Firefly in Japan

Tokyo is a pretty magical place. Nowhere else in the world can match it for it's size, events, bustle and blade runner aura. I love all of these things about Tokyo.

I love the fact that there is a shop in Akihabara specialising ONLY in selling English games, magazines and paraphernalia.

I love being within 30 minutes of a fully featured themepark with 2 rollercoasters.

I love hopping on my scooter and exploring the strange and often overlooked jungle of backstreets and eccentric shops.

I love being within a 5 minute scooter ride of every class of food imaginable, and plenty of high quality, low price healthy Japanese food.

I love going out with friends and having unlimited choice as to where to go, and what to do.

There are a lot of things to like about this city. But at the end of the day, it's still a city. A sprawling, grey metropolis. Millions of people packed into a small city, rushing about their Tokyo lives. It's enough to fascinate you if you've been here for a few days, and enough to drive you stir-crazy after a few years.

It's also hard not to be affected by the pressure of Japan. All Japanese people have a set of expectations and guidelines imposed onto them by all other Japanese in the vicinity. As a foreigner, we're generally not expected to conform to these guidelines. However after years continuously living here, it's hard not to conform on some level. Conforming to Japanese social regulations is uncomfortable at best. More on this in another post.

Whenever I start to really feel boxed in, I look up my calendar. I almost always find that my trip back to Australia has surreptitiously passed the 1 year mark. This time, I have been in Japan for 14 straight months. I need a break. I need to go to a beach, drive a car, visit a small town, sit outside next to a beach on a sunny day drinking a cappuccino and eating bacon and eggs.

Soon, I will return home. Once I have recharged my batteries and have enough English conversation with friends and family to last another 12 months, I hop on a plane and begin the process all over again.

Interesting enough, I now get homesick wherever I go. When I'm in Tokyo, I feel homesick for all the pleasures and comforts of home. When I'm home, I miss good sushi, excellent service, amazing efficiency, the unique and powerful Japanese ability to persevere and sort things out. Hopefully one day I'll be equally comfortable in either location.