Category: Japan

Since this is more or less confirmed already, might as well say it.

I’m going to Japan. [Once->project-japan] [again->project-japan-2].
Continue reading Project Japan 3: More Aggressive

Since this is more or less confirmed already, might as well say it.

I’m going to Japan. [Again->project-japan].

It will only be under a week this time, I’m just going back there as a tourist. But I’m treating it as some sort of a major event. I left so many [unfinished business->project-japan-end-2007] and, er… [emotional baggage->dear-kagami] over there during my whole year of stay back in 2006-2007. It’s been quite a while since then, and so I wonder if I’ll gain anything, or learn anything, from this possibly rare opportunity. It could be nothing more than a vacation trip. Or it could be a pivotal moment of my life.

I’ll be going there with friends, so I’m kinda limited to the survival strategy schedule that we had planned as a group. This trip will be sightseeing, not otaku-trekking, like some part of me would have wanted it to be. In fact, Akihabara schedule time is only 4-5 hours – that’s horribly short if you want to see and buy tech stuff, much less if you want animu stuff instead. Thankfully, we’ll go to places I haven’t gone to during my one-year stint, like temples. I’ll discover new things about Japan again, so… let’s photo!　なので。。。

(Tamayura probably won’t appear for digital cameras)

It will be a trip of nostalgia. I will visit my friends and acquaintances. I will visit my old office. I will visit the places I’ve been to. I will try to relive that life I had, all over again. It’s because of that year that I have continual vested interest in anime, games, music, and many other aspects of Japanese culture. Not only just that, it’s because of that year that I have grown up (a bit) as a person. I learned to cook. I learned to live (almost) independently in an apartment. I started my work there and learned how to approach my career path. I also learned how to lov—— (enough about that). Even just for a year, my life in Japan was one of the most colorful. The experiences I had there defined me, and continues to define me even to this day. The good times, the bad times, even the uneventful times, they all became a part of me.

If there were a chance to do it all over again, I will have to take the peek through this little vacation trip of mine. There are things that I want to [improve on->losing-japanese]. There are things I want to [think about how to be->naritai-jibun]. There are things I want to [reevaluate->blue-bird]. My life still has the next phase or two ahead, and I want to know if I’m on the right track. But more than reliving the past or looking into the future, I want to enjoy the present moment as much as I can.

Hmm, I’ve been churning out embarrassing remarks that shouldn’t be allowed, so let me rephrase it this way: WHO CARES ABOUT MELANCHOLY AND REMINISCING… I’M GOING BACK TO JAPAN YEAAAAAAAAA~!! I should be there during the week of BD release for the second movie of Macross Frontier, and (sadly) before the release of THE IDOLM@STER 2 game for the PS3, so I’m sure Akiba would be filled with posters of those. Not as if I’m going to buy either. Suggestions would be welcome on what kind of simple animu stuff to buy – I am honestly not a merchandise collector so I’m not too big on those things. I would definitely get a Vocaloid album or two, I already have a DECO*27 so my targets are doriko and 40mP albums, or maybe a Miku/Gumi compilation. In terms of tech I’m still on the ropes about a 3D/120Hz PC monitor, which should bring the absolute smoothness to my computing and gaming visuals. Remind me not to go overboard because I barely have tens of thousands of yen to spend. Train fares will be a particular pain. Oh how much has changed. When I was in Japan I could barely think about how train fares cost, nor “where I was going” (lol I went to random places by train back then).

Anyway, one more time, one more chance. This is it. My body is ready, and I’m lady. This is me, signing off for now, and hoping to have the best trip of my life so far. Japan, welcome me back. ただいま。

Our thoughts and prayers go to my friends, colleagues, and everyone in Japan. Please keep safe wherever you are.

[Naritai Jibun->]

Sorry, this is not so much about Madoka Magica, let’s just say that I can relate with the anime depicting a deconstruction of what it takes to be a magical girl in the magical girl genre of anime. In the first article I compared myself to Amu-chan (Shugo Chara), a magical girl with multiple personality issues, as a reflection of my life at that point when I had to decide which path to take in life. And so here I am today, trying to reflect on my decisions from that point in the past, and what the reality looks like at present..
Continue reading Naritai Jibun 2: The Deconstruction