I will miss...

In many ways I will miss my life in Japan. I will miss the people who have moved mountains to make me part of their community and help in my way through this strange land. I will miss the food, too much to mention and I'm sure you know from my many posts on food how much I'll miss it. I will miss the children, their 'genki' like attitude to life, their smiles and playing games with them, not to mention how unbelievably cute they all are! I will miss the mountains, the trees, the lakes and rivers; the beaches, the old towns and the cities. I will miss the sun and blue sky and the snow in winter. I will miss the blossom in spring and the red leaves in autumn. I will miss vending machines and convenience stores. I will miss being the tallest person in most crowds. I will miss being special and unique. I will miss the cute girls checking me out (Lets face it, it doesnt happen in London). I will miss onsen and adventures. I will miss the joy of actually being able to read something in Japanese. I will miss those random moments when I have no idea what the hell is going on. I will miss teaching, though I look forward to get back to design. I will miss a lot about Japan and although I'll get to come back at some point, it won't be the same.

I will miss Japan.

Day 1 - Nomadic Life

Goodbye Shoo. Goodbye job. Leaving our almost empty flat still left me with feelings like I'm not really going anywhere. It makes me fearful that after I leave this will feel like a bizarre, year long dream. A mere fantasy. It also made me think of all the great things I've done this year, but also the things I wish I'd done or the things I wish I'd done differently. Living in Japan requires a huge learning curve and some trial and error. Maybe with this experience, the second year would have been better, but also maybe the novelty of small town life might wear off. I didn't want to have regrets, but they now seemed to cloud my mind. But the next phase of my life has begun...

It's the beginning of our month long, nomadic life before boarding our plane back to England and I'm starting off tired. I feel so confused about where I am and what I'm meant to be doing. Having no job, no flat, no ties (for the next month at least) should be liberating, but where do you start? I feel I've lost a little purpose, other than seeing stuff and finding somewhere to eat. I'm hoping I will soon begin to unwind and relax into the groove of being on a months vacation as one should. In some ways it's a bit like a working vacation being an ALT so many things won't be so different.

At the Station

Only women are allowed out on this train.

Boxes and Suitcases

Well, its almost time to go and I am currently living in a cardboard box fortress. I feel so many mixed things about Japan. There is so much I love and so much I don't love so much, its hard to decipher some kind of collusion from all of this. On the whole, I have loved living in Japan and I don't for one second regret coming here. It has been an experience of a lifetime and a daily roller-coaster ride of randomness, pleasure, excitement and side of confusion. Japan has tested me, but I like to think I leave a wiser man than when I arrived. A year is short, but it seemed to fit with the work back home and another year would have gone one of two ways; I would have either loved it so much I'd never come back to England or it would have drove me insane and made me bitter about this island nation.

Too Close to See the Wood for the Bamboo

I can't help feeling once I leave I will appreciate this experience much more. I have lived here for so long, sometimes its hard to think about my life in England. It's going to seem like a reverse culture shock coming back and maybe I'll miss a lot of things I took for granted in Japan. But, if travelling as much as I have has taught me anything, its that no place is perfect and there is no place like home.

Good Goodbyes

I should mention and reiterate after my rant at Japanese culture the other week that there are some amazing things about Japan and Japanese people. I've had some very fond goodbyes from teachers, students and friends in the last few days. I have been given presents, flowers and dinner. On leaving my each of my three schools for the last days I received a round of applause from all the teachers. But most impressively, I have received HUNDREDS of goodbye notes and letters from my students. The general consensus is that they have enjoyed my lessons and that I made learning English fun and easy. It is one thing to get complements from the teachers but when its from the students I feel I have something truly to be proud of. I must have high-fived 95% of the students in one school goodbye as they all left on the last day. I know I've only been here a year, but hopefully I have made an impact on some peoples lives.

I, however, am crap at goodbyes. Especially when I might not see that person again. I have not idea how to end it. So here is a picture of me and some teachers:

Mask Culture

Japanese people love their surgical masks and you see them wearing them all the time. I cant but help find it a little antisocial and intrusive. I understand if someone is concerned about their health, but I know some people who wear theirs all the time. I see people wearing them in their cars driving home. It doesn't seem to be just about preventing colds or population, but also a metaphorical mask. Japanese people can sometimes be very shy and I guess hiding behind a 'mask' gives them a little security. Although, maybe Im wrong and they just paranoid about germs.