Being a Broad

I thought I'd take a minute to tell all your foreign ladies out there about Being a Broad.

It's a support and information network for foreign women living in Japan, although Japanese ladies are also welcome to join. Set up in 1997 by the lovely Caroline Pover, Being a Broad holds girly nights out, careers seminars and other meetings in Tokyo every month. However, if you don't live in Tokyo, fear not! There are Being a Broad reps all over Japan, with events happening in various prefectures. Shizuoka prefecture's rep is my friend Ali (check her blog at http://haikugirl.wordpress.com/). They publish a magazine every month, which you can get hold of through a rep or view online from the website, and have an online forum where you can ask questions, find out about events or
 just vent about whatever is bothering you!

I was lucky enough to attend some Being a Broad events in Tokyo back in September. In one weekend, I managed to fit in a book launch (for Caroline's book), a career seminar about Life Coaching and a brunch. In two days, I met some of the most fascinating, inspiring women that I have ever met. Some of these women speak little to no Japanese, and yet are budding enterpreneurs, boldly setting up businesses in and around Tokyo - life coaching, photography studios, hair salons, craft shops... it really opened my mind to the things that can be achieved in Japan. We are capable of doing more than teaching English if we make the right contacts and believe in our ideas. Being a woman in Japan can be difficult at times, especially when it feels as if every foreign guy is married to a Japanese woman, but that nobody is interested in us... I suggest that any girl who's feeling this way attempts to get to a Being a Broad night out to inject a little more girl power into her life!!

So, once again, that website is http://www.being-a-broad.com/, or you can search Facebook for the group!