Here follows my thoughts on my day of arrival in Japan.
(Here will follow many a logical
progression. I’ve been awake for almost
17 hours, so my brain’s not quite right. Hold on to your butts)
I almost can’t believe I’m here.
What’s more is I can’t believe
the feeling I’m currently feeling. But more on that later.
Let’s deal with the first
statement. Where am I? At present, I’m on the highway about 10 minutes out of
Narita airport and fiddling around with the supposed wireless internet that
this limousine bus is supposed to have. I’ve given up and decided to write this
instead while the feelings are still fresh in my mind.
A good question to ask at this
point is how I got on a bus from Narita bound for Haneda, the smartass answer
to which is that I walked up to the ticket counter and purchased a fare. The
more detailed answer is somewhat more interesting.
I’ve returned to Japan for yet
another stint of “Let’s teaching English.” Why? Yet again, simple answers. I’m
a firm believer in simple answers. They make life less complicated. In fact,
I’m reading a science fiction book right now called Voyage from Yesteryear
that is dealing with that very idea; I highly recommend it and I’m not even
finished! Back to my simple answers.
You see, on my first stint in
Tottoritown, I fell in love – twice. One was quite generalized and one quite
localized. If you’re reading this, chances are, you know who I am. And in
knowing who I am you know there are a few things I love more than just about
anything in the universe, which include (not exhaustively) Star Wars, cookies,
video games, my family, George Carlin, and, of course, Japanland.
Tottori, being the place I spent
most of my time, was the place that nurtured and cemented that love, and I’m
not just talking about the beautiful, beautiful kanji of its name. The amazing
nature, fantastic food, relaxed lifestyle, and last but not least, the
incredible people all came together in a delightful combination that caused me
to surrender completely and hopelessly in love.
It is also Tottori that
introduced me to the second love: a
seemingly ordinary, cheery young woman who turned out to be nothing but (she’s
so much more!). During my time there, I got to know her first as a friend, then
as something more, then as something much, much more. She’s caused me to
examine aspects of my life and the world around me that I’ve never considered
before and has (and is) continually forced me to grow as a person – not due to
threats (though there’s a fair share), but from a genuine want of myself to do
better. I am lucky to have found her and have her in my life.
Which brings me back to my
original statement and its implication: what am I doing here? Well, after I
returned to Canada in 2009, that fantastic young woman took it upon herself to
move to Toronto for a year, simultaneously satisfying two lifelong ambitions:
to travel and even live in a foreign land, and to endlessly torture an
unsuspecting young man. I dare say that she succeeded on both fronts, and after
that year ended this June, she returned triumphantly to Japan.
Where did that leave me? And she?
And us? Even before she came in 2011, the question we were getting from just
about everyone was, “So what’s gonnna happen when she leaves?” “So what’s gonna
happen when she leaves?” I’ll tell no lie – I don’t think either of us truly
knew what was going to happen. We both had aspirations and hopes, shared and
private, but we didn’t 100% have a game plan. That was how it was until this
May.
I came across a position on the
grapevine, a teaching gig in Tottori, no less. It was (almost) exactly what I
was looking for, one of those one-in-a-million opportunities. In a nutshell, I
applied, and, after some tribulations with (getting to) the (online) interview,
I got the job. I sprung it on her nonchalantly one morning as we enjoyed a
breakfast by a river surrounded by mountains in Alberta. The look on her face
was some of the best few seconds I’ve ever experienced. It’s really a thing to
completely and utterly floor someone.
So that’s it! I gots me a job,
and have returned to my favourite place to be with my favourite person. Can’t
get more simple that that. Got a job, rode a plane, changed currency (man, the
rates suck for coming this way), bought a bus ticket, here I am.
That brings you up to speed, to
the minute, with where I am in life. I’ve not forgotten to talk about that
feeling I mentioned at the start.
It’s hard to put into words.
Since the Big Return of ’09, I’ve been back to Japanland twice on vacation, and
I told people upon return to Canada about how natural and familiar it felt as
soon as I got off the airplane. It has been about 18 months since my last
visit, and that sentiment hasn’t change one bit. In fact, it’s gotten stronger!
When I walked through Narita airport, I felt like I was in Pearson – nevermind
all the Japanese people and language around. Then I got on the bus.
…
It was like I was just here
yesterday. And not that nostalgic “oh, feels like yesterday”-yesterday, but
ACTUALLY yesterday. As in the day before, 24 hours prior. Nothing feels exotic
or missed. It all feels100% familiar and natural. The rice patties, the
pachinko parlours, the love hotels, all normal, as if life couldn’t be any
other way. (By the way, I’m now passing Tokyo Disney).
Did the last three years happen?
That’s probably the best way to articulate the feeling. Of course, I remember
everything about Toronto, and I should because I was there 12 hours ago. But,
as strange as it sounds, everything around me right now feels natural and
Toronto almost feels like a distant memory, as though I have to reach back to
recall life there.
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