Since she started using the mixi Web site last summer, Yuki Nikitaki has linked up with a network of friends all over the world, including in Japan, and in Greece where she grew up.

"One of the reasons I started mixi was that I wanted to practice my Japanese," says Nikitaki. "Now it is a nice way of meeting people with the same interests.

"For example, I met a Japanese guy who makes sushi in Athens. When I went back to Greece for the holidays, he made me some nice 'chutoro.' "