Some Decisions Aren't Really That Hard

Yeah, so one year ago this time I was tormented with indecision over the recontracting issue. You could read all about that here if you're so inclined. After struggling with that decision for so long, it really turned out to be pretty easy. The ups and downs of moving to another country and actually trying to live a halfway normal life in a Japanese town of about 30,000 people was something that needed more than 12 months to get used to. I know I didn't get any culture shock the first time I came to Japan, but that was because the A Team was too busy being atomically fucking awesome to notice a lot of what goes on in daily life here. Plus the myriad distractions available when living 30 minutes from the center of Tokyo go a long way towards easing over the rough patches that are all too visible in a slowly dying inaka town.

So yeah, there were definitely rough patches in my first 6 months in Takahagi, before I had to decide to stay another year here. But after deciding to recontract I found out that they were just rough patches. Going from Winter to Spring really was a rebirth in so many ways. The new school year brought new students, and a renewed sense of effort from me and all the teachers I worked with that made the job amazing. Deciding to recontract conferred upon me my Definitive Title and a leadership position among the Ibaraki JETs. Spring also brought hanami and a rebirth of Japan style debauchery underneath the cherry blossom trees. It also brought me together with Saori. So yeah, pretty much a month after signing the paper everything started going my way. Of course, there have been rough patches since then too. Some new, and some of the very same problems I described in my post around this time last year. But, the extra year gave me a great deal of perspective. I saw the downturn from October-January for what it was, temporary. Seasons change, situations change. It's let me stay a great deal more positive about Japan and the job when times are tough (as they are right now actually, lemme tell ya) since I know that they will get better soon.

So it's interesting that with all this newfound wisdom that I decided not to recontract with no hesitation whatsoever. I guess that perspective has shown me what problems I can change and what I can't. And what I can't change about my life as an ALT is living on the extreme edge of Kanto. Let's give an example from a week ago today: after an awesome sumo trip that about 40 people went on, planned in part by me, I was feeling good until I hadda get on that train back to Ibaraki. In order to keep from noticing the declining number of buildings as the Fresh Hitachi sped its way through Kashiwa and southern Ibaraki, I was busy trying to fill the hole with whatever media I had on hand: DS, iPod, keitai, etc. Of course (see my post here to confirm) I'm an idiot, so I managed to be entirely too unaware until I saw the train I was on was moving away from Takahagi. Argh. Of course, since it was already 10PM by that point, I had no business being North of Takahagi, since that's where the Dead Ones live. Or, I mean, since there are no trains southbound after 10PM. AAARGH. So I ended up choosing to spend ￥6000 for a night in a hotel in Fukushima, which was a whole lot better than the other option, a cab ride home for probably 4 times that amount (about $200). Laying down in a random business hotel in a city an hour north from where I live, I was struck by how isolated life is out here. The only reason to live in a place like this is to have space for a family to grow. It's safe and gives you a nice controlled environment for your kids. But it offers nothing to someone like me. I have no family here to back me up, and come drive out North to Fukushima after small lapse in concentration. I don't want a family (yet). What I need is Tokyo. I need a group of my peers, not people 10 years younger or 10 years older than me. I need events. I need life experience. It would be a shame to leave Japan through Takahagi. Tokyo draws me in like no other place I've ever been to, and I'm happy to say that I've decided to live there starting this August, no matter what. I am extremely pleased to find out that I will be joined by Mr. Jay Hoare. I know that there will be ups and downs, but it will be on my terms because of what I want to do.