Things I'm Glad I Bought | June 2026 Edition

June this year felt cooler than usual, didn't it?
Just as I was thinking that, I realized it's already full-blown summer. How was June for everyone?

As for me, it was a month where I took the plunge and replaced the work tools I spend the most time with every day. This month, I'll go through the things I'm glad I bought.

Things I'm glad I bought #1: "Desert" re-listened to on Audible

To be precise, it's not "bought" but "listened to." In June, I was re-listening to Kotaro Isaka's "Desert" on Audible.

It's a book I've read once before. As I followed it with my ears like background music, I remembered myself when I was a university student.

Rather than the content itself, there's a feeling of returning to the atmosphere of those days. After I finished listening, I felt like, "Maybe I'll try a little harder at life."

Even with the same book, the parts that resonate change depending on when you read it versus when you listen to it. I feel like reading by listening has that kind of power.

Things I'm glad I bought #2: ChatGPT Plus

Honestly, this was an expense I hesitated over a bit. I subscribed to ChatGPT Plus. $20 a month, which is about 3,300 yen.

I took the plunge, thinking, "Now is the time to invest in increasing my blog update frequency." Now, it acts as a sounding board for my blog operations.

However, I want to write this one thing. The content of the articles is, as always, my own primary information. The experiences, the photos, and the reasons for choosing things are all gathered by my own hands and feet. I won't leave that to AI.

There was also an unexpected harvest. GPT-Live, which just came out in July, is surprisingly excellent as an English conversation partner. It listens and speaks while nodding, so the pauses don't feel unnatural. Lately, it's become my go-to English conversation partner, and I'm starting to think I might be ready to graduate from the English conversation BootCamp I've been subscribed to for about half a year.

Things I'm glad I bought #3: FLEXISPOT E7H (Electric Standing Desk)

This is the biggest item of June.

What I had been using until now was a Kanademono iron leg base. I really loved the look of it. But honestly, it didn't have enough load capacity for the way I use a 27-inch monitor on an arm.

It would shake slightly every time I typed. The IKEA tabletop was gradually warping. For the sake of aesthetics, I kept swallowing that quiet stress.

What I switched to was the FLEXISPOT E7H. With a 160kg load capacity C-shaped frame, the chair's armrests don't bump into it. Even though I'm using the same tabletop, that shaking has disappeared.

I hesitated between black and white until the very end, but chose white. I didn't want to create a sense of oppression in the room. This was the right choice; the white legs make the space look lighter.

The price is usually 63,800 yen but it was 54,230 yen when I bought it. I honestly appreciated that extra push.

There was also an unexpected side benefit. On telework afternoons, I inevitably get sleepy. So, I decided to intentionally stand while working in the afternoon. It stretches my back and helps me stay focused. I only bought it because I wanted stability, but it even changed the way I work.

The aftermath of those two things I wrote about in detail on my blog

Actually, I have already written detailed reviews for these two on my blog. Here, I will only talk about what happened since then.

The Yamazen compact fan has been running by my side every night since then. The quietness that lets me sleep while playing soft music remains my favorite thing even after a month.

The Anker Eufy C28 is also working for me every day. I still think that feeling I wrote about, where "the texture of the floor changes," was not an exaggeration.

I have written detailed reviews on my blog, so please check them out if you are interested.

Yamazen Compact Fan AHX-FGD301 Review

Anker Eufy C28 Review

Things I'm interested in right now

Finally, here are some things I haven't bought yet but have been curious about for a long time.

Keychron's "Orca Echo." It is a split keyboard with a trackball. I never thought Keychron would release a split keyboard.

49 keys and a 19mm trackball at the right thumb position. It is a greedy spec that supports wired, Bluetooth, and 2.4GHz. It is currently in a crowdfunding format, and the super early bird price is 25,619 yen. It is scheduled to arrive in late November, so it looks like I will have to wait patiently. Honestly, just imagining it makes me a little excited.

Keychron Orca Echo (Crowdfunding)

June through the lens (FUJIFILM X100VI)

In June, I walked around the Kiyomizu-dera area in Kyoto with my X100VI. It was unfortunately a cloudy day. But I feel that the colors of Classic Neg really shine on days like this.

Please feel free to share in the comments what you were glad you bought or decided to skip in June. I hope you'll join me again next month.