It’s hard to believe that we are starting our second winter in Japan. Just six months ago, I was still wondering why so many foreigners ended up staying here so long. I enjoyed the experience of being here in many ways, but was far from home in Japan, meaning that I never quite felt “at home”, like I have in so many places. I focused on the difficult weather, and the grey, concrete, crowded city covered in power lines. I couldn't get used to the shy, formal manner of the Japanese that felt so restrictive, and made it so hard to feel part of society. Even though we were having fun experiences, it still always felt very temporary. When I didn't feel like being here, I told myself that I had committed to stay here for two years to earn good money. Money was my big reason.

Only six months later, and a total of 15 months living in this country, I don't care much about the money anymore. Instead of needing a reason to stay here, I'm going to have to grasp for reasons to leave. I see the culture, the weather, and the landscape so differently now, and have grown very sentimental towards my new “home”. There are just so many things to love about Japan, and as a foreigner living in Japan.

Of course, the weather can be unpredictable, uncomfortable, and far from mild. But it’s these changes and mysteries that intrigue those living in Japan so much. The weather is a hot discussion topic, and the Japanese place great importance on nature and the seasons. Each change in season brings new foods, activities, and traditions. Spring starts with huge picnics under the white cherry blossoms that cover the trees. Summer means tiny purple grapes, cold sake and tea, and fireworks parties for months. Fall brings persimmons, nashi (Japanese pear), and annual festivals where the oldest Japanese traditions come to life. In winter, you can enjoy eating roasted sweet potatoes under the clear blue skies. Mandarin oranges are abundant and sweet, and the sake and tea is nice and hot. Sitting in steaming onsen, or natural hot springs, is an experience that makes me actually look forward to winter.

As for the grey buildings and power lines…that’s Japanese cities for you, but there is so much more to Japan! The countryside, mountains, and seas are far too beautiful to judge Japan by its metropolises. Even within the huge cities, you are never far from sprawling parks, tree-lined avenues, and ancient temples. In Tokyo, there is always a different place to eat with themed atmosphere or international cuisine. There is always a different club to dance at, a concert to see, a festival to attend, a modern building to admire or a traditional garden to stroll. We can now see how people want to stay in Tokyo so long, as you can never finish seeing and doing everything.

Now, it’s one thing to live in Japan, but to be a foreigner is Japan makes life all the more interesting. There is always something interesting to discuss with your Japanese friends and neighbours, as we are constantly having a cultural exchange. There is always something new to learn about the other’s country, customs, and beliefs; so daily conversation is hardly ever routine. A foreigner in Japan can still always be a novelty to the Japanese, and after being asked so many questions about your own culture, you think a lot more about where you come from and who you are. Living in such a homogenous society makes you very aware of yourself. I now notice the volume of my voice, how eager I am to talk to strangers, how confident yet impatient my society raised me to be, how carefree my childhood was, how direct I am. When you are immersed in a society with so many cultural differences, you not only get to learn about the new culture, but better understand your own.

LANGUAGE is another instance of this, and a big factor in loving life in Japan. On one end, studying Japanese has become a journey of discovery, fascination, and accomplishment. It’s a great feeling to be acquiring a second language in the place where it can be put to practical use. After coming so far it’s hard to think of leaving Japan without being bilingual. On the other end, our lack of fluency in Japanese is something that’s nice to hold on to when you live here. Stranger’s conversations become background noise, with no meaning or intrusion into your mind. Maintaining silence or ignorance is very acceptable and lets you stand outside the action. Advertisements don’t bombard us, as we can’t read most of them, so we are free from mass marketing, as well as television. This is, of course, coming from my point of view as someone who is studying Japanese, and can carry on a good conversation in the language, but is far from fluent. With less language skills we were a bit frustrated, and with fluency we wouldn't be able to block out chatter around us, but where we are right now is a nice place to be. There’s also the opposite benefit…the fact that most people here can’t speak MY language. This means that Brad and I can usually talk about private matters on a crowded train without being understood, and that there are thousands of good-paying jobs teaching English!

Speaking of jobs, the opportunities don’t end with teaching. I am doing voice recordings for an English school to make the CDs that the students use for listening exercises, and even writing scripts for the recordings. Meanwhile, Brad has been on TV for the past two months, playing the foreigner and acting out different scenes for a health show. What I mean by “playing the foreigner” is that because there are so few non-Asian foreigners in Japan, it is easy to get acting, modeling, or English-speaking jobs when the companies are looking for a European face or voice. These opportunities would surely be much rarer to come by in our own countries!

We'll spend the holidays in Cairns and Sydney, Australia, so we'll see you Aussies soon. Everyone else, I'll be sending my love and kisses daily. Have a gorgeous holiday, and Happy New Year!

xoxoxo Rebecca "Bex"