Sunday April 19, 1998: 11:30pm1998
Woah. So yesterday I got back to Tokyo a bit before 8... took the monorail and train to the Tokyo station, and voila! Daphne! Of course, this wasn't pure luck considering Tokyo Station was where we'd planned to meet.. but cool it worked so well! So tis' so great to have Daphne here adn to see her again! I'm so happy. I remember why we were best friends in high school... we're just so alike, it's wierd! But it's really neat. And now taht she's in Osaka for 3 months, we can share a Japanese experience!! Ha ha. We stayed up until *5* this morning, talking! Just like back in high school. We even bought lots of food to eat. The only thing missing was "Opportunity Knocks"!! [a FABULOUS movie, btw] hahaha. Cool. WE just have so much to talk about! Everything. Oh, and we tried an Okaka (great name..) onigiri.. um, we think it was fish. Since we're both veggies, we had to do a little operation.. Anyway, it sounds like so far she is enjoying Osaka, and her uni life, although it has been 3 weeks only I guess. Right now she is on the phone with Kostas [the boyfriend]. They have some super amazing special deal for phoning Japan from Cambridge. Lucky bum!
Oh so, tonight was the first of my farewell parties.. this one with Sensei. Daphne and I went over at about 5:30pm, after getting up at 2:30 (woo!) and goin' for a run like good ol' times, and rushing off to Sensei's. It was so much fun! We chatted, ate good snacks, and an absolutely yummy dinner! Although Sensei tricked both of us into eating some fish. Amazing, I last a whole year as a vegetarian in probably one of the least veggie-accomodating countries, and on my third last day I'm tricked into it! Sneaky... very sneaky. Anyway it was good I guess, 'cuz I didn't even notice. But I'm not going to make a practice out of it!
Oh! Sensei gave me my scroll! It is amazing, I love it! Really, it looks sooo cool, wow wow wow! I can't believe it's mine! And also she gave me a mat, and a brush carrier, in lacquer! Wow, it's so neat! She's so nice. But actually I didn't say good-bye to her tonight because I was dumb and forgot her gift at home on the bed, so I'll come back tomorrow to drop it off and say g-bye... Now though, on with packing!
Monday April 20, 1998: 3am
Heh, long day. Last night Daphne and I stayed up until 3am talking again! But it's just so great to be able to babble with her like I used to! Ah, but she left this morning -- we both got up at 8 (ack! I'm tired!) - who knows when I'll see her again...
Ok, so today was a short work day, but jam packed... I have to explain my code verrry thoroughly (line by line with some classes) to Hirabayashi-san, so we spent a lot of time doing that. And he has "booked" me for tomorrow too... and I have all this otehr stuff to get done, like transferring files, and writing down email addresses and telephone numbers... adn I decided that I really *should* use the luggage service to take my luggage from Hino to Narita... and at 5:45 I had to leave work to go give Sensei her present. I had a realization on the way there that - uh - what if life in Canada seems really boring when I get back? Like, will I stop continuously thinking about Japanese? I still always wonder how to say stuff all day... adn will all seem dull? Ihope not. I'm having panick attacks. Saying bye to Sensei was bad - well, sad I mean. She has just been so incredibly nice this last year... wonderful - couldn't say good-bye. Almost cried (had to bite the lip). Mannn.
Anyway, I had to rush because I had to be back at the Hino Station at 7:30 to meet Wakako-chan for a final dinner. We went back to my place to cook up some grub because, well, I have lots of food left but no more days to eat it! So I cooked up a potato stir-fry, adn we chowed down. Wakako just decided to move into an apartment with her sister, and so I gave her all the stuff I bought that I was just planning on throwing out, like my pots, mugs, cutlery, books, mattress... it was really funny because I *really* don't need *anything* anymore, so I kept on saying "And how 'bout this?" hahahaha! So we chatted for ages, and we didn't quite realize how late it had gotten. WE walked to the Keio Station, only to find out that the train she needed to take had stopped running 10 minutes earlier! Oh no! So now she's conked out on my floor! Ha ha. I think it's pretty funny. Anyway, it's about 3am... I've been PACKING. Everything. The guys come tomorrow to pick up my suitcases, so I really had to put everything in! It almost fits. I'm going to send some more stuff by mail... And I just went to the Lawson's and depleted their stock of puffy things, for Jon and Sariya! And I'd already bought over 25! So now I must have about 50, at least. That should last 'em!! Anyway, I don't think I should stay up any later writing in this journal when I could be sleeping! Zzzzzz...
