Sayonara!
As the date of my visa rapidly approached, I started the journey west towards the port city of Fukuoka. I had the last ferry before my expiration date booked. This left me a few days to hang out with Megumi, a friend I met in Tokyo. She just moved back here a week ago and promised to show me around the city before I left Japan.
Unfortunately, a mass of rainfall and the wake of a passing typhoon limited our options. We did make it to the beach, Ohori Park, Tenjijn (trendy shopping area), Canal City and the Nakagawa River area but most of the time we were running from shelter to shelter. Each place merely offered slight changes in scenery while we spent our time conversing rather than sightseeing. I’m perfectly happy with that, but it doesn’t leave much to tell. I also happened to be in town for the biggest matsuri the city hosts, but chose to avoid it due to the heavy rain and 5am festivities.
So, the remainder of my time in the country was relatively passive. It was a welcome change, and allowed me time to reflect on my time there. Japan is full of culture, convenience and coincidently contrasts. As much as the society feels comfortable, it also feels unique and exciting at every turn.
My view may be slightly skewed from the average visitor or expat because I did as much travel and sightseeing as I did living in once place and soaking up the local culture. But I wanted to take some time to reflect on the way of life before I got too far away, so the next few entries will focus on that…
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Tags: - Photography, - Reflection, Asia, Japan, Japanese Impressions
Adam Shane
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