So here I am...

I have been on the fence about whether or not to start a blog, but here I am. I know mass emails get old, but I feel like there is still something magical and exciting about getting an email from an old friend that can get lost in a blog. The mystery surrounding what your friends have been experiencing evaporates; that feeling of excitement diminishes. It's like developing film. Digital has taken away that initial excitement of seeing your memories for the first time on paper.

But then again. Digital has definitely saved me from some pretty horrible pictures. So here I am.



I hardly even know where to begin. I have been absolutely awful about writing home to everyone, so this is also an attempt to keep in touch and let people track my experiences with me. I have faced a lot of challenges in my two months living in Japan, but I know (or hope) I am growing a little bit with each one and I hope this will help you understand that process.

So a little about me: After college I entered the business world. After two years as an analyst, I followed an opportunity to live and work in Japan. Big lifestyle change. But a good one.

I am currently living in the Kansai area of Japan, between Himeji (the site of Japans most famous castle) and Kobe, a wonderful port-city that has the charm and ambiance of Oslo. Kobe city was flattened by a 7.2 earthquake in 1995 and has since been completely rebuilt and reclaimed its glory as a hub town and major housing venue for the international community in this area of the country (= awesome intl cuisine!).



I actually live in a city called Akashi, famous for having the longest suspension bridge in the world (connecting it to Awaji island). The 'Rainbow' bridge looks like the Golden Gate, but it is blue, bigger, and it lights up in rainbow colors at night. I originally thought it was nicknamed after the famous 'Rainbow Bridge' in Toyko, but the rainbow nickname comes from the lights. I have heard takoyaki (or octopus balls-a Japanese favorite) is also from Akashi. I live in a more industrial part of the city about 5 minutes from the water on the outskirts of town, but there is a park nearby. I am right off the train line, which is nice, and I take the train to work everyday. The picture on the left was actually taken from my balcony and the rice fields in the picture before it are about a block away. If you are a Google Earth user, you can check me out in Nishi-Futami.

Hyogo Prefecture (basically my county) spans across the middle section of the country. We have Kobe in the east and mountains on the western coast. Hyogo is part of the Kansai region. For those of you that don't know much about Japan, Kansai boasts being the cultural heart of Japan. Nara - the ancient capital of Japan, Kyoto - the imperial capital until the late 19th century and site of hundreds of shrines and temples, Osaka - a bustling metropolis second only to Tokyo, and Kobe - my lovely city - are among the famous places in this region. Kansai (sometimes known as Kinki) encompasses 7 prefectures and is, well, one of the best places one could hope to be... so I am pretty lucky. I have access to everywhere in Japan (and live near the Kansai Intl Airport - KIX) so I cannot complain much.



As for me personally, though, I am doing well and like it here. I have lived abroad before and traveled a bit, but I have realized (through observation) that I generally adapt very well to new places but the transition kills me every time. I actually broke down and cried the first night in my new apartment after realizing I had no shower, but I have come to love even my traditional Japanese bathtub and now feel very (or at least a lot more) comfortable in my surroundings. I am the only¡¡foreigner at my workplace (so we are talking total immersion) and I seem to garner mini-celebrity status whenever I go out (both the up and down sides - the neighbors probably know what color my underwear is because they watch me hang it outside!!); but you adjust. I will never be Japanese and will probably always get stared at on the street or on trains, but you habitually start to ignore it or just stop noticing after a while and life becomes normal again. I am making attempts at learning the language, but my circle of friends includes mostly other foreigners and I only started classes last week, so I have a long way to go. The people here are very kind and I am blessed with fun and interesting friends so I am happy. I miss everyone at home and every once in a while I just need to privately lament not having the people I love around, but then I go home and read, watch a movie, or rack up some yen on my landline (by calling those missed loved ones!) and it gets better. Itunes and Greys Anatomy have been lifesavers.



I need to get going, but my life is pretty random so I am sure I will have a lot to share. Until next time, thank you for getting through this (if you could) and I hope you enjoy! ;)


"Don't ever tell anyone anything. If you do, you start missing everyone." - J.D. Salinger, Catcher in the Rye