A lifetime (mostly) in Boston…

So this is it.  The end of my blog.  No more pressure to write something witty and interesting on a regular basis (not that I always succeeded), and no more second guessing about what I wrote and how someone might react unfavorably.  But, it also means I don’t live in Tokyo anymore.  That may seem like a really obvious statement, but ever since I’ve been home in Boston it’s been a somewhat strange feeling that I won’t be hopping on a plane back to Narita anytime soon.

What do I miss?  I’ve answered this question at least 15 times since coming home and can’t say I have a concise response yet…but here’s the initial list:

• My friends and karaoke partners – the reintroduction to Duran Duran (among other old school bands) is irreplaceable!
• That first bullet point actually requires two mentions – I really do miss my Tokyo friends – expat and otherwise.
• The food.  Pretty much ANY of it, but amazing sushi tops the list.
• The clean bathrooms and fancy toilets
• Late nights at Mogambo’s
• The people who cleaned my corporate apartment twice a week – they should probably be higher on this list!
• The konbini, or convenience stores – they are amazing.  And the vending machines.

Obviously I could go on, but there are also many reasons I’m happy to be home in Boston, so rather than be morose about the fun times I’m missing, I’ll just be grateful for the chance I had to live such in such an amazing place and experience something utterly different from anything I could have guessed.

What did I learn?  I’m still not sure I could put it into writing in any coherent form and I know I couldn’t do justice to the experience.  But simply, I take from Japan a deeper respect for culture and tradition, for professionalism and commitment to one’s work, for pride in doing a good job, and the attention to details that make every experience unique and beautiful. Only in Japan – the good and the challenging.

Thanks for all of the support and good wishes you sent my way, especially after the March 11 earthquake, and thanks for the kind notes and emails that reminded me of what was waiting for me back at home.  Thanks to Keith for the title for this blog post – it was his suggestion for what I could name my next blog, but I’ll limit my rambling to this last post instead.

What am I looking forward to now?  This week, I’m excited to be driving up to Islesboro in the morning and can’t wait to see some special friends, visit the Dark Harbor Shop, and hopefully celebrate being home at an island dance!  I’m excited to have missed an awful winter in Boston and am looking forward to a great summer between Boston and Maine, with some visits to friends in Saratoga and a family wedding on the Cape.  Here’s to all the adventures yet to come…stay in touch!

And I’m home…

Back in Boston.  What a strange feeling!  I honestly seems as if I never left, except for the 17 boxes of stuff I had shipped back from Japan that are clogging up my apartment and still need to be unpacked.  Additional signs that I did in fact leave for a long while are shaping up so far as follows:

1. My family waiting at the airport with a welcome sign, balloons, and flowers (so nice!!)
2. An immediate desire to install a Japanese toilet in my house
3. Attempting to scan my Charlie card at the exit to the T the way you have to with the Tokyo metro
4. Jet lag that woke me up at 2 am and has me still awake at 6:45 am.  It’s going to be a long day.  

Without consistent internet access during my trip, I couldn’t do much blog updating about all the amazing stops along the way in Vietnam and Cambodia.  I was amazingly lucky to have two really fun tour groups to travel with through Intrepid, and despite my inability to adapt to really hot temperatures in Cambodia, I really enjoyed the entire experience.

Here are a few snapshots of Hanoi at least, as I’m still making my way through all of the photos from the rest of the adventure.  More to come, and surely a last post attempting to sum up the last year in some way!

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Southeast Asian adventures begin…

I left Japan for Hanoi on April 16 and was lucky enough to get this great view of Mt. Fuji from the air on our way over the country.  Pretty amazing stuff to see, and a great (almost) final goodbye to Japan.  I do fly back to Tokyo for one night after this adventure through Vietnam and Cambodia, but one night at a hotel near the airport isn’t quite the same and really returning to do anything or see anyone…but until then, I’m enjoying an amazing tour through Vietnam.

This will be a short post and more to come later on the details of the trip, but the group I’m with for the Vietnam portion is absolutely hysterical.  It’s all Aussies, Kiwis, and one British woman who lives in New Zealand (and me).  They’ve been wonderful and welcoming to the one single girl on the trip, and although they’re all about 20 years older than me, it’s been extremely fun!  Here’s a photo from Hanoi and one from Halong Bay…

We’re in Ho Chi Minh city right now and about to go out to dinner.  Tomorrow is a tour of the Mekong Delta, and then the Cambodia portion of the trip will kick off on Tuesday night, I think…somewhat apprehensive about what I hear is a 7 hour bus trip over the border, but thank goodness for my Kindle and my iPod.  Until then, Happy Easter!

The movers are here…

It’s the end of a chapter – my year (almost) in Japan is over today and I’m watching the movers pack my random collection of belongings for shipment home to the U.S.  They told me I could go get breakfast or something, but I think I’d feel too strange – it’s strange enough sitting here while they pack my stuff, but if I weren’t here I’d be worried they’d accidentally pack the couch or the suitcase I’m supposed to take to the airport this afternoon.  So, here I sit and type to keep myself occupied.

