Reflections on Leaving Japan....Ichi go Ichi e

My life lately has been extremely hectic. Suddenly I have tons to do at work and out of it. At work there has been seminar after seminar, and meeting after meeting. Out of work I have been learning to DJ (my debut is in a small Nagasaki city club this Friday), trying to learn all the forms of jodo and iaido (since I won’t get as much of a chance to train in either when I get back), packing, cleaning, making travel plans for Europe and trying to squeeze every ounce of summer fun that I possibly can out of my last weeks here in the land of the rising sun.

Two years. Not a short amount of time, but then again, not overwhelmingly long. It seems like it went in a mere blink, but when I walk or drive around my little portion of Japan now I realize just how used to everything I am. This has really become my home in so many ways. I have weekly routines, daily conversations in Japanese, a clear place in Japanese society and a good social circle. I have accomplished a lot and have ended up somewhere different than I intended, but in many ways somewhere I know is closer to where I want to end up in the long term. I have learned that life is unpredictable a lot of the time, but that that is part of the fun. I have learned that I love brutal honesty more than politeness and fakeness, though I recognize the need for the latter in professional settings now. I have added two martial arts to my repertoire, as well as the basics of another foreign language. I ate raw fish (I who disliked fish of any kind before coming here).. I have experienced traditional tea ceremonies, crazy Japanese office parties, and relaxed in beautiful onsen hot springs. I have met people from all around the world and learned we all have way more in common than not, and the nots are what lead to most of the good conversations anyways. Did I mention I ate raw fish?? Actually even saying that seems so mundane now, especially after the plethora of previously unheard of sea and land creatures I have eaten since coming here.

Listing everything that I have seen and done in the past two years would be impossible and probably boring for anyone other than me though. So I’ll stop with the above paragraph. I am not sure if I will write another blog entry from Japan after this simply because I am too busy for reflection, but I just wanted to say it has been one hell of a ride.

I still remember getting off the plane in Nagasaki airport with Nicole and realizing I was going to the middle of nowhere, knowing no one, and not speaking the language of majority. I remember moving from the little town of Shimabara closer to the city last year, and having most of my really good friends leave Japan, thus leaving me to start over again on my own. I was so scared last year about how this year would go, and really it turned out to be even better than the first.

In this final glance back, I regret nothing, and though I will miss a lot of things, I feel ready to move on finally. I will stay in touch with many people, and though I will never be able to have the exact crazy wonderful times that I have had here, I will keep a memory of those things and bravely go forth towards continuing to gain more experiences of a similar nature. I was still for too long before, but after the last few years I am finally ready to accept that action is the only way to keep myself doing meaningful things. It is also wonderful to know, that as I have adopted a global perspective, and move towards an international career, I will have friends in many corners of the world. Not just acquaintances but people that I really consider solid individuals. That is a very, very nice feeling to have. 　Arigatou, Japan. Honto ni, arigatou.