23-year-old American lives alone in Japan: I could never ‘afford something like this’ in the U.S.
Growing up in Southern California, Ashley Peters had always been interested in Japanese culture and cuisine.
During the pandemic, she became obsessed with anime: the characters who never gave up, the friendships, the quiet slice-of-life moments. She was infatuated with the sound of the language and the minimalist aesthetic. The shows made her want to experience it all for herself.
In January 2025, a little less than a year after she graduated from UC Irvine, Peters boarded that flight to move to Japan.
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