So Long and Thanks for all the Fish

It's time to say goodbye.

I wish I had some words of wisdom to impart. Some hard won knowledge I've gained over the last nine years. But I don't. The only thing I'm certain of is that I must move forward and get on with the next chapter of my life.

Perhaps a few months down the line I'll be able to look back with a clearer head. Then I'll have something deeper to say. I'll certainly be a different person, far removed from Japan and its influences. Because the truth is a place shapes a person's way of thinking. Not that it's bad. I love Japan. I always have. Had it been otherwise I'd never have given it most my adult years. But I've seen and done enough here. The world is a big place. I want to experience more of it, breathe in a different air and see what's beyond that next horizon. And then once I've had my fill of travel, I'll return to San Diego.

Now I'd be lying if I said I wasn't frightened of going home. In many ways I must start over. That means finding a car, a job, a place to live. I'll also have to pick up the pieces I left behind--reconnect with friends and family, visit my old haunts, etc. I imagine it will be some time before I feel at ease. But I look forward to the challenge because in spite of having lived and worked in Japan all these years, I've felt rather dislocated from its society. That's how it is for foreigners here. You're often standing on the outside peering into a world so close yet so distant. And as strange as it may seem, existing like that--in a bubble within a bubble--it can be good in some regards.

But either way, I'll be happy to live again where I'm just another face, where I can act normal, where I am me.

Now let's check out the highlights of the past nine years.

First is travel. I've done plenty.

Painted Desert, USA

Marina Bay Sands Casino, Singapore

Sorrento Beach, Australia

Victoria Waterfront, Canada

Acadia National Park, USA

Ulan Bator Suburb, Mongolia

Inlay Lake, Myanmar

Wind Palace, India

Phraya Nakhon Cave, Thailand

Great Pyramid, Egypt

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, UAE

Baguio City, Philippines

Hindu Statue, Nepal

Tianmen Square, China

And of course I've seen a lot of Japan too. I started in Tokyo and gradually worked my way west to Osaka. Along the way I got to experience some incredible places. That said, Japanese people have often admitted I've seen more of their country than they have.  These are the areas where I've lived.

Suburban Tokyo

Gotemba, Shizuoka

Minokamo, Gifu

Toba, Mie

Osaka

Now for the shots of my good friends. So many have left already. Others are still here. A shame I did not take pictures when I first arrived in Japan though. I had met many interesting people while living in Tokyo. It was only after moving to Gifu that I was struck by the photo bug.  So most of these photos are from that period onward.

Thanksgiving Feast in Tokyo

Drinking at the bar in Kani

Karaoke in Gotemba

Before the Stage Performance in Gifu

At Outback Steakhouse in Shibuya

Coco's Restaurant in Minokamo

Someone's Birthday in Gifu

Airsofting in the Mountains

Getting Burgers in Tokyo

Party in a Cabin in Gifu

Ryota and Me in Ishikawa

Orange House Crew

After Hikari's Birthday in Osaka

Intense Drinking Game's at Stuart's Apartment

Drinks at Cinco Cinque Bar in Namba

International Day in Toba

Adam's Annual Summer Party

Catching a Tiger's Game with Eric

Fun at Drunken Bears Bar

Li Ee and Delia Doing Karaoke

The Last Goodbye in Osaka

Here are some bonus shots of beautiful Japan. After all it's the perfect place to indulge in photography.

Buddha Statue, Gifu

Love Messages

Mt. Fuji at Sunrise, Yamanashi 

Japanese Carp in a Pond 

Sunset, Nara 

Gujo Hachiman Castle, Gifu

And finally the kids I've taught. That's what I have been doing since I first came here--working in public schools. The interesting thing is that regardless of the town where I was at, the education system has always been much the same. So in that regard the country has done an exceptional job of making the schools uniform. Anyhow, here is a small sampling of the thousands upon thousands of kids who have taken my classes.

Halloween at JHS in Tokyo

Elementary School Kids in Gotemba

Sumo Match

International Class in Gifu

Elementary School Class in Gifu

Cheering Group at Sports Competition

Kids of Toshi Island

Cooking Class

Chorus Festival

Sports Day

Cleaning Time

Last day of Teaching, Wakayama 

Well, that's it folks.

My Japan saga draws to an end. And though it saddens me to go, especially now looking back at all the wonderful things I'm walking away from, I know I'm ready. So I have no regrets. No bitterness. No angst. Like a skier who is about to lunge into that first run of the day, my heart is open and brimming with an eagerness to be free. And it's all downhill from here. The beautiful journey ahead. The good life I've dreamt of for years...

Sayonara Japan