimes!!

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  7. wow – three years – well that is quite a long time – relatively speaking I guess, but I spent on year In San Jose and it felt like ten in some ways – because I was connected and we just had such a great year – anyhow, I am looking forward to peeking in on your experiences via the ol’ blog – :)

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          1. ha! well I made a page to celebrate blog pals from 2014 – and I started with a cook image from “photofunia.com”
            :) glad you like it – have a nice day!

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  8. Hi Celia, nice meeting you. I enjoy reading your blogs, especially your exciting experiences in Japan. I love your ESL stories the most. Well, I guess that’s a given – I am a TEFL Graduate student. Anyway, keep us posted and take care!

    pinay-emotion :)

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  9. Hi, re “I’ll go home one day,”.., as a “boy from a small QLD town” who taught & lived in Ogikubo for 7 years, 20 years ago, I love your blog. Now back in Oz with a 9 year old , 1/2 Japanese daughter , I wish we were still living in Japan. Just a thought , think long & hard about where your future lay, I wish I never left. Keep the blog going , it is the next best thing to being there for me. All the best.

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    1. Hi there. Thank you for your sincere comment! Our backgrounds are quite similar and it’s actually very helpful to hear your advice. I’ve re-contracted for the new school year, but then after that I have to decide what I want to do. 7 years in Tokyo sounds like quite the adventure! What made you move back to Oz? What are the biggest factors that make Japan better in your opinion?

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      1. Hi, I can see you have a passion for Japan so I shall spend some time on my reply for you.
        re ” what made me move back”,… like most things in Japan, it was complicated.
        One …. ( this probably will not impact you, I was unlucky here) , I was “despised” by my Japanese in-laws.( married after a 2 year , living apart !! , courtship in year 6 , not easy for a red blooded Ozzie boy but it was my show of respect to live apart, that meant meeting “Japanese style” a few hours here & there each week, didn’t make any diff ) All is heavenly now, thanks mostly to our beautiful daughter but she took 12 year to come along & the fact that I did not abandon my wife as is the expiration of gaijin husbands. Married 21 year now.
        Two …. I got “duped” financially by a Canadian gaijin “mate” & by the Health Insurance system , ended up loosing 1/2 years income.
        Three … I did not take holidays. At all. Just loved teaching so much. One trip to Oz in year 6 for our honeymoon.
        It all just built up & in my head home would fix it . My wife was keen on Oz too.
        Big mistake, I had a great job @ two schools which I miss terribly. LOVED teaching kids.
        Lessons to be learnt,…
        1- although probably the most trustworthy place on earth, still, keep your radar on.
        2- take breaks/holidays.
        And,… it may seem “bad” at the time & you think it is “better” in Oz, if you need to, just come back for a bit, then weight it up carefully.
        You will see, most gaijin go thru the same “stages”, I saw it is 99% of my friends, it is just human nature. Years 1~2 , your in heaven, treated like royalty , 3~4 is the comfort zone , you know the trains , you are accepted as ” normal” , 5~6 it gets a bit “humm ” & I just want to buy a meat pie !” & “what did sand feel like between my toes”.
        But , here I am 20 years later, missing Japan madly. We visit at least once a year to keep family happy & my daughters Nihongo & 文化. I /we would go back in a flash if I could get a job.
        re ” what make Japan better”..the depth of 文化, , culture, the trains, the people, the people , the work ethic ( I hate Ozzie work ethic , put down hard workers) , the 4 seasons, there is sooo much to do, did I mention the people, I even miss the TV ! the food, the way of life , just everything.
        Congrats on the licence, I drive a lot in Japan, love it, it is not that hard , in fact if you keep your “Japanese” mentality ON, i.e. be like a school of fish, swim together , not ” this is MY bit of road!” it is fine.

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        1. I’ve read your reply a few times now just to make sure I got everything! I definitely know what you’re talking about with every point you made. I understand the challenges you must have faced from being in a biracial relationship – my parents are from different cultures, too. I think that mentality of your in-laws is very old-school and I hope the new generations in Japan can become more open-minded. So according to your theory, I’m in the ‘comfort stage’, and actually I definitely feel like I am! It’s easy to get into a niche here I think. Although, the meat pie cravings started in about year 2 ;) I went back home last year for the first time (in 3 years) and it was amazing to be back with family and in an English-speaking country! I feel like I can fit in easily in both countries, though. I will definitely consider all the great advice you have given me. Thank you very much. :)

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          1. Happy 2019 ,it has been awhile… and you have more than 6 years in Japan ! …that is beyond my stay and oh how wonderful your life seems to be . I am extremely envious. I have been watching your posts over the years and so often thought ” I had exactly the same experience ” so many time. However, your last year , leaving High school teaching & going freelance is awesome.. is a level above . Now with the door opened for travel writing work , the Rugby & Olympics coming up, I am sure your future is very bright.
            My daughter is now 14 & trying to figure out her future. Trying to keep her motivated to maintaining her Japanese is sometimes a struggle but I just I refer her to your blog / lifestyle & she gets it.
            Not sure if you have / visited rallies in Cairns last trip home but if so, did you have a Mannings Pie in Cairns ? .. they are my relatives and damn good pies – or were the last time I had one.
            All the best.

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            1. Hi Derek, great to hear from you! Freelance life has been challenging but I’m loving it. And yes, hopefully with the international events this year and next, there’ll be plenty of work for me. I hope your daughter keeps up her Japanese… the hard work she puts in now will pay off and it will open so many doors for her in the future. Plus, it’s just pretty cool to be able to speak more than one language!

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  11. YAY – we love meeting and supporting fellow Aussie bloggers :-) Japan is a wonderful country and we would LOVE to go back and visit some more one day! Look forward to reading about your experiences!

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    1. Le and David… Yay!! And I wish there were more of us! Hope you get the chance to visit Japan again. It’s just one of those countries that never stops revealing itself. So many reasons to get sucked into the ‘Japan bubble’ hehe.

      Are you two in Oz now? Where’s next on the list? You remind me of my sister and her partner who have travelled around the world. So lovely. :) :)

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      1. Yeh, we are in Oz ATM, based in Sydney! But off to Singapore in April, Brazil for World Cup in June and Europe in July for 3 months!!
        Thanks for following us back!
        So awesome to be connected :)

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    1. I definitely feel lucky to live in such a beautiful part of the world! Thanks for taking an interest in my blog. Hope it inspires you to visit Japan one day, if you haven’t already!

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  14. I have a 10 year old, “half” [ as they unaffectedly call children of Japanese & another parentage in 日本語] & am interested in your views on how to best maintain her Japanese skills…?
    Her 1st language was 日本語 as her mother stayed home with her till she started school [ 6old]. My wife now works… [ Ozzie mortgage to pay off]
    We send her to a 3 hour, Saturday morning, Japan school & a public primary school, 4th grade & is doing well at both.
    Taking into consideration what I learnt from my years of teaching returnees & realising that “living it” is just as important as study, she has had 14 trips to 日本, usually 3-4 weeks , sometimes attending a local school.
    When at home , a fair bit of 日本語 TV [ Studio Ghibli , Doraemon , silly game shows,etc] & an equal mix of Japanese & Ozzie friends to play with.
    I would consider her 日本語 , verbally fluent , reading/ writing 2nd-3rd grade.
    However, …. she is 10 now & becoming her own woman ! :(
    So my ” it is your future ” pep talks are not having as much effect as before.
    1/ Any tips & tricks on maintaining her interest.
    2/ when is “too late” to have her live in Japan to attend school full time, i.e. she will just have too much to catch up, Kanji especially. [ we would move to Japan for her future ]
    Her dream is to be like you, :) .

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    1. It sounds like you’re doing all the right things for her! She’s lucky to have such a great opportunity and her future will be bright for sure! I think the main thing with maintaining interest at that age is having friends her own age. Does she have cousins over here? Does she keep in touch with the friends she makes at school when she visits? If she has Japanese friends in Oz, then maybe they can have sleepovers or something. Another idea might be to get her into Japanese pop music. You can decide what’s appropriate, but kids here like AKB48, Arashi, Momoiro Cloverz, etc. As for when is ‘too late’ to live in Japan — that’s kinda hard to answer, but I would say generally before the end of primary school. By Grade 6, kids should know about 1000 kanji. I know of kids who have returned during junior high school, and they tell me how difficult it is to keep up. They learn A LOT of kanji in the 3 years of JHS. In terms of being able to fit in, of course it depends on the school, but I’ve noticed 6th graders (girls) really being clingy in their groups. Friendships are important and if your daughter starts at a new school, it might be tough to begin with.
      Hope this was of some help! Thanks for asking!!

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      1. Very helpful, reinforces my assumptions. Although, [not being a girl] I had not considered the ” girls & groups” [ clicks!] thing, …. Fortunately she is VERY gregarious.
        Looking forward to your next post.

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  15. Hey there Newbie Spikey!
    (for your info, a Spikey is the term for folk who are part of the clan known to be followers of Uncle Spike :)

    Thank you… I really appreciate that as I for one, know how many interesting and entertaining blogs are out there.

    Blogging since June 2013, my aim is to deliver an eclectic offering of posts, from my ‘point n shoot’ attempts at basic photography, to the sharing of my travel adventures over the decades, as well as day to day happenings here on the farm. Oh, plus a few observations, opinions and lighter-hearted stuff thrown in for good measure.

    I normally keep to a couple of posts a day, maybe 3-4 at weekends if I have something special to share. But if you are at a loose end one day, maybe you’ll enjoy trawling through some of my older stuff too. I have added plenty of categories to help in said digging process.

    Thanks again and hope you have a great day…

    UNCLE SPIKE

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    1. Thanks for the warm welcome! Although I don’t post nearly as often as you, I hope you’ll pop by every now and then, too. Have a great weekend!

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  20. I had the priviledge of visiting Toyko on business back some years ago, and upon exploring (via subway) by myself,came across Shinjuku, the picture at the top ot this post. Frankly, I had never heard of it before, and was awestruck as I emerged from underground. Looking forward to spending more time on your pages. M:-)

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    1. Tokyo can really be intense can’t it! I think every visitor would be awestruck by Shinjuku in particular. Even after 2 years, I still find this city overwhelming sometimes!
      Thank you~

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  21. Hey Celia,

    My name is Joe Pinzone and I’m casting an international travel show about expats moving abroad. We’d love to film in Japan and wanted to know if you could help us find expats who have moved there within the last 15 months or have been there for 3-4 years, but recently moved into a new home. The show documents their move to a new country and will place the country in fabulous light. The contributors on the show would also receive monetary compensation if they are filmed. If you’d like more information, please give me a call at 212-231-7716 or skype me at joefromnyc. You can also email me at joepinzone@leopardusa.com. Looking forward to hearing from you.

    Joe Pinzone
    Casting Producer
    P: 212-231-7716
    Skype: Joefromnyc

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    1. Hi Joe,
      Thanks for your email. I’ll get in touch with anyone I know who fits the criteria and pass on your details.
      Best of luck with your show.
      Celia

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  23. My dream is also to live in Japan and I’m gonna make it happen. <3 I know about that earthquake and I feel so sad about it and I heard until now it's not yet fully recovered. But anyway I'm so happy you made your dreams come true I hope someday it'll happen to me too <3 Nice blog btw!

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    1. Hi Gheline :) It’s always great to meet another person who’s dream is to live in Japan. Yes, the earthquake/tsunami left a lot of devastation, but the country is recovering. You’ll make it here one day, just don’t give up! x

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      1. Oh sorry! I get many comments and emails from my blog visitors. I appreciate them all…but it’s hard to remember those who have written to me before. I try, though.

        But…thank you for following my blog. I follow yours, as well.

