I’m sitting here in a suddenly spacious apartment. It’s funny how the second mattress made everything seem so cramped. Now that I see it like this though, there’s definitely enough room here for one person. It’s still small, but at least the guy has some breathing room.
My bags are packed: backpack, gym bag, luggage. I looked outside the balcony door and it seems to be raining. I’m praying that the rain will ease up as I lug everything to the station. Otherwise, it’s going to be a miserable march over to Uguisudani.
Seriously, I’m in disbelief that this whirlwind vacation is at an end. In these 12 days here, I’ve crammed so much in that it makes the mind numb. I’ve been to Hakodate, Sapporo, Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, Beppu, Hiroshima, and Kobe and experienced the people through new eyes. In Tokyo, I’ve been to a baseball game, a ninja restaurant, karaoke in Shibuya. God, how hectic! I’ve pushed myself day after day to get out there even though my body cried out for a day of rest. I’ve taken 4-5 hour walks hiking from one end of the city to the other. I’ve spent way too much on food–but as long as I keep in mind that this is a vacation I can at least maintain some of my sanity, you know? I guess you could say that I did my part to stimulate the Japanese economy, yes?
In a few hours I’ll be on a plane headed for home and I’ll once again get to enjoy the comforts that I miss so much. Oh, privacy! How beautiful you are! Don’t get me wrong, I completely appreciate the fact that my friend put up with me for so long. We’ve been at each other’s throats on occasion, but fundamentally we share a lot of the same values and that’s what’s kept us at peace. We helped push each other to do things that we wouldn’t be able to alone. It was a beneficial team-up every step of the way.
I feel that it really is time to go home.
The next 24 hours are going to be long and arduous, and I will be thankful for every minute.
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Blogging about the other days on the tour, as well as my post days in Tokyo will continue 
I’ve still got stories to share.
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4 comments
Wegrit says:
Thu. June 12, 2008 at 8:24 am (UTC -5 )
What, exactly, is a ninja restaurant?
Hui says:
Thu. June 12, 2008 at 8:58 am (UTC -5 )
*the crowd is on their feet!*
kyleen says:
Fri. June 13, 2008 at 7:03 am (UTC -5 )
Welcome home! And I’m looking forward to hearing more about your adventures.
Hugs!
Jay says:
Fri. June 13, 2008 at 3:21 pm (UTC -5 )
Wegrit, I will elaborate in another post but it is exactly as it sounds. And yes, it was as awesome as it sounds.
Hui, thanks for the encouragement. We should meet up for dim sum and catch up!
Kyleen, thanks! So much to say, so much to do. I wish my mind could just get all telepathic and write it all out direct to blog.