August 2019 Bar Bulletin
By Kiyoko Kamio
On this tranquil afternoon, I’m savoring my celebratory drink. Before me lies a vast expanse of skyscrapers. In the heart of Tokyo, this sutaba (the abbreviation for Starbucks in Japanese) evokes the sights and smells of Seattle, the Emerald City. Those days spent surrounded by the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest feel impossibly distant. My family and I now live within a concrete jungle populated by sharp-suited professionals. This is my childhood landscape. I am a Japan-born, U.S.-qualified lawyer.
Nearly seven years ago, I departed from Seattle and returned here — with my American family. Both our children successfully braved Japan’s...