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| Over-ripe Goya at Kanagawa’s new garden |
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| J-mom looking at peppers in the garden |
I arrived in Japan with no incident. In fact, the trip to my J-mom’s house, about 3 hours from the airport, was so smooth it reminded me that Japan doesn’t really count as a foreign adventure. Also, it went so smoothly that I arrive a little earlier than everyone expected so I had time to shower and relax before dinner. A feast of all my favorite foods was spread before me: chirashi-zushi and kouya-doufu among the most memorable; plus, my J-mom had a birthday cheesecake waiting for me so we could celebrate my birthday together. We chatted until late at night and exchanged pictures and stories. It was like we were old friends who had never been separated. I guess we are old friends now…
So much has changed since I was in Kanagawa prefecture just five years ago. The station close to my old apartment has doubled in size, women have given up the ubiquitous flats that always looked so painful for platform wedges that look even more painful if not extremely awkward, and the prefectural government set aside a huge plot of land to establish a community garden. Other things, though, remain the same- – like that sensation that I’ve got a bug on my nose or toilet paper hanging out of my pants because everyone keeps staring. And, after five years, I can still sit down with all of my friends as if no time has passed at all. I think that’s the most important part of journeying to places past. Rekindling old friendships to last another few years is priceless.
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| Ending the night with Annin-doufu and Matcha |
Here, just after my 32ndbirthday, I celebrate ten years since I first met many of these people I now call friends- people I met just shortly after my 22nd birthday. Fresh to Japan with no Japanese language skills, these are the people who made me feel at home and made sure I had the necessary items (like a washing machine and a microwave) to keep my life going even if they couldn’t communicate with me in English. Specifically, I remember in week 1 after I moved to Japan, my soon-to-be Judo teacher came during an August typhoon to bring me a microwave that he had called around to see if anyone would donate. Lifesaver! Though my brain is tired tonight from keeping up with real-time conversations in Japanese (with slang), I feel revived knowing that I still really enjoy the company of all these people. Tonight I spent four hours at the izakaya with five of my former Judo friends. We stuffed our faces with delicious food, they drank beer and sake like crazy, and we laughed about silly things—the most interesting being that my friend who travels often to Korea and stays in a dormitory for work is pretty convinced that Korean men confidently wear thong-style underwear. We caught up with each other, and then we caught up via rumor with those who couldn’t make it. My Japanese might be rusty, but I had a great time and definitely appreciate the time they all took to meet me tonight.
So I sit here, cozily tucked away in my J-mom’s house. I’m well fed, a little travel-weary, but ready for more adventures in my second home.
I love that since you've been gone, I wake up every morning and check your blog with excitement as to what challenge you've faced that day. This blog makes me smile too, because a part of travel, even if you aren't coming back to a place where you once lived, like this one, should also be about coming home. Travel should challenge us and open our hearts to new realms of emotional and mental understanding, but also bring us home to ourselves, to what makes us happy and comfortable. I'm so glad you get to do this with people that will always be a part of your life. You amaze me! I still plan on coming with you next time. For reals.