Category: Japan Living

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First New Year’s in Japan

Dear Virtual Diary,

My first New Years in Japan was enlightening and very enjoyable.

My New Year’s included five major events:

My brother’s arrival to Japan. He arrived on December 29th and we reunited on December 30th. It is nice to have a family around.

新年会 (New Year’s Japanese Party/BBQ):

The cover photo was the back drop for our BBQ as we sat, ate, drank and conversed about everything and anything. The beef was rich and the beers were cold. We all then pass out on the floor watching the New Year’s boxing match.

初日の出 (First Sun Rise):

Hiked up Hiyama mountain and watched the first sun rise of 2017 and I now have the urge to watch all future first sun rises of the year where ever I am. I watched the sun rise above the clouds while my mind focused on nothing but the sun. No thoughts of the future, no thoughts of those around me, all focus on the fiery golden sun.

桂浜温泉 (Onsen bath house):

After the hike up Hiyama, I received a ticket for free entry at Katsuragahama’s onsen. It was my first time in the onsen during winter and it felt great.  Going to the bath house is probably one of the best ways I relax in japan.

神社に行った (Shrine Visit):

This wasn’t my first time to a shrine, in Japan, but it was my first time to a shrine during New Years. I sat on a chair in the main room of the shrine and in front of me were fresh vegetables and large bottles of Japanese sake. My understanding is that these vegetables and sake are offerings to Kami-sama (God).

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Still Pending…

Dear Virtual Diary,

To Stay or Not to Stay.

I have been giving a lot of thought lately to how long I will stay in Japan for. With this particular job and living situation, I have a maximum of 5 years. Currently, I am not sure how long I want to be here for. Gary Snyder stayed for 10 years…

Instead of thinking of reasons of why I should stay, I have been thinking of reasons of why I should go.

Believe me I know that I am jumping the gun, but when you are out on an island with 6,000 people you tend to do a lot of thinking.

Other than seeing family and friends, I have repeatedly come to the same reason over and over again.

My age.

Being 32 (Another birthday passes by) now and staying 5 years would mean that I would be returning home at 37 years old. Age is one of the last insecurities I have, I think. While writing this down I got butterflies in my stomach when just typing I’d be 37 years old (more butterflies).

I can’t help but thinking about “what will I have to show at 37 years old?”. If I stay here, nothing. Contradictory, I ask myself “if I was 37 and had a home I would still be unhappy”. Truthfully, I could have done that if I wanted. I had an ideal job for that life. But I quit.

Foresight.

My biggest challenge lies in [thinking ahead]. I do not have the ability to see what I will evolve into. Whether it be the work I am writing, the Japanese I am studying, the music I am creating or the evolution of ideas that I simply jot down from time to time. I cannot see the final results of what they will amalgamate to. This unforeseen foresight is where I have my challenges. Maybe if I could see the results of who and what I’d become my decision for staying longer would be that much easier.

Time Paradox.

But then if I knew the future would I still work as hard? If someone told me that my Japanese will be native level by next year, I’d probably stop studying so hard on account of knowing that everything would be alright. But this would change the future no? Ceasing my studies would result in me not speaking very good Japanese in the following year.

“We don’t give a flyin’ 747 fuck though” – Nas.

In hip hop I always hear the lyrics “scared money, don’t make no money”, which simply translates to “with no risk, there is no reward”. I guess my risk is all in my age and risking the potential feeling of being almost 40 with nothing to show. I should also not that this would be in the measure of materials only. I have some respect for my self worth.

I also realize that this is all really superficial. I don’t necessarily care about people who are 40 who don’t own a house or have many things to their name, so why do I care so much? Maybe I care because all of my life I have been told to care. I wonder if it just comes down to wanting to be desirable, respect or both.

Writing about it or drowning my thoughts with hip hop music usually quells my worries. *Cues Dom Kennedy’s After School”

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Small but Impactful

Quick updates I wanted to share…

  1. In one of my 9th graders we were reviewing the Martin Luther King Jr. speech and the teacher asked me “Dwayne what fountain would Japanese people drink from? Whites or coloured?”. I thought that was pretty funny. I had no idea what to answer but considering most of the Japanese people went or were sent home after World War II I answered “the coloured one”.
  2. On an island of 6 thousand people a 14 year old Japanese boy stood up and applauded the MLK I have a Dream speech, before being told to sit down by his classmates. It was entirely sweet, funny and awkward.