I did have a blast on my last night in Tokyo, which was a great send off (one of a million my friends have been kind enough to make happen).  One more unique Japanese dinner on the town – in Naka Meguro to be exact – and another round of karaoke before it’s no longer the thing to do at the end of the night.  I joined Tiffany, Thommo and some friends for dinner at Koi, an uber-creative sushi place that has about 15 seats – we took up about half the restaurant and spent about two hours trying the crazy creations and having multiple nama biiru.

One of the best bites of the night was the bacon and egg sushi – I tried to take photos with my blackberry, although they’re not the highest quality shots ever.  The second photo is the chef spooning boiling oil over a shrimp to cook it just before serving – absolutely amazing (and delicious)!  I’ve realized – although not for the first time – that a serious amount of my Japanese experiences revolve around food.  Although I’ll definitely miss it, I think my wallet is less happy since I’ll now have to invest in a slightly new wardrobe and a gym membership as soon as I’m home (and probably a trainer now that I think about it) since I’ve entirely gone off the rails here as far as my discipline.

Although they may hate me for this, the next photo is of Jeff and Thommo singing some sort of serious rock hit given what I think is Thommo’s air guitar hiding from view and Jeff’s obvious air guitar blurring through the photo.  Somehow, I just don’t think karaoke anyplace else will ever be the same!

I do have to say that one of the best gifts I’ve received in the last couple of weeks is a mix CD with all of our favorite karaoke standards on it that Suzanna, Keith, and Tiffany all contributed to (I think!).  I have a feeling I’ll be listening to it on the plane and intermittently laugh and cry depending on what comes on – it’s certainly quite a varied set of songs.  I’d list them out here, but the CD is packed and although it’s now on my iTunes, the song names didn’t come through, so I’ll have to share them later.  Needless to say, when one CD includes Jay Z, Duran Duran, Bette Midler, Janis Joplin, and Bon Jovi (just to name a few), there’s no way it CAN’T be the best compilation ever created!

So, I’ve managed to distract myself from what’s happening in the apartment for at least a little while, and I’ll try to shift my focus to the trip I’m starting this afternoon with a flight to Hanoi.  I got sad enough yesterday trying to say goodbye to everyone that I can’t quite try here (highlighted by the fact that I ran away from Suzanna in the hallway yesterday so that I wouldn’t burst into tears at work again), so this is absolutely a bittersweet departure.  But, I’m confident I’ll be back to visit Tokyo and force my friends to go to Mogambo’s again someday.

P.S.  One more fun photo on the Mogambo’s website (4th page of March 2011, bottom row).  I’ll miss you guys!!

Hanami in Tokyo

It’s cherry blossom time in Japan!  I joined friends for a hanami party today at the Koishikawa botanical garden and it was a pretty gorgeous afternoon.  The trees are in full bloom and it seems that all of Tokyo is out taking pictures…seriously.  I was glad to see so many people enjoying the traditional celebration despite the recent request from the mayor for people to avoid partying too much out of respect for the tragedy in Northern Japan.

I’m now down to 6 days before I leave Japan and it’s somewhat surreal.  I’m making all of the arrangements and getting myself organized to pack up the apartment and get ready for my trip, but I think I’m in a bit of denial about the fact it’s happening so quickly.  That said, the most recent aftershock of 7.4 last week had me feeling a bit less torn about going home!  I’m certainly still going to be sad to go and especially to leave my friends, but the earthquakes are somewhat exhausting since they bring back a humming level of anxiety that is just not enjoyable on a regular basis.

So, I’m trying to focus more on getting ready for my trip than I am on the mixed emotions of leaving.  I’m taking an 18-day trip through Vietnam and Cambodia before moving home to the U.S., so the barrage of photos and updates won’t quite be done until sometime in early May – sorry!  The map below shows the stops we’re going to be making on the tour, so I’m really excited to get to see so much of an area that I’ve always wanted to visit.  It’s organized by Intrepid Travel and is supposedly a group of 12 people, so while I’m happy not to be traveling alone, I’m still a bit wary of what the group dynamics will be, especially since I know I’ll be bunking with any other single traveler – so we’ll see!

I’m also happy I managed to book my travel to Hanoi and back from Bangkok all on airline miles, so that was a bonus.  Let’s hope the travel between points on the tour is as easy.  I’ve heard from friends who took the same tour last month that the one overnight train trip in Vietnam is a bit hairy from a cleanliness point of view, but also that the overnight boat stay in Halong Bay is amazingly comfortable and was a wonderful experience.  Can’t wait to check it all out!  I’ll probably get hand cramps from taking too many photos.

The slideshow below is mainly photos from the hanami party and other cherry blossom outings this week (plus the map above since I can’t segment out what goes into the photo pool in one blog post).

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It’s hard to make the good things last

When I arrived in Tokyo on July 14, 2010, I couldn’t imagine how long 9 months might feel, or how I’d adjust to my new home.  Living in another country, trying to figure out a new job with an entirely new team, being far from family…I worried I might have taken on more than I could manage.  But, although I had my challenging days now and again, it went so much easier than I expected.  Today, I’m honestly a bit shocked that I have only 14 days left before I’m done.  At some point after I’m home, maybe I’ll be able to take some time to reflect on exactly what I’m taking away from this experience, but being in the middle of everything right now, all I can say is that I’m sad to go.

I’m listening to music while I’m writing, and “Do You Realize” by The Flaming Lips just came on, and I think it’s pretty fitting.  First, because I had no idea who they were until I went to their concert here in Tokyo so they are one of many new experiences I’ve had since moving, and second because I’m a sap and the lyrics just kind of mirror the fact that time passes quickly and these transitions are just a part of our lives (they’re written at the bottom of this post).

Obviously I’m getting a bit melancholy here, but let’s just say that I’m not so good at letting people go from my life easily once I care about them.  But, as the saying goes, sometimes we really do just have people who are part of us for “a reason, a season, or a lifetime.”  There are people here in Japan who I may never see again after I go, and of course others who I have made (or continued) lasting friendships with and I know I will have them as part of my life for a long time.  Knowing that time and distance will make some of these friendships and connections fade or disappear makes me sad, but I’ve certainly learned time and time again that everything happens for a reason and I’ll trust in that for now.

Okay – on to less depressing topics!  Cherry blossoms.  They’re out – or in the process of blossoming at least, and it’s beautiful.  Especially after everything that has happened in Japan in the past month, it’s nice to have some tangible proof that spring is coming and there’s a lot to look forward to and enjoy.  This past weekend I took a walk through a little neighborhood called Kagurazaka, and on my way to meet Tiffany in the afternoon, I accidentally found a huge shrine with a memorial to the war, Yasukuni.  The weather was a slightly overcast, but it was warm and the sun definitely made more of an appearance as the day progressed.  The photos in the slideshow below are from both Kagurazaka and the shrine, with a good dose of cherry tree blossoms thrown in for good measure.

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Chorus to “Do You Realize” by The Flaming Lips:  ...and instead of saying all of your goodbyes – let them know…You realize that life goes fast…It’s hard to make the good things last…You realize the sun doesn’t go down…It’s just an illusion caused by the world spinning round.

P.S.  After posting this, my friend Bill shared an article from NPR written by the lead singer of the Flaming Lips, so I had to share.  Simple, but true.

Distraction is key

As you can imagine, being in Japan at the moment isn’t the most stress-free environment, especially with the added burden of knowing my family and friends think I’m crazy for still being here at all.  But, based on everything I’m seeing and experiencing, Tokyo is basically back to normal except for the power saving measures that companies and local businesses are taking to be more responsible.  Yes, there’s a threat of further complications with the radioactivity, but current water tests show no issues with the water supply, although many (including me) are using bottled water as much as possible just to be cautious.  Also, the US embassy made potassium iodide tablets available to us as well, so we have an emergency supply should that ever become necessary.  But I doubt it will based on how far we are from the power plant in any case.

But, as you might remember, I’m only here for two more weeks and it’s with very mixed emotions that I’m making my way through.  While there’s a lot to look forward to with my upcoming vacation, being home with family and friends, and my own apartment (and I’m ready to go back to my old job from a work perspective), the friends I’ve made here will be very hard to leave and the current situation makes me feel pretty guilty for leaving at such a challenging time.  God forbid I get called a “flyjin.”  I have some sense of anxiety about people thinking I’m leaving just because of this situation, although at the same time I don’t agree with others (mostly foreigners talking about other foreigners) who are judging people for making a personal decision about their own life and sense of safety or comfort.  There’s enough chaos right now without me worrying about what decisions other people are making.  Guess that means I shouldn’t care what opinions people have about my departure…

So, with all of that, I’m doing the best I can to keep myself distracted from both the overwhelmingly confusing news reports and the fact that I have to say goodbye to a lot of great friends in two weeks by staying as busy as possible.  I’m actually risking a few of those great friendships by posting the photo below from a night out last weekend, but I hope they’ll forgive me!  It’s not possible to quite explain why we thought attempting Blue Steel or giving some fake gang signs was so funny, but it was…

The rest of the night (this was just dinner to get things started) included stops at two different karaoke bars and was capped off by a late night visit to Mogambo’s, which has quickly become the backdrop for way too many of my fun stories.  Case in point is the photo I just found on their website of Mona’s visit in January and a bell-ringing episode! It’s the middle photo on the second row of the first page if the title “Mona” on the polaroid isn’t obvious enough.  I’m somewhat thankful they don’t yet have the March photos up…

This Saturday I’m going to try and check out a neighborhood called Kagurazaka that I had originally planned to stroll through a couple of months ago and never did.  Then plans call for a relaxing late Saturday afternoon at the spa and some cherry blossom photography on Sunday if the weather holds out.  I am definitely excited that I’ll get to see and experience the cherry blossom craziness, including a hanami party (grateful to friends for planning in honor of my departure) next weekend.  Hopefully it will be tame enough that I can find more than ONE questionable photo to share on here.

Since I seem to feel the need to post more than one photo, here’s one below.  I hope it’s a reminder that spring is here, there is still a lot to hope and pray for in Japan, and everyone here could really use some positive energy and support to outweigh the daily reminders that life is very, very fragile.  That said, we’re all making the most of every minute (at least I’m doing my best!).