Goodbye 2025 note

I’m having a hard time saying “goodbye” to 2025. Up till last year, I had a bit more structure in my life. I had everyday work, groups of friends I regularly hung out with, and different hobbies that pushed me to become a better person slowly, but surely. 2024 was the year of “taking action”, and 2025 became the year of “learning about myself” and where I stand in this world. As always, here’s some highlights!

• Completing an MBA: Yes, I did it! The endless to-do list is now all checked off. It was the most intense 10 months of my life. The amount of croissants and coffee I consumed was insane. What I learned wasn’t just from the textbooks, but by studying with hard-working classmates who pushed me to explore different parts of the business I didn’t know about. As much as I gained knowledge on different perspectives on business, I also learned to zoom out and understand how each operation, industry, and strategy is connected to the other. “Looking at the whole picture” means something very different now, and it really changed the way I look at the world in my personal life, too.

• Reaching out to people for help: I’ve been trying to keep in touch with a lot of my friends. (Sorry, if I haven’t talked to you!) But catching up and reaching out for help are very different things. In 2025, I started to reach out to people for help. It started with a small assignment to understand the industry I wasn’t familiar with. Then I expanded to my connections to do interviews for my thesis. I also reached out to ex-colleagues, alumni, friends’ friends and more to talk about the industry and possible opportunities. What I felt after all these conversations was so much more meaningful than just the catch-up sessions. They were all willing to help and support, and I felt so much love. One fun project I joined was with my lovely ex-colleague at BuzzFeed Japan, Amiide! It reminded me how much fun we had working together, creating content to share messages, and connecting with the new audiences. It’s called “Ochakai Podcast.” I’m not going to the details here, but please check it out if you have extra time to spare!

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• Living in France: After finishing my MBA, I had a great opportunity to stay with this lovely French family. Living in a different country is always an eye-opening experience. What I appreciated the most about the French culture was of course, the food. I was never a “bread” person, but just eating bread and cheese felt different than how I did it in Japan or U.S. (Yes, I became that girl who talks about French bread) I also loved the fact that they spend so much time to have a meal. The way they spend time felt luxurious. Getting pizza and eating it on the beach on a random Wednesday, starting a movie at home after dinner at 11 p.m., or going to the beach as soon as the sun came out after a rainy day. It really made me think about how I spend time and how I can enjoy my life.

• Traveling and more traveling: I travelled a lot in 2024, and it continued in 2025. In 2025, I visited the Netherlands, Spain, U.K. Italy, Monaco, Germany, and Taiwan. I also traveled for 3 weeks from Corsica, Sardinia, and a couple of cities in Italy in November. The way I used to travel was to imagine as if I was living there. So I would create some kind of routine while traveling. To escape from busy Tokyo life, I was creating a new life in all the cities I was visiting. This year, travel was purely for enjoyment. I ate and enjoyed the local food, ran and felt the air with breathtaking views, and just enjoyed each moment without thinking about what the “real life” was. I gained energy and power from each place I visited. I want to keep exploring the world and feel the connections with the unknown cultures for me to grow as an international person.

• Reflecting on myself, my life, and my future: I initially wanted to do an MBA to change jobs, relocate, and have more options for my career growth. Even though I had a vision of where I would be going, as I finished the program, I discovered something new about myself, what life could look like, and the reality. Finding a job in Europe as an immigrant is not easy. I knew I would be in this phase for a while. I couldn’t say it was easy, but I felt calm, excited, and connected with the world as I understood more about it. Do I have a clear vision of the future? Not exactly, but at least I could spend a good amount of time and energy reflecting on them in beautiful places.

Anyway, I’m back in Japan! I will be spending a good amount of time here for a while. 2025 was a beautiful, eye-opening, and transformative year. I know 2026 will bring new challenges, and I’m ready to see what kind of life unfolds next.