Tuesday April 21, 1998: 4:30am
Yeah, I don't know what I was thinking last night when I wrote that I would go to sleep soon... it took me a full HOUR to shut my second suitcase! An HOUR. I did a lot of sitting and jumping on the top... argh. Anyway, I got it closed in the end, but only because I took out some of the stuff that I'd send by mail. Oh well. Ok so yeah, I only went to sleep at 4:30 -- got up by 8 or 9 and left for my run, and said g-bye to Wakako-chan... (I can't believe she slept through all my noise!) - got back and waited for the luggage mover dude to get here... waited... he finally showed up at 11:30, took my 2 suitcases and was gone - all faster than you could say "Alexa likes thick-ass crust pizza", or whatever. So then i had to take a cab to the post office, where I didn't have enough money to send both boxes... argh. Then went to wrok, with the perfect timing of getting there right before lunch. I was feeling quite queasy - just whenever I thought about leaving... I get nervous and feel sick. It's a bit scary because not only have I been HERE for a year, but I've also been working and living a lifestyle that is *completely* different from my Canadian one. I'm scared.
Anyway, I had to do a lot of cleaning up at work; my desk, my files, etc etc, did I already mention this? That took awhile. Then I had a long meeting with Hirabayashi-san, and by the time that was finished, it was time to go to my and Gupta-san's farewell party! (He's leaving next Wednesday) Mannn. I can't believe it. They almost had me in tears at the hirukai (daily meeting) when Mori-san gave a speech for me, and it was really just so nice - and he gave me one piece of advice: Don't climb Mt Fuji in a typhoon! heh heh heh. Anyway, the party was really fun. WE went to an Onomiyaki restaurant. Cool, I've never had onomiyaki before. It's really, really, really strange. Oh, and almost everyone came to the party, I was so happy! And there was so much food... Onomiyaki's kind of a Japanese-style pizza, for lack of any other comparison, but it's not actually anything like pizza. They cook it for you at your table, on a big fry tray gas oven built into the table. Wierd.
Yeah, so it was sad too. Hirabayashi-san made a speech, and it almost made me cry it was so nice [ed note: I seem to be mentioning this a lot, don't I?!] Told me to come back please! I hope I can! They're just so incredibly kind. And that's not it - Mori-san gave me a really nice sake cup (which, of course, I inaugaurated (sp?) thoroughly...) and everyone else pitched in to buy a really nice fan! And Gupta-san gave me a book, "The Alchemist" which looks really cool. Wow.
So obviously the evening doesn't end with dinner - that was only until 10! Then we headed to, well, karaoke of coruse! All of us! That was crazy. 20-some drunk people in one room, singin' karaoke! Hahaha. It was fun fun fun! BUt, at 12:30, it came time to leave. Everyone walked to the Tachikawa Station, where people started to part their ways. I am NOT good at good-byes. Definitely shed a coupla tears sayin' g-bye to Hidaka-san and Hirabayashi-san. Gupta-san too. I just can't believe how wonderful everyone has been, and how perfect my year has been. I can't believe how lucky I am, to have had this experience. But, enough about taht, 'cuz my eyes are starting to water. Of course, perhaps I can attribute that to the time.. what, 4:30? 5am? I dunno. I've been up all night cleaning the apartment. That's, what, 4 nights in a row that I haven't slept before 3am. Gee, maybe i shouldn't be worried about fitting back into the student lifestyle!
well, I should get changed. I want to go for my very last run. And I have to bring my bike into the office... and be ready to head out to Narita by 8am. That's only 3 hours away! I'd better get goin'
Wednesday April 22, 1998: noon
Chicago O'Hare
Is this it, I dunno. It has been 14 hours since I left Hino, left my apartment, left Tokyo. I don't really know what to thik. I'm sad, I'm happy. And of course, I'm f*!??@ tired. And I'm anxious to rid myself of all this damn heavy carry-on luggage!! I had a window seat and as we were landing here in Chicago I was struck by how wide the houses are - their beautiful lawns, wide streets, cloned houses. And it's a bit funny to see so many "foreigners" around! I guess I don't exactly stand out to them. Well anyway, I think it's time to close out this Japan journal. There may be other entries, but no more in Japan. It's been a pleasure.. this is Alexa signin' out, 98.04.22
PS. Thanks for reading!