Lost and Found In Tokyo

I came here 14 months ago having this ubiquitous idea of what Japan would be like. My eyes were glazed over and the time had finally come to step off the plane and see through the elongated talks that has taken place throughout the previous years. 

Tokyo itself wasn't at all what I thought it would be but in a sense it was. How you may ask? I believed before landing that it would be like a surreal city landscape taken out of over animated films based in Japan, specifically Tokyo. Man was I hit in the face with reality, the incandescent lights flourished beyond my belief and I was smacked with the sobering realization that it wasn't at all like how I imagined it would be.

However, the cramped back streets lined with cute lanterns and Oji/Oba-san shops were endless and the food alone warmed my soul and my stomach.  Japanese food here didn't disappoint, the glory of vending machines on every corner even in the countryside always made me smile, dehydration was never an option. :) I could rabble on and on about food but you can see that I have had taken time to explore all the convenience shops, restaurants and learned how to cook Japanese cuisine based on my previous posts, instagram and arbitrary Facebook photos. 

Working in Japan was a feat of its own, there are no lack of jobs here in this big metropolis but finding something that suited you was a whole other story. I had gone in and out of interviews like they were convince shops with newly displayed seasonal foods. Everything from English teaching, bar-tending, host clubs, tutoring, online work, editing, ski resorts, farming and my last victory voice acting. Now I am at a point where I am finally not working 7 days a week at 6 different part time jobs I can sit back and reflect. 

I had become lost in the life of a salary-man, this term applied to me since I did wake up early whilst trying to uphold a social life. Due to chasing money I feel like I had gone astray from my purpose here in Japan but I know for a fact if I hadn't done this I would be in the situation that I am now. So no regrets. 

My students taught me about culture deep past what forums and media could ever teach me about Japan. Not only was I engrossed in the culture I was truly living it, in a city of 13 million. I felt very alone at times though I was surrounded by the masses. When the culture shock and the insane schedule started to become the norm I was able to really able to relish life here. 

Traditions I had never experienced before were new opportunities around every corner. There is a holiday for everything here! From seasonal foods, festivals, dances, exhibits, a plethora of themed cafes, giant obscene displays of anime or Godzilla, the days of entertainment were endless. I was able to eat and drink things specifically for new years, make home-made chocolates followed with white day where one gets gifts in return, celebrate hanami (cherry blossom festival) like the Japanese 'drunk and full of yummy things', this list could go on and on. 

I was able to make life long friends here, fall in love, laugh so hard my cheeks hurt. True friends that have supported me and listened to my complains, concerns and tiffs with the culture. I have been lucky enough to leave Japan twice and return with newer eyes for a country I have truly fallen in love with. I am no less enamored by the wonders that this country has to offer and will hold a special place in my heart always. My infatuation hasn't lessened over time, to be honest I think it has a whole new luster to it. 

Personally I didn't think that I would ever become one of those foreigners that would want to stay here forever. You know the ones that are like, ''I came to Japan and I just never left'' there are an overabundance of them, I can understand why now. Yet by January I had applied for a working visa and the following May I was denied. I didn't give up there though, I tried again. So in June I applied again for a different working visa and today I was denied. 

Now I have 30 days before I have to leave Japan, which is what brought on this long winded post. Since my previous ones about Japan didn't really do justice to the country in anyways what-so-ever. I wanted to remind myself why I came here, why I will have to say goodbye to this chapter of my life. I am sure that I will return to Japan. 

I leave you with this last thought and I will be back to write more about my future journeys. 

''As I walk down the streets with a friend who will soon be departing, 
the street and the sunset have this ominous intensity.
The inconsequential objects around me take on a whole new shape.
The mundane and the ordinary has become extraordinary once again.
Thoughts stream through my head faster than I can perceive them and in this moment,
I lie on my roof top where the cement warms my body, I breathe fresher air.''

Thank you for anyone who has taken the time to read through this.

Much love

Jenny