Regular readers on this site may have noticed that all of my posts lately seem to start with me saying how busy I am. Even now, as I write this particular post, I seem compelled to apologize for not having written much recently, or for only posting about once a week (if that) on IKIMASHO! For those of you who write, you will understand that not doing so for a period can make you feel very antsy. It’s not dissimilar to gym-goers who haven’t been able to work out for a while. And so, here I am, sitting at my kitchen table simply writing for the sake of writing. Just to get something out.
The title of this post may seem a little odd considering it is already the start of June and we are nearly half-way through the year. Yet only now do I feel that I can really sit back and take stock of how much my life has evolved since Christmas. In the space of just a few months I left one job, started another, got engaged and moved house. Something had to give along the way, and unfortunately my writing took a hit. But now that the dust has settled, the house is sorted, and the job is progressing, I am looking forward to getting out and about again with my wife-to-be and exploring the city I have now called home for six years. Wow. Has it really been that long?
It all feels like a bit of a dream sometimes. My dad spent about six months in Osaka when he was young, which in turn led to me being lured in by his stories about Japan when I was a child. This snowballed into me getting a Japanese penpal when I was 12, and then moving to Japan myself for a year after I graduated. Then, after a long stint in Ireland as a Copywriter, I moved back to Japan – this time to Tokyo – six years ago. I only write this all down as it feels my life path can be summed up in one paragraph and it is rather surreal to think about.
I feel I needed to write this post as some sort of closure for the last few months – but closure is the wrong word. It is in fact the opposite, if such a term exists. I feel the next few months will be filled with much exploration and adventure; be it simply exploring a new area in Tokyo or eating an ice cream down the road. On top of that I already have a trip to Vietnam lined up during the summer, and another trip to the north of Japan during the fall. Thank you to all of you who have followed my journey over the years, and who continue to do so. There will be some cool stuff coming up.
Justin / IKIMASHO!
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