Finally Home

I regret to put off my final post to almost a week of my returning home, but I felt the need to sort many things out in my head before trying to put them in words.  It's been a crazy ride, and it still feels a bit like a dream to me.   That, and Japan has turned me into a perfectionist which means I am less likely to accomplish things on time (these entries get quite lengthy after all).

So let's start where I left off!

I visited the embassy on the 5th to meet with Suzanne Basalla, advisor to the Ambassador.  She had shown some interest in meeting with Boren scholars after working with one in the Pentagon.  I arrived in the Asakusa well in advance, attuned to my newly acquired propensity for tardiness.  Walking on the sidewalk towards the embassy, I was stopped by a friendly Japanese guard asking what my business was.  I suddenly realized that the sidewalk was embassy property, as several Americans bearing ideas were ushered in without trouble.  I mentioned that I came to meet someone, and they began to lead me up to the visitor's entrance, only to come back an hour later when it was time for my appointment.

Fair enough.  In the meantime I found a nice little organic cafe with a free salad bar and spent some time considering what to discuss.  That morning, while looking for information on the embassy's web page, I had ended up browsing the foreign agricultural service's page and stumbled upon a perfect presentation about Japanese food security in both English and Japanese.  A brief moment of frustration for the excellent Fabric presentation that could have been, before saving it to my flash drive in advance for the future.   But enough of missed perfect opportunities.  Back to the embassy.

Two other scholars also attending the brief luncheon; one was formerly stationed in Okinawa and another was on the short-term scholarship program for math and science majors.  The session was brief, and discussed finding government employment, the base issue at Futenma and the ambassadors interest in promoting Japanese study abroad in the states as a means of improving language education.  Indeed, among the same reasons that most Americans don't study abroad--it is too time consuming and detracts from time spent searching for jobs.  Valid, but when will you find the time in the future to study abroad?  I was under the impression that employers value such experiences as they add bulk to resumes, but perhaps I am mistaken.

After this adventure, I  decided to wander around Tokyo awhile longer, and ended up in Akihabara where I had been once before.  I relished the colorful buildings, maid costume-clad girls advertising maid cafes on the street, tourist-geared duty-free shops and stores full of electronics and multimedia as much as I could before my extended retreat to more bland (but less headache-inducing) scenery.

On Saturday I arose early to participate in a flea market in Yoyogi Park, just off of the Harajuku Station and Meiji Jingu.  My Australian friends and I arrived around 10, but the park was already crowded and lively.  I met my Japanese friend who I had WWOOFed with just before, as well as her Australian boyfriend.  In total, the 5 of us and our merchandise squeezed into the space afforded us by our picnic-blanet-sized tarp.  On which we arranged rows of clothing, dishware, CDs, rice cookers, a water filter, hot pots, chairs, and other necessities from dorm life that was not invited on the guest list to our return flights.

 

All-in-all, it was a successful event, considering the primary goal was to get rid of things rather than make a profit.   However, almost as if the Japanese could sense this, they were fierce negotiators, and almost never let me get away with my initial price, even if it was only off by a mere 20 yen.  I suppose that the competition posed by Japan's plethora of cheap unused goods makes even the Japanese a force to be reckoned with when it comes to bargaining a fair price.  Next to us, a man from India had been selling jewelry and other goods.  It turned out that was part of his income to help support his family.  Even though it was a prohibited act, his earnest ambition and sincerity was admirable.

These conversation reflected how we passed the sweltering hours until 4:00 or so.  After my Australian friends had left to explore Tokyo,  we ducked into a coffee shop in Harajuku to cool off before exchanging our last goodbyes.

On the way home, I took an impulsive measure and got off the train at Ichikawa, where they were holding that town's summer festival.  This means fireworks.  This means that up until that stop, the train had been crowded with people to the point where I was pressed to the wall of the car in a claustrophobic churn of blase passengers, some decked out in yukata.  I had to assume an interesting position to accommodate the suitcase that I had brought my goods in, and in return the suitcase provided some breathing room, but as a result made me look like a lone foreigner quarantined in my corner that Japanese would not dare to approach even on the most crowded train.

