Kaerimashita. Returned.

After two weeks of farewells, dinners and drinking in Japan. The realisation that I would not see my Japanese friends for a long time and sadness of saying goodbye finally sunk in at the airport…after a last lunch of chirashi sushi and miso soup, it was time to fly out of the now familiar Kagoshima airport and start my journey back to Australia. Then from Haneda to Narita I had a few hours to kill before boarding my flight to Sydney. In true Nippon style, I discovered the shower rooms at Narita airport where for the princely sum of 500 yen you could indulge in the luxury of one of what was essentially a corridor of Toyoko Inn bathrooms for 30 minutes! Complete with shower/bath, toilet, towels, hairdryer and mirror. Feeling much refreshed I then sat and drank coffee and waited for my flight.
Ten days have passed since my return to Australia. I have more or less gone from one countryside to another. From summer to winter. From the pine forests, high mountains, green rice paddies and rows of tea trees of central Kyushu to the gum trees, sheep, kangaroos, struggling wheat crops and brown hills of inland New South Wales. The contrast is pretty striking. Yet strangely I feel I can call both places ‘home’ in a sense. The surroundings in Australia are of course familiar and reasonably easy to fit back into, even if it seems odd to wear shoes inside, to be able to read all the signs, to use a knife and fork and not have to bow to other drivers!
A venture into town brought me back to Australian reality...yes, even though it is the middle of winter, the workboots and stubbies were out and about. At the supermarket, the huge range of sliced bread, 3 litre milk selection and 700g packets of cereal greeted me with aplomb, as did the temptation of the deli counter. I have now satisfied my craving for fetta, olives, beetroot dip, camembert and smoked salmon. I have eaten lamb chops, bbq kangaroo and of course vegemite!
I do miss Japanese food though, especially wonderfully tasty homemade miso soup, tsukemono (pickles), take no ko (baby bamboo) and gobou dishes(burdock root)!
As for the winter, I am still struggling with the hot to cold change. It is an average of about 8 -10 degrees during the day here. My electric blanket has been pressed into service and I have thoroughly enjoyed sitting by the fire in the evening watching the Olympics! I have rediscovered my winter scarves and also my shoes. I realised that I really only wore two or three pairs of shoes in Japan so I was excited to be reunited with the pairs which had spent a nice year in my wardrobe. I am happy to say that I still understand aussie slang, and I must say that the Olympic commentary is quite heavily peppered with it.
I have yet to catch up with a lot of friends but so far it has been a little hard to balance the conversation coming back from such a different environment and such an intense experience. I will no doubt slowly come to adjust back to the aussie way of life, but I am sure that a few nipponisms will stay with me.
All the best to those of you who have chosen to stay on another year and to those who have just arrived in Japan to embark on their adventure. I know you will all have fabulous stories to tell of your experiences in Japan be they related to strange food, trips to new cities and towns, the generosity of the Japanese people or the kawaiiness of the kids. Enjoy it. Remember that life is not measured by the number of breathes you take, but by the number of moments that take your breath away.
William, hope you are enjoying Cambodia. I look forward to seeing the photos.
Lachlan, enjoy the summer before you start at school in September. Let me know if you need anything.