Missing Tokyo, Surviving Los Angeles

Oct. 7, 2007

Filed under: Uncategorized Japan Los Angeles

A week ago this morning I landed at LAX, home safe from Tokyo thanks to Korean Airlines. It was the end of two weeks' vacation with my girlfriend, Zoe. I looked out at the 405 as the plane made its approach, and thought "I never want to drive anywhere again." I grew up in the country, where everything was miles and miles apart, and then to a dreary suburban city that was anti-pedestrian not by malice but by laziness. Then I moved to Los Angeles, the city of the car, with its overcrowded bus lines and train that doesn't make it to the sea thanks to Politics. I've spent plenty of time behind the wheel.

The five years in Michigan and California that passed between my two trips to Japan let me forget how great it was to walk, bicycle, and take the train to anywhere you'd want to go. I know that Japan is not unique in this aspect, but it's the only such place I've spent a significant chunk of my life. I miss it for the convenience of its trains (like many of the country's good points, borne out of population density), among other reasons.

After we landed at Narita, we collected our bags and boarded a train for the city. I felt like I had never left. I've suffered a lot of anxiety over the decline of my language skills, but once again immersed, I found myself able to swim. I won't say I was as smooth as I was at the end of my last trip, but at least I charged forward in conversation without fear. (I also served as Zoe's translator - maybe I have a future career in showing tourists around the place.)

We saw a lot of new things, visited plenty of familiar places, met with old friends, and dutifully contributed to the economy. Zoe fell in love with the place as everyone knew she would. And the list of all that was good goes on, and on...

I know Japan is no funtopia - I was there for a year in college, which in my experience is long enough to be dazzled by the ups, jaded and spiteful of the downs, and finally realistic in accepting the balance of highs and lows. Despite its faults, I love it, and I miss it, and hope to be back soon.

Photos from the trip:

Comments

#1

Zo commented, on December 5, 2007 at 6:23 a.m.:

Ths was truly one of the best things I've ever done, and I cannot imagine doing it with anyone but you, D.

In a world where i have a job that lets me work from home i would say that living there for 1-2 months out of the year would be the perfect solution. After much deliberation I've decided that permanent residence in Tokyo would be masochistic, but I'd consider a smaller town like Kyoto [despite the tourists] or the countryside, perhaps.

#2

Zoetica commented, on December 5, 2007 at 6:23 a.m.:

I could do 2 months in Tokyo easily -- i was referring to permanent habitation. Lets' do eet.

#3

the daniel commented, on December 5, 2007 at 6:23 a.m.:

Yeah, a month or two out of the year would be perfect. I really think we should try to do that. I'm already in the right industry for such nonsense, and if I wasn't so reckless with my money I could probably afford it without having to actually work for those 2 months ;)

#4

the daniel commented, on December 5, 2007 at 6:23 a.m.:

.. but for me, it's gotta be Tokyo!

#5

Furious Jack commented, on December 5, 2007 at 6:23 a.m.:

So you finally went back, eh? Glad to hear it. Currently in one of my own bouts of... missing that place. (Don't want to call it "nostaliga". There's got to be some eloquent word in Japanese for it.)

At any rate, good to hear that things are more or less working out for you. Stop on by and say hello on AIM sometime.


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