On anticipating moving to Japan

I really had meant to do more writing this week, still I suppose packing should really take precedence, given that ONE WEEK from today I will be beginning a journey that will see me pitch up in Tokyo for a 12-month stay. That said, it seems a shame to let this time, which I described to a pal last night as being ‘like a whole month of Christmas Eves when you were seven,’ slide by without acknowledgement. It is worth taking a moment for anticipating moving to Japan before it comes. It hasn’t all been mundane ‘will that fit in my suitcase,’ ‘how will I ever remember the katakana‘ and ‘what if I arrive but my suitcase doesn’t?’-type considerations.

In amongst all that, and alongside the to-do list from hell, are the more esoteric notions that I am sure must cross the minds of everyone when they leave somewhere, about gaining a different perspective on everything that is familiar to me, including home, country and politics, striking out on my own and seeing a bit more of the world. Meeting and working alongside new people, in an unfamiliar environment, and shaking off a little of the London basement office gloom.

People have asked if I am nervous and I suppose I should be, even if only slightly. Except that with all the planning that has gone into the move and all the waiting around for the final departure date, all I can honestly say I feel on anticipating moving to Japan is excitement. The lists of things to do and sights to see is finally going to be translated into experiences and memories. Carpe diem and all of that.

Photo by JJ Ying on Unsplash