Hello from Sapporo, Hokkaido!

I’ve been living on this beautiful northern island of Japan for 15 years but originally hail from Toronto, Canada.

I first heard the Japanese language when I was 13 years old, when a friend from school invited me to watch “The Slayers” anime. I still remember my heart racing as I listened to the captivating voices of Megumi Hayashibara and Hikaru Midorikawa. My love for the language was born, and the culture, music, and art of Japan kept me motivated through my teenage years when I was going through a difficult time. I begged my generous father to send me on a homestay in Japan when I was 15, and was lucky to land in Kamifurano, Hokkaido, where I met the loving Toyama host-family. One month in the lavender fields with the family made me want to live there again. When I graduated from the University of Waterloo, Ontario with a Major in Fine Arts and Minor in East Asian Studies, my dream was to work in the music and television industry of Japan.

I moved to Japan the only way I knew how, through the JET Programme as an English Assistant Language Teacher (ALT). I chose Hokkaido as my new home, and Shiranuka Town welcomed me for two years. After sharing my dream to Mayor Takao Tanano of working in the media, he supported me completely. I moved to Sapporo in August 2010 to pursue my career goals, but I got lost along the way. I couldn’t just walk up to TV stations and ask for a job (believe me, I tried). I signed up to Japanese language school, passed the N2 JLPT, took every MC job I could find, and exchanged business cards with every person I met that worked in TV and Radio in Sapporo. Then, I prayed.

It was nothing short of a miracle when I got my first job at local Hokkaido radio station 80.4 FM AIR-G’. I was inexperienced, my Japanese wasn’t so great, but my passion for Japanese music and meeting new people was raw. Thanks to the directors that patiently trained me, I was able to interview incredible artists like ‘back number’ and ‘ONE OK ROCK’ on the radio show ‘Now & Next.’ The second miracle was when I got a commentator job on a new afternoon TV show at UHB (now known as Min-Tere). I worked for hours on my resume and submitted it to the reporter position. I lived near the TV station and made sure every time I walked by, to stop on the corner of the building and literally close my eyes and pray “God, give me this job!” And, prayers do get answered! 

But the problem was the working visa: How do you get a working visa in Japan without being an English teacher? I lost count of how many times people pushed me to “just get married” with someone Japanese. I was frustrated, and the rules to hire a foreigner in media companies was very strict, so the one-shot jobs I was doing just didn’t cut the minimum monthly salary any one company could afford. So I prayed again.

The only option was to go back to school. My fine arts degree was completely unrelated to the media field, so Japanese immigration could easily refuse my freelance visa. I begged my (very generous) father again for help, and I signed up to the Sapporo Visual Arts college with sponsorship for the two year ‘performing arts’ program that included voice training and acting. I kept doing side-jobs on TV and radio during that time, and was honored to be chosen for the TBA Girls 8 team. I was approached to introduce Sapporo on Journeys in Japan NHK, and I also acted in a local stage act written by Inada-Gumi. But that still wasn’t enough to give me a working visa. I was running out of time, and options.

I started attending Lifehouse Sapporo International church from 2011, and kept praying for answers and direction. Set aside all the fun from TV and being in the spotlight, what stood out the most to me was the amazing relationships I had made along the way. I realized what I wanted most was to stay in Sapporo and stay part of this amazing community, no matter what job. So my final prayer for this story of how I got here was “Okay God, my dream was to work in TV and radio, but I let it go. If I could stay in Sapporo, then I’ll even do English teaching again, if that’s what You want me to do.” Even though it felt like I was giving up on my dream, I felt so much peace about that prayer. And within two weeks, I got a phone call with an invitation to a full-time job offer including visa sponsorship from Hokkaido Television Broadcasting (HTB) to work at their International Relations department and be a host on their new TV show “Love Hokkaido.” Come on!!!

Now, I’m living happily with my husband Johannes Berns and our two daughters in Sapporo, hoping to write and publish books based in Hokkaido that will eventually be on the big screen here in Japan. Stay tuned!

I have so many more stories to share, so if you’d like to hear more, please sign up to my newsletter for monthly short stories, and more.

Wherever you’re reading from, I hope we can meet in Hokkaido someday. 🙂
Keep dreaming, keep believing and keep praying!