Arrived

So after 22 long hours I have finally arrived. I think I might actually like traveling sick because after taking some meds I was able to sleep for 7 of the 11 hours on my way to Tokyo.

This past week I spent some time in Seattle with Timmy. I was sick, so we didn't get to do everything we wanted to do, but we had a good time. I got to see my uncle Will for the first time in like 5 years. We also went and played some golf at this nice local course. I actually didn't do half bad, but it was wet and rainy, which didn't help my cold.

I'm sitting in a house right now that belongs to someone else because my apartment won't be ready until next week. It is a nice little house and I've just been sleeping off my jet lag. It has been delightful to sit here and do absolutely nothing! It has been a while since I've been able to simply relax.

The next week will be a bit hectic. I have to go obtain my alien registration card and jump through a couple more hoops before I am officially a Gaijin (outsider) again. I feel a little strange being back here, but I think once I get settled and get back into the swing of things it will be nice.

Not much else going on as of right now, but I'll keep you posted.

JB

I'm going going back back to JAPAN

So I decided to return to Japan. When I left last July I wasn't quite ready to leave, I was homesick, but I was really getting into a groove over there. I was spending whole weekends without speaking English. I really miss that feeling, so I had thoughts about returning about in late August. I contacted my friend Cian, who runs the English School and told him that I would be interested in returning to Japan if he had anything available. He said, great I'll contact you in January. He didn't contact me right away in January and I was content with the fact of being in MN, I just got a new car, I was loving coaching hockey, I was hanging out with my best friends everyday. But on January 26th he emailed me and said that he would love to have me work for him and teach at a Junior High School near Mt. Daisen. This was exactly what I was looking for because I wanted to be close to Tottori, so I could reconnect with my friends and my Japanese tutor/mother Mitsue. Cian and I skyped a few times and he offered me the position. I was on the fence for a while because no matter what, family and friends can't be replaced. However, I kept hearing, this is the time when you can do stuff like this. I kept thinking that in 10 years I would look back and be happy that I took one more run in Japan. I also miss being close the ocean, jogging along the beach, surfing and climbing mountains. I also love speaking Japanese, it's such a great feeling when you go out and have conversations in a foreign language. One of the best moments I had in Japan the last time is when my buddy Hiroki heard me speaking English and said to me, "waaaaa, I forgot you speak English." Another thing I miss is the traveling, venturing into the unknown. Those are experiences that I can't have here, so I figured I might as well go out and discover some more crazy places this planet has to offer. When I was wandering the ghettos of Bangkok by myself I felt so alive, I miss that feeling.

I've been getting a lot of shit for leaving again, people saying, "you already did that" well to them I say, yes, I did it and it was amazing, so why not go again and ride out this economic downturn. I also want to go back and perfect my Japanese, I didn't do much studying previously, so I'm going to force myself to study like a Japanese student. I'm also going to have a car there, which will open up a plethora of opportunities, to surf more, travel and be independent.

I'm leaving for Seattle on the 18th to hang with my bro for a couple days before I go to Japan. I bought my tickets and now it is real.....

I'm thinking a lot about where I want to go, if anyone has any ideas please leave a comment. I really like the idea of Beijing and Indonesia or the Phillipines. Let me know what you think.

I'll miss you all, but know that I am doing what I love to do and that is, traveling and becoming a wannabe surfer.


Wish me luck.

JB