One More Day!

Tomorrow is a big day for a few reasons.

Firstly, it is the day we have to give our final decision as to which country we'll be living in next year, Australia or Japan. It's a big one to make, staying in Japan has a lot to offer but it also means putting off baby plans for another year. While we pretty much made up our mind a couple of weeks ago, I did tell the universe that it had until December first to send me a sign if it wished.

Tomorrow is also the day that a dear friend leaves Japan to move back to Australia, this time with her Japanese husband and three gorgeous children. She was one of the first people I met when I first arrived to Japan in 1999 and has been such a support ever since. Jodie, you'll be sadly missed!

Being December first, tomorrow is also the day I can put up the Christmas tree! Is December first the day everyone puts it up, or is that just my family? Anyway, I've been dying to do it for the last month, so I can't wait to do it tomorrow. We still have no idea what we're doing for Christmas, of course we have no family here, most of our "gaijin" friends are going back to their respective countries for the holidays and our Japanese friends will be working on Christmas Day, as it is just a normal business day here. We're thinking of it as a chance to start our own traditions.

Tomorrow is also the final day to sign up for my mailing list, and to have friends sign up for extra entries to win this bag. I'll try to draw the winner on Sunday, or Monday at the latest. I know a few people thought they had signed up, but hadn't responded to the confirmation email, so if you're not sure, check your inbox, or possibly your junk box, it may have been filtered into there.

I'm going on a date with my husband tonight. Nothing too exciting, just a spot of shopping, dinner and movie, but they're always a treat.

Thank you!

Twice today, I've said the same thing to different people, I thought I'd share it with everyone.

Living in Japan is at times amazing, at other times really, really difficult. The culture, and the thinking, is so different which brings about both fascination and frustration. Add to that that neither my husband or myself is fluent in the language and we can read little.

There are days I love living here. I love my students, I love having easy access to the fabrics and the papers. I love the tranquil temples, the energy of the festivals, the amazing things you can buy. For the most part, I love the people, their kindness and generosity.

Other days, this place just makes me cry. Trips to immigration, the racism (they can be a terribly racist country), the bureaucracy, the unwillingness to think outside the box and being surrounded by ugly concrete. Yes, most people have this image of Japan being a beautiful country and in areas it really is, but a lot of areas are just down-right ugly and lacking in character.

I desperately miss space and nature. I miss beaches, trees and animals. I miss my family and friends. I miss so many foods. And I miss my creative community. I do have a wonderful small community here, but not a creative one. As my under-graduate degree is in visual arts, I have many close friends in Australia who are creative folk.

But the wonderful thing is, I feel now that I am part of a creative community. I can't sit down to a cup of tea with any of the members, because they are all people who I've met online. It is through blogging, Flickr and some of my wonderful eBay customers that this community has built.

Really, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone that I've met, that comments, that communicates with me online. You make life in Japan so much better!