Here’s the whole story of how this account started and where this is going (warning: long post, grateful for people who will take the time to read). I believe that as we get older, we all go through similar life stages, sometimes in a different order. In 2018, I had an obsession around personal growth. I questioned all my physical and mental habits, and tried to unlearn and relearn everything that could get me closer to a better, more confident version of myself: I started to fast regularly (and I still do), I trained harder and harder in my MMA gym (until I understood that strong people don’t live in their mind and don't overthink), I sought to learn from as many diverse viewpoints as possible (and discovered that most older people are happy to share what they know), I experimented with many diets (and finally found a good balance), I “read for five hours every day” (and “rewired my brain,” for people who get the old reference), I made a conscious effort to be mindful of my own thoughts and be less judgmental in my daily life, and I started to write every day, with one focus, one core philosophy: write what you want to read. I was too lazy to start a blog, so I tweeted instead. It took some time to get started because I initially assumed that my writing would never be at the level of a native speaker, until I realized that it was never about being the best writer, but about becoming the best writer I could be, in order to be able to share a unique perspective with clarity. As my audience grew, I also noticed that it became more and more difficult to ignore the Overton window of what could or couldn’t be said. Some words had to be avoided because they triggered very emotional responses. People read in different countries, they have different cultures and values, and it was impossible to not offend someone somewhere: in so many cases, it was not even about what I said anymore, it was about how I said it, my “tone”, and as a result, I became more and more neutral. I believe I steadily started to lose my own voice and felt a bit frustrated. People who know me in real life know that I am much more opinionated than my Twitter account indicates. The idea of quitting Twitter altogether crossed my mind. Then came an idea: writing for a smaller audience who share the same interests around Japan, language learning, martial arts, effective education, physical and mental health, wise parenting, successful relationships, and the general aspiration to become the best version of themselves. I have been lucky to meet throughout the years a lot of very interesting Japanese people in Tokyo, hard-working athletes, distinguished artisans, talented musicians, creative entrepreneurs, brave writers, great parents, spouses, children, and they had so much to teach, and they taught me so much, and it felt quite disheartening that their wealth of knowledge and wisdom would never reach the Anglosphere. Somehow, the pieces of information that kept getting viral about Japan were consistently the stereotypical “weird Japan” pieces: lack of individuality and general obedience, not enough babies, the ancestral Japanese art of [insert a cool-sounding Japanese word], samurai, sushi, anime, yakuza, Shogun, etc, etc. But when you live here, you realize that the best things have absolutely nothing to do with anything you read online in English. I used to think that it was funny, then it became increasingly more annoying to see viral threads written so confidently by people who had just spent a few weeks of vacation in Shibuya and Roppongi. Fast forward to a few weeks ago: I had a conversation with an old American friend of mine who has been living in Tokyo for more than twenty years (I am barely on my tenth year), who has been employing and working with many locals from all around the country — and we agreed that so many Japanese people who are limited by their language proficiency deserve more global recognition, they deserve to have their voices amplified, and we decided to work on a project along the following lines: Meeting up on a regular basis with talented Japanese people that you would have never heard about, having authentic conversations with them and getting a glimpse of their wisdom and knowledge, and publishing periodically the equivalent of a written podcast. I am honestly not sure where this is going, but the long-term idea is to build a more faithful source of information in English about a country and people who mostly don’t use English at all. Everything will be gradually published in the subscription-based space (the monthly cost has been set to $1 — the frequency of the interviews and research done will depend directly on the contributions), and additionally, because I have been asked so many questions throughout the years about my life here in Tokyo, this is also where I plan to steadily talk about everything ongoing, including updates about my book (yes, I’m still working on that!) Might eventually publish all the pieces publicly one day, but this is how we get things started. Looking forward to the many stories I will get to share with you soon, thank you again for reading me during all these years, and merry Christmas!

The first thing to do when you truly care about your family and friends: fixing your lifestyle and becoming a mentally stable, high-energy, thoughtful person they can rely on.

@will_mannon Thank you so much ! 🧡

No one laughs at your ambitions louder than those who have none.

Don't overthink how to attract the right people into your life, walk alone whilst studying from the best, map your physical and mental frontiers, clarify your goals, become someone who can get things done: within a few years, you'll already be walking alongside the right people.

Being fit, high-energy, mentally sharp, is actually a sign of wealth: you know how to take care of yourself and have the time, resources, and self-discipline to actually put it into practice.

The four tests of a fulfilling life: 1) whether you are becoming who you want to be 2) whether you are living where you want to live 3) whether you are spending your time the way you want to spend it 4) whether you feel connected with the people you want to be with

Peace of mind is simply when you can dedicate yourself every day to the short-term goals that you know will lead to the long-term life you want.

True wealth isn’t a number you reach, it’s a lifestyle you maintain.

Life doesn't accommodate your desires, life accommodates your efforts in the right direction.

You will experience periods of self-doubt when things are not going according to plan. You just need to remember: these are also your periods of fastest growth, if you stay honest with yourself, acknowledge the flaws in your process, and actually choose to rebuild who you are.

You will always feel like you could've achieved more in your teens, your twenties, your thirties, and beyond. You actually achieved so far exactly what you deserved to achieve. You want the rest of your life to be different, you need to self-reflect, unlearn, relearn who you are.