The final month

As I write this post I have less than two weeks left in Japan. I am happy and sad at the same time. Happy because I can't wait to see all my friends, have some rest time away from Japanese for a couple of months and then get stuck into 3rd year back at Oxford. But this is also tinged with sadness since I know that when I get back so much will have changed. My two best friends are leaving the country almost immediately, I will be 3rd year not a fresher, and a good proportion of my best friends will soon be away next year on their years abroad.

Despite it being so soon I can barely think about going home at this point because there is an enormous amount of stuff to sort out next week. On Monday and Tuesday I have my end of year exams, Wednesday I have a mock presentation, Thursday I am going to see a baseball match with Chizuko, Friday I am seeing my host family and at the weekend I was planning to go to Osaka for a day trip. In between that I'm supposed to cancel my internet, phone, electricity and water, pack my own stuff, pack a box for my college daughter coming next year and arrange to have a load of books shipped home.

The following Monday is the 'speech/presentation' day at Kobe Uni and then the Farewell party which I will be showing my face at then going out for many drinks.

I know Oxford will be asking for my feedback on Kobe University when I get back and to be honest I have no more fucks to give. Giving feedback that will never be taken on board is a waste of my breath since I'm just told everything is 'bureaucratically impossible' to change. Never mind. I do feel slightly sorry for the group coming here next year who won't even have the same level of funding we did apparently. As far as this program goes, I don't think the future's bright...

There are more trips to update you on. The first is a weekend trip to Gangnam (Seoul, Korea) at the end of last month with two Oxford friends. To be honest we mainly just went for the clubs since Kobe is horribly lacking in this department. It was the same weekend that my college ball back in Oxford which only comes around once every four years. I was quite upset to have missed this but being in some of the best clubs I have ever been to in Gangnam made up for it nicely.

We did do some cultural things such as visiting the imperial palace (gyeongbokgung)

changing of the guard

And painting in traditional Korean style at the Hanok village

We also spend a lot of time taking advantage of Seoul's amazing shopping districts. If any of you have been to Seoul before you'll know I'm talking about Myeongdong.

But as I said, it was mainly a clubbing holiday, and Seoul delivered. I don't have any photos but the clubs we went to (called Answer and Ellui, both in Gangnam) were definitely the best clubs I've been to in Asia and Ellui is probably one of my favourite all-time clubs. It was a welcome break from the rather dire scene here in Kobe.

Last weekend I visited Helen in Tokyo for the last time. Not too much to report on this. We had a meal, did some shopping, had a stroll round the imperial palace and an art gallery. I went mainly to see Helen but also to kind of say goodbye to Tokyo since I have completely fallen in love with this city and certainly intend to go back in the future. Perhaps after graduation?

I have been blessed to have done so much travelling this year and seen to many beautiful places that each occupy their own space in my heart, from the untouched beauty of Takayama to the energy and cosmopolitanism of Tokyo. My only regret is not having been able to see Hokkaido and Okinawa, but perhaps its better that way since now I have even more of an incentive to come back when I move to Tokyo (I say tentatively).

Tomorrow I am going to the countryside with Chizuko and some of her friends so I must be going to bed now because it's an early start. 

I will compose one last post of my final thoughts on this year when I am at my hotel in Kansai airport on the verge of flying home. 

I look forward to that moment.

Sean