One year ago today

One year ago today, I left Japan and began my journey home. I remember it being a stressful day: there were bank accounts to be closed, tearful goodbyes to be said, and my apartment keys and my trusted mama-chari (granny bike) to be relinquished. As I rode the train to the airport, catching my last glimpses of the beautiful lake and mountains, I felt all those special people and places being torn from my heart. It was a very, very sad day.

Coming back to Canada was hard at first because I had to let go of not only my old life in Japan but also my old life in Victoria three years ago. Almost one year has passed since I've come back, and I think I've finally come to terms with things. To use Aggie's favourite phrase, I'm "in transition", but once I finish this thesis, I'll be free again. I'm looking forward to the next adventure.

Would I live in Japan again? I'm not sure. Those three years were amazing, and were I to go back, it might be disappointing. To use an old cliche, you can't turn back time. Things wouldn't be the same, and I wonder if some of the magic would be lost. Then again, every experience is full of new possibilities, with new places to see and new friends to meet.
Maybe after graduation I'll reward myself with a trip, one that includes a stopover in Japan. Then I'll head up to Imazu, have udon with Hatsumi, go for a swim in the lake or soak in the hot springs, have a good long chat with my dear friend, Mr. Oe, and have a beer or three with the Takashima-gun gang at Bumblebee, our local.

My horoscope today says: "If you focus on the things that you have in common with other people, and ignore the things that keep you apart, this will be a highly productive day. Friendships and group activities are under excellent stars at the moment, so make an effort to work with people and your efforts will pay off for you, for them, and for the world at large." I'm going to remember my time in Japan by eating sushi and drinking Kirin today, and I'm going to make a toast to all the friends I've made in those three years. You'll always have a special place in my heart. Itsumo genki da na! (^3^)

Strange rites of passage

Before people get married, their friends and family seem to feel that they need to subject the happy couple to odd, humiliating rituals, otherwise known as bridal showers and stags.

Bridal showers are usually fairly tame affairs, with friends, aunts, moms and grandmothers nibbling on sandwiches while they play silly games, like draping the bride in a gown of toilet paper. Of course, if you imbibe in too much sangria, like my friend Megan here, you may end up eating "dicks on sticks" (chocolate-covered bananas with a strawberry on top). These were surprisingly good...although it was a little disconcerting to see the little old lady across from me deep-throating hers with great relish!

Men, on the other hand, are much more cruel. While Megan's shower was a friendly gathering at her parents' home, her poor husband-to-be, Dave, was wandering around Victoria drunk...and in a diaper. He doesn't remember too much from that night, but perhaps that is for the best! Of course, the tradition of completely humiliating the groom and getting him absolutely smashed will never stop, because the groom probably tortured his friends when they got married, and those same men were probably all to eager for some revenge. And on and on it goes.

So be careful what you do to your friend, because it may come back to haunt you!

The summer of love

Well, ok, it's not the summer for me per se, but love is certainly in the air! I've been invited to seven - yes, seven - weddings this year. Hmm, I wonder if there's a wedding cake diet?