Hi! I’m Kristen! My friends call my K-chan as Kristen is surprisingly difficult to pronounce in Japanese. Feel free to do the same!
My degree is in Naval Architecture (I fix ships). Though my day job is in engineering, I have a passion for blogging and exploring the world. I fell in love with Japanese culture when I was little. I watched Sailor Moon from day 1 and studied Japanese art throughout school. Over the years, that loves just grown. The first time I was in Japan was in 2006, I was here every year at least for a few weeks until I moved full time to Japan 4.5 years ago now. As it stands now, I’ll be in Japan for the next 2.5 years but we’ll see what life brings as I truly love it here.
What I’ve found in that time is that it’s not always easy to find veggie centric locations. I’m just a fledgling wannabe vegetarian, as a result I prefer to eat as healthy as possible and I LOVE veggies. In speaking with vegans/vegetarians visiting Japan, it’s not as easy as it should be to find an amazing vegetarian meal. Japan isn’t only fish!! I want to make that easier for people. BentoYa Cooking’s announcement of their search for people to be apart of the blog team to promote just that, I had to jump on the opportunity!
A few fun facts about me: I’ve been to over 20 countries. Also, my goal is to get to 35 next year as part of my 35th birthday celebration. I love everything to do with water. As a result, you can find me surfing, hanging out at beaches, sailing, taking water photography, everything. I love blogging and taking pictures and I hope to one day get better at videography. Sharing my passion and helping people have fun is what drives me. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions! I love making new friends :).
Kristen