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    1. That’s a great goal, Jacob. Glad to be your #9 of May 17th :) I always want to discover and connect with more bloggers, too. There are a lot of great blogs out there, some less known than others!
      Cheers :)

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  27. Hi Celia! I know I’l; enjoy reading your blog. Japan is on my “to-go” list and while I can’t go anytime soon, I love reading other people’s experiences about it. Happy Blogging! :)

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  28. Nice blog, and welcome to Tokyo! I came to know of you through instagram (we follow each other!) and the @bbc_travel.

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      1. Hi Celia, thanks for following my blog on instagram though it isn’t so frequent. We should meet in Tokyo sometime (perhaps, a weekend?), over a coffee/tea and go explore some corners of the city with our cameras!

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  29. Hi Celia, nice to meet you. Japan is on our list, and has been for awhile. We may be headed there next summer – not sure yet. I look forward to exploring your blog, and learning more about Japan from someone who lives there.
    Thanks so much for following our blog. I hope you enjoy the stories of our journey. And don’t be a stranger – come on over and join the conversation.
    Cheers,
    Alison

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  34. Thanks so much for following Oh, the Places We See! So great to have found you because we want to follow you, too! Great photos and lively conversation. I’ve only been to Kyoto, Nara, and wherever Mikimoto pearls are shipped out! Chaperoned a group of 4 students through Panasonic – which is called Matshusita in Japan, I think. Best wishes to you for much success in traveling and writing. http://ohtheplaceswesee.com — Rusha

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    1. Hi Rusha, so great to connect with you! :) I’m happy to hear you have spent some time in Japan. Kyoto is definitely a favourite for the majority of visitors as well as Japanese people. It’s different to Tokyo in so many ways but both are great cities in my opinion. Hope you can see more of the country in the future!
      Looking forward to reading your posts to come :)

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  35. Hi Celia! I stumbled upon your blog today because the gas cylinder in my office chair is broken and will extend all the way if I get up, so since I am kind of stuck, I endless surfed the web to look for fellow travellers. (No worries, I do get up now and then to fetch myself a cup of green tea and other such emergencies, but when I sit back down I need to hold a pile of heavy books to bring the chair back to a normal height…) .
    Your blog is great, I really enjoyed reading through your posts. I lived with my family in Japan from 2006 go 2009 and we still all have the Tokyo Blues. Although we moved multiple times around the world, this amazing country has a special place in our heart. So thank you for bringing me back to the places I love.
    I also have a blog, which started out as an expat blog but then somehow got hijacked by my kids’ adolescence (https://packingbeast.blogspot.ch). I know a blog must stick to a specific theme to be successful, but it’s too late now. I don’t care who reads it anyway, I just enjoy writing.
    My blog is called THE PACKING BEAST (it’s supposed to sound like PACKING LIST but nobody gets it, so don’t worry). Last year I wrote a tell-all memoir about our expat world tour (it’s not really tell-ALL because I wanted to still be married when it got published…). We have settled down in Switzerland now, again because of the kids (you cannot move a teenager from his/her friends without sentencing him/her to a life of therapy for dealing with how much he/she hates you), but Asia… *SIGH*…
    Keep up the good work!
    Take care
    BEAN

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    1. Hi Bean,
      Thanks for your comment! And apologies for the delayed reply.
      Glad to have given you something to read while your chair was broken! Always lovely to hear from people who have also lived in Japan and loved it.
      I will be sure to check out your blog too. Would love to visit Switzerland some day.
      Cheers.

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  37. I came across one of your blog posts and am so excited I did! I can not wait to follow you in your continued journey and live vicariously by you in your travels. PS contine to take such amazing pictures. ❤️ From Florida

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  39. Hi Celia! Really enjoy the look and content of your website. Japan has so much beauty to it. I cover how Japan is represented in comics and major pop culture on The Comic Vault. I’m looking forward to reading your posts and getting more ideas for how I can incorporate Japanese culture into my writing.

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    1. Hi Jamie. Thanks so much for stopping by. Japan really does have an endless about of beauty. Have you lived here before too? Looking forward to seeing your posts on Japan in comics :)

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