INTRODUCTION
Sunday December 11, 2005
nichiyobi junigatsu juichinichi ni-sen go-nen
It was inevitable that I was going to document my upcoming yearlong sabbatical/gap year in Japan, but how, and in what form was yet unsure. I have a degree in Journalism (hanging on a wall in my mother’s apartment) and I am an amateur photographer (with aspirations of being published). However, up until now I didn’t have, nor really did I make, the time to practice my vocation. As one of my closest friends will no doubt understand, I was always busy doing what I had to do because it provided me with opportunities to do what I wanted to do. Some may argue that I always did exactly what I wanted to do anyway, and to some degree they are correct. I chose to invest myself in projects, however long or short, from which I could derive some personal pleasure, knowledge, skill and of course money. But I was also never afraid to just leave it all if I wasn't enjoying myself. I could always find something else to do. The future was for others, I'm a 'now' person. There is a parable in the Torah which I believe states that '...if I am not for myself, then who will be for me?" I have taken that notion to heart. My philosophy has always been 'Me First' simply because I cannot be of any service to others if I am not myself intact. In effect, I guess I was merely biding my time, awaiting such a golden opportunity as this. Now, gainfully un-employed, I am merely days away from rejoining my wife in Tokyo to start an adventure that will surely captivate me. One that will undoubtedly teach me even more about myself but which will also force me to come to grips with my place in our world. I am excited, nervous, anxious and determined, to explore, document, photograph and enjoy Tokyo and its environs as much as I can. But first, let me bring you all up to speed just a bit:
Hannah and I were married on May 25, 2001. Postponing the ritual honeymoon for a year, we planned and saved eventually leaving from our home in Montreal, via Los Angeles, to Japan, Thailand, and the U.K., visiting Tokyo, Bangkok, Phuket, Portsmouth & London along the way. That was quite the little trip and one that would have lasting effects on both of us.
In Japan something clicked for Hannah and upon our return we decided to try to live and work there… and teaching English was our best bet. We figured that as a couple it wouldn’t be as daunting a challenge. She was hired – I was to stay behind.
Hannah left for Tokyo in October of 2001. After a long battle with illness my dad succumbed and passed away in November. In December I lost my job. Things were looking just dandy… mourning the death of my dad with my mom, brother and sister, without my wife to comfort me (emotionally, spiritually and yes physically), on the brink of what are historically biting east-coast winters, without anything to do. It immediately occurred to me that this was an quick n easy recipe for some justifiably damaging behavior because had I not sublet our place and took off to visit Hannah, I surely would have existed in a bleary eyed vortex of unemployment/welfare cheques, toxic overindulgence, poor hygiene and diet and the continual erosion of my intellect at the omnipresence of daytime/primetime TV, sliding daily deeper and deeper into the sinking, stinking, moist muck of depression – so I packed a bag and took off to Japan.
That trip led me to arrange my life for the next three and a half years via emails, faxes, mail couriers, phone calls and bank transfers. I returned from Tokyo to live first in Los Angeles, eventually settling by the beach in San Diego. And, after two years of waiting, Hannah joined me for the last year and half of our southern Californian adventure and I believe that we had ourselves quite the good time. I footed the bill, and ultimately, it was I who decided we should depart, as our status was getting more and more tenuous the longer we remained.
nichiyobi junigatsu juichinichi ni-sen go-nen
It was inevitable that I was going to document my upcoming yearlong sabbatical/gap year in Japan, but how, and in what form was yet unsure. I have a degree in Journalism (hanging on a wall in my mother’s apartment) and I am an amateur photographer (with aspirations of being published). However, up until now I didn’t have, nor really did I make, the time to practice my vocation. As one of my closest friends will no doubt understand, I was always busy doing what I had to do because it provided me with opportunities to do what I wanted to do. Some may argue that I always did exactly what I wanted to do anyway, and to some degree they are correct. I chose to invest myself in projects, however long or short, from which I could derive some personal pleasure, knowledge, skill and of course money. But I was also never afraid to just leave it all if I wasn't enjoying myself. I could always find something else to do. The future was for others, I'm a 'now' person. There is a parable in the Torah which I believe states that '...if I am not for myself, then who will be for me?" I have taken that notion to heart. My philosophy has always been 'Me First' simply because I cannot be of any service to others if I am not myself intact. In effect, I guess I was merely biding my time, awaiting such a golden opportunity as this. Now, gainfully un-employed, I am merely days away from rejoining my wife in Tokyo to start an adventure that will surely captivate me. One that will undoubtedly teach me even more about myself but which will also force me to come to grips with my place in our world. I am excited, nervous, anxious and determined, to explore, document, photograph and enjoy Tokyo and its environs as much as I can. But first, let me bring you all up to speed just a bit:
Hannah and I were married on May 25, 2001. Postponing the ritual honeymoon for a year, we planned and saved eventually leaving from our home in Montreal, via Los Angeles, to Japan, Thailand, and the U.K., visiting Tokyo, Bangkok, Phuket, Portsmouth & London along the way. That was quite the little trip and one that would have lasting effects on both of us.
In Japan something clicked for Hannah and upon our return we decided to try to live and work there… and teaching English was our best bet. We figured that as a couple it wouldn’t be as daunting a challenge. She was hired – I was to stay behind.
Hannah left for Tokyo in October of 2001. After a long battle with illness my dad succumbed and passed away in November. In December I lost my job. Things were looking just dandy… mourning the death of my dad with my mom, brother and sister, without my wife to comfort me (emotionally, spiritually and yes physically), on the brink of what are historically biting east-coast winters, without anything to do. It immediately occurred to me that this was an quick n easy recipe for some justifiably damaging behavior because had I not sublet our place and took off to visit Hannah, I surely would have existed in a bleary eyed vortex of unemployment/welfare cheques, toxic overindulgence, poor hygiene and diet and the continual erosion of my intellect at the omnipresence of daytime/primetime TV, sliding daily deeper and deeper into the sinking, stinking, moist muck of depression – so I packed a bag and took off to Japan.
That trip led me to arrange my life for the next three and a half years via emails, faxes, mail couriers, phone calls and bank transfers. I returned from Tokyo to live first in Los Angeles, eventually settling by the beach in San Diego. And, after two years of waiting, Hannah joined me for the last year and half of our southern Californian adventure and I believe that we had ourselves quite the good time. I footed the bill, and ultimately, it was I who decided we should depart, as our status was getting more and more tenuous the longer we remained.
But we also both knew that Hannah really wanted to return to Tokyo. She felt that she left prematurely and wanted to finish what she had started. Hannah is a wikkidly good teacher. She's certified to teach globally - infants, children, adolescents, adults and the elderly – both regular English classes as well as business English courses. She is responsible, strict, fun, animated, cute, cuddly, soft... everything you could want in a teacher ;-) She seems to have found her passion and she is pursuing it, this time with me in tow. She is giving me the time, space and support I need to see if I can make something of this writing and photography stuff I seem to have a penchant for - and I love her for it.
So this is my Blog, where I will endeavor to share my experiences as a gaijin (foreigner) hangin’ out in what I can only describe as a maelstrom of sensory overload - visual, audible, olfactory, tactile & gastronomical. A place where the future rivals the past for the hearts, minds and souls of its inhabitants. Where the frontiers of technology and the depth of tradition rub shoulders in passing on every street corner, in every train station, at everyshopping mall, in every love hotel and at every temple & shrine.
kangei e Tokyo Rub! (Welcome to Tokyo Rub!)
posted by Stephen @ 3:30 PM
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