Not too long ago, we received word that we would be leaving Japan for good before the end of the year. In fact, we’d be leaving before Christmas. Our contract to stay in Japan was about up. Still, there was talk of all kind ranging from staying an extra year to staying a few months. So I guess we were a little shocked to find out we had only 12 days left in Tokyo. Since then, it’s been a whirlwind of seeing friends, soaking up the city, packing, anxiety ridden sleepless nights, and closing up shop in preparation for moving home to The States. I wish I had something really fantastic to write about, but after these past 12 days I’m just plain old tired.
People keep asking me what I’ll miss most about Japan. It’s a tough question and one that makes me a little sad, so I hadn’t given it much thought until tonight.
We’re staying in a hotel for our last night. After a long day of moving I crashed on the bed as soon as we checked in. Driscoll went to dinner with some friends and I apologized for not being physically able to join him. Some people (like Driscoll) do well with no sleep for days combined with physical exhaustion and multiple goodbye parties. Not me. I took a big nap and woke up at 9:00 pm. I remembered that there was an awesome looking Indian art exhibit at Mori, so I sprung up and went to see if I could get into the show before it closed. I got in. The show was interesting, really good. There is some cool art coming out of China and India. And it got me thinking about how much I’m going to miss living in a city with so much access to great, international art. I also visited the city observatory one last time. The Rainbow Bridge was all lit up for Christmas. I found our apartment through the glass window. I said goodbye.
After the show I was starved and so at 10:30 I looked for a place to eat. All I’d eaten for two days was easy, on-the-go food. You know, muffins, pizza, bad bready sandwiches etc., moving food I called it. But what I was now craving, ravenously craving was Japanese food. Not sushi, but the real deal Japanese food. I once read an article about a Japanese artist who had trouble traveling because he missed the food so much. And I guess after two years in Japan, my body, too, craves the stuff like nothing else. I realized this as I looked for a place to eat near the museum and everything was closed. “There’s a steak house around the corner,” said a nice woman closing down her own place. She also mentioned an Italian restaurant and some Chinese place. I was cranky…all I wanted was rice, soba, tempura, yakitori, tofu, oyako donburi! That’s what I wanted. I walked and walked until I finally found a place that was open. I was happy. And as I ate, I realized that this is what I’ll miss most, the food and the art. The design stuff (everywhere and all the time) is also pretty incredible. And the trains!
I don’t have a lot of expectations for moving home. But I am hopeful. I hope our return feels cozy and natural. I hope we love our house in Portland as much as we did when we moved to Japan. I hope I find a nice job even though the recession is swingin’. I hope that after these two years we are able to reconnect with our friends and family. I hope we grow a big garden and invite people over for homegrown salad and salsa. I hope the Oregon rain doesn’t get us down. I hope that someday we really do build the Japanese tatami room we’ve talked about. I hope we’ve learned some things during this time here in Japan. I hope we can remember (we certainly took enough photos to remind us). I hope we can hold onto our exposure to the Japanese aesthetic. I hope we’re able to travel in Asia again. I hope that someday, if we’re lucky enough to have children, we’re able to bring them to Tokyo. I hope we show them around the city and tell them laughable anecdotal stories about what it was like living here. And I hope they can appreciate it. I can hope for these things, but who knows. You really can’t predict what’s going to happen or what to expect. I surely never imagined I would spend two years of my life living in Tokyo and traveling around Japan.
