Melissa Uchiyama is an author and writing mentor to young people. She's an American Jew who's made Japan her home for nearly 20 years, raising her family, and more recently, hosting thousands of Israelis. Melissa is the podcast host and co-creator of Tokyo Shishi Podcast. You can subscribe to her Substack newsletter called Jewish Food Writing. Melissa leads creative writing camps and food writing retreats. While Japan is continually the star destination, she can tell you what it's really like here, as a local whose heart is also tied to Israel.
