Essays, notes, and thinking by Khoi Tran.https://khoitrn.com/en-ushttps://khoitrn.com/writing/what-275-years-looks-like/https://khoitrn.com/writing/what-275-years-looks-like/a 275-year-old paint company in kyoto called themselves custodians, not owners. i didn't fully understand what that meant until i watched a second-year apprentice learn by standing next to someone.Wed, 10 Jun 2026 20:56:11 GMThttps://khoitrn.com/writing/the-bear-dance-and-what-it-cost/https://khoitrn.com/writing/the-bear-dance-and-what-it-cost/most visitors to Japan never learn that Japan has an indigenous people. i didn't either, until i sat front row at Upopoy and watched a culture refuse to disappear.Thu, 04 Jun 2026 21:21:13 GMThttps://khoitrn.com/writing/invisible-losses/https://khoitrn.com/writing/invisible-losses/mymizu, meiji shrine, and a cooking class in tsukiji walked into the same question from three different directions.Mon, 01 Jun 2026 12:00:24 GMThttps://khoitrn.com/writing/two-japans-in-one-day/https://khoitrn.com/writing/two-japans-in-one-day/what a bullet train, a consulting firm, and a group of middle schoolers taught me about a country that contains multitudesFri, 22 May 2026 10:33:40 GMThttps://khoitrn.com/writing/you-cant-translate-your-way-into-a-culture/https://khoitrn.com/writing/you-cant-translate-your-way-into-a-culture/What a Japanese student said at a high school exchange that I haven't stopped thinking about.Wed, 20 May 2026 20:24:30 GMThttps://khoitrn.com/writing/hello-world/https://khoitrn.com/writing/hello-world/Wed, 29 Apr 2026 16:49:34 GMT