When I got off the crowds became more intense, and people lined up to exit the station, an act which took at least 15 minutes.  Afterwards, I followed the crowds down streets lined with lanterns selling beer and grilled festival foods, making my way to the fireworks ascending promisingly in the distance.  Finally I arrived to a beach, and could finally sit and watch the fireworks free from distraction of walking and photography (both my camera and cell phone were dying at this point).  I could only detect a couple of differences between fireworks in Japan and America.

1. Japanese fireworks are presented in "competition" format, meaning there are several different sets lasting about 5 minutes or so each.
2. Japanese fireworks have a grand "beginning" as opposed to a finale.  Usually this takes the form of many fireworks shot up simultaneously in a big burst that surprises spectators.
3.  Japanese fireworks are accompanied by a nice classical soundtrack.  Sometimes American ones are too, but somehow the practice in itself just seems more Japanese.

The next day I enjoyed a final day of shopping with a good friend of mine before heading to a party hosted by the leader of our circle, Fabric.  The night was a very interesting one indeed.

Having gotten there late, everyone was waiting.  Parties don't start until everyone arrives.  As guest of honor, I was told to sit on the floor cushions in front of the table.  Once everyone arrived, we had pizza, sushi and various snacks such as sticks made out of squid.  And then "bring out the cake" or something to that effect was announced.  I was quite without words when I found out that the cake was brought out for me.  In spite of having been involved with the group for a mere 2 months, they had prepared such a thoughtful farewell present complete with a card and rose.  It was one of the sweetest send-offs I've ever experienced, and will surely never forget.  Everyone gave me such a wonderful time, and by the end of the night I was really happy to have joined Fabric in spite of the abbreviated period. 

Rolled omelette sushi

The next day I met some friends in Kinshichou for lunch and purikura before packing up to head home.  Kinshichou left me with fond memories, both of my capsule hotel experience and my delayed arrival to Tokyo.  I left behind some exceptional people, as well.

Finally, the moment of truth arrived, and it was the day of my return to the States.  After a series of frenzied last-minute preparations, I headed off to the airport with a good friend, leaving my newly established life in Chiba behind.

While I initially wasn't crazy about my location near Tokyo, I'm now so grateful for the people it has brought me into contact with.  Throughout my time in Japan, I was trying to determine what would be the best usage of 10 months.  I hastily tried to fit in activity after activity on top of studying (I'm really only used to just the latter) while also trying to grow and understand the world from a unique perspective.  I suppose the conclusive statement is that having friends and traveling experiences are most important in a foreign country, but even more important is balance.  Studying, playing, shopping in moderation, cleaning, taking care of friends, taking care of yourself, maintaining a positive attitude, thinking 10 steps in advance.  The formula for success is universal.

The experience of studying abroad also provided everything that I wanted; the opportunity to adapt to a new environment alone and learn how to become more independent.  I am grateful for all of the resources I had, such as great and supportive friends in Japan as well as friends and family in the States, a wealth of information as my disposal, and the help and hospitality of the Japanese.  Learning from others, exchanging ideas, cooperating and communicating, these are the reasons people study abroad and learn new languages.  Through respecting other cultures we bring ourselves closer to humanity and realize that we're all striving toward the same goals.  Intercultural understanding replaces competition with cooperation, and realizes the miracle that is globalization.  The next step is to ensure that our new globalization to reflects the needs of a planet and it's living population.

In conclusion, I really will miss Japan.  I learned a lot from the culture that I want to put into practice in my life.  I want to cherish my new friendships and hopefully to return again when the opportunity arises.  Until then...

勉強で頑張ります！

This is the final entry, and from here on out I will be keeping a daily diary in Japanese on lang-8.com (http://lang-8.com/181351). 

Thank you for reading my blog, everyone! 
  
*:--☆--:*:--☆:*:--☆--:*:--☆--:ｍ（．＿．）ｍアリガト*:--☆--:*:--☆:*:--☆--:*:--☆--: