On leaving Japan

Kagoshima_Sakurjima

My 10 months in Japan is almost over and it is time to pack up and fly back to Sydney. What can I say, it’s been a wild ride. A lot of events, celebrations, and great experiences overall. But now its time to say goodbye, time to leave Japan for a while, time to go back to my proper studies in UTS.

It’s a strange feeling. On one hand its sad to leave Japan and Kagoshima, as it is a nice place to live once you get used to all the quirks of the culture and social interactions. Then on the other hand, my mind is already in Sydney settling down in my new house in Rhodes, setting up my new iMac and just getting ready to go back to university.

There are a lot of things that will be greatly missed: like the fast and convenient trains; the ability to go anywhere by bike; the delicious, healthy and cheap food; the safety; the rejuvenating waters of the onsen; the fast and unlimited internet; and just life in general. But then again there are a lot of things that I have to look forward to, such as: variety in food, delicious meat, cheap and juicy fruit; the ability to pay with my credit card everywhere; not having to deal with stacks of paperwork every week; next semester of uni and new challenges.

Maybe because I can adapt to a new place easily, that I don’t really find much sadness and discomfort in leaving the old one behind. Maybe because I am always busy looking forward and thinking about my future, that I don’t have time to worry about the past, and regret not doing something better. To me the world is one whole thing, it doesn’t matter whether I am in Japan, Australia or Europe, wherever I am, I will call that place home. And one amazing piece of technology, the internet, helps enforce this idea of having a single home – the Earth. By staying connected I can be everywhere at once, I can live in any place in the world, yet be connected to the events and people somewhere entirely different.

I have already shipped 2 11kg boxes to Sydney, which cost me about 150$ and I am slowly starting to sell off my kitchen appliances and pack up my suitcase. In just 2 weeks, I will be back in Sydney, and will be remembering about the fun I had here, but always looking at the future, at the fun I will have in my life from now on.

Why am I wiring a post like this? Because of this: This Japanese Life Blog. I have read the book, I have read his blog, and his writing makes you reevaluate your life, your priorities and see that everything changes, you just need to change with it.