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And so life goes full circle… In 2003 I touched down in Japan for the first time, living in this apartment block in Fukuoka city. Last weekend I went back to visit – a whopping 13 years later. I hadn’t been back during that time at all, but thankfully everything is exactly how I remember it, right down to my old post box, and the sign for the supermarket. It was such a strange feeling, and I experienced the ultimate sensation of 懐かしい – a Japanese word describing the feeling you get when reminded of the past. My life is not so different now as it was then. But over the years I have gained invaluable work and life experience – and so here I am today writing about the city I used to call home. Looking back, if I’m honest with myself, I never really wanted to leave Japan that first time around in 2004. But I did, and it was the right decision at the time. Everything in life happens for a reason, and I’m a bit of believer that things are already mapped out for you. And so standing outside my old apartment building today, I knew I was in exactly the right place.