The Following Is Written In Black And White

Well, here I am back in Japan. I left England (Monday afternoon) with considerably less pomp and ceremony than last time, which I don't mind, in fact it helped to emphasise that the Christmas holidays were just a brief break, not a proper homecoming. After a few hours on the flight spent reading I tried to get some sleep. Fortunately both times I have flown to Japan the seat next to me has been unoccupied, so I've been able to lie down a little bit. Eventually we touched down in Beijing, which gave the impression of being a much larger airport than Shanghai, but maybe that's just because I had longer to wait and thus saw more of it. Amusingly at Passport Control I was asked to strike a pose to better resemble the (apparently) rock-and-roll sixteen-year-old me in the photo. While I'm sure they all have their subtle differences I am of the opinion that an airport is an airport is an airport, so I can't really write very much about Beijing's, except that I was there for about five hours, much of which was spent reading Stephen Fry's autobiography.

The flight from China to Japan was longer this time, which I tried to counteract by sleeping through much of it, strategically waking up in time for food and drink. I can't say that I enjoy flying but it beats the alternative of weeks/months on a boat or train. Arriving at the airport (Tuesday night), this time knowing where I was going and getting there on my own was quite an empowering feeling, though this didn't stop me from flopping down in my bed and sleeping as soon as I got back to my room. No orientations that I needed to attend were scheduled for Wednesday, which is just as well as I slept through most of it. The rest I spent unpacking and rejuvenating my room with the use of ... BluTac! Yes, strange as it may seem, in the last four months I was unable to find any such product in Japan, and bringing some along has already made a great difference in my mood. The long process of sticking my kanji cards to the wall has begun.

At this point I had planned to look back on last term and reflect on achievements, regrets, joys, sorrows et cetera, but I'd rather not dwell on the past, and I certainly don't want this to turn into a "boo-hoo-my-life" blog. So what follows are a few of my thoughts regarding romantic love and its place in life, which may not say much about Japan, but they have been prompted by my stay here and will hopefully provide some food for thought. A rather bizarre piece of advice one often hears is to get a Japanese girl/boyfriend who speaks little/no English. Certainly this makes sense from a logical standpoint - spending lots of time with someone, getting used to speaking Japanese and picking up all sorts of expressions and whatnot that can't be learned from books. From a more human perspective, though - WTF?

Personally I am unlikely to follow such advice, for three main reasons. Firstly, from what I've seen sexuality is not often discussed in Japan, and I can barely explain transgenderism in English, so finding an open-minded bi or lesbian Japanese girl would be a considerable challenge. Secondly, I do not believe people can control who they become attracted to; one cannot choose to fall in - or out - of love with someone, no matter how convenient it may seem. Third reason? I am already in love, or at least something that feels like it. I don't think this places restrictions on my life in Japan, though. Yes, I often find myself thinking "I wish I could be spending time with _____ right now," but I don't think this has ever made me choose not to do something I wanted to do. I may not be the most social person at times, but I walk my own path in my own way, as indeed we all must, and I am happy with this situation.

Oh dear, this rather did turn into an emotional trawl, didn't it? Apologies, dear readers, I assure you more relevant Japan-y stuff is on the way!

May the spirits guide me