KONNICHIWHAT!?: My feelings so far

Well it's been a hot minute since I checked in here on the 'ol blog, so I thought I'd make a post about how things have been up to this point and how I'm feeling about it in general. I've mentioned this to a few people before I came to Japan, that I was afraid working here and experiencing daily life here would make me start to think of Japan as just, "any 'ol place", and after some time and certainly a lot of thought, I've been able to form more than an opinion or two. In general, I still like Japan and Japanese culture and there will probably always be a part of me that will. Is some of that magic/fantasy/romance about the "far East" gone now that I'm here working amongst the huddled masses; a bit. What's tricky is that when you fantasize about a place and how you'd love to live there and experience it like a local, you don't realize that it's just like being anywhere else and having a job with a daily routine. The reason a place is extra-enticing when we're at work and fantasizing is because we know that when we get there, we have no responsibilities and free reign to relax, to do and see whatever we want to. Living here, you don't really have that freedom. You see the same things on your commute to work and you learn the regular places to get a hot meal. You work five days a week (most of the time) and you have a couple of days to chill, unwind and recharge for the upcoming week.

So at this point you might be thinking, "hmm, what does this all mean Jason? Are you happy or what?", well the short answer is, "I'm alright, thanks for asking." I certainly have no regrets in coming here because no matter what, this is something I've planned on doing for an incredibly long time. I worked my butt off to get this opportunity and I'm glad that I took it. When I finish things up here, I can look back and say, "I worked hard for this. I did it and I'll never have to wonder about it again." I'm not miserable by any means and there are plenty of things that I like and I certainly don't want this post to come across as me bitching about my situation, I'm simply saying that it's not as glamorous as it can often be presented. It's still a job and work experience at the end of the day and not a glorified vacation. Duh. Do I miss America? Yeah, probably more than I expected I would considering how I was feeling before I left, but hey, part of this experience is also me being able to put my old situation, along with my home country into perspective and evaluating them both with a fresh set of eyes. The way I feel now, I can't imagine how anyone would do this gig for the long term, but that's just me and more power to those people.

Enough of my rambling and I'll sum this all up by saying that I'm thankful for having this opportunity (late Thanksgiving message?) and I'm proud of myself for doing it, but that there might truly be no place like home. I'll keep you posted.