I was asked today if anyone ever reads my blog… Inside I had to laugh– I don’t really care. If one person in two whole years stumbles upon one partial post and reads a quarter of it— I’m fulfilled.

Now on to transitioning–

I’ve been to Japan and if I close my eyes I can feel myself standing on a street between the train station and where I lived in Atsubetsu-ku… I can feel myself buzzing from the night’s drinking & freezing as I wade out in 2 1/2′ of snow at midnight on a bitter Saturday in December– all to take a wizz on a tree. To me, that’s a memory. Here’s another one… Standing on a suspension bridge in Oyachi watching the ducks swim around– I spot a Japanese licence plate on the shore. I rush down the side of the creek bed and wade out into freezing cold water. Then I grab the plate and try to climb back up the muddy wet embankment before classes begin… Pretty good ‘eh? How ’bout one more..

It’s snowing… snowing hard. Let’s say about 2′ has accumulated on the soccer field of Hokkusei Gakkuen University. My friend Nick and I go out in our (piss poor) winter outfits and decide that we’re going to roll up the biggest freaking snowball Hokkaido has ever seen (or atleast Hokkusei’s ever seen). So we start small at one goal post and roll, roll, roll it to the next goal post.. Then turned around and roll it back again.. then did it again until the ball was so big that neither Nick nor I could roll it any bigger. We left it there– and maybe went and had a coffee..

When you’re done fretting about Japanese customs, traditions, language, and all the other rubbish you realize 3 years later– what mattered– what counted– wasn’t even Japanese at all. The point of the “transition” really is to get in your head that “Japan” as a single entity isn’t so monolithic that every event there is somehow “Japanesey”. People who walk away from Japan all pissy about the place are like that sometimes because they mix up “Another Country” and “Just regular moody people” with “Jyaa–PAN!” & “Japanese People.” Get real– it sucked because that place sucked…

I’m excited for my transition, but I’m really looking forward to those awkward memories you have late at night, before classes, or on the spur of the moment. It’s not even important that you try and make a memory, rather it’s important that you just live life as you’ve always tried…

Søren Kierkegaard, a prolific 19th century philosopher and theologian once said:

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”

Always take on the adventure–

–in the face. ~Josh Wheeler, a prolific 21st century BS’r & blogger.

~J out

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