After living in Tokyo for the past 5 years, I find myself flooded with conflicting emotions. I have loved so much of our time here. We have lived and experienced as much as we could. I will never look back on this time and say I wish we had done more. I have said more than once - if you are bored in Tokyo, it is your own fault. This city is had endless options to keep people's attention and interest. Yet, a part of me has always wanted to be back in the US. Living as an outsider is exhausting and being so far from loved ones is VERY challenging. Although I missed home pre-covid, it was nothing compared to the the past 3 years of isolation and distance.
As I reflect on our time here, I am most grateful to the people who embraced our family. From the park moms who took me into their group, to the neighbors who gave me the connection and friendship I desperately needed, to the helpful individuals that made life easier, to the work friends I encountered and cherished. Just thinking of all these special individuals has me tear up. There were so many times that I felt like I was at the end of my rope, only to find myself rescued by a kind person. There were the moms that gave me a listening ear and a reality check. There were the English-speaking parents at my kid's school who let me know what was going on when I didn't have a translator. There was the farming family that gave me hope, inspiration, and so many vegetables! The list goes on and on.
Our house is a flurry of activity today. The movers are here to pack away our memories, cherished possessions, and the tools of our life. I've spent weeks sorting what goes with us on the airplane, what is shipped with the movers (which takes 3 months, by the way), and what gets left behind (either with friends or the garbage gods). It is a stressful day, in part, because it is the end of an incredible chapter in our lives. So much of me is excited to see what is in store for us in Austin - a city I've never been to. But a huge part of me is sad to leave a place that is so incredibly special to me.
I have loved learning more about Japan. I've delved into the world of how to make traditional Japanese ingredients, like miso and ponzu, that will forever bless my table. I taken a stab at several traditional Japanese crafts, like sashiko, that were fun and amusing. Our family has thoroughly enjoyed attending events, like summer festivals, and exploring the area beyond the common known haunts.
We have explored and tried and seen and done so much here. It has been truly incredible. Of course, these past three years have been a lot of time spent at home. But, pre-COVID, we tried to cease all opportunities for having fun. From magical winter light displays to awesome summer fireworks to flower fields that captured our hearts to autumn-colors that made us stop in our tracks. We delighted in visiting shrines and temples. Devouring incredible food that were incredible for our eyes, noses, and mouths were taken to a new level. The views of both cityscapes and nature are incredible here. I am so glad to have this blog as a reminder of all the fun we've had (and even some of the not so fun parts).
I recognize that I am a different person than the person who arrived here 5 years ago. I have changed because my life experience has allowed me to grow in a way that I wouldn't have been able to if I stayed put in Seattle. Living in a foreign country has opened my eyes to so many things I was never aware of before. I'm still the hard-headed, opinionated, passionate woman I've always been. But now I have a different level of patience, tolerance, and understanding. (Of course these are not always obvious, as those levels are not infinite amounts!). I even feel like I understand my husband a little bit better because I have seen his homeland in a way much more familiar that just a visit here and there.
No one really knows what the future holds. I hope it will consist of many more adventures and experiences that bond us as a family and make us stronger individuals. May our future be filled with lots more laughter and really good food and friends that make our worst days seem bearable, no matter where we are in the world.
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