On returning from a break away from the pressures of work, commitment and city life I have arrived back in exactly the same world that I left over six weeks ago before I set off for Japan. The experience was an overwhelming emotional and physical journey of learning and discovery and opened my eyes to not only a world and people away from that to what I had come so accustomed to, but also a number of issues and bugs in my system that I had to address.
Time for reflection is key to realize the importance of perspective and this was evident in my thoughts and feelings throughout my time away.
The journey to Japan, started off in the bright bustling city of Tokyo, which for all its seediness, neon lights and undercover transvestites, showed me a complete alternate view on city life and attitudes. A city is a city by all accounts and it is only its people that truly set it apart from that of another booming metropolis and for a city that is so engulfed in commerce, advertising and shopping culture I was astonished to find how welcoming, interested and friendly people were.
The place is constantly on the go and people seem to work extremely long hours, as can be seen by the sheer amount of people constantly trying to catch up on some shut eye, wherever they can get there heads down, trains, cars, parks, pavement, you name it and somewhere is there grabbing a little more zzz's before the time sheet has to be clocked once again. I even had to run up to a guy fast asleep at the wheel of his car, at a busy intersection, stopped on a red light. He was oblivious to all the honking and hooting of all the people waiting behind him and after tapping softly at his window, I was reduced to shouting and banging on the window, before his eyelids slowly peeled back to reveal a crazy, bearded, 'gaijin' holla'ing at his window for him to move. He proceeded on as if nothing had happened, as did the rest of the city.
