Author: Paper Boundaries

Connecting with my (unknown) paternal grandparents This post certainly isn’t about me. However, I will start by reflecting on the fact I never had access to my paternal grandparents’ culture. My father is from an Italian background. I never lived with him and his parents were dead before I was born. I don’t speak Italian and have never visited Italy. However, I know I wouldn’t be here today if an Italian couple hadn’t fled Europe during times of conflict. I feel a little uneasy when people assume I can’t understand being from a migrant background because I’m ‘white’. Why?...

Setting: Summer 2019, pre-visitation In Summer 2019, my mother and I optimistically packed our bags for a three day visitation with my daughter. The ANA flight was marvelous and an air of nostalgia filled my nostrils as I exited the plane. Despite all that has happened, Japan is my second home and there is something to be said of that first whiff of humidity, fresh grass, luxury perfume, plastic, jet fuel and petrichor. After shuffling through customs and collecting my bags I grabbed a green tea and a small biscuit. I then took a bus to my favourite little...

What is the shipwrecked mind? The shipwrecked mind, coined by Mark Lilla, is a reactionary mindset belonging to those who reject what is good about the present and instead hang on to a nostalgic vision of the past. I came across it while reading an article about the Christchurch shootings and Lila’s book (very academic but still a good causal read) got me thinking about the mindset of parental child abductors. While the tragic events that occurred in Christchurch are clearly far more extreme than that of an isolated parental child abduction, discussions about the mindset of terrorists reminded...

Getting married in Japan (Part 1: Reflections) Marriage can be extremely positive and rewarding in Japan. Many of my good friends have amazing lives/experiences.  Without doxing anybody, there’s lots of business, lifestyle and family choices that are simply not available outside Japan. Many friends are living the dream operating their businesses in Japan within otherworldly river/mountain scenery, surrounded by amazing Japanese friends/clients who are willing to back business ideas that would be unthinkable elsewhere. All of them have top notch relationships with their Japanese spouses. Unfortunately, I have also seen a lot of marriages fail. Failed marriages don’t always...

Introduction Recently the Japanese Ministry of Justice requested comments on proposal number 300080169. Below is my submission (which does not meet the ‘readability’ standards of a blog post, so hopefully gives you something a little more frank). This links in with the Abduction Convention because the draft materials work alongside it, shaping how Japanese courts implement it. Apologies in advance if I have misinterpreted the proposal. While I speak conversational Japanese, I (unfortunately) am not very good at reading formal Japanese. I have used a translator to read proposed legislative changes. While this isn’t great practice, I want the...