Richard's blog

I’ve just spent the last week in Japan. I’m sitting in Narita Airport waiting for my SwissAir flight to Barcelona via Zurich. I’ll spare you the banalities, it’s on the record that I’m an inveterate and unreformable Japanophile, so I had a good time. I ate lots of Japanese food, bought high-quality, good-fitting, inexpensive clothes, a Muji kitchen scale and a vintage Hitachi laptop (weight 920g), soaked in the atmosphere of the world’s most populous megalopolis, bought manga, marveled at architecture, relished efficiency, bought weird shit from convenience stores and pharmacies, and admired Japanese babies. Check out my photos if you like, I’m hosting them on Picasaweb for simplicity – I’m on holiday to holiday, not post photos or blog.

A big difference from my previous Japan experience (I lived here for a year ending about 15 months ago) was my level of language ability. When I lived in Japan, I was lazy with my language learning and suffered the consequences. Since returning home, I have studied Japanese by myself and with an exchange partner using a variety of resources, with the aim of attaining a level of Japanese that will allow me to appreciate and enjoy Japanese culture better. Although I would still describe my Japanese as rough and rudimentary, it gave me enough tools this time around to make myself understood and to understand what was going on in nearly all situations I encountered. When you don’t know the word, circumlocute like hell! (Yesterday, not knowing the word for “lock” in Japanese, I asked the lady for “something with a key to protect my luggage.” She knew what I meant. The difference for my experience was being able to converse on a basic level, and to feel more relaxed and “at home” here. To make myself understood, even if imperfectly, in Japanese gives me a feeling of achievement, as well as inspiration to continue my studies.

Now in Barcelona. More later.