The most prominent idea that springs to mind is that being wrenched away from all I knew and being placed in unfamiliar surroundings allowed me to realise what really matters to me. If I had ever had any doubts about myself or about how much I cared about my friends and family, this separation swiftly stripped them away. I feel a renewed appreciation for those I love, but also of other things I may have taken for granted. My mind drifts back to locations dotted around the British countryside that I have during family holidays and the like, and I consider that I'd like to seem them again. Perhaps when I return I shall, and write a blog called "Cal in England."
Speaking of exploring England, my time in Japan has also led to a stirring of certain Cecil Sharpe-like ambitions. At the moment I'm not sure if I'd have the confidence or charisma to go to a village and talk to its oldest residents to collect and preserve traditional songs and stories (though who knows how much this year may change me?). However, I could certainly go to fairs, fétes and concerts, try out local foods and discover local lore and history. This would not only be an interesting experience and fuel for future writing, but could help to preserve local culture worthy of note for a little bit longer. We all know, of course, that large corporations' selling at low prices often spells doom for independent businesses, which is a bad thing, but many of us have insufficient funds to always choose fair trade chocolate, meat from the butchers, locally-produced cheese and so on. But if, at the sacrifice of one less drink at the pub, or packing homemade sandwiches rather than buying them during a lunch break, we splash out on such things every now and then, it could have a positive impact.
To bring things down to earth again, though, much as I am loathe to admit it rules my life at present. I am very fortunate, of course, to have been so gainfully employed over the last few years, and for the support received from my family and student loans. It is somewhat jarring now to try to live without any income coming in, when such simple comforts as large, cheap supermarkets within easy walking distance now seem as a far-off dream. I have no doubt that while I am in Japan I shall be as frugal as is practical.
There are foods that I've discovered in Japan that I am rather taken with, and find myself thinking "I'll miss these when I eventually go back to England." Wonderful thing is, of course, that being in a foreign land has exposed me to such foods, and that having gained familiarity with them and learned their names, there is no need for me to let them go. Britain is rather an international country, and the Internet has shrunk the world to the extent that one can get recipes (which seldom contain specialist ingredients) of almost any food, and to be able even to watch someone making them to get a firm grasp of the method. So who knows, perhaps after this year I'll often cook Japanese foods that I only seldom ate in Japan, maybe even play around a bit to create some interesting variations.
Some may question the "authenticity" of Japanese cuisine made by an amateur English person who doesn't even stick to the original recipe. I doubt I would get on well with such people, but it leads me nicely on to my next point. When you’re somewhere in England talking about “cool stuff from Japan,” it's easy to forget or overlook the fact that manga, Lolita fashion, video games and the like are part of a sub-culture. That’s not to say that this is a bad thing – after all, it’s largely chance what emerges as “mainstream” or “sub” cultures. However, it does mean that if you have an interest in that sub culture, you have to go looking for it. True enough, in Japan there are more places you can find it – even the stationary shop at my Uni sells copies of the latest popular graphic novels. But I think stories, art and fashion transcend location, so whether you are in the country in which they originated ultimately makes little difference.
Where am I going with this point? I suppose that sometimes people in the West are criticised for liking "Japanese" things too much, which I object to. While I agree that it's not healthy to concentrate your interests solely on one aspect of one culture, people should like what they like no matter where they come from. Transmission of influences from outside is nothing new, and while I was never ashamed to strut down the streets in cosplay costumes, I certainly will not be embarrassed to talk about my love of Japanese comics, or Korean pop music, or Devonish scones, or anything of the sort.
I think I've waxed lyrical long enough for one entry. It has more of a "I miss England, and when I get back..." flavour than describing what's going on in the land of the rising sun, but these are the sort of things that my first month here has inspired me to think about. On a side note, I'm now on Twitter as well - http://twitter.com/caldannescourt. I still mainly use Facebook for communication and this blog for experiences in Japan, so I doubt my tweets will be anything to write home about (truth be told I just joined to follow the likes of Stephen Fry).
