Useful things, small discoveries, and everyday life in Japan.https://www.senakosato.jp/enhttps://www.senakosato.jp/en/articles/where-to-buy-used-laptop-japan-2026/https://www.senakosato.jp/en/articles/where-to-buy-used-laptop-japan-2026/A guide for foreigners buying a used laptop in Japan: specialist shops vs Mercari and Yahoo! Auctions, JIS keyboards, warranty, and tax-free rules.Sun, 13 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.senakosato.jp/en/articles/airpods-pro-3-review/https://www.senakosato.jp/en/articles/airpods-pro-3-review/I love Apple products, but I avoided AirPods for years. Here's what changed my mind, and what I actually think about the AirPods Pro 3 — sound, noise cancellation, fit, battery, and how they work with the rest of my Apple devices.Sun, 30 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.senakosato.jp/en/articles/being-right-does-not-move-people/https://www.senakosato.jp/en/articles/being-right-does-not-move-people/You laid out a correct, careful argument, and the other person still won't budge. "Not moving" doesn't always mean "not understanding" — what to look for instead.Sun, 30 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.senakosato.jp/en/articles/courtyard-by-marriott-nagoya-review/https://www.senakosato.jp/en/articles/courtyard-by-marriott-nagoya-review/A record of staying at the Courtyard by Marriott Nagoya on Marriott Bonvoy points — the Premier King I was upgraded to, breakfast at CRUST, and above all, the Simmons bed that made this stay stand out.Sun, 30 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.senakosato.jp/en/articles/define-the-problem-first/https://www.senakosato.jp/en/articles/define-the-problem-first/When a fix doesn't change anything, the problem is usually with how you defined the problem, not the solution. What to check first on the hard cases.Sun, 30 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.senakosato.jp/en/articles/go-to-the-primary-source/https://www.senakosato.jp/en/articles/go-to-the-primary-source/When repeated meetings still don't reveal the real cause, going back to the primary source is worth more than another summary. My own habit for when things stop making sense.Sun, 30 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.senakosato.jp/en/articles/new-balance-990v4-review/https://www.senakosato.jp/en/articles/new-balance-990v4-review/I've worn something like 20 to 30 pairs of New Balance over the years. Here's why the 990v4 is my current favorite — fit, comfort, and how it compares to the current Made in USA 990v4 Core (grey), based on my own experience.Sun, 30 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.senakosato.jp/en/articles/solve-the-real-pain/https://www.senakosato.jp/en/articles/solve-the-real-pain/You explained it, fixed it, rolled it out, and the other person still seems unhappy. The difference between "the fix shipped" and "the problem is solved."Sun, 30 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.senakosato.jp/en/articles/you-are-not-a-messenger/https://www.senakosato.jp/en/articles/you-are-not-a-messenger/"I told them exactly what I was asked to." And yet nothing moves. On the difference between carrying information and actually pushing things forward — including my own past mistake.Sun, 30 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.senakosato.jp/en/articles/aminovital-pro-hiking-japan/https://www.senakosato.jp/en/articles/aminovital-pro-hiking-japan/I've hiked since I was a kid, and on long days I carry AminoVital Pro. What it is, how I use it before and during a hike, and one rule about the packaging in the mountains.Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.senakosato.jp/en/articles/dress-socks-big-feet-japan/https://www.senakosato.jp/en/articles/dress-socks-big-feet-japan/I'm a Japanese size 29 cm. Finding business socks that fit — and don't blow out at the toe — is a hassle here. This 12-pack of identical black socks solved it.Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.senakosato.jp/en/articles/how-to-win-friends-influence-people/https://www.senakosato.jp/en/articles/how-to-win-friends-influence-people/I read Dale Carnegie's book over a decade ago. It changed how I work with people — from trying to be right to trying to get the outcome. What stuck, and where it doesn't apply.Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.senakosato.jp/en/articles/la-sportiva-aequilibrium-st-gtx/https://www.senakosato.jp/en/articles/la-sportiva-aequilibrium-st-gtx/Yakushima tent trips, heavy loads in the Northern Alps, scrambling, long flat approaches. After all of it, the Aequilibrium ST GTX is the hiking boot I reach for without deciding.Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.senakosato.jp/en/articles/listerine-original-japan/https://www.senakosato.jp/en/articles/listerine-original-japan/Nobody tells you that you have bad breath. I use Listerine Original — the strong, un-sweet one — as a daily thing before meeting people. Why I prefer it to the milder versions sold in Japan.Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.senakosato.jp/en/articles/millet-drynamic-mesh-japan/https://www.senakosato.jp/en/articles/millet-drynamic-mesh-japan/A string-mesh underlayer you wear next to the skin. I originally bought it for hiking, but I've come to think it's not just for the mountains — it's genuinely good for any situation where you sweat heavily.Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.senakosato.jp/en/articles/thenorthface-dry-dot-japan/https://www.senakosato.jp/en/articles/thenorthface-dry-dot-japan/A long-sleeve hiking base layer that's a standard in Japan. After 3–4 years in the mountains here, I understand why. What's good, and the one downside with the black.Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.senakosato.jp/en/articles/collapsible-suit-hanger-japan/https://www.senakosato.jp/en/articles/collapsible-suit-hanger-japan/Two years of client visits around Japan in a suit, through the summer. A small collapsible hanger that clips to a rolling case handle solved the jacket problem better than a garment bag.Tue, 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.senakosato.jp/en/articles/mens-biore-one-japan/https://www.senakosato.jp/en/articles/mens-biore-one-japan/A Japanese drugstore all-in-one wash for hair, face and body. I've used it as my only shower product for a long time — here's how it holds up, and who it isn't for.Tue, 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.senakosato.jp/en/articles/yanagiya-strong-hair-gel-japan/https://www.senakosato.jp/en/articles/yanagiya-strong-hair-gel-japan/I used GATSBY and Mandom gels for years, then switched to a big cheap tub of Yanagiya gel from Amazon Japan. Hold, texture, how I apply it, and the one real downside.Tue, 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.senakosato.jp/en/articles/2013-imac-revived-2026/https://www.senakosato.jp/en/articles/2013-imac-revived-2026/I'd written this iMac off as unusable. A RAM upgrade, OpenCore Legacy Patcher, and a second monitor later, it's my working machine again — and this post was written on it.Mon, 